Choosing Your Weapon

The great Arnold Palmer is reputed to have a not-so-small room at his home known as ‘the workshop’.  Lining the workshop, in numerous racks and storage areas, are literally thousands of clubs.  Conservative estimates have put the proportion of putters in the collection at 90%.  There are short, long, offset, mallet, perimeter weighted, balanced, copper, aluminium, brass, titanium, etc. – literally nearly every putter under the sun.  This is a testament to the fact that finding that perfect putter can be the quest of a lifetime!

Needless to say, putters are very much a personal preference.  Therefore, it is impossible to say what will work for you.  However, in an attempt to save you this kind of agony (not to mention expense), the following putter guide will at least provide you with a few of the most common design characteristics, giving you an idea of where to start the next time you visit your local pro shop.

Shaft Length

No doubt you have seen numerous lengths of putters varying from short (less than 33 inches), to long with the grip extending to the chin.  The two lengths in between are standard (33 - 37 inches) and belly (longer than 37 inches) where the grip rests in the midsection. 

The general rule of thumb is that if you are of average height, try a standard length first (35 inches is the most common).  If you are having difficulty making putts with this length, then move to a belly or long putter as they allow for a more consistent pendulum motion.  The trade-off in moving to anything longer than a standard length is a sacrifice in feel.  However, as the old adage says, “practice makes perfect,” so this loss in feel can be overcome.   

Long Putter	Belly Putter	Standard Putter	Short Putter

 

Grip

Grips are very easy and inexpensive to change, with a number of options on the market.  One school of thought is that a larger grip offers less opportunity to hinge or manipulate the wrists, and as a result allows for a truer stroke.  But, when it comes down to it there are many fantastic putters using all different varieties of grip; it is very much a personal preference. Therefore, grip should not be a major deciding factor in choosing a new putter (or giving up on the one already in your bag).

Hosel

The hosel is the point at which the shaft inserts into the head of the putter.  This can be anywhere from the middle to the heel of the club depending on the weighting.  The shaft either enters the head at an angle (if the shaft is straight) or perpendicular to the head which happens when the shaft has a bend of 3-4 inches from where it enters the head.  A shaft with this bend tends to be a good choice for the novice or intermediate player as it positions the eyes directly over the ball, making putts easier to hit on the chosen line.  More experienced players tend to prefer a straight shaft.  Clearly there are many other variations but these are certainly the main two.       

Bent shaft design	Straight shaft design

Head

Now more than ever there are seemingly infinite varieties of putter heads coming in all shapes, colours, sizes and weights.  (See below for pictures of the most common designs).  Each head design is based on a different theory of weighting that will most easily allow for a repeatable stroke.  For example, the classic blade design has the weighting bias in the heel.  The second design, popularized by PING’s ANSER model, uses perimeter weighting at the heel and toe.  Any sort of mallet putter positions the weight at the trailing edge of the club.  The last option is the balanced weighting design which equally distributes the weight throughout the head of the club.  Variations of these options position the weight higher or lower in the head, which changes the center of gravity and alters the feel.

Another factor that changes the feel of the putter is the number of pieces that make up the head.  The general consensus is that putters that are milled from one piece of metal provide for the softest feel with the most feedback to the hands, but this view is certainly not universal.  There are some fantastic putters out there that use various exotic plastic and metal inserts to achieve a similar result.

So when you’re out scouting for your next perfect putter, keep these design elements in mind.  Hopefully they will help you avoid having a ‘putter museum’ like Arnold Palmer.