What Constitutes a Proper Putter Fitting?

Hi:

After having a really poor putting performance during my last round of golf, I decided to read the Dave Pelz Putting Bible and get fitted for a putter.

I figured I would get fit for a putter and practice a few of the tips from the book.

Not expecting miracles but simply knowing that I would now have a "properly" fitted putter would at least help with some of the mental aspects.

With that, I went to my local retail golf establishment and talked to the owner about a fitting.

He set me up with a time and said it would take 30-40 minutes.

I'm thinking "great," he must take a lot of variables into account.

That's good!

So when I show up this morning another gentleman says he is doing the fitting.

After about 5 minutes (at most), he said I needed a 44-1/2" length shaft with a standard lie.

He also said a straight shaft was best since I was pulling my putts.

All of this was based on me hitting two putts and using a laser to see if my alignment was good on my two putts.

I said "How can you fit me for a putter if I am not using a halfway descent putter technique/form?"

You have not made any recommendations on my stance, primarily whether my eye was over the ball.

I thought that point would be key to a proper fitting.

He said "We're not giving a putter lesson we are fitting you for a putter based on your style."

I said "Fine, but doesn't my eye at least need to be somewhat close to being over the ball. After I get fitted I will need to be working on my posture and eye/ball alignment and if you fit me for a putter when I am no where near the ball won't the putter length/lie change with my future, correct putting posture?"

He decided he would hold the laser under my eye to see if I was over the ball.

Now I'm no rocket scientist but my common sense dictates that you cannot hold a laser and be accurate for anything.

I thought that was ridiculous.

I told him that.

He also said that regardless of how lousy a person's putter posture/form is, he will fit them with a putter based on their style.

I found that shocking.

We went back and forth about this until I just told him I would re-evaluate what I "really" needed.

Am I completely wrong in my frustration with this guy?

Does simply measuring whether my eye is centered over the ball constitute a putting lesson?

Would that not be a valuable part of a putter fitting?

Help me out. What actually constitutes a proper putter fitting?

Does having a lesson at the time of the fitting make more sense?

thanks...alan

just a comment about "eyes over the ball"... I have no clue about putter fittings.

pick up the new Golf Digest. on p90 there is a spread on 'three putting myths shot down'. One of them is "set your eyes over the ball". It says that if your eyes are directly over the ball, your stoke gets wristy in order to compensate. So, maybe you want to reevaluate your set up before getting a fitting.

IMO if you go in for a putter fitting most places are going to fit a putter to your current stroke. Sounds like you are looking for a lesson/ advice, which I wouldn't think would come with most fittings.

To answer your question a proper putter fitting addresses 3 areas: length, lie, and loft. The last one is probably the most overlooked and needs cameras to be done properly. Just my .02

One of the aspects of a proper fitting is length. Length of a putter determines whether or not your eyes are over the line or not. Depending on the golfer, your eyes should be on top of the target line or just slightly inside the target line. Your hips should be balanced over your heels, with slight knee bend and your shoulders as viewed from the side should be hanging over your toes, nice and balanced, right in the middle of your feet. Your arms should hang down naturally with a slight bend in your elbows. From this position you get an adjustable putter and find what length and lie gets your eyes over the target line or slightly inside the ball target line, and then get the lie of the putter to sit flat. There are many other variables such as loft, offset, heel or center shafted, face balanced or not, head style, grip material and size, weight so on and so forth. You should get your money back and find a better fitter. A good clubfitter must not only know about fitting but about the golf swing and how and why we do what we do. Just my 2 cents!

'What constitutes a proper putting fitting'?

Never buy a putter before you've had the chance to throw it.

Length, Lie, Loft, Grip Size are the basics. Head Weight and Shaft Weight are more of a personal feel.

Most open/close strokes work best with a heel shafted putter while square/square works best with a center shafted putter. But that with shape, look etc. are personal preference.

Find a putter that looks good to you when you set it down then get it fit to your stroke.

I always fit to the stroke at hand. If they are BRAND NEW to the game, I tell them to take a few lessons or to come back once they have settled on a repeatable stroke, as that can change a dozen times for the beginner in the first year or two of their golfing life. If they start asking me questions about "where should my eyes be" or "how should I be holding it" while I am doing a fitting I schedule them for a lesson.

