Putter
If you are into golf I’m sure you’ve seen many of the putter designs on the market today. Most don’t look anything like a traditional putter anymore. Many of them are pretty odd looking.
But when you get right down to it, not much has changed aside from looks. You have blade putters, mallet putters and some crazy variations of over-sized mallets that are in between.
How To Pick A Putter
Picking a good putter is mainly about feel. How does it feel in your hands and does it look good to your eye when your lining up to the ball?
Standard length or traditional length putters are around 35 inches long, then you have the longer Belly-Putters you anchor to your belly button, those other putters just called “long-putters” guys hold up near their sternum or chin, it’s all about preference and how it feels to you.
Aside from the variation of the head style there is also a difference in how the shaft is inserted into the club head. Is it a center shafted design? These putters typically have a flatter lie angle, promoting a low-hands position. The center-shaft position also places the swing axis closer to the golf ball, giving you extra control something a lot of golfers really like.
Or does it have a plumber-neck type hosel which is characterized by a horizontal bend just below where the end of the shaft and the hosel meet. This will give you some offset, which helps to keep your hands ahead of the club head through impact. This type of hosel arrangement encourages a slightly inside to square to inside stroke which makes the putter more forgiving.
If you aren’t sure what feels good to you you should try as many putters as you can. Whatever feels most natural or gives you the most confidence will probably be the best choice for you.
Do you like the sound and feel of how the ball comes off the face? Is the face balanced to help with any of those rare miss-hit putts you might have?
Does it roll true off the face and hold it’s line? Remember putters also have a slight amount of loft to help get the ball rolling, you can experiment whether lower or higher lofts work best for you.
When you find a putter that works well for you this not only helps to lower your scores but it’s big for your confidence.
Putter Alignment Markings
A putter should not only feel good as you make your putting stroke, it should also have good alignment marks on it to help you line up your putts.
The biggest factor found in missed putts is poor alignment, so make sure the top has 1,2,3 or more lines to aid in lining up your putts. These alignment mark will help you visualize the putt and help you sink more birdies.
The putter can only be as good as it’s operator so don’t forget to practice good technique. Oh yeah and one more thing, never ever forget to mark your golf ball with a guide line before you putt. This video shows you a free and easy trick to marking your golf ball that doesn’t require buying any fancy gadgets.