Why Heavier Putter Heads? What's So Bad About 330 Grams?

[PixlPutterman]

2 hours ago, ALIF said:

As a boy who grew up in Afton in south county, I appreciate the graphics!

My stomping grounds!

 

Gorged myself on Phil's bbq!

[Tupperwolf]

I currently have a 365g head with a 105g grip on it and have 1000% more confidence that the ball is going where I want it.  I never wanted to admit it but I had a mild case of the yips for years, and whether it's this head shape or the weight of the putter, I'm able to have confidence that I can just stroke it and my hands won't do anything.

 

For anyone out there looking for a new putter that's lighter weight you can still order original PING putters from Morton's.  I bought a naked Anser and had it bent upright for an experiment a few years ago - they are still great putters.

 

https://www.mortongolfsales.com/clubs/mens-golf-clubs/putters/?_bc_fsnf=1&brand=39

[jyamat]

I have a 365G Black Lab BL-1 and love the heavy.....it helps me keep my hands quiet and focus on my shoulders being the engine of the putting stroke.   And with fast greens, it also helps me let the putter do the work.

[ALIF]

14 hours ago, PixlPutterman said:

My stomping grounds!

 

Gorged myself on Phil's bbq!

4 minutes from the house I grew up in.

[maverick]

From PGA.com: 

Consider your height, not just the “standard” putter length

Virtually every Tour player is fit to their putter. But almost no amateur players do that! The average height of a PGA Tour player today is 6' and he uses a 33.5 inch putter on average. You guys are using a 35 inch putter on average because that is the "standard" putter. A properly fit putter will allow you to set up with your hips over your ankles, your hands under your shoulders with a little bend in the elbows and your eyes over the ball. 

Is your putter giving you the best odds of hitting a good shot?

Unless you're 6'2" or more, then your 35 inch putter will not allow you to set up correctly and will not give you the best chance to make a good stroke. And just cutting down your putter will not work because it will then be too light. The head weight must increase as the club gets shorter to keep the swing weight in balance. The answer then is a custom fit putter.

A custom putter could make all the difference

Only a few companies are offering true custom putters that are fit to the player by a PGA Professional. Talk to your PGA Professional about getting a custom fit putter or search online for a PGA Professional in your area who fits and sells custom putters. 
Once a player is put in a proper setup with a putter that fits, the stroke will improve without much work or over thinking. On the other hand, all the coaching in the world will not help if the putter won't let you make a good stroke because it does not fit.

 

[deh]

Please, please, please, do not grind that 50th anniversary putter down.

[PixlPutterman]

9 hours ago, ALIF said:

4 minutes from the house I grew up in.

Even less from my buddies grandparents, they were on Vasel 5 houses from Phils

[EmperorPenguin]

15 hours ago, deh said:

Please, please, please, do not grind that 50th anniversary putter down.

If I will leave myself more 4-, 5- and 6-footers for my second putt, I will definitely grind it down!  For now the club is sitting on my rack and I may give it another try.  Maybe the first day I used it I just had a bad day.

[deh]

25 minutes ago, EmperorPenguin said:

If I will leave myself more 4-, 5- and 6-footers for my second putt, I will definitely grind it down!  For now the club is sitting on my rack and I may give it another try.  Maybe the first day I used it I just had a bad day.

Obviously you can do anything you want; it is your putter. If you want to grind the bumpers off of it, have at it. It would just be a shame to spend $400 on a putter that you might resell, then alter it so significantly that the resale value plummets. What do I know... 🙄

[Phenderson]

On 8/28/2021 at 8:22 PM, luke1333 said:

I would say everybody, Taylormade, Scotty, Odyssey, etc etc you name it. Every OTR is heavy nowadays from what I've seen. Maybe somebody else will know why but I don't know

 

 

I play 375g on wet/slow greens, 350g on your decently fast 10-12 on the stimp and anything fast usually breaks out my 326g I got last year just for the super fast greens.

 

I honestly don't know how people use super heavy putters on fast greens at all but I guess lot of practice dunno?

