Putter Feel

[cbae]

I think that putter "feel", for the most part, is strictly qualitative and a matter of personal preference, but I constantly hear "I tried <XXX BRAND>, and it feels pretty good, but my <YYY BRAND> feels better." I think most people here may have an inkling about what YYY is, but let's leave it at as some hypothetical brand.

 

If there's more to this perception of "YYY feels better" than one simply feeling good about himself because of the notion and status of owning said YYY brand, then two things must be true:

 

1. There truly is a MEASUREABLE difference in feel between XXX and YYY.

2. The concept of feel is more universal than we original think it is. IOW, if it's really a matter of personal preference, then it must mean that a great many people have identical preferences.

 

To explore this further, I'd like to hear why you think your putter "feels" better than other brands/models. Please elaborate in terms of what you physically feel in your hands while you swing and at impact, and the sound that it makes (i.e. is it clicky, ticky, pingy, thuddy, etc.?). Also, how does the feel/sound vary between solid hits and mishits? IOW, does a putter feel/sound "better" to you if solid hits and mishits feel the same, or is it better if you can feel the difference?

[PixlPutterman]

My current gamer feels great because it didnt change the feel to much of my wallet. Price doesnt make me a better putter. For me as long as the putter is solid, general feel doesnt matter to much to me. I go for putters based also on how well they help my see my line to the hole, i.e. visual aid. I have owned scotties and a few bettys but I just really like my anser 5 and my pixl

[cbae]

My current gamer feels great because it didnt change the feel to much of my wallet. Price doesnt make me a better putter. For me as long as the putter is solid, general feel doesnt matter to much to me. I go for putters based also on how well they help my see my line to the hole, i.e. visual aid. I have owned scotties and a few bettys but I just really like my anser 5 and my pixl

 

By "solid", do you mean in terms of overall performance and technical features rather than specifically "solidness of feel"?

[RobotDoctor]

My current gamer feels tremendous when I putt on the sweetspot. It feels a little harsh when I do not. I must be a masochist because I do not like playing with clubs that mute feel, where everything struck feels do good. I want to know that if I make a poor stroke and game improvement clubs do not offer this. I play forged blades, my wedges are forged blade type and putt with a blade. To play at a level I want, I have to perform and have a solid swing.

 

As for my putter, well I putt with a Scotty Cameron American Classic VII (Napa). I love this look and play well with it. I have owned many blades and many felt great. I want a heavier putter because I like that. I have confidence in milled putters due to absolute quality and precision. I putt with a Cameron because there is not many options for a milled putter that looks like a Wilson Designed by Arnold Palmer. This is it and I love it. When I strike the ball in the sweetspot the feel is soft, like a balata golf ball. That is what I want and this putter has the look I want.

[Skaffa77]

Generally speaking, I base feel on 2 factors: 1. sound at impact and 2. vibration at impact.

1. With that said, typically what I prefer in sound is a more soft, muted, thuddy sound at impact. In my experiences, I find this sound in my Yes Groove Callie (maybe a result of the grooves) and Scotty Cameron Studio Design 1.5 (carbon steel). Ironically, another person will prefer a "clicky" sound from stainless steel putters like a Cameron Stainless Newport 2 . This would appear to be a matter of personal preference as to what "sounds like better feel" at impact.
   
2. With regards to vibration at impact, I've did a test to witness feel without sound. I tested my putters by using ear plugs, closing my eyes and having someone place a ball at different spots on the putter face for me to hit. I wanted to see if I could identify a mishit at impact (without sound) and where the ball was placed (feel the mishit on the clubhead). Typically speaking, mishits for me have an abrupt vibration in the hands and a feeling of movement in the clubhead (twisting in the hands). Hits on the sweetspot will have a little or no vibration and move smoothly through the stroke (like a hot knife cutting through butter). On this factor, I found that nearly all the putters were the same (blade putters...didn't test mallets) with the stainless putters providing slightly more feedback on impact.
   

Now, something odd I noticed with my Bettinardi (stainless steel) is that it typically has a clicky sound, but every now and again, I find a groove where the sound is more muted and it feels oh so soft. I can only assume it is at those exact moments, that I'm hitting a pure sweetspot...but then again, maybe it's my imagination. :drinks:

 

More then anything else, golf is 90% mental...thus I would believe if you think something feels betters, it probably will.

