Fit Yourself For The Right Putter For Your Game
Golf Maniacs,
Today's blog post subject is near and dear to my heart. Matter of fact, it is one reason why I wanted to start The Putter Shop as an online focused putter store. The subject is how to fit yourself for the right putter for your game without going to a putter fitting with a professional. Let's get into it.
First off, I am sharing information about how to properly fit yourself for the right putter for your game because I believe it is possible for you to do so from the comfort of your own home. For many of you, going to a putter fitting or club fitting isn't going to happen. You may live in remote Idaho or you may be juggling three jobs and a family, you don't have the time to go see a fitting professional and you may not have the money. So, with you and many others in mind, let's make putter fitting as simple as possible so you can start stroking it better on the greens.
Here's what we are going to discuss:
1) Look
2) Stance
3) Stroke Shape
4) Length
5) Lie Angle
6) Grip
Look
Very simple...what shape do you prefer to look at? Are you a blade fan? Like the look of a heel shafted blade (a purist I see)? Mid mallet guy? Fang mallet aficionado? Alien spaceship astronaut? Fan of the ole toilet putter? What do you want to look down at? This question has led me to stick with Anser and Newport-style blade putters because they are what I prefer to look down at. They are what I feel comfortable and confident with. That may not be you, and that is cool. A lot of younger players have never hit a blade putter, no worries. Which kind of mallet shape do you like? Once you determine which putter head shape you are attracted to, let's find the right neck, hosel, and putter length for your stance and stroke shape.
Stance
Address the golf ball by standing with your feet roughly shoulder width apart or slightly less than shoulder width (do what makes you feel comfortable and that grounds your stance so you may take a clean stroke at the ball) and have the ball up in your stance. I'm an old school right-handed guy and my ball placement is towards my left heel, slightly forward of where I'd address the ball with a 5 iron. Shift your weight slightly to the balls of your feet and position your eyes directly over your golf ball. Scotty Cameron says your eyes should be 1 to 2 inches inside the target line to encourage a proper stroke of the putter (balanced and with good posture) with toe flow that matches your swing and the design of the putter. I won't argue with the master (Never Compromise/Srixon/XXIO/Cleveland say otherwise, see below). Whatever you do, do it consistently because all of your body and senses are working together to make the stroke happen and make the best contact you can make on the golf ball.
Stroke Shape
Your putter stroke should be built from proper practice, consistency, and routine so it comes naturally when you address the ball. Good putting is driven by feel and I believe confident feel comes from consistent practice. Stroke your stroke! Are you most comfortable going straight back and straight thru? Are you a slight arc putter? Are you a big swinging arc putter? Your natural flow should determine which neck/shaft combo you choose to connect to your putter head of choice. Your grip, which we'll talk about later, is also a factor in your putting system. One tweak here or there can change quite a bit in your putting system. See Never Compromise's neck and shaft combo examples below to help you determine if you need a putter with a single bend neck, double bend neck, plumber's neck, slant neck, or center-shafted. More to come on this in future blog posts.
Length
Now that we've talked about look, stance, and stroke shape, let's figure out the right length for you. Taking your stance as described above, do the following:
- Tuck your elbows into ribs (or fat in my case) and with your back as straight as possible, bend at the waist until your eyes are directly over the ball
- Allow your hands to hang down naturally below your shoulders
- Measure the distance from your wrists down to the floor
- Consider your overall height
- See the chart below (ping.com) to determine proper putter length
- For confirmation before you order your new putter, take your current putter and measure the length to what the chart shows or borrow a friend's putter that is the length you need (or close). Find the right feel based on length, your stance, and your posture.
Lie Angle
Now that you know the right length putter, the vast majority of players will fit into the standard lie angle of the putter as-is. Proper length is more important than lie angle as the proper length putter should naturally set your club head flat on the ground with the lie angle the manufacturer determined is correct for their design. In some circumstance you may need to have the lie angle adjusted depending on your wrist angle or certain dimensions in your stance, posture, arm length, etc.
Grip
The grip you choose, or the one that comes with your putter choice, is so important to how to properly stroke your putter. A great part about this aspect of putter fitting is that it is somewhat personal and somewhat purposeful. Get it...personal and purposeful. Here's a great example from Never Compromise Putters on grip choice:
Always know that you can change your grip to find the right one that suits you. I've gone from the old PING PP58 to Super Stroke Fatso 3 to Scotty Cameron Pistolini to Golf Pride Pro Only to Lamkin Sink Fit Skinny to PURE Classic and back around again (never the Super Stroke Fatso again). Some of it is preference, but know that these grips have purpose and changing your grip will change how you stroke your putter. The grip is your connection to the putter...you've got to love your grip to be confident in your putter.
It's as simple as all of that! Haha! Find the look you want, get your length right, pick a hosel/shaft connection based on your stroke, and get the right grip for your hands. Do all of that and you've got a putter you can be confident in and you'll start stroking it better and scoring lower! Let The Putter Shop know how we can help. Send us an email (putters@the-putter-shop.com) or DM us on Instagram.
Stroke It!
