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