Putting is of course VERY personal, so once they get a stroke they are comfortable with and find a putter that looks good to them and is going to give them confidence each time they set it behind the ball, then I will make sure it is fit to them properly.

There are a 100 different golfers with 100 different strokes that can put the ball in the hole 100 times in a row from 5ft, so again, it's best to find what works for you and tweak your putter to maximize and compliment your stroke.

I've never done a putter fitting for the reasons you mentioned. I would imagine that a putter fitting should do length/loft/lie for your current set up. I would also imagine that if you go to a good guy he might have different head weights, hosels, head shapes, alignment aids, etc and might do more to help you "pick" a putter as opposed to "fit" a putter for you. But surely that would cost more. So that guy may have done a good fitting, but sounds like you want a pro to look at your set-up, make adjustments, and recommend what putter would be best and then fit it to you. Im sure this can be done if you can find a good guy to do this and Im sure someone on here can recommend one near you.

Good Luck

44.5 inches huh? How tall are you - 7'5", haha? Was that a typo or did he really tell you 44.5"?

I had a fitting done about a month ago. He watched me putt about 6 balls to first see what my setup was like (eye position, etc). He noted I was setup well and then had me putt some more so he could check my putter as to how it fit me. Turns out, I didn't need anything changed. 36", standard lie/loft. It only took us about 5 minutes.

My question is, why did you question him on your technique (eye position, etc)? It almost sounds like you knew your technique/setup was off, but you were testing him to see how he would proceed. If that was the case, what was the point in that? If you get fitted for irons, they don't try to modify your swing. They fit them to your swing you already have.

I think you're a bit off base, sounds like the fitter did his job.. which is to try and find a putter that fits your stroke

if you want to change your stroke, you should sign up for a lesson.

getting a tip while fitting doesn't make sense, what happens if 2 days later you decide the tip/change was not to your liking.. so now your "fitted" putter is "fitted" to a putting style which you no longer use.

'What constitutes a proper putting fitting'?

 

Never buy a putter before you've had the chance to throw it.

Nice one. :)

'three putting myths shot down'. One of them is "set your eyes over the ball".

It should be four myths. The fourth being you need to be fit for a putter!

'three putting myths shot down'. One of them is "set your eyes over the ball".

 

It should be four myths. The fourth being you need to be fit for a putter!

 

Wow! So far a lot of opinions, some humor, and some very interesting information.

First, don't take to heart everything you read. Some of it is opinion, some of it fact. Each month the golf magazines publish new issues. Often you may find conflicting opinions within the same issue.

The case for a putter fitting is best demonstrated in the season ending success of Tommy Gainey. He takes a trip to the RIFE Tour Perfomance Studio in Sanford Florida prior to the Disney event that week. Now remember he's been using a RIFE Aussie blade all year. The digital video and input from RIFE's Tour Department get him into a shorter putter ...and a mallet to boot. He takes his new Barbados mallet to a second place check of almost half a million dollars.

Not too much benefit to a putter fitting there right?

Some retailers may tend to tell their floor staff to fit to the player with regard to their "style" only. They want to sell product. A proper fitting will identify any weaknesses in your technique while keeping in mind your desire to improve your putting as well as replacing or re-fitting your existing putter.

Like all things in golf there are lots of opinions out there. One that never wavers is that your equipment should fit you and your swing. The putter accounts for more strokes than any of the other clubs in your bag, why wouldn't you take the time to find a fitter who speaks your language and understands what you expect from a fitting?

'three putting myths shot down'. One of them is "set your eyes over the ball".

 

It should be four myths. The fourth being you need to be fit for a putter!

 

You are very wrong on that. The putter is the most used club in the bag. It should always be fit as should every club you play with. And on the initial question. There is such a thing a a putting launch monitor. A few companies make one. If you are not being fit on one then your putter fitting is not as good as it should be. Not to say that a lot of clubmakers out there can't fit a putter without one but they slow things down and give exact measurements.Find a good clubmaker in your area and see what he can do for you.

