Why have we moved to heavier putters?

[theothertwo]

Most modern putters I believe range from 330 to 360g on average.  I think the old Ping Ansers, Wilson 8802s and Bullseye putters were all lighter than this and they won a lot of tournaments.  Why heavier putters?  Sorry if this a dumb question  or has been addressed before.

[bear87]

For me, in the past I have used a heavier head in tandem with Edel adjustable weights in the shaft (under my hands).  The heavier head allows for a more traditional swingweight together with an overall higher static weight. 

[RogerinNewZealand]

I have rebought B60 Anser2 etc all 320ish plus rossie 11 mallet and added lead tape. So then you try a Scotty, old at 333 ish and i have 12ish grams tip weights so 345ish,thats My weight at 34 with 80 gram pp58 grip...same grip all putters...this is what works very well for me....right now

[MtlJeff]

I won't use anything under 375g. I just feel like it's a feather on like 5-10 footers. I find i stay on plane much better with heavier putters

[DaveGoodrich]

The "conventional wisdom" is that heavier putters are better for faster greens, and greens are faster now than they were in the "olden days."  I'm actually not sure why that makes sense, but that's the common answer to the OP's question.

[Go Horns!]

Faster greens.

 

Larger grips reduce feel for the head, so you need more head weight to feel the putter head in the stroke.

[Wheat5]

My regular gamer for 14 years is a 330g 009. I have several other putters weighted different but nothing heavier has been any better or more consistent for me. 

[VNutz]

Putting simply has become more mechanical as greens over time have become faster and for the most part smoother. When greens were shaggier there was more hand and wrist action in the stroke, just look at Arnold Palmer's stroke as an example. As greens sped up you couldn't have as much wrist action and putting became more about shoulders, and it's generally easier for most to control a slightly heavier putter with their shoulder action than a light one. This is a very broad generalization as many still prefer lighter putters; I have zero issues with putters at 330, more or less, but others cannot.

[Pepperturbo]

Heavy swing weight helps tempo and feel.  I am totally a feel player, and play many courses, where greens speeds vary from as low as 9.5 to 12 stemp.

 

My SC Monterey is set up to accommodate the varied conditions I face; 360g, 34" and sw=D5.  I keep saying I am going to buy 2 heavier sole weights but haven't got around to it...

[btyh]

For consistency. its easier to keep your stroke in line with a heavier head vs lighter. Think pendulum. 

[Aviador Naval]

I have gone back to the future.  Pulled out a MnBn Anser I bought in 1988 and have since added a 85029 MyDay.  The lighter head weight is perfect at 36” which I’ve gone to because it’s more comfortable on my lower back.  Feels better with no milling or insert than any Cameron, Morgan, Bettinardi, or Toulon putter I’ve ever owned.

 

Great overall swingweight, awesome feel, cool look with decades of patina, no obnoxious sight lines, and no concern that some jerk will lift it from your bag - all for ~$50 shipped.

[fj_magni]

I know this is a common answer, distance control seems to be better with a lighter putter. Currently playing Ping Karsten TR Answer 5 at 350 grams (not exactly light). Have a older Ping Anser 5 at 330 grams I will play during the summer on faster greens. 

Came from heavier ping putters in the 360 to 375 gram range and have found the distance control has improved. All of a sudden my lag putting is better and more 30 to 40 footers were dropping (occasionally).  

Have actually played the Anser 5 configuration for more than a year, which is a small miracle considering my past relations with so many other putters. Doesn't help that the recent surge in popularity in golf equipment has eliminated those $30 to $40 deal you could find on eBay. 

[Barfolomew]

When its all on the line it helps to putt with a battle axe that keep things steady vs a feather thats jumpin all over the place

 

love the weight of my original Seemore Giant

[cmatthews77]

2 hours ago, DaveGoodrich said:

The "conventional wisdom" is that heavier putters are better for faster greens, and greens are faster now than they were in the "olden days."  I'm actually not sure why that makes sense, but that's the common answer to the OP's question.