[Skaffa77]

If there's more to this perception of "YYY feels better" than one simply feeling good about himself because of the notion and status of owning said YYY brand, then two things must be true:

 

1. There truly is a MEASUREABLE difference in feel between XXX and YYY.

2. The concept of feel is more universal than we original think it is. IOW, if it's really a matter of personal preference, then it must mean that a great many people have identical preferences.

 

To explore this further, I'd like to hear why you think your putter "feels" better than other brands/models. Please elaborate in terms of what you physically feel in your hands while you swing and at impact, and the sound that it makes (i.e. is it clicky, ticky, pingy, thuddy, etc.?). Also, how does the feel/sound vary between solid hits and mishits? IOW, does a putter feel/sound "better" to you if solid hits and mishits feel the same, or is it better if you can feel the difference?

 

Actually, some companies do try to make quantifiable differences in their putters with regard to feel - for example, Guerin Rife. They do this by the depth of their grooves / face millings. Deeper grooves and millings = softer feel because less surface area of the actual face comes into contact with the ball. I have an old Kirk Currie Brazos that has the deepest millings compared to my other putters, and it definitely feels softer, so I believe this theory to be actual fact. From a materials standpoint, if you Google terms such as "grades of steel," "steel softness," etc., you can actually read why carbon steel is softer than 304 steel - and so on and so forth.

 

I 100% agree on the groove depth and putter material. I've notice deeper grooves tend to feel softer and was explained the same the thing about groove depth creating less contact with the putter. Along with that, I've owned putters made with stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, titanium/tungsten and each had a unique feel. I have a Bobby Grace Synper with deep mill marks, but the sweet spot is copper and it doesn't feel quite as soft as my carbon steel putters. Now, I've also heard that putter shape can have an impact on feel. I owned a Ping JAS Ally Max (Titanium/Tungsten) which had a tingy sound and felt harsh to me. Ironically, I've hit the Ping JAS Tess which was nice and soft and I've heard the same thing about the JAS Anser.

 

Now the interesting question is, how do you quantify feel? I would assume it would based on less vibrations impacted on the putter when contact is made with the ball, but I don't know if feel has ever been defined since it differs with each person. Softer to some people is not an improvement in feel...as some believe softer is less "responsive".

[PixlPutterman]

My current gamer feels great because it didnt change the feel to much of my wallet. Price doesnt make me a better putter. For me as long as the putter is solid, general feel doesnt matter to much to me. I go for putters based also on how well they help my see my line to the hole, i.e. visual aid. I have owned scotties and a few bettys but I just really like my anser 5 and my pixl

 

By "solid", do you mean in terms of overall performance and technical features rather than specifically "solidness of feel"?

By solid I mean that the whole putter feels as close to the same. I dont care as much about feel as i do the size of the sweet spot. I love my Yes putter but it seems to have a small sweet spot

[ajlacombe]

 

Actually, some companies do try to make quantifiable differences in their putters with regard to feel - for example, Guerin Rife. They do this by the depth of their grooves / face millings. Deeper grooves and millings = softer feel because less surface area of the actual face comes into contact with the ball. I have an old Kirk Currie Brazos that has the deepest millings compared to my other putters, and it definitely feels softer, so I believe this theory to be actual fact. From a materials standpoint, if you Google terms such as "grades of steel," "steel softness," etc., you can actually read why carbon steel is softer than 304 steel - and so on and so forth.

 

The "hardness" of steel does not come into play in this discussion. With respect to a golf ball all steel is infinitly stiff. The reason that grooves would make a putter "feel" softer is that you are reducing the area that is involved in the impact. You have a certain amount of total force delivered by the putter over a given area of imact. The grooves are reducing the impact area. The pounds per area is higher with the grooves so the ball absorbs more of the impact, the sound is less and the transmitted vibration is less, and the "feel" is "softer".

 

Heavier head = higher force, more ball deflection. Softer insert = less transmitted vibration (sound or structural). Damping device in shaft = less vibration reaching the hands. Many ways to skin the same cat.

 

To prove that "hard" steel can produce a "soft" feel, put some balls with a 10 pound sledge hammer. Now if you think that is soft, drop it on your fingers. You can kill two myths with one device :drinks:

[sfdoddsy]

 

Now, I've also heard that putter shape can have an impact on feel. I owned a Ping JAS Ally Max (Titanium/Tungsten) which had a tingy sound and felt harsh to me. Ironically, I've hit the Ping JAS Tess which was nice and soft and I've heard the same thing about the JAS Anser.

