has anyone here switched to a belly putter

[scooterush]

i tried out a ping belly putter at a local golfsmith and the price was good. i was nailing puts for about 25 min in the store and it has my putting wheels turning. what do you guys think. anyone make the switch recently? how is working with the belly putter. is it the kind of thing that when the honnymoon period is over , do you regret the purchase. let me know how the transision from standard putter to belly style has worked for you and what made you change.

[aussiehack]

I went to a belly putter last year and will never go back. I had my Ping shortened though to 38" even though i am 6 foot 2, I just didnt like it at the standard 42". Its great shortened for me as I can use it off the green and the longer putts are easier for me at the reduced length. Inside 10 feet it is deadly, or thats whats happened for me!!

[kchiefsfan]

I agree with aussiehack. I switched last year and don't even look at regular putters anymore. I had a problem of not swinging my arms correctly and with the belly putter you anchor it in your stomach and takes out the swaying in your arms. I have definitely shaved a few strokes off my game. My only suggestion, be careful, because if you are like me you won't be interested in regular putters again. After looking for a new belly putter I have realized that there are not many offerings. I am waiting on TaylorMade to make a Spider Ghost Belly Putter.

[RookieBlue7]

I tried a belly last night. Couldn't really jam it in my gut because of the cuts from surgery not beinghealed. Couldn't do a thing with it. I did put well, surprisingly, with a long Kombi though. Course that might be because I can't really bend to putt right now because of the cuts and tightness.

[farmer]

I've been using one for several years. I don't know if I make a lot more putts, but I at least make a good stroke. If you're struggling with your putting, adapting to a belly putter is easier than the transition to, say, a long putter. They are worth a try. BTW, I'm using an older Never Compromise VooDoo.

[mac94]

I've tried a belly and for the life of me I don't know how people use them. They are terrible for me.

[J13]

A bud of mine switched to it and his putting improved fairly significantly, especially on putts from inside 15ft. They aren't for everyone though, my advice would be to pick up a cheapo belly putter for like 40 bucks and try it out this way you don't go wasting 300 on a good one and not like it.

[macdubh]

Made the switch this year and have to say I am sold. I was really struggling with 3-5 footers last year so started trying anything different. Even tried sidesaddle end of last year for a while and actually had some success especially with 5' range which is what I was looking for however it just never felt quite right for me. Then with Freddie Couples success (I have always been a fan) I thought why not --- now I feel like I can realistically make it from anywhere (I said I FEEL like I can make it from anywhere) but confidence is half the battle and I am definitely making more from what I consider make-able distance.

[weirsy]

I always had problems keeping my hands up, and I often made the putter go toe-up and I would pull lots of putts.

With the putter anchored in my gut, my hands are alwasys in the same spot and I can make more putts. Works for me, and I recommend it so far.

[mshills]

I go back and forth between a belly putter and a heel-shafted blade of some sort.

I have never been able to completely commit to the belly putter over the long haul, but for me, extended practice with a belly putter has helped me fix some issues in my stroke with a traditional putter. For that reason alone, I keep my belly putter around.

I've also noticed that a belly putter is more helpful on FAST greens.

[daydreamer]

Tried it and still missed. Shocker, I know.

Additionally, got a lot of heat from other golfer-friends for even gaming one. There seems to be a lot of stigma for some reason. Not sure why the negative view though by many.

[johnnythunders]

After another week of good ball stricking bad putting making the switch. Found a Bettinardi Mizuno at 43, center shafted at GG used. I will try it out if it doesn't work in 30 days return it and try something else. Might need to shorten it, feels good on the practice green we will see in league competition.

[Mike_C]

I made the switch in 08 after tinkering with them off and on for about a year. This spring, I was even putting bad with the belly, so it got bench and I went back to a short putter. I was having some success actually after alot of work, but was still inconsistent and streaky. Had a few good rounds where I made a number of good putts, but then would go out and miss a bunch of short putts.

Last week, the belly went back in the bag for a trial run. I putted OK in one round, no 3 putts, but didn't really make anything of note. This weekend, actually made a few, and was solid over the short ones....maybe the magic is back.......

[scooterush]

thanks for the info. i actually have a lesson with my teaching pro this week and he is gonna bring a belly putter for us to work with. he is also a ping club fitter . that doesent hurt . but i would love to hear what belly putters you guys have. i also am reading that distance controll is a comon problem.

[aussiehack]

[quote name='johnnythunders' date='20 July 2010 - 12:23 AM' timestamp='1279549407' post='2585553']
After another week of good ball stricking bad putting making the switch. Found a Bettinardi Mizuno at 43, center shafted at GG used. I will try it out if it doesn't work in 30 days return it and try something else. Might need to shorten it, feels good on the practice green we will see in league competition.
[/quote]

I shortened a PING Craz-E CS from 42"to 37" and while probably not techniocally a belly putter anymore, I still can anchor it and use it like one. I truely beleive that a putter around this length is the way to go as it solves the distance judgement issues associated with belly putters.

[kmak]

I switched to a belly putter last summer and it CHANGED MY LIFE. I went from being a terrible putter to above average. A couple of observations:

My long putting improved because it is impossible to get "wristy," no chance to goose it
Short putting is better, just have to focus on tempo
Belly putters, in general, are heavy; I think this has had some positive effect
Very limited selection of belly putters out there
Stan Utley's approach to putting works REALLY well with a belly putter
Make sure you get a long enough putter to really anchor it -mine is 45" and I am only 5'11"

As long as they are legal it will be in my bag.