SHORT PUTTERS & TALL GOLFER

Hey gang .... I thought I would ask the putting gurus / experienced teachers if this is common.

My bag is pretty set - I rotate drivers like most rotate putters - but I have a full bag that WORKS ... EXCEPT a putter.

RECENTLY - I tried a Rife Belly that worked for a while - but ... eeeehhh - It faded. I tried a Heavy putter - good at first then ... NO. I tried an Ping crazy-e (some crazy square box looking thing) .... OK at 1st then no. I have just never given a putter my full attention.

A tiny bit on me. I'm 6-5ish. Fairly fit (not swingin around a beer gut ;) ). I have VERY !! long arms for my height - my wingspan is almost 4 full inches wider than my height. I use 44 inch drivers for the most part - and my irons are only 1/2 over - 2-3 up. I like shorter clubs by most standards for a guys my height.

ANYWAY ... I went into my shop and dove on my sword and asked the manager for help - I'm desperate. He helped me figure out my eye dominance (left eye - but I am right handed). I go straight back .. and my miss is left and my main problem for the longest time has been distance control - i.e coming up short. Also - when I bought non-belly putters - I always bought 35-36 inch models - just cuz I thought that's what I should need.

(Forgive me putting gurus if I FUBAR my explanation - I'm not too good with short-stick terminolgy)

OK ... So - I go talk to my guy - Being left eye dominant I tended to look over my left shoulder and down my shoulder-line and started to close down - the more upright I stood the worse it got. Also as I stood tall I got my handsy and fought hard to take the putter straight back - I yanked it all over the place - mostly to the outside.

After having my do a few quick tests .. My guy grabs a 33' Cally White Ice blade style (No 4 I think) - tells me to get in a position where I think I am in a good athletic position looking straight down at the ball - has me put starting at 12 feet and had me come in a few feet at a time. Gang - It wasn't even close - Everytime I grabbed a 33 or even choked down on it a hair - the better I got. I mean NOTICABLY better - I felt confident - my distance control improved the most - and I was def straighter. He loaned me a putter to try and it's crazy how much better I like the short / heavy head putter. He said something to the affect that as I started to bend over and my back got more horizontal that I was rotating around my spine better and didn't need to manipulate the path of the club. He did hand back to me a 35 or 36 and I instantly lost the ability to aim and judge distance - compared to the 33. Also bending over more I kinda think I was looking more directly at the ball with my left eye - and could see the path better - as opposed to standing more straight up and lokoing more down my shoulder line.

Has anyone seen this before. I almost feel like an dork using this little short putter - but it's working.

To you guys that have experience with fitting / expertise in putters - ever heard of taller golfer performing better with a short putter. I am going to go to the largest golf shop I can drive to and try all the 33s I can - but it seems short it is for me. I just hate to go thru another honeymoon - but it really makes that big a difference for me.

Just curious to hear some 411 from the gurus. I kinda wish I hadn't dumped that heavy putter and cut it down to 33 and tried it that way - might be worth another try.

Help - Driver HO in need of putter help :russian_roulette: :russian_roulette:

Thanks in advance !!!

So insane you made this thread! I am 6'5 and am just now making the switch to a shorter putter.

For the last 2 years I've been playing an old arizona stamped Anser 2 at 36". I liked the feeling of standing upright but my putting was very hit or miss. I hit some putts that really baffle me (way too strong out of nowhere).

One day my dad said he noticed my eyes weren't directly over the ball, something he always focused on himself. So I choked down a little bit to get over the ball and I swear...it was like night and day. The more I choked down the better my putting got. I hit my lines better and the distance control has improved tenfold. It just feels...better.

After heading to the store and trying different things I ended up ordering a new 1959 series Anser 2 at 33". Liked my old style but wanted more weight in the head. I did think man I'm gonna look ridiculous with this tiny thing out there but at the end of the day, I would wear a pink tutu if it helped me sink more putts!

almost 6'3 using 33" putter....forces me to stand closer to ball and allows arms to hang naturally & fully extended, promoting arms driven pendulum -- sans wrists.
releasing the putter face down the line a little easier....