My question is, why did you question him on your technique (eye position, etc)? It almost sounds like you knew your technique/setup was off, but you were testing him to see how he would proceed. If that was the case, what was the point in that? If you get fitted for irons, they don't try to modify your swing. They fit them to your swing you already have.

So you are in agreement that 2 putts is adequate for a fitting?

How ridiculous is that.

Yes, I went in there undercover to expose them as the frauds that they are.

What planet are you from?

alan

My question is, why did you question him on your technique (eye position, etc)? It almost sounds like you knew your technique/setup was off, but you were testing him to see how he would proceed. If that was the case, what was the point in that? If you get fitted for irons, they don't try to modify your swing. They fit them to your swing you already have.

 

So you are in agreement that 2 putts is adequate for a fitting?

 

How ridiculous is that.

 

Yes, I went in there undercover to expose them as the frauds that they are.

 

What planet are you from?

 

alan

it's also ridiculous to tell the fitter how to fit you, it sounds like you may have thrown his normal fitting procedure off by asking him to change your form during the fitting

if it's not rude, how much did they charge you for this "fitting"?

I would personally have different expectations from a free fitting vs a $100 fitting

My question is, why did you question him on your technique (eye position, etc)? It almost sounds like you knew your technique/setup was off, but you were testing him to see how he would proceed. If that was the case, what was the point in that? If you get fitted for irons, they don't try to modify your swing. They fit them to your swing you already have.

 

So you are in agreement that 2 putts is adequate for a fitting?

 

How ridiculous is that.

 

Yes, I went in there undercover to expose them as the frauds that they are.

 

What planet are you from?

 

alan

Point out exactly where I said the number of putts you made was an adequate fitting. Go ahead, I'll wait...

Again, you went in for a putter fitting and confused it with a lesson. So, what planet are you from?

Well there are certainly some "angry" folks who frequent these forums.

What did I expect from my fitting?

Something like this.

http://www.coutourgolf.com/main.taf?p=1,1

I found this website while looking for proper fitting technique.

Seems to back up everything I have said.

As for the cost of my fitting.

The charge was to be 25$ with the knowledge that I would buy my putter from them.

So a bad fitting equals $25 plus putter price.

Not worth it.

alan

so, I'm still not sure why you wanted to get custom fit while halfway in the middle of doing major putting stroke revisions

if you're going to get the best results, seems like you'd want to get a putter that was custom fit to be the best for the putting stroke you actually have, rather than some mysterious putting stroke that you currently can not produce consistently

there are different types of fittings

fit the club to your build and current swing

fit the club to your build and a perfect swing (which I don't have either BTW, but it sounds to me like this is what you wanted)

The case for a putter fitting is best demonstrated in the season ending success of Tommy Gainey.

Not too much benefit to a putter fitting there right?

Sure, but that's a pro. The fitting equates to the fine tuning of a high performance race car - tweaking it to maximize it's potential.

But for good ol' Joe the Putter? Even with a reasonable stroke if he lacks green reading and distance control skills like most do, a fitting will make no difference. How could it?

So I'll concede that a highly skilled player could benefit, but the average player that spends all their practice time on the range and a quick five on the putting green before teeing off...I just don't buy it.

Sorry, OP...did not mean to steer your thread off course.

Play well!

Fitting for a putter can make a huge difference in performance IMO. I have been fitting putters for a number of years and am still learning every day.

A club-fitter may not have any experience as a putting instructor. You need to know this going in and not expect more than they can deliver. A club-fitter will fit you for a putter based on your current set-up and style.

A perfect scenario would be a putting instructor who is also trained in putter fitting. This person will know when you need to work on a proper set-up before you can be properly fit. This comes from experience. Sometimes an ill fit putter can cause an improper set up.

I always start my putter fitting by watching the player hit a number of putts. I am looking at their set-up, stroke, consistency, roll of the ball and results of each putt. If I see major issues with set-up I will often suggest a putting lesson first and set a follow up date for the putter fitting.

Putter fittings should include the following:

Interview (can be informal) to understand what the player sees as their putting issues.

