Arm-lock putters: worth the $$?

[jobin]

So some of these putters are 42" long, nearly as long as a normal driver.  And, IMO, seem expensive at $350 or more. Are they helpful, can the technique be mastered quickly, and are they good for short and long putts? 

And, important to me, can my normal putter's handle be extended by 12", and new grip slapped on to create a new mallet monster?  Or is there some special weighted head or design which is preferred for arm-lock putters?

[skraly]

Are they worth it?  Good question.  Unfortunately there is no good answer.  Armlock works for some but not others.  I’ve put together a couple of relatively inexpensive armlocks just to see if the method would work for me.  I found out that it did not.  I could never get comfortable with that setup and style.

Your usual putter could be extended but there are several issues with that.  First the loft and lie would need to be adjusted.  Armlock putters typically have 6-9 deg of loft.  Lie angles are 4-5 degrees more upright than typical putters.  The headweights are usually 30-40 gms. heavier as well.  Also, you would probably find that extending the shaft by that much would make it feel very flexible.

I was able to put together my experimental armlock putters for under $100 each.  If you have no local shop that has an armlock putter to demo you might consider trying what I did.

I should mention that a drawback for me is that I am LH.  As a lefty I am quite used to finding work arounds for equipment as local shops in my area have a very limited line of LH gear.

[iyi4iyian]

5 hours ago, jobin said:

So some of these putters are 42" long, nearly as long as a normal driver.  And, IMO, seem expensive at $350 or more. Are they helpful, can the technique be mastered quickly, and are they good for short and long putts? 

And, important to me, can my normal putter's handle be extended by 12", and new grip slapped on to create a new mallet monster?  Or is there some special weighted head or design which is preferred for arm-lock putters?

 

 

I just picked up a SIK Arm Lock and I got to say, I love it...might just be better for my stroke and not work for you but for someone who struggled putting, I've seem to have found a repeatable stroke...for how long it will last, who knows! we are on WRX for a reason! 

[kjmtthws]

I was a bad putter for years and kept going from a mallet to a blade and back and forth.. Had several lessons.. Nothing seemed to help me and from 5-15 feet I was a mess.. The 3-5 footers were the worst as I just couldn't get comfortable knowing that i didn't have a repeatable stroke.. 

 

Then in 2017 I tried the Bettinardi ArmLock (used out of bargin bin) on a lark and that whole summer I was automatic from 5 feet and in and made a decent number of 10-12 footers.. Felt like I always made a good stroke and that if I missed, it was because I didn't get the read right.. Then I went with my wife on business trip to chicago in winter of 2019.. She was busy with meetings one day and I made the trip to the Betti factory and had a proper fitting.. Mine is 40 inches, loft is 5.5.. Frigin love the thing.. Some buddies have tried it and it seems like a light goes off in their head and putting is more smooth for them.. Seen others try it and it seems like their head explodes and they can't figure it out and can't get comfortable.. 

 

I wish more places had 1 or 2 models that people could try on the practice greens cause I honestly feel it could help more people -- but to buy an armlock as an experiment can be a bit of a barrier to entry.. 

 

Maybe try to get a super cheap version on Ebay or try someone elses for a round or two and see if it at least feels better to you -- if so, you may have to take the leap

 

 

FYI.. the answers to your actual questions.. 

The heads are usually heavier in nature to offset the long shafts. The lofts are much higher than standard to offset the extreme forward press of this technique.. If felt that I mastered what felt good and comfortable to me within a 15 min practice session.. I feel from 15 feet and in its such a better way to putt.. but admittedly the longer putts can sometimes be a bit harder to judge the distance and I find that if you allow the putter shaft to leave the arm on those 40-50 footers and release the club head a bit, its easier to get the distance right.. 

