side saddle putters - what putter are you using?

[willplaysgolf]

Is this one of you folks flexing with all the trophies in your eBay listing? 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/393175467596

[Cliffy2020]

I have an older PING Darby Sigma mallet that’s heel shafted and heavier than s***. Figure it’s a good candidate for side saddle.  Not worth anything on the ‘bay.  Want to build a face-on putter with it.  Need help with components.  It has a 90* shaft port and stock double bend shaft to make it face balanced. 
 

Saw a cheap hosel adapter on the ‘bay but don’t know any different/better from all of the wrx’ers in the know how to make this work?  
 

im 6’4” for reference. Never done side saddle. Have basic DIY skills, tools and a can-do attitude. Would prefer a center-shifted putter head but have Ping Darby in hand to experiment with.  
 

With a heavy heel shafted putter head in hand, what hosel adapter(if any)/shaft combo (straight/single bend/double bend) length, should I order to put this thing together and test drive some face-on putt’n ’ lovi’n  ???

[rexroh]

In general to be face balanced the shaft needs to point at the centre line of the putter head. This either aceved by shaft bend or hosel bend and straight shaft. 
 

To test for face on putting it does not need to be face balanced nor at 79 - 80 degree shaft angle. By trying and practicing wth a standard putter you will get the feel what it is all about. 
 

Lie angle and face balancing are subsequent improvements.   Head weight and shaft length are important.   

Edited March 27, 2021 by rexroh

[bluedot]

22 hours ago, BigEx44 said:

Bluedot, J-Tizzle and Hardpan,

I think all three of you mentioned at one time that you reduced the weight of your F22 by taking out the front corner weights.

I'm thinking about doing the same.

Just wondering how the lighter weight worked out for you guys on the course last year?

E

 

I didn't see any difference, and I put them back. 

[brentflog]

Has anyone ever talked to Bobby Grace about making a F18 or fat man into side saddle?  Seems like it would be easy for him. 

[Cactus Jack]

I completed my Slim Jim collection with the addition of the Slim Jim Whooper 2. I’ve only seen a few pics of the 2 and this is the first I’ve found in years of searching. These are by far the best side saddle putters I e ever used. 

[rexroh]

I like the look of the Slim Jim's.  The heads look heavy.  The shaft back from the face helps with lining up the putter.  Similar to backstryke style.

 

[Joe Duffer]

On 1/25/2021 at 3:55 AM, CanPuttWillPutt2 said:

Does anyone putt side saddle with their feet together to the left and slight back of the ball position or are we all weight on our right foot feet apart people ? (For right handlers)

 

This is a photo of Don "Ivy" Iverson, arguably one of the best side-saddle putters ever. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Joe Duffer

[Joe Duffer]

On 3/6/2021 at 10:06 AM, Cactus Jack said:

 

"I completed my Slim Jim collection with the addition of the Slim Jim Whooper 2". I’ve only seen a few pics of the 2 and this is the first I’ve found in years of searching. These are by far the best side saddle putters I e ever used. 

 

 

No interest in the Slim Jim 3 ??

[bluedot]

On 3/6/2021 at 10:00 AM, brentflog said:

Has anyone ever talked to Bobby Grace about making a F18 or fat man into side saddle?  Seems like it would be easy for him. 

 

I haven't, but I'll make a guess about each of those heads.  Disclaimer: I don't know what I'm talking about; these are just SWAG's...

 

The F18 probably has more loft than Bobby wants to put on a putter that is meant for side saddle; I really wonder if the F22 isn't a version of the F18 without as much loft?

 

As for the Fat Man, maybe it's both loft and that it isn't center-shafted?   I definitely see the appeal of that head for side saddle, though.

[Cactus Jack]

I scored a GP putter on the bay and it arrived today and....I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. The head has little to no MOI so if you strike it slightly off center it sends an unpleasant vibration up the shaft and you can feel the putter twist. Overall the feel and stability are missing. With that said, this is my opinion only, and the putter does have a few pros. For example it looks nice at address, and swings like a perfect pendulum. However, as good as the YouTube videos are, this is no Slim Jim. Matzie Charles Owens for the win!  

[rexroh]

I agree with your assessment of the GP putter.  It is not very forgiving.  On the other hand when using it with a vertical shaft it made my path is more accurate.  I have moved on to other putters but still use the GP as a training aid. (at home on the carpet)  It helps with swing path. 
 

[brentflog]

On 3/5/2021 at 10:25 PM, Cliffy2020 said:

I have an older PING Darby Sigma mallet that’s heel shafted and heavier than s***. Figure it’s a good candidate for side saddle.  Not worth anything on the ‘bay.  Want to build a face-on putter with it.  Need help with components.  It has a 90* shaft port and stock double bend shaft to make it face balanced. 
 