Before you go ahead with a 33", don't be afraid to try even shorter!

Not many 32" off the shelf - but check out the ladies Odyssey range to see how it works for you. They'll have the usual 2-ball, and ' blade' styles etc. at 32" or less... which is how when I shopped for the wife's putter I found out how a shorter ptter worked for me.

You could also chop a Scotty shaft down an inch and put heavier weights in or lead tape in the back face pocket if it needs more weight (a safer way to try it out would be to pull the complete Scotty shaft and grip and replace with another shorter shaft and grip).


Coops

I'm 6'4" and I just extended mine to 37 1/4" and loving it.

Phil Mickelson is 6'3" and a pretty decent putter. He uses a 33.5" putter.

I'm not surprised to hear you feel more comfortable with a shorter putter considering your arm length. With the longer putters your arms might not have been hanging comfortably.

I am only 6-2... but I recently went down an inch to 34" after having a fitting. Felt awkward for about a day, but it forces me to stretch my arms out just a tiny bit so that my elbows aren't so bent. Feels great now!

not sure why this is surprising... tall guy w/ long arms who already likes shorter clubs, why not a shorter putter? take your putting stance, let those long arms hang, and I bet you would grip your 'normal' length putter pretty low. so... shorter putter

6'1" and 33" putter.

I have gone back and forth in length. My brain just keeps telling me I need a longer putter, but I have a 33" that I roll really well. My hands hang naturally. I think with a 35 or 36", I am stuck in the middle somewhere, if I wanted it to fit like a "normal" person, I would need to go out to 38 or so, then weight becomes an issue.

Same here, I'm 6' but I find that my hands hang better with a 33/34 and I hate to choke down so much on less than 10' putts. Up until this point I've used 35" and longer until I started realizing that my eyes didn't go over the ball when putting using the longer shafts.

It really brings home the "putting is personal" sentiment.

6'3" and just decided to go with shorter putter. couldn't decide on a 33" or 34" and ended up w the 34" just because i found a better deal on ebay and i don't mind the feel of choking up. even with just an inch shorter their is a huge difference in how much better my putting is.

By the way, i went with the odyssey white ice insert in the sabertooth.

6'3" here and use a 33" putter... Anything 34" or above I have a loop in my takeaway probably similar to what you experience. First time I tried a putter of this length I was pissed at my long putter of the time and cut it down to what I thought was 35" but must have had a few too many brewskis that night and it ended up around 33" give or take .25" Anyway, next day at the practice green, magic. I now swear by the short flatstick and putt 1,000 times more accurately (distance and direction) with short putter. Only problem is with it being so damn short the headcover always pops off b/c the top of the bag's too high, but I don't mind the dings. Glad you found something that works!

6'1 and use a 33', looking to cut it down even more.

Thanks for the replies guys ... And a lot a very good points that definitely ring true for me.

As stated a few times - It's a matter of my arms hanging straight down with no tension and my eyes directly over the ball - and the line looks like a bowling alley instead of a fishing line.

Just curious what putters you guys are using - I want a putter with a little head weight to. Anyone ever cut down a mid or belly putter to get the heavy head and build a shorty out of it ??

Great 411 gang !!!

Funny I just experienced the same thing yesterday. Picked up a used putter that was cut down and putted with it and was making the best putting stroke and ball roll I have ever experienced. I was putting lights out. Anyway I took to the club counter have it measured and it was 30.5 inches which was shocking. Like you minus the hight I'm only 5'9" but have long arms to my hight ratio, when fit for irons I was fit with a shaft that was half inch short from standard. I'm thinking of getting it to experiment with.

Robo,

I cut down a Bettinardi BB-52 long putter to 33" headweight is 426. I cut down an Odyssey #7 Long to 33" headweight prob around 385-400. I have a Byron Morgan Custom that weighs 445 and I have it at 34". I also have a custom Mannkrafted putter coming in at 375. The new BM Custom I have is a little too heavy, even with some weight under a heavy grip. Make sure you bend the putter to adjust the lie angle if you're using Long or Belly putters or they'll be super upright. I think another good thing about using long or belly putters is that most have a million sight lines and alignment aids, so it just makes putting so much easier. You know when you missed a putt that you missed it because you mis read it, not because your setup was incorrect.