 

Yes, this is the answer.  In short, you are not "swinging" the putter as much in today's game with modern day green speeds and quality of the surface.  So (in theory- certainly not for everyone) it's easier to make a shorter controlled stroke and keep the putter on line when it's a bit heavier than the older putter designs.

[Bentron]

25 minutes ago, cmatthews77 said:

 

Yes, this is the answer.  In short, you are not "swinging" the putter as much in today's game with modern day green speeds and quality of the surface.  So (in theory- certainly not for everyone) it's easier to make a shorter controlled stroke and keep the putter on line when it's a bit heavier than the older putter designs.

Does this principle apply to weight at the top of the grip as well? 

[cmatthews77]

1 minute ago, Bentron said:

Does this principle apply to weight at the top of the grip as well? 

 

To be honest I'm not sure i understand the philosophy behind counter-balancing weight on putter grips.  My assumption would be that if you added more weight at the grip end it would make the head feel lighter than it was but I don't know..

[MattM97]

To me it just feels better in my hands. The green speeds I'd say play a factor, I mean look at some putts by pros the putter head barely moves on a 6-8ft putt. 

 

Also counter balancing does work if you want a heavier head but don't want it to feel like a sledge hammer, will also drop the swing weight down if you're picky about it too. 

[MPAndreassi]

I think another overlooked aspect is the amount of people playing putters under 35” these days compared to before. Putter length was almost always an after thought. For me personally, I play all of mine at 33” and 370-375g head weight. I feel that’s the sweet spot for me as far as distance control and smoothness of my putting stroke goes. 

[getitdaily]

I have played putters everywhere from 350g to 390g the last couple of years. I was mostly in 350-355g heads for most of that time. I bought a blackjack in October and have been toying with it ever since. It comes with 4x10g weights for a headweight of 380g. I bought 2x5g and 2x20g weights. I didn't like the putter at 340g (no weights), 350g, or 360g with a traditional setup. 

 

I put a 50g countercore weight in it and I've been very surprised. Under 370g is too light and the head kind of waivers around. 370-390g and my short putting is damn near automatic. Lag putting wasn't good but I will work on that. I've settled on 380g headweight with 50g counter weight. 

 

But I have an old friend coming back...tyne h. At 370g it was too heavy before. But with my newfound counterweighting, it may be perfect since it has the toe hang i wish the blackjack had.

 

The heavier head and overall weight really take hand action out to the point I feel like I can engage my hands in the stroke and they don't overtake everything. 

[achappy]

Heavier putters I have no distance control. But then they are pretty good on shorter putts.  I also have more feel with lighter weight putters because I never got comfortable with  just “rocking” the shoulders.   There’s no natural feel to that and so putts of any length are 3’ short or 5’ long 😀

 

My Ping 5BZ putters are fantastic for speed control but I think if they were maybe 10-15g heavier they would be perfect.  So I have some lead tape on the way to experiment. 

[getitdaily]

5 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

I won't use anything under 375g. I just feel like it's a feather on like 5-10 footers. I find i stay on plane much better with heavier putters

What grip weight are you using? Any counterweighting too?

[MtlJeff]

10 minutes ago, getitdaily said:

What grip weight are you using? Any counterweighting too?

 

I have a bunch of putters, some longer counterweighted, some normal grips

[DaveGoodrich]

2 hours ago, cmatthews77 said:

 

To be honest I'm not sure i understand the philosophy behind counter-balancing weight on putter grips.  My assumption would be that if you added more weight at the grip end it would make the head feel lighter than it was but I don't know..

 

I would imagine the counterweighting increases the total static weight, which should affect the overall tempo of your hip/core/shoulder movements.  And the head weight will have a more direct impact on how it feels "in your hands."   Just guessing.  I've never played around with counterweighting, although I do use a fairly heavy putter grip.  

