Putter for fast, grainy greens

[jh19]

New home course, new greens, new putting woes! Any suggestions for a putter for some slick bermuda greens? I'm currently using a TP Mills Klassic, after I was frustrated with my PXG Brandon. Had great success with my Brandon on my old greens.

 

Worst I've ever putted in my career, need some help! I'm thinking something counterbalanced?

[BiggErn]

Whatever you putt with on slow greens just hit it softer.

[Chip Duffer]

It may be worth a try with the heavy weights in the Brandon. This may smooth out your swing for the fast greens and loft of that putter should work well with the Bermuda greens. Good luck.

[bluedot]

Putting on slick bermuda greens is just very, very difficult, and probably not about which putter you use. Downhill, down grain putts can get away from you so easily, and the speed difference coming back into the grain can be really frustrating. I've found that the difference from one set of bermuda greens to another can be huge; some places grain is a huge deal, other places it barely matters. If you've been playing on bent grass greens, putting on slick bermuda is just a much different thing, and there are putts on which you have to be VERY defensive. The irony is that if the greens are slower, typically the grain becomes much more influential on what happens to the putt as it slows down.

That's not a good answer for what you are asking, I know. But I just think it's a different type of putting, no matter what putter you use. I've never been a fan of the idea of heavier vs. lighter putters according to green speeds anyway; it takes away from feel.

[gioguy21]

get yourself a milled mallet - with low or virtually no milling.

 

due to the shape - it makes the putter 'feel' softer; even if the milling is flat/smooth and the head has enough MOI to keep it relatively stable thru impact. i've always putted better on grainy greens with mallets - so, this is based on personal experience. YRMV

[jh19]

Funny, I was talking to my golf buddies and told them I was going to get a counter balanced mallet next! Makes the most sense to me.

 

I've been putting on bent, so I need to start paying more attention to the grain, still not use to that yet.

[toc]

> @BiggErn said:

> Whatever you putt with on slow greens just hit it softer.

 

Here's your answer

[bladehunter]

There is a certain element of how each putter rolls the ball. Grainy Bermuda can absolutely take the ball off line. And some putters will put a better roll on the ball , whether through face tech or just a better loft fit. Going from bent to Bermuda isn’t as simple as “ hit it softer”. Hit it softer uphill and you’ve got 12 feet left for par. Breathe on it coming downhill and it’s 12 ft coming back for par. I know that and still haven’t mastered those damn greens. Not even close. I’ve read and heard many bogey golfers say “ that type green isn’t that hard “. Sure. I can 3 putt them too. But if you’re talking making 1 putts it’s a whole different ballgame.

[BiggErn]

> @bladehunter said:

> There is a certain element of how each putter rolls the ball. Grainy Bermuda can absolutely take the ball off line. And some putters will put a better roll on the ball , whether through face tech or just a better loft fit. Going from bent to Bermuda isn’t as simple as “ hit it softer”. Hit it softer uphill and you’ve got 12 feet left for par. Breathe on it coming downhill and it’s 12 ft coming back for par. I know that and still haven’t mastered those **** greens. Not even close. I’ve read and heard many bogey golfers say “ that type green isn’t that hard “. Sure. I can 3 putt them too. But if you’re talking making 1 putts it’s a whole different ballgame.

 

He said fast greens not uphill putts. We live in the same area and there’s not many if any bent greens left that I can think of. However there’s plenty courses with some sort of Bermuda or the growing in popularity diamond zoysia. I much prefer Bermuda and the grainier the better but use the same putter for both.

[bladehunter]

How many 1 putts do you have a round ? Say at village. That’s the greens he’s talking about. Part of the issue is the grain into and away. Sometimes a putter that moves the ball farther with less stroke works better. You have to put less hit into it to hold the line. Curious. What putter do yo use ?

 

Zoysia is by far the worst putting surface to learn speed on ice ever seen. I hate links o tryon and river falls for that very reason. Like putting on Velcro with a Velcro ball.

[BiggErn]

> @bladehunter said:

> How many 1 putts do you have a round ? Say at village. That’s the greens he’s talking about. Part of the issue is the grain into and away. As in speed.

 

That’s a hard stat to track and I think it matters if it’s to save par or for birdie or better. Those greens are some of the grainiest at their peak but like other courses they can be faster when they’re dormant (same with zoysia). I have however played village in the summer with the greens in optimum condition and fast. The front right hole position on hole 1 can make it easily possible to putt a short putt off the green and it’s not a super severe slope. Of course when Bermuda greens are super fast I don’t think grain matters as much as when they’re at an average speed in which case you know shiny is down grain and dull is into. After that it just takes practice to allow for the dying break or a little more run out.