It’s funny. I’m the same. I don’t get how it’s assumed that on faster greens most people want a heavier head. When you’ve got to move a putter head 3 inches both ways for a slippery downhill left to righter, give me that light blade that I can square the face up without it it going 6 feet by

[luke1333]

1 hour ago, Phenderson said:

It’s funny. I’m the same. I don’t get how it’s assumed that on faster greens most people want a heavier head. When you’ve got to move a putter head 3 inches both ways for a slippery downhill left to righter, give me that light blade that I can square the face up without it it going 6 feet by

Exactly. I am dumbfounded too by people with heavy putters and then they get mad when they can't make putts on fast greens lol

[Yoshifan151]

Bigger heavier grips in recent years is a big reason, gotta increase head weight for better balance. At 34" with a PP58 grip, my 326g putter is perfect. I have 2 other putters with ~310g and 335g head weight and they are nice but not quite perfect, backups if I need them. Anything over 350g with my grip/shaft length combo just doesn't work and feels like a sledgehammer.

 

I also agree with the sentiment that a heavier head is better for slower greens. Easier to build up momentum with the extra weight and give the ball a bit more speed.

[GooseHook]

On 8/27/2021 at 11:31 PM, MPAndreassi said:

Personally, I play my putter heads all in the 370-375g, I play my putters shorter at 33”, and my club runs at 10+ all summer long. 
 

For me, the combination of the shorter length and heavier weight smooths put my stroke. If the head is too light my stroke gets quick and jerky. When it gets heavier than 375g I lose my speed control. 

 

Same for me, I got into heavier putters when I realized 33" was about as long a putter as I could putt well with. I did a little experimenting with my preferred grip and settled on a specific counterweight that felt great, and I've used the same putter specs ever since. 

[dbleag]

Not that it should matter to anyone, but I've read on our site plenty of times that Tiger always preferred a lighter putter. 

 

I think I remember reading that his models are in the 320g range.

 

Go figure.

[stormin70]

For me, I’ve really found that a 360g head weight with a 33.5” shaft length and an 84g midsize grip (Golf Pride Tour Classic) works best for me in most conditions.

 

I have a few putters that are 330g and they just seem to light and whippy for my stroke.  I don’t putt as well when I have to swing that fast.

Edited September 5, 2021 by stormin70

[baudi]

In general, Higher weight results in higher MOI. 
 

I think head weight should be accommodated with putter length and total balance.

 

imho the set up is the most important variable for a putting stroke. Hence length and lie are the first factors to look for.  
then head weight shaft weight and butt weight should be tuned to create a combination that will add up to a positive stroke experience with the result measured in impact position, face angle, Path and rhythm and tempo.

Many OEMs may express the importance of fitting but for putting they hold back a bit. Complete exposure of all possibilities is too probably too expensive. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lasorcier]

If one wanted to do a cheap experiment, you could put some sand in the putter shaft through the hole in the grip.  You can fool around with weight pretty easily and you can just pour it out when done.  

 

Just grab some out of a bunker when you walk by one.  Of you end up liking it, then I suppose you just tamp & cap it with some foam or something like that.

 

Fun to do.

[RobotDoctor]

On 9/8/2021 at 2:03 PM, Lasorcier said:

If one wanted to do a cheap experiment, you could put some sand in the putter shaft through the hole in the grip.  You can fool around with weight pretty easily and you can just pour it out when done.  

 

Just grab some out of a bunker when you walk by one.  Of you end up liking it, then I suppose you just tamp & cap it with some foam or something like that.

 

Fun to do.

Lead tape would probably work better in terms of balance.  

[Lasorcier]

2 hours ago, RobotDoctor said:

Lead tape would probably work better in terms of balance.

I'm sure that is true.  The last experiment I think was like 50 grams.  That is a lot of lead tape.  I also did one with birdshot once, but it sounded like a maracas.

[MattM97]

3 hours ago, RobotDoctor said:

Lead tape would probably work better in terms of balance.  

 

You also don't get sand in your bag. 

[RobotDoctor]

4 hours ago, Lasorcier said:

I'm sure that is true.  The last experiment I think was like 50 grams.  That is a lot of lead tape.  I also did one with birdshot once, but it sounded like a maracas.