[AceRR]

I've got a Kuchar Arm Lock.. will give it one more try. The thing is, I putt well with 33"-38" putters.. so unless Arm lock helps me get a bit more consistent (today I only have 1 lights out putting round out of 5 rounds)

[Barfolomew]

Arm-lock putting is cheating, there I said it.  It's an anchored putt.

 

When you got a nervous 5 footer the skill is to control the hands but if you got it locked against the arm the club head wont even shake..... cheating

[jobin]

I thought the rules book defined cheating, not some anon internet guy.  We may not like all the rules, since all are 'man-made', but abide we must.

 

Ask @barfolomew if he, as a marker for a 'arm-lock' "cheater", would sign the player's card? Or add 2 strokes on every hole thus played?

[Zitlow]

2 hours ago, Barfolomew said:

Arm-lock putting is cheating, there I said it.  It's an anchored putt.

 

When you got a nervous 5 footer the skill is to control the hands but if you got it locked against the arm the club head wont even shake..... cheating

 

Technically it isn't cheating to use an arm lock but there is a definite edge using one. 

[pinhigh27]

11 hours ago, jobin said:

I thought the rules book defined cheating, not some anon internet guy.  We may not like all the rules, since all are 'man-made', but abide we must.

 

Ask @barfolomew if he, as a marker for a 'arm-lock' "cheater", would sign the player's card? Or add 2 strokes on every hole thus played?

Rules are to be interpreted. Surely you don’t think people have never disagreed about the rules before ? 

Edited April 7, 2021 by pinhigh27

[JDCON]

Not sure about armlock, but the broomstick putters are definitely worth it. I never had the yips and I was always a decent putter, so going to a long putter just felt like my putting strength was only amplified.

[PureStrikes54]

OP....I think it's extremely difficult to find an off the rack armlock putter that would fit someone. The hardest part is finding the right combination of head type, length, lie, loft, grip size, and grip orientation that properly fits your arm and allows you to make a natural stroke. It seems to be a pursuit best to work on with a patient club builder that is willing to deconstruct, tweak, and rebuild a bunch of times until you get it right. So yes like most things in golf you're going to have to spend some decent money to get something that works. 

 

And for whatever gains some indicate you'd get on short putts, if you play on fast greens, your touch is not as precise with an armlock just from a pure physics standpoint vs. a traditional putter and why I think the vast majority of the tour still putts traditional despite others claiming it's "cheating".

Edited April 7, 2021 by PureStrikes54

[PNWGuy]

Arm Lock is explicitly allowed by the USGA.  This is their graphic which shows that it legal.

understanding-anchored-strokes.pdf

[Barfolomew]

Ohhh I know its allowed in the rules! That's why i dont like it. 

 

Change the rules and ban that cheating play.... jus sayin putting should be a test of the hands not an anchored putter which it is...

[makana]

I go back and forth between my Newport 2 and Matt Kuchar Armlock 2 with the jumbo max grip...When I putt my best I am using my traditional putter left hand low...When I am not I switch back to the Armlock...Line is always so good with the armlock but controlling speed is the problem. Now for shorter putts it couldn't be easier with an armlock. But outside of that, maybe 15 feet for eagle pin high sliding from left to right slightly down hill playing 2 feet of break??? yeah no chance you make that with an armlock, feel is really out the window. that being said...maybe you should have been below the hole...Hmmm🤔

[bladehunter]

To answer your question. Yes and no. 
 

 

from my experience, as a taller guy-   You have to really fit one to your own self.   Not just loft.  Length , and loft etc depends on many many things. One is height.  But one is forearm length vs which grip you choose.  Example. Bryson’s grip.  Notice his bottom hand rides the bottom of the grip.  Right index and thumb aren’t really on the grip they’re on the underside-ish.  And the grip runs all the way up to nearly the crease in his elbow. The limit of legal.  If your arm is shorter that isn’t going to work.  Why ?  Gripping that huge offset grip in your right hand won’t likely be comfortable or result in good things ( somebody may love that but I couldn’t do it ).  My hand rode exactly as Bryson’s did.  And it felt good.  You can get smaller diameter grips to tailor to shorter arms and smaller hands etc.  
 