Putting warmup where the fitter is watching the players stroke, setup and consistency.

Check for length, lie angle.

Distance control testing.

Aim Testing.

Loft testing.

Testing of appropriate putters to find the correct length, lie, style, loft, weight that will allow for proper aim and distance control based on retesting using a laser for aim and proper distance control tests.

The fitting process should take a minimum of 30 minutes with the possibility that your current putter may fit you just fine. That should be the starting point of the fitting (to find out if your current putter is fit properly.

Andy Thompson

Totally Driven

Edel Golf Certified Putter Fitter

Putting Zone Certified Instructor

Thanks Andy.

That gives me a clear picture of what to expect.

alan

If I see major issues with set-up I will often suggest a putting lesson first and set a follow up date for the putter fitting.

Sounds familiar. I think a few of us said something along these lines a little ways up (fitting /= lesson).

To answer your question a proper putter fitting addresses 3 areas: length, lie, and loft. The last one is probably the most overlooked and needs cameras to be done properly. Just my .02

Agreed. In my case length (35") and lie (71*) were fine, but I did need an extra degree of loft (5*).

Hey Everyone,

Great topic Alan! Sorry you had a less-than-perfect experience with your first putter fitting. I thought I could add my 2 cents, if I may...

Virtually all the best players in the world have their putters fit to their precise specs. If you want to perform your best and get the most confidence and satisfaction with your putting, you owe it to yourself to do the same.

We built our first MACHINE Putter Studio smack dab in the middle of the new Hank Haney Golf world headquarters, for a reason. We work as a team with all the teaching professionals there. This cooperative system works wonderfully, as we offer a broader range of services to fit the needs and desires of the golfers who come to see us.

We usually start in similar fashion as Andy does: we interview the golfer to find out what they are looking for before we ever start. In this way we can best analyze the players performance and also manage what we offer to best meet (and hopefully exceed) their expectations.

Our most common next step is to provide a putting evaluation. We do this by watching, digital photographing, HD video taping and using the Science & Motion SAM PuttLab system, and finally high speed video for ball roll dynamics for the players that want this level of detail and service. We like to have the player use their own current putter for this evaluation, to use as a baseline. The SAM and other digital technologies are exceptionally detailed in measuring the player and putter dynamics to a very fine degree. The equipment can also be used for training, and of course for fitting.

When the analysis is completed, we then go over the results with the player, and make recommendations. We have PGA Pros who are also former Tour players running our Studio, and also work with the other pros at Hank's. So, these guys are very good at working with the players to help in whatever they want to do. If there are set up issues, stroke mechanics or other more instructional aspects that are identified (by the player and / or us) we want to address those first, either with on the spot lessons, or a series of lessons.

For our fitting services, we use the same technologies above, as well as having a broad array of all types of putters to do before and after testing with. We can and do also build putters on the spot, and if no major customization work is required, even retest with the new putter. There is also a large putting green right outside the shop portion of the Studio, and a nine hole golf course, so the player can test and get actual "real green" evaluation (including with playing lessons with the pros if they want).

We believe the above approach is the best way possible to address and serve all the customer's wants and needs, and provide a complete package of products and services that are not really available anywhere else. So far, I think our customers have been really excited and about and happy with what we have provided them. Its been very exciting for me to see players (and collectors) coming from literally al over the world, and also see the putters ending up being used to win major events and in great players hands. We've got some members here with appointments later this month, so maybe they can also provide a review (in addition to the posts Chris made earlier). Attached are a couple of photos for your viewing pleasure. :)

If anyone has any questions, please let me know. I hope this wasn't a thread jack, and hope it helps answer some the questions posed in the original post and in this passionate debate, at least in my (somewhat) jaded, self serving opinion! :crazy:

All the best,

-Dave

sounds like a very thorough fitting.....

quite different than the OP's $25 fitting....

Excellent and how much does that cost?(compared to the OP's sad fitting experience being only 25 bucks.)

Seriously though, I would never myself get a fitting done from any big retailer. Not that the OP stated he did just that either.....cause if the fitting in question was from a little pro shop...it sounded pisspoor. Just my 2cents.

Peace.