Toe Hang on Putters

[Walkerdb7]

I don't know much about how putters are designed for different strokes. I am a novice there.

 

I always figured you bought what felt nice and a fitting to adjust lie or loft. I was on the fence between the Futura 7M and 6M. I asked the pro for some support with this decision and he broke out his flight scope. He said I need something with lots of toe hang and to look at the classic Newport 2.

 

I've been using mallets for last 5 years and replacing a GoLo Select 5. I used mallets mostly before that too, but did use a newport 2 a couple different times. I used to change putters a lot, haha

 

I was thinking the Concept X 01 would be a good fit. After reading the description, it says the 02 is better for toe hang and now I am more confused than ever. I can't find these putters anywhere locally. Getting a bit paranoid before I buy a $600 putter sight unseen.

 

When I first learned of toe hang last summer, it was about Tiger's switch to an Ardmore 3 which had a small slant neck. That added to my confusion.

 

So there's the long back story.

 

Is a traditional offset plumbers neck or a slant neck better for toe hang?

[Matt J]

You can build a slant neck or a traditional plumbers neck with any degree of toe hang, from face balanced to 90 degree toe down.

 

The traditional Scotty slant neck is a little longer than his plumbers neck which takes a little toe hang out of it.

 

It's all about the lie angle and length of the neck. If you were to draw an imaginary line straight down the shaft, where that line intersects the head will dictate toe hang.

 

More toe hang is usually prescribed for more arc in your stroke.

 

A slant neck the hosel is mounted in the middle of the neck with a whole shaft offset, where a standard plumbers it's welded onto the side with a whole shaft offset. Just looks a little different from address.

 

Google Bruce Rearick and read his blog posts. You can learn a stroke for any putter. But each design rewards certain tendencies.

[Matt J]

BTW, I really recommend getting fit. I stumbled down a long road and eventually found a combination that works for me and the difference is unreal. Now, I can pretty much grab any putter off my rack and adjust my setup and stroke and hole putts. But, we're all different... from eye dominance, parallax, grip, stance, stroke. A good pro should help save you some time.

[Walkerdb7]

BTW, I really recommend getting fit. I stumbled down a long road and eventually found a combination that works for me and the difference is unreal. Now, I can pretty much grab any putter off my rack and adjust my setup and stroke and hole putts. But, we're all different... from eye dominance, parallax, grip, stance, stroke. A good pro should help save you some time.

 

I did the fitting, but I did it at my local course. There are about 8 putters in stock, haha. So I learned that I have a very arcing stroke. He said that I need a lot of toe hang to get me on line.

 

He pulled out an old Bettinardi that was one of his personal putters. It was that was an Answer 2 / Newport 2 style that was also very heavy. That putter had the best results on the flight scope and that's why he said to look for a Newport style. I told him I felt more comfortable with a high MOI putter after demoing the 6M and he said to look for a higher MOI Newport style. That's how I stumbled on the Concept.

 

Thank you for you response. That was very helpful. Based on the info out there about Concept, think I'm better off with a 01 (Knuckle neck - plumbers ) or the 02 (slant style described as extra toe hang )

 

Also, are you saying that because the slant neck and pumbers neck both have offset, it's basically a wash and comes down the golfer's preferences or particular putter design at that point?

[Matt J]

Yes. If the neck is longer it will typically have less toe hang, that's the case with the Scotty mid slant. Most plumbers neck's have medium toe hang at about 7:30 on a clock, 9 would be face balanced, 6 would be a heel shafted putter, for a righty. If you Google WRX for toe hang there's an old thread with photos.

 

Plumbers and slant have one full shaft of offset, most flow necks will have a half a shaft.

 

 

 

[Matt J]

Another couple of things to think about....

 

I think one of the best things you can do is invest in a few inexpensive putters in different styles and mess around with them.

 

My biggest epiphany came when I figured out that I need to play 2 degrees upright. I had settled into a 34 inch putter as my length, but when I hit the right lie angle it puts my eyes about an inch inside the ball and that's where I see the line "most true."

 

I made one of these things at home (less because I minded the price of the original, more because I didn't want to wait for it to ship from the UK):

 

http://sightrightgolf.com/about-sightright-and-eye-dominance/

 

Between the Sight Right box, a putting mirror, and practicing with a line on the ball, I started to sort things out. You gotta be able to roll the ball end over end and straight. I think the best trick for that is to simply use a stencil to draw a straight line on the ball, or use the alignment aid on the ball, set it down and don't worry about where it aims (don't try and aim it at the hole because that's a different skill that has a lot to do with how you "see the line") and then repeatedly roll it end over end to different distances.

 

There's a lot to it... figuring out if you're left or right eye dominant (easy enough "google it") and then figuring out if an address position that gets your eyes in a spot where you see the straightest down the line version of the line.

 

Good luck... it's a worthwhile endeavor. I always said I'd do it when I hit more greens. Then I realized how many strokes I was leaving out there.