Now that would be an interesting sound!  LOL

[maverick]

Confession time. I read on another popular golf testing and recommendation site that you cannot tell the weight of a putter head by just swinging it. I thought the was total BS. Starting in 2000 I bought putters directly from Bettinardi's factory in Tinley Park, Ill. My first one was a BB1-H with a 350 gram head, soft carbon. I eventually found a putter I just loved. I used it for over 10 years. It had a 350 gram head, I thought. I came from the tour van with standard Bettinardi honeycomb stamped face, 33", sound slot, rounded top line. I had other putters while owning this one all heavy heads. When I sold that putter I re-shafted it and weighed the head. It was 330 grams. I was so surprised I almost fell over. So I now believe that the article may have been correct. The only difference is that while using that putter I was on much faster greens than I now play.  Also I usd a very heavy grip on that putter with does make some difference. I still use heavy heads but am way less critical of other weights. With all the different faces/inserts it makes it harder to tell the head weight. I put in 12 grams weights on my Spider X but eventually put back in the stock ones w/o any real change in strokes. Golf can be a funny game. 

[hammergolf]

On 9/1/2021 at 1:10 PM, Yoshifan151 said:

Bigger heavier grips in recent years is a big reason, gotta increase head weight for better balance. At 34" with a PP58 grip, my 326g putter is perfect. I have 2 other putters with ~310g and 335g head weight and they are nice but not quite perfect, backups if I need them. Anything over 350g with my grip/shaft length combo just doesn't work and feels like a sledgehammer.

 

I also agree with the sentiment that a heavier head is better for slower greens. Easier to build up momentum with the extra weight and give the ball a bit more speed.

That’s the beauty of equipment. I literally feel exactly the opposite with a light putter. It feels like it’s waving all over the place and I can’t make a stroke, I have to hit it. I use a 385gm Evnroll putter. It’s help me to feel where the putter head is at all times, and I never feel like I have to “hit” it to get it to the hole. I can just make a much smaller more controlled stroke. And the faster the greens get, the better I put. 

[mogc60]

I’ve always used a heavy putter head. Anywhere from 370-385 grams. I don’t subscribe to the putter weight having any effect on fast or slow greens it’s how the ball comes off the face. Some really heavy putters are dead and some light putters are hot off the face. Some people like lighter putters some heavier. It’s all personal. For me I just like the feel of some swingweight. It helps me feel the putter move naturally. 

[GG194]

Prefer a light putter also, agree on the distance control.

[Mike_C]

I think the total weight/swingweight is very important.   I think that is why heavier heads have evolved  with heavier grips.  Per Scotty Cameron....  

 

https://www.scottycameron.com/articles/special-select-qa-with-scotty-cameron/

 

 

What’s new overall with the Special Select family?

As I evolved the Select line over the past 8 years in keeping with the times, the putter got too wide, long and tall. We’re talking millimeters. Very minute changes over time that are easier to study when you look back. Why did putter sizes change? Head weights have gotten heavier because grips have gotten heavier, shafts have gotten shorter. Players wanted it. Again, in meeting the demands of players, we gradually crept up the weights and sizes. I wanted to get back to the basics. Keep it pure. I wanted to get back to the pure milled shapes we’re known for. Modern classics

 

Also this:  

https://golf.com/gear/putters/blade-putters-weight-fully-equipped-mailbag/

 

For me, I find that if I feel that the head is heavy, the putter will want to twist more when I move from the backstoke to the forward stroke, I never get that sense with a lighter head, I think that is the real concept in that Edel video.  I also don't get that sense if the head is heavier and the total putter weight is also heavier.....so it is basically swingweight for me.

[EmperorPenguin]

I think what caused the trend of heavier putter heads was the Odyssey 2-Ball putter back in 2001.  It started the heavy-head trend because it also started the mallet trend, and mallets tend to be heavier than "blade" (Anser-style putters fall into that category, much to my chagrin) putters?

[MattM97]

10 minutes ago, EmperorPenguin said:

I think what caused the trend of heavier putter heads was the Odyssey 2-Ball putter back in 2001.  It started the heavy-head trend because it also started the mallet trend, and mallets tend to be heavier than "blade" (Anser-style putters fall into that category, much to my chagrin) putters?

 

Uh, the original 2-Ball was about 320g. It wasn't until the "tour" model where they filled the cavity with an epoxy and some weighting got it to 350g. Those tour models were not really available to the public.

[maverick]

I do not believe the original 2-Ball putter had any more than a 318 gram head for retail putters. That's from an old thread here.  

Edited September 17, 2021 by maverick

[EmperorPenguin]

Thanks for specifying the head weight.  This is what I observed through the years.  Odyssey 2-Ball was launched and everyone had to have one.  Then the other companies tried to make better mallets and you saw all kinds of mallets.  Then for some reason, the putter heads got heavier.  Maybe this was due to the popularity of mallets?