In this video, Neil Tappin takes a look at the decisions relating to finding the right putter. He covers everything from the price to the mechanics of your stroke to help you understand some of the questions worth asking yourself. If you are in the market for a new putter, spend some time considering these factors and you should make a smarter decision.
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00:00 (clicking)
00:02 - Hello everyone, Neil Tappan here from Golf Monthly
00:05 and welcome to the London Club
00:07 and this video on how to find the right putter.
00:10 Obviously it's a really important thing to get right.
00:12 If you can hold a few more putts,
00:14 your handicap is likely to come down.
00:15 So finding the right equipment is crucial
00:17 and we're gonna boil it down to five key areas.
00:20 Things that you need to think about
00:21 if you are on the hunt for a brand new putter.
00:24 Right, let's get started.
00:26 Okay, so the first thing to consider is the feel
00:28 and this is really important
00:29 because on the market right now,
00:31 you've got putters that offer a firm feel
00:33 right through to the ones that offer an ultra soft feel.
00:36 So finding something on that spectrum
00:38 that really fits the bill for you is really important.
00:40 Now, one thing to consider is the greens
00:43 on the golf course that you play most regularly.
00:45 Are they slower?
00:46 In which case you might want a firmer feel.
00:48 Are they ultra fast?
00:49 In which case a soft feel might help you control
00:52 your distance that little bit more.
00:54 Now, what I would do would be to do some research,
00:57 read the blurb about the different putters
00:59 that you're interested in and try and marry up
01:01 the sort of feel that you like
01:03 with what the manufacturers are saying
01:04 about what's on offer from their putter.
01:06 If you can get it right,
01:07 then you should find a putter that you just click with
01:09 that offers you that exact feel that you're looking for.
01:12 Often in our equipment videos,
01:14 we talk about the importance of finding clubs
01:16 that you really like the look of
01:17 and I think nowhere in the bag is that more important
01:20 than on the greens with your putter.
01:22 Finding a putter that offers you
01:23 as much confidence as possible is absolutely essential.
01:26 Now, the manufacturers understand that
01:28 and that's why you've got a whole host
01:30 of different shapes to choose from.
01:32 So narrowing down your search is absolutely essential.
01:35 On the one end of the spectrum,
01:36 you'll have really large mallets
01:38 with very, very strong alignment aids
01:39 for those players that do want some assistance at address.
01:42 And then at the other end of the spectrum,
01:44 you'll have those ultra slim line traditional models
01:47 that are really designed for those players
01:49 that like to control their putts through their feel of pace.
01:52 Working out exactly where on that spectrum you sit,
01:55 where the preference is for your game,
01:57 is gonna be a really important part
01:59 of finding the right putter for your game.
02:01 Okay, so the next factor to consider
02:03 is the price and your budget.
02:05 Now, on the Golf Monthly website,
02:07 we have a post, a best putters post
02:09 that I'll put a link into the URL below
02:11 that gives you a really good idea
02:13 about the spectrum of different models
02:14 there are on the market.
02:15 And they range from 425 pounds on the one hand
02:19 through to 69 pounds on the other.
02:20 So it tells you a bit about the disparity
02:22 in terms of price there is out on the market.
02:25 Now, why is there a disparity?
02:26 Well, some of it will come down to technology.
02:28 You might not think there's a huge amount of technology
02:31 at work within putters, but actually,
02:33 it is an area that the manufacturers
02:34 have done a lot of research into.
02:36 And for a lot of the time, the technology at work
02:39 will help the ball get rolling quickly off the face
02:42 to deliver that kind of really smooth roll on the greens,
02:45 the feel that you're looking for,
02:47 and the sort of stroke that you're after.
02:48 And then on the other hand,
02:49 part of the price is down to the craftsmanship.
02:51 So as you jump up through the price brackets,
02:54 you'll often find that the craftsmanship,
02:56 the general aesthetic,
02:57 just gets that little bit more refined.
03:00 The good news is that there are plenty of different choices.
03:02 So no matter what your budget,
03:04 you should find something that really suits your game.
03:06 The next question to ask yourself is,
03:08 how strong is the arc of your stroke?
03:11 For some players, their stroke tends to be
03:12 fairly straight back and through,
03:14 but for other players, the stroke tends to go more
03:16 in to square to in, and that would be a stronger arc.
03:20 So figuring out how strong the arc of your stroke is
03:22 is really important because there will be a model out there
03:25 that suits your stroke.
03:27 Now let me explain how that works.
03:28 So in the putter that I have here,
03:30 it's more of what you would describe
03:31 as a face-balanced putter.
03:33 So if I hold it like this,
03:34 you can see the face points pretty much straight up, right?
03:37 This is really more for those players
03:39 who have more of a straight back and through stroke,
03:41 whereas this model here has more of a toe hang to it.
03:45 So again, if I hold it like that,
03:46 you'll notice the toe hangs a little bit more
03:49 down towards the ground,
03:50 and that's for those players with a stronger arc.
03:52 So again, do a little bit of research.
03:54 Find the putter that's designed to match your stroke
03:57 and the arc of your stroke.
03:58 It could really help.
04:00 Okay, so the last factor to consider
04:01 is the length of the putter,
04:03 and finding the right length of putter
04:05 will help you set your posture over the ball correctly
04:08 so that your eyes are nicely positioned
04:10 over the ball at address.
04:11 It can make a big difference to the way
04:13 in which your stroke works,
04:14 but also the way in which you're able to pick the line
04:16 as you stand over the ball at address.
04:18 And now obviously, this is the sort of thing
04:20 that a PGA Pro can really help you with
04:22 if you go for a putter fitting,
04:23 but I appreciate not everybody's gonna go
04:24 through the process of getting a putter fitting,
04:26 so it might just be one of those things
04:28 that you need to sort of figure out for yourself.
04:30 Now, the most common putter lengths are 35 inches,
04:34 which is this one here, which is what I use,
04:36 34 inches, and down to 33 inches.
04:39 Work out which you think might be right for you,
04:41 and then order the correct putter
04:42 that you think might help you set your posture
04:44 over the ball correctly at address.
04:47 Okay, so there you have it.
04:48 That's our look at how to find the right putter.
04:51 As I said right at the beginning of this video,
04:53 finding the right putter is so important.
04:55 If you can hole a few more putts,
04:57 then there's no two ways about it.
04:58 Your handicap will move in the correct direction.
05:00 So if you are looking to invest, before you do so,
05:03 have a think about some of those factors.
05:05 It could help you make a smarter choice.
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