[bladehunter]

> @BiggErn said:

> > @bladehunter said:

> > How many 1 putts do you have a round ? Say at village. That’s the greens he’s talking about. Part of the issue is the grain into and away. As in speed.

>

> That’s a hard stat to track and I think it matters if it’s to save par or for birdie or better. Those greens are some of the grainiest at their peak but like other courses they can be faster when they’re dormant (same with zoysia). I have however played village in the summer with the greens in optimum condition and fast. The front right hole position on hole 1 can make it easily possible to putt a short putt off the green and it’s not a super severe slope. Of course when Bermuda greens are super fast I don’t think grain matters as much as when they’re at an average speed in which case you know shiny is down grain and dull is into. After that it just takes practice to allow for the dying break or a little more run out.

 

All true. It’s such a multi faceted deal. And like you said. Those greens change with moisture, temp, and time of year about 12 different versions. Wasn’t really trying to argue. I just share the OPs frustration.

[Downtown_Brown_41]

The best thing for Bermuda is to just practice until you get the hang of it. I see lines better and make more putts on Bermuda then I do bent but I’ve also putted on Bermuda most of my 4-5 yrs of playing.

[BiggErn]

> @bladehunter said:

> > @BiggErn said:

> > > @bladehunter said:

> > > How many 1 putts do you have a round ? Say at village. That’s the greens he’s talking about. Part of the issue is the grain into and away. As in speed.

> >

> > That’s a hard stat to track and I think it matters if it’s to save par or for birdie or better. Those greens are some of the grainiest at their peak but like other courses they can be faster when they’re dormant (same with zoysia). I have however played village in the summer with the greens in optimum condition and fast. The front right hole position on hole 1 can make it easily possible to putt a short putt off the green and it’s not a super severe slope. Of course when Bermuda greens are super fast I don’t think grain matters as much as when they’re at an average speed in which case you know shiny is down grain and dull is into. After that it just takes practice to allow for the dying break or a little more run out.

>

> All true. It’s such a multi faceted deal. And like you said. Those greens change with moisture, temp, and time of year about 12 different versions. Wasn’t really trying to argue. I just share the OPs frustration.

 

I get it I just don’t think a certain putter matters.

[brew4eagle]

Not sure I can relate to all of the details above, but generally speaking I've found greater success with very light putters on faster greens. Specifically early model PING manganese bronze putters, probably in the 315 gram head weight range, if that.

[PixlPutterman]

Your new to the course, how about some practice and getting used to them?

Im a ho like the next guy but come on lol

[jh19]

Well, I've been there about a year now, so something should have clicked by now! LOL

 

Update, broke down and bought an arm lock, shot 69 with 26 putts, very pleased. Greens were slow, so really struggled with the speed, thinking once they get quick, I should have some success!

[Lodestone]

Putter for fast grainy greens..... I think I'd go with Ben Crenshaw.

 

 

But seriously, grain is all about reading the grain, which I can't help you with because I $uck at it, badly so. However, I do have a suggestion for the speed issue, if you haven't tried this. When the greens, or a specific downhiller is really fast, I hit the putt out on the toe. This softens the impact and allows a longer, more affirmative "stroke" through impact which I find helps get the ball rolling on line.

I apologize if this is so elementary that it shouldn't have even been brought up, but I often forget to do it. When I remember, it helps quite a bit.

Best of luck.

(I hate grain)

[jpdx]

i like going with lighter putter for faster greens and heavier putters for slower ones in general. i'm not a very good putter (1.8 per hole and 1.9 putts with GIR last 5 rounds) anyway so I'm not sure it really matters, but in my head it's something about the mass x acceleration formula...

[PixlPutterman]

I find that I modify my stroke a tad on faster greens, I seem to get a touch more "pop strokey" on faster greens

[OutBackHack]

> @Lodestone said:

> Putter for fast grainy greens..... I think I'd go with Ben Crenshaw.

>

>

> But seriously, grain is all about reading the grain, which I can't help you with because I $uck at it, badly so. However, I do have a suggestion for the speed issue, if you haven't tried this. When the greens, or a specific downhiller is really fast, I hit the putt out on the toe. This softens the impact and allows a longer, more affirmative "stroke" through impact which I find helps get the ball rolling on line.

> I apologize if this is so elementary that it shouldn't have even been brought up, but I often forget to do it. When I remember, it helps quite a bit.

> Best of luck.

> (I hate grain)

 

There's nothing elementary about your advice. It's a good technique that works.

However, if anyone is good enough to hit a putt out of toe and keep it online they are good enough to realize they don't need to change the putter they are using just because they're on Bermuda grass.

[Lodestone]

> @"PixlPutterman " said:

> I find that I modify my stroke a tad on faster greens, I seem to get a touch more "pop strokey" on faster greens

 

interesting..I'm just the opposite.