Belly Putters for Dummies

I putted with a belly putter for almost a year. I had a custom KZG built for me for the same reason you are looking at them. I was curious about using one.

You will still have an arc stroke if you rock your shoulders to putt. Some guys swing their arms and leave their shoulders quiet. I rocked my shoulders just like I use a normal putter. Try both ways and see which one you feel better with.

I wasn't statistically any better or worse with the belly so I went back to my normal putter. One of my playing partners that played college golf and mini tours went to the belly and has become a much better putter. I say give it a whirl and see what happens.

And yes...they are still USGA legal. I know some people hate them, but that doesn't mean they're not legal.

I have a Cameron Studio Select Newport 2 Midslant belly putter that was converted by the Custom Shop. They don't convert Squarebacks or Fastbacks because there is no hosel to ream out for the larger belly length shaft (unless you can find a Tour Model with the plumber's neck and even then I am not sure they would convert it- they don't like to alter circle T putters).

I believe that Cameron is going to release the KOMBI in belly length this spring so you might consider waiting to give that a try.

I got my belly to help me develop a more consistent arc stroke and have been practicing indoors with it and my standard length Squareback this offseason. The purity of the roll (judged by the stability of a line drawn around the ball) is really good with a belly and trying to duplicate that arc stroke with my standard length putter has definitey improved my quality of roll with that putter as well.

Using the belly also emphasizes the importance of an appropriate, consistent setup which is crucial for a belly putter and probably a lot more important for a standard length putter than most people realize (it's just easier to make the small alterations in the stroke to compensate for a faulty, inconsistent setup when the grip isn't anchored to your body).

I am not sure how much I will use my belly putter on the course this season but I am sure that I will continue to practice with it to hopefully further improve my stroke.

I made one for Paul Azinger and was intrigued so I made one for myself. I've been using it about 2-3 weeks and am loving it. I noticed immediate improvements when I put it in the bag. It didn't take as long to get used to as I thought it might. After an hour or so of practice I felt pretty comfortable with it. There's a reason it has resurrected many careers on the PGA Tour.

Mike