Saw a cheap hosel adapter on the ‘bay but don’t know any different/better from all of the wrx’ers in the know how to make this work?  
 

im 6’4” for reference. Never done side saddle. Have basic DIY skills, tools and a can-do attitude. Would prefer a center-shifted putter head but have Ping Darby in hand to experiment with.  
 

With a heavy heel shafted putter head in hand, what hosel adapter(if any)/shaft combo (straight/single bend/double bend) length, should I order to put this thing together and test drive some face-on putt’n ’ lovi’n  ???

I think that would work to get you started. You may think about trying to get a left handed double bend rather than a right handed. It would create an onset instead of an offset. Single bend could work too. I am just guessing but it may be tough to get it face balanced because the insert is so far on the heel. Face balance is nice but I think at the entry level it isn’t necessary 

[Cliffy2020]

1 hour ago, brentflog said:

I think that would work to get you started. You may think about trying to get a left handed double bend rather than a right handed. It would create an onset instead of an offset. Single bend could work too. I am just guessing but it may be tough to get it face balanced because the insert is so far on the heel. Face balance is nice but I think at the entry level it isn’t necessary 

Thanks for the reply.  After talking to my local club fitter, we both agreed to start this journey seriously it would probably be best to find a used putter that’s designed for this style rather than a DIY experiment.

 

I've had my eye on the ‘Bay since with plenty of good options but even the used golf market is hot/hotter than new stuff this year.

 

In the meantime, I’m selling off some old putters from my stable to increase my PayPal golf slush fund unbeknownst to the Mrs.

[Joe Duffer]

On 3/7/2021 at 9:31 PM, Joe Duffer said:

 

No interest in the Slim Jim 3 ??

 

 

BTW, @Cactus Jack, I wasn't trying to be "cute" with this question. Matzie actually did offer a "Slim Jim 3".

 

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by Joe Duffer

[Cactus Jack]

3 hours ago, Joe Duffer said:

 

 

BTW, @Cactus Jack, I wasn't trying to be "cute" with this question. Matzie actually did offer a "Slim Jim 3".

 

 

 

I had no idea! The search is on!!! 

 

[Cactus Jack]

I decided to do a little experiment. I had Breakthrough Golf Technology (BGT) install a Stability Shaft in my Slim Jim 2 head. They use their arm lock shaft, and can build to any spec. I've tried the Stability Tour shaft in a conventional putter and really liked the feel, and very curious how it will feel and perform at 46". The putter arrives Sunday, and I'll post some first impressions ASAP.  

[Corrstown]

On 1/28/2021 at 8:27 AM, CanPuttWillPutt2 said:

Hi there. 
 

as luck would have it I don’t appear to have been hit with any additional import taxes or VAT.  I have NO idea how this happened and think it may just be luck (unless the charges are delayed and I’m going to get something in the post over the next month or so?!?!?). I had budgeted for an extra 25% on what Bobby had charged for the putter and delivery and you probably need to do similar so you’re not too upset if you do get charged!

 

I was using an old STX putter before which I loved except for two reasons. The face is too spungy so I couldn’t get the pace right on longer putts and would often leave it short. Also the toe would sometimes dig into the grass. The putter itself thorough was brilliant, loved the feel and the weight but just couldn’t persist with it. 
 

went for the BG F22. It’s feels very different but nice. Working well on the carpet but as you indicated I’ve not been able to get it out on the course yet. I’ll let you know how I get on when I do !  But yes. I’m certain it will be better than the STX on the course.  Though the STX will always have a place in my heart 😂
 

as for the technique, it’s been no deliberation for me, honestly I didn’t need time to settle in, I was pretty much better with side saddle from day 1 though I did hit what seemed like a few thousand putts on the carpet during the first lockdown before I went on a course.  I’m so poor at putting conventionally though it wasn’t much contest. Side saddle just suits my eyeline and stops me from yipping. 
 

happy to answer any other questions. 
 

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Corrstown
Posted without including the reply/question I wanted to send to CanPuttWillPutt

[Corrstown]

25 minutes ago, Corrstown said:

Hi CanPuttWillPutt,

Now that the courses have re-opened in the UK , I was wondering whether you have had an opportunity to try your new BG F22 on real greens and if so, how are you getting on with it and how does it compare with the putter you were previously using. Any thoughts would be welcome. I have not as yet pulled the trigger on ordering one myself.

Thanks

 

[Joe Duffer]

On 3/26/2021 at 4:21 PM, Cactus Jack said:

I decided to do a little experiment. I had Breakthrough Golf Technology (BGT) install a Stability Shaft in my Slim Jim 2 head. They use their arm lock shaft, and can build to any spec. I've tried the Stability Tour shaft in a conventional putter and really liked the feel, and very curious how it will feel and perform at 46". The putter arrives Sunday, and I'll post some first impressions ASAP.  

