The more I work with golfers, the more I play and the more I watch tournaments live or on TV, one thing stands out more then anything else. The importance of putting. The game within the game within the game. It’s the difference that makes the difference in my opinion and your putter is THE most important club in your bag. Now many amateur golfers will think nothing on spending hundreds of pounds on the latest square, white, or adjustable driver in the hope that it will transform their game, but neglect to pay that much attention to their putter. Pro golfers practice putting more then any other part of their game. Amateurs practice it the least. Pros talk about the magical number of breaking 30 putts per round. Anything on or below that number is considered to be good putting. Now an average golfer who takes 90 – 100 shots per round will rarely have anywhere near or less then 30 putts in a round. So lets say he takes 36 putts in an average round. If we look at that as a percentage of shots for the round we are looking at around 36%. When you think about it that’s a significant amount of shots with the flat stick.
Which brings me on to putter size and correct fitting. Loft, lie angle, swing weight and design are all important, but for now I just want to talk about putter length.
If you buy a putter from a golf store the usual lengths they stock is 34″ and 35″, sometimes 33″. The average length of putter on the PGA Tour is 33″ – 33.5″.
Also the average PGA pro is taller then your average golfer so if he is taller and using a shorter then standard putter what does that tell you….? You are probably playing a putter that is too long for you! There is a lot of talk about the arms hanging naturally when you grip it with the eyes being over the ball, but there seems to be less information about the role of the shoulders in the stroke relative to putter length.
Generally, with a standard length putter the average golfer will be more upright and this will not help the shoulders to work on the most effective axis plane when putting. When one is more over the ball as with a shorter putter this allows the shoulder girdle to work up and down the line better.
Try this exercise. Get a club, put it under the arms, holding it tight under the armpits. Then take your putter and make some strokes back and forth. As you do this notice the plane the club under your arms takes. Does it work along the line of the stroke or not? Chances are it won’t. Now grip your putter further down allowing your hands and your shoulder girdle to move closer to the ground and take some more strokes. You should notice that the club under your arms works more up and down the line with less deviation. This helps to eliminate any hand and body manipulation throughout your stroke. This simple exercise gives a great visual of what your shoulders actually do through the stroke.
So the next time you are in the market for a new club, consider changing your putter and getting it fitted correctly. Alternatively if your current putter is too long, get it adjusted correctly. Any decent club-fitter will do it for you and you may well be surprised how many more putts you start to hole.
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