Putter Trouble...21
Sometimes Its The Arrow
You may be familiar with the phrase, “It’s the Indian not the arrows”. Golfers often use this expression to convey that most errant shots are more often a matter of the player than their clubs.
However, sometimes it is a matter of the arrows. Most commonly, club problems are less a matter of their brand and more often a matter of how they fit us. We find that one of the most commonly misfit clubs is the putter—the one club accounting for more strokes than all the others combined!
The most common problem with the putter is that the shaft is too long. We wind up re-sizing the putters of about 60% of our players. Most in-stock putters have 35-inch shaft length. For many golfers (especially women) this shaft length is too long.
A putter that is too long results in any of three performance-robbing outcomes:
· The player must get use to holding the putter to far from their body which reduces their natural balance and stability. They are more likely to sway and wobble during their putt.
· If the player does not hold the putter out from their body the length of the shaft cramps their arms and hands in too close to their body denying them the accuracy of a free-flowing swing,
· Perhaps most importantly, a putter that is too long denies the player the critical advantage of putting with their eyes DIRECTLY over the line of the putt
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While determining the optimal fit for a putter is a simple matter, it is a more demanding task than we would want to attempt in this article. There is a preliminary way you can check your putter to see if its length is a problem:
· Using a two-foot piece of tape or string to represent the line of a putt, set up the putter on this line in your regular putting stance.
· While being careful not to move your head, release your upper hand from the putter and use it to drop a golf ball from the bridge of your nose.
· Watch where it lands relative to your target line. Repeat these steps a few times. If the ball doesn’t drop very near the line, it’s time to take that putter in for adjustment so your eyes are over the line.
· One alternative to dropping the ball is tie a small weight (e.g. a metal washer) onto the end of a 4-foot string and suspend the string from the bridge of your nose.
· Another alternative is to place a golf ball into the center of a CD with the reflective side of the CD up. Set up to the ball and you should be able to see the reflection of your eyes in the inside portion of the CD.
If the eyes are not over the target line you are making putting more difficult. It would be similar to playing pool without your eyes looking down the cue or throwing darts when the dart is not on the line between your eyes and the target. Many players find that they are standing too far away from the line. When they attempt to move closer, they find that the putter grip is rubbing against their clothing or their arms are not free to hang comfortably. If you find this to be true, your putter needs to be right-sized.
Bottom Line: While the expense to right-size is nominal, you will find the benefit “phe-nomenal”.
Swing to the Target,
Ed
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