next thought is Stance. You can  stand tall with one , or crouch a lot , ala Kuchar or Jack Nicklaus .  This will dictate length too.  Then there’s loft.  This will vary based on how much forward press.  And ball position.  I pressed a lot and didn’t like the extreme lofts some use. Was kind of in the middle at 5 degrees.  The ball rolled better with more loft   But.  If I stoood up tall and didn’t press much , then it needed less loft.  BUT.  Huge BUT.  Without the forward press angle for me , the stroke snd grip wasn’t locked in.  Wouldn't stay locked.  And defeated the purpose.  
 

 

 Short answer is - you can’t just buy one and be happy.  It’s going to be trial and error no matter what.  You have to commit to the cost or else don’t even bother. But.  When you get it dialed. There’s an advantage there.  It’s a locked stroke IF done and fitted correctly 

 

 

edit. Sorry I mixed up less and more loft. 

Edited April 7, 2021 by bladehunter

[bladehunter]

54 minutes ago, Barfolomew said:

Ohhh I know its allowed in the rules! That's why i dont like it. 

 

Change the rules and ban that cheating play.... jus sayin putting should be a test of the hands not an anchored putter which it is...

I could get on that train too. But. You’ll have to ban several other grips too to achieve that.  Claw saw left hand low long putter and  righty’s putting lefty.  Etc.    it’s not as autopilot as it looks until you do it like bryson.  He’s really making it work and it’s all in the upright lie angle.  
 

mall you’d have to do is force a flatter lie angle on him and you’d hurt his putting.  But the rub there is that a different or extreme  height guy could still have a lie angle thats relatively that near straight up and down and get the same result.  So even that rule wouldn’t be fool proof. Less arc equals straight start lines if you control the face too.  That’s what he’s doing in my eyes.  

Edited April 7, 2021 by bladehunter

[Barfolomew]

23 hours ago, bladehunter said:

I could get on that train too. But. You’ll have to ban several other grips too to achieve that.  Claw saw left hand low long putter and  righty’s putting lefty.  Etc.    it’s not as autopilot as it looks until you do it like bryson.  He’s really making it work and it’s all in the upright lie angle.  
 

mall you’d have to do is force a flatter lie angle on him and you’d hurt his putting.  But the rub there is that a different or extreme  height guy could still have a lie angle thats relatively that near straight up and down and get the same result.  So even that rule wouldn’t be fool proof. Less arc equals straight start lines if you control the face too.  That’s what he’s doing in my eyes.  

 

Its when the putter handle is braced against the arm.  I think it keeps the putter head very very still vs when you have it in your hands, specially on nervous putts to close out a tourney.

 

I haven't noticed the claw grip or any other grip bracing the club against the arm..... but if they do then not cool either lol let the hands be tested and not a few guys get to avoid the hands test.

 

I will say that banning it now that Bryson is winning would be a doosh move.... but I've been vocal about it with my friends since Kuch lol

 

 

 

 

[Andysp]

I also tried to get a feel for the armlock at a big box store a little bit ago. In the end I think I would have to take it home to know for sure. Ping and odyssey have versions that aren’t quite as pricy for what it’s worth, also you could probably bend an old plumbers neck putter pretty easily and extend the shaft to get an idea for cheap. 
 

I don’t understand the hate over these putters or the belly/broomsticks. Even before the ban the vast vast majority of players were using conventional lengths. Looking at the strokes gained in 2012 around when they announced the ban I don’t see anyone in the top 20 except Matt Kutcher at 17. Same with arm lock putting. Going back to 2019, because it was a fuller season, I only see Web Simpson finishing in the top 20 SG for putting. Bryson finished 28th and Kutcher was 41st. If it were that great of an advantage, I think you’d see way more people with long putters.