 

Well, we're WAITing..... 😂😉

[marmaduk]

This new Ping would make a great side saddle with the shaft insert near the back of the center line or an a** kicker shaft 

[CanPuttWillPutt2]

On 4/6/2021 at 9:36 AM, Corrstown said:

 

Yes I have tried the F22 on greens in the UK. 
 

it works really well and is a vast improvement on the old STX I’m using. 
 

i’m still struggling a bit with pace but that’s mainly due to lack of gameplay and still getting used to side saddle. 
 

however as I’ve said many times on this site, side saddle for me is a VAST improvement on conventional putting and will be sticking with the F22 for three foreseeable future. 
 

Sat in the pub today with a friend of mine that I play golf with and he’s confirmed that my putting has now been “sorted out” at which he expressed his dismay 😀. 
 

ive now just joined a “posh” golf club and can’t wait to see what all the members think of my putting stroke 😂 

[bluedot]

1 hour ago, CanPuttWillPutt2 said:

Yes I have tried the F22 on greens in the UK. 
 

it works really well and is a vast improvement on the old STX I’m using. 
 

i’m still struggling a bit with pace but that’s mainly due to lack of gameplay and still getting used to side saddle. 
 

however as I’ve said many times on this site, side saddle for me is a VAST improvement on conventional putting and will be sticking with the F22 for three foreseeable future. 
 

Sat in the pub today with a friend of mine that I play golf with and he’s confirmed that my putting has now been “sorted out” at which he expressed his dismay 😀. 
 

ive now just joined a “posh” golf club and can’t wait to see what all the members think of my putting stroke 😂 

 

The good golfers at your new club, especially the ones that play competitively, will watch carefully and if they see you putting well, will be interested.  Some will want to take a look at the putter, and may want to roll one or two.  They have spent years looking for ways to get the ball in the hole more quickly, and they've tried a million things to get that done.

 

The chops who think they are good will be prone to freaking out and reacting.  They'll ask if it's legal, they'll ask you what in the hell you are doing, and so on.  They are threatened by possibility that what they are doing isn't the best way, which, of course, it isn't.

 

The trick for you is to have confidence that you are doing the right thing, and not to make every putt or even every round a referendum on the method you are using.  You just do what you do, knowing that you've "sorted it out." 

 

Enjoy the ride!

[marmaduk]

Had some random guy on the putting green bad mouthing my putter the other day. He was talking to his buddies albeit a little louder than needed. I just put some earbuds in and listened to music as I was practicing. I was doing pretty well which must have aggravated him. It got to the point where he looked me dead in the eye and said “there is no way that silly putter is legal” my response was “Man, you must have been awfully popular in high school to assume a forty year old stranger gives a sht about what you think” I put my earbuds back in and continued practicing. His friends laughed and he got the picture. What a tool. 

[bluedot]

16 hours ago, marmaduk said:

Had some random guy on the putting green bad mouthing my putter the other day. He was talking to his buddies albeit a little louder than needed. I just put some earbuds in and listened to music as I was practicing. I was doing pretty well which must have aggravated him. It got to the point where he looked me dead in the eye and said “there is no way that silly putter is legal” my response was “Man, you must have been awfully popular in high school to assume a forty year old stranger gives a sht about what you think” I put my earbuds back in and continued practicing. His friends laughed and he got the picture. What a tool. 

 

Outstanding!

 

I'll say it again; good players never say a word, unless they want to ask questions and check out the putter.  it's the wanna-be's...

[BigEx44]

12 hours ago, bluedot said:

 

Outstanding!

 

I'll say it again; good players never say a word, unless they want to ask questions and check out the putter.  it's the wanna-be's...

 

I've been to a number of golf schools over the last 8 years - and without exception every one of the teaching pro's has loved my stroke and loved the methodology.  They ask me about the mechanics of the stroke.  I let them try my putter.  It often turns into a mini sidesaddle putting lesson.  It's a lot of fun.  Of course, they comment that after X numbers of years putting traditionally, and putting well - they wouldn't make the change (neither would I btw) because they have invested so much time in getting good at their current stroke.  But they can certainly see why any golfer would want to adapt the SS stroke.

 

As Blue Dot stated, the only negative comments tend to come from 20+ cappers who have no idea what's going on with SS putting.  And of course their first comment is always around the legality of the stroke.  Is it legal?  And if it is, it shouldn't be or some such nonsense.  After putting this way for the last 8 years I don't think about what others may think.  Not an issue in any way for me anymore.