A problem with tall people using a shorter putter is that it often places their eyes outside the target line. So while the stroke may feel great, there are alignment issues.

6'5", 225 lbs., w/ 37" sleeve length in dress shirt, best results have been with putters about 34" length, headweight of 350 plus, and lie angle of 72*. I am also very much left eye dominant and tend to have best results w/ toe-hang putters w/ minimal or no offset. Recently went to a SAM fitting and guess what was recommended- putters with the exact similar specs.!

I'm 5"11" and have pretty long arms.....a 33" putter is actually too long for me! I cut mine down and I'm loving it at around 32".

I'm 6 '1' wear shirts/jackets with slightly extra long arm length.

Just cut down my putter to 34 from 35 inches
Feels more confident with the line.

Noticed my eyes to far beyond the ball as well.
My eyes are more along the ball target line with shorter putter.
This is really hard to notice unless you get someone to check your eye location.

I might even cut down to 33 ,
I believe it's much better to be shorter length and the eyes are inside the ball then err on the long side and set the eyes beyond the target line

Any longer and I think it would be have to attached to the belly or sternum. and head/eye/upper torso position would be adjusted to be more upright

wouldn't too short a putter put your eyes outside the target line, and too long put your eyes inside the target line?
for extra weight, dial it in w/ lead tape, then stuff lead or tungsten powder down the shaft followed by a cork

I am 16 and am quite small and have a 29 inch putter. My friend is 6" 4" and borrowed it. He holed everything, short putts and long putts and he couldnt believe it. He was going to buy it off me there and then but i needed it. He joked about holing a 45 footer across the putting green with huge right to left break on it. He holed it 1st time! He looks like a giant with this putter and he is bent over so his back is nearly horizontal this would hurt his back so he cut his own down to 32" . I think you should cut it aslong as you keep it heavy otherwise it will be light and you will regret it.

[size="3"][/size][size="3"]The more you bend over the more your arms will hang down naturallyand the OP mentions he has long limbs so this obviously will account for a shorterlength putter. A big tick in the box if it’s gravity feed stroke you’re lookingfor.[/size]

[size="3"][/size] [size="3"]Also, being bent overyour pivot point will be at the base of your neck around vertebrae 4 or 5making it easier to stroke with very little arc.[/size]

[size="3"][/size][size="3"]Cheers Chris[/size]

[size="3"][/size]

6'3" and I use a 33" putter and choke down so much (left hand low grip) that 75% of my left hand is on the steel of the shaft.

Tried this a month or two ago and had two of the best putting rounds of my life (coming straight from a broomstick putter) - much more solid contact and it feels like the stroke is totally controlled by my shoulders.

Great thread... 6'3" here and thinking my 36 is way too long. Think I'll cut it down to 34" and see how it goes.

I literally had this revelation today as well! Had been putting spotty, decided to check my set up in a mirror. Eyes were good and posture looked good, but my arms were really tucked in, excessive wrist and elbow bend.

 

6ft1, orangutan arms, but I've always have played 35 inch putters. Fifur d I'd try something so I just let my arms hang in my posture and gripped my putter, bam, immediately could feel a better stroke. Crazy this thread popped up

6'4" w/ 39" WTF. Went from 35.5" last year to 34" and after a couple hours of practice grew accustomed to the new length. Problem is, my back aches before too long. Currently, I play 35" choked down slightly so my hands don't feel like they're riding the top of the grip.

I literally had this revelation today as well! Had been putting spotty, decided to check my set up in a mirror. Eyes were good and posture looked good, but my arms were really tucked in, excessive wrist and elbow bend.

 

6ft1, orangutan arms, but I've always have played 35 inch putters. Fifur d I'd try something so I just let my arms hang in my posture and gripped my putter, bam, immediately could feel a better stroke. Crazy this thread popped up

 

Ha, that is awesome. It somehow has also made me experiment with "hovering" the putter before the putt as well.

6'5" with long arms. 35" is the minimum for me. I've used 36" putters that I liked but 35.5" would be ideal.