Moving from Blade to Mallet: Question re: Toe Flow

[Wardonation]

19 minutes ago, Abh159 said:

 

This has always been my miss as well especially on putts inside of 6 feet. 

 

Just today I ordered a face balanced mallet putter so we'll see how that experiment goes. I've always played with a flow neck blade putter that had a decent bit of toe hang so I'm thinking that the face balanced option will allow me to keep the head more square at impact.

 

Although there is a good chance the experiment fails and the aforementioned face balanced putter is put up for sale here in a few months 😂.

good luck. I have played FB forever it does seem to help. I also noticed a flat lie helps. I just HATE the left miss putt...

[MagnoliaGolfer]

1 hour ago, Wardonation said:

If my miss is a pull (outside in stroke) what neck will help alliviate this issue the most?

 

I'm wondering this too.  I wish there were some simple diagnostic test one could do to determine how much toe flow is best.

 

Sometimes I will stand facing my staircase, with the toe of the putter right up against the leading edge of the lowest stair, and do a few putts.  I can see, then, against the straight edge of the stair, that my stroke has a good bit of arc.  BUT, I don't know if that's because of the toe hang putter I'm currently using, or because of the stroke itself.  

[Rapidcat]

On 10/21/2021 at 9:03 AM, MagnoliaGolfer said:

 

I'm wondering this too.  I wish there were some simple diagnostic test one could do to determine how much toe flow is best.

 

Sometimes I will stand facing my staircase, with the toe of the putter right up against the leading edge of the lowest stair, and do a few putts.  I can see, then, against the straight edge of the stair, that my stroke has a good bit of arc