[Corrstown]

On 4/14/2021 at 11:16 PM, CanPuttWillPutt2 said:

Yes I have tried the F22 on greens in the UK. 
 

it works really well and is a vast improvement on the old STX I’m using. 
 

i’m still struggling a bit with pace but that’s mainly due to lack of gameplay and still getting used to side saddle. 
 

however as I’ve said many times on this site, side saddle for me is a VAST improvement on conventional putting and will be sticking with the F22 for three foreseeable future. 
 

Sat in the pub today with a friend of mine that I play golf with and he’s confirmed that my putting has now been “sorted out” at which he expressed his dismay 😀. 
 

ive now just joined a “posh” golf club and can’t wait to see what all the members think of my putting stroke 😂 

Thanks very much for update, glad it is going well for you. Golf is back here from Monday 26th April, so will have another go at putting side saddle with my improvised long putters and see how it compares to putting with a "regular" putter. I have also been reading up on some new putter grip called Kotahi which claims to help with wrist break down and keeping the putter face aligned but i have been down that road of trying different putter grips before with very little signs of marked improvement. I think i know already that i will be ordering a Bobby Grace F22 in the next few weeks, probably should have done so in anticipation of the return to golf in Ireland but just couldn't motivate myself when there was no planned return date for golf. 

 

I see your comment re sitting in the pub chatting with friends - unfortunately the return of pubs/restaurants, even outside, is not likely to return here anytime soon.   

 

Thanks again.

 

 

[brentflog]

On 4/13/2021 at 9:51 PM, marmaduk said:

This new Ping would make a great side saddle with the shaft insert near the back of the center line or an a** kicker shaft 

 

 

I agree.  I could say that about a bunch of putters.  

Edited April 22, 2021 by brentflog

[bluedot]

Ok, I have a question for all of you.  Do you use your face on putter from the fringe very much, and if you do, do you make any setup adjustments because of the lower loft?

 

When I started putting face on 6 years ago, I was a good, confident chipper, especially bump-and-run with a 7 iron from the fringes.  Then three years ago, I had a partial detachment of the retina in my right eye, followed by a cascade of other issues in that eye, leading to 7 different procedures, plus both glacoma and macular degeneration.  The result of all of that since late last year not only have I had terrible vision in that eye, which isn't going to get better, but depth perception issues, especially when I'm looking down at the ground.  I feel like I should have a warning sign; "Objects are closer than they appear in the mirror.", which is EXACTLY the case.  Doesn't bother me on full swings, or with fluffier lies, but chipping off a tight lie has become a REAL problem.  I keep working with different setups, including doing some work with my teaching pro, but much of this ain't going away.  It's all kind of weird; I've been an athlete all my life, and now I can't catch a golf ball tossed underhand to me from 10' away.

 

It dawned on me yesterday that maybe I need to rethink using my putter from the fringe.  I have stayed mostly away from that all these years; I had sort of convinced myself that there was a trade-off involved; much better putting vs. limited usefulness off the green because the ball seemed to pop up instead of rolling out like it does with a conventional putter with more loft.  Plus, I was a really good chipper...

 

So any thoughts on the do's and don''t's of face on putting from off the green?

 

 

[CanPuttWillPutt2]

5 minutes ago, bluedot said:

Ok, I have a question for all of you.  Do you use your face on putter from the fringe very much, and if you do, do you make any setup adjustments because of the lower loft?

 

When I started putting face on 6 years ago, I was a good, confident chipper, especially bump-and-run with a 7 iron from the fringes.  Then three years ago, I had a partial detachment of the retina in my right eye, followed by a cascade of other issues in that eye, leading to 7 different procedures, plus both glacoma and macular degeneration.  The result of all of that since late last year not only have I had terrible vision in that eye, which isn't going to get better, but depth perception issues, especially when I'm looking down at the ground.  I feel like I should have a warning sign; "Objects are closer than they appear in the mirror.", which is EXACTLY the case.  Doesn't bother me on full swings, or with fluffier lies, but chipping off a tight lie has become a REAL problem.  I keep working with different setups, including doing some work with my teaching pro, but much of this ain't going away.  It's all kind of weird; I've been an athlete all my life, and now I can't catch a golf ball tossed underhand to me from 10' away.

 

It dawned on me yesterday that maybe I need to rethink using my putter from the fringe.  I have stayed mostly away from that all these years; I had sort of convinced myself that there was a trade-off involved; much better putting vs. limited usefulness off the green because the ball seemed to pop up instead of rolling out like it does with a conventional putter with more loft.  Plus, I was a really good chipper...

 

So any thoughts on the do's and don''t's of face on putting from off the green?

 

 

yes I absolutely putt from the fringe (and beyond in some instances). Even more than I used to before side saddle.  I adjust the loft by moving my pivot hand a little further back which acts to increase the loft slightly. Other than that my action is the same. 
 

The results are good for me so far. 

Edited April 26, 2021 by CanPuttWillPutt2