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.
Comments