[Aviador Naval]

5 hours ago, cmatthews77 said:

 

To be honest I'm not sure i understand the philosophy behind counter-balancing weight on putter grips.  My assumption would be that if you added more weight at the grip end it would make the head feel lighter than it was but I don't know..

My understanding is the counterbalance achieves the same effect (balancing the swingweight feel of the putter) for two separate reasons.  One, there are those that believe greater head weight brings great stability (which is potentially true but far from universally true...).  They may seek a counterbalance to keep the overall weight manageable.  Two, there are those that believe bigger and/or heavier grips ‘quiet the hands’.  For that team, they need a heavier head to prevent the club from feeling like swinging a club from the club head end.

 

I once bought a used flow neck Laguna that was very head heavy for its length and had a mid-size counterbalance grip.  Putted with it that way for awhile but despite the fact I loved the look and could hit it on line beautifully, I never got used to it and struggled with speed.

 

Contrary to most here, the last thing I want to do is remove my hands from my stroke.  It is by no means wristy but I prefer a little movement in reaction to the natural momentum of the putter head swinging.  Also, touring professionals and high end country clubs may see greens like billiards tables on a regular basis, but here within the unwashed masses of public and semi-private courses, the greens are much more closely aligned to what the tour guys saw in the days of 315g heads on 35 and 36 inch putters.

[puttingmatt]

I like the feel and control I gain from a heavier head and the ease of counterbalancing to what I want it to feel

like during the stroke.

[stormin70]

I’ve really settled into a 360g head weight at 33.5”.  I putt with my shoulders and it works very well for me.

Edited February 7, 2021 by stormin70

[T-MAC]

I've never agreed with the "conventional wisdom" that heavier putters are better on faster greens.  It has always been the exact OPPOSITE for me.  I putt much better on fast greens with a lighter putter (330ish) and I usually putt a little better on slower greens with a putter head with a little more weight (340-350).  I have never been a fan of heads heavier than 350g.  I lose my "touch" and my distance control suffers, especially on longer putts.  My favorite headweight has become something in the 340g range, which unfortunately are hard to find (unless you get putters with adjustable weights).

[wfrogge1]

Greens got faster and due to shorter strokes we went from a "pop" stroke that got the ball rolling on top of the grass to more of a sweep

[rsballer10]

On 2/8/2021 at 9:27 PM, wfrogge1 said:

Greens got faster and due to shorter strokes we went from a "pop" stroke that got the ball rolling on top of the grass to more of a sweep

 

I agree with this.

 

The problem for the average golfer such as myself is that I play on a lot of slower greens at public courses. Hard to 'pop' stroke a heavy putter.

[gators78]

On 2/8/2021 at 9:26 PM, T-MAC said:

I've never agreed with the "conventional wisdom" that heavier putters are better on faster greens.  It has always been the exact OPPOSITE for me.  I putt much better on fast greens with a lighter putter (330ish) and I usually putt a little better on slower greens with a putter head with a little more weight (340-350).  I have never been a fan of heads heavier than 350g.  I lose my "touch" and my distance control suffers, especially on longer putts.  My favorite headweight has become something in the 340g range, which unfortunately are hard to find (unless you get putters with adjustable weights).

 

 

Yes, I would stress this one a lot, play around and see what works for you. The trend over the past few years is much heavier putters and bigger grips...that is one philosophy. I think heavy putters are great for putts under 10 feet, which one could argue are the most important, but I think it's really open for longer distances. There was a really good podcast with David Orr and he believed that a big portion of players would be better off with a wristy stroke on a light putter, and that wide grips and heavy heads haven't proven to eliminate variability in a stroke.

 

I adjusted my cameron to be as close to the Tiger specs as possible (320g head, 58g grip, the whole thing is right around 500g, which is almost exactly the same specs as the original Ping Anser when it was released. Ditto for Faxon's setup), it frees you up a bit because you really have to swing it to go anywhere. Again, just one idea if people are struggling to find some comfort.