 

 

You are quite correct. I have been playing around with a JAS Anser, and it is the softest and 'sweetest' non-insert Anser style putter I've tried.

 

That said, it is still not as satisfying as my Bettinardi BB24, yet it is much more 'sensitive' than my other Bettinardi 360M.

 

I suspect we are fooling ourselves.

[dinkoh]

Generally speaking, I base feel on 2 factors: 1. sound at impact and 2. vibration at impact.

1. With regards to vibration at impact, I've did a test to witness feel without sound. I tested my putters by using ear plugs, closing my eyes and having someone place a ball at different spots on the putter face for me to hit. I wanted to see if I could identify a mishit at impact (without sound) and where the ball was placed (feel the mishit on the clubhead). Typically speaking, mishits for me have an abrupt vibration in the hands and a feeling of movement in the clubhead (twisting in the hands). Hits on the sweetspot will have a little or no vibration and move smoothly through the stroke (like a hot knife cutting through butter). On this factor, I found that nearly all the putters were the same (blade putters...didn't test mallets) with the stainless putters providing slightly more feedback on impact.
   

 

I agree with vibration at impact. For me, softness is the 'feeling of time' that your ball is contacting the club. Hit the sweetspot: Feels like you're compressing the ball a bit more than off center hits. Whether its irons or putters. Having no vibration during your stroke gives the impression of 'smoothness and softness'. Vibrations on off-center hits feel more harsh.

 

I too play blades for irons/putter for that reason. I want to know when my stroke is off.

[Skaffa77]

I'm the same and play blades for that exact reason. With blades, the tolerance for mishits is lower and thus the swing has to improve versus letting the equipment cover my flaws. I know when I mishit the ball and I can tell what happen by the feel of impact on the face and direction of the ball/divot.

 

Now I do sometimes like an insert putter and have owned Odyssey's and Bobby Grace (HSM) putters...they "feel" good, but are a little less responsive for me. Oddly enough, I found my distance control was lacking at times with insert putters. It was part of the reason I got rid of my White Hot 2-Ball blade...I couldn't get the feel down for my distances. Same stroke, but different results...no feedback to tell me if I was mishitting it. I guess you could say that the White Hot insert felt good too often. I do own an Odyssey XG-9 and have had consistent results so far. Could be the XG insert or maybe being a heel shafted putter, the mishits are much more pronounced.

 

I was really disappointed with the Ping JAS Ally Max because the results were good (sometimes God-like), I just didn't like the feel. Very tingy sound and I just couldn't get comfortable with it. After hearing about other people's experiences with the Anser model, it's peaked my curiousity, but I would want to try it before buying it. Speaking on Pings...I been trying the Ping Redwood Anser and have been really impressed. Who know...I might have a new putter soon. Amazing how this little preference call "feel" affects how we play the game. :drinks:

[Warszawa]

Generally speaking, I base feel on 2 factors: 1. sound at impact and 2. vibration at impact.

1. With that said, typically what I prefer in sound is a more soft, muted, thuddy sound at impact. In my experiences, I find this sound in my Yes Groove Callie (maybe a result of the grooves) and Scotty Cameron Studio Design 1.5 (carbon steel). Ironically, another person will prefer a "clicky" sound from stainless steel putters like a Cameron Stainless Newport 2 . This would appear to be a matter of personal preference as to what "sounds like better feel" at impact.
   
2. With regards to vibration at impact, I've did a test to witness feel without sound. I tested my putters by using ear plugs, closing my eyes and having someone place a ball at different spots on the putter face for me to hit. I wanted to see if I could identify a mishit at impact (without sound) and where the ball was placed (feel the mishit on the clubhead). Typically speaking, mishits for me have an abrupt vibration in the hands and a feeling of movement in the clubhead (twisting in the hands). Hits on the sweetspot will have a little or no vibration and move smoothly through the stroke (like a hot knife cutting through butter). On this factor, I found that nearly all the putters were the same (blade putters...didn't test mallets) with the stainless putters providing slightly more feedback on impact.
   

Now, something odd I noticed with my Bettinardi (stainless steel) is that it typically has a clicky sound, but every now and again, I find a groove where the sound is more muted and it feels oh so soft. I can only assume it is at those exact moments, that I'm hitting a pure sweetspot...but then again, maybe it's my imagination. :drinks:

 

More then anything else, golf is 90% mental...thus I would believe if you think something feels betters, it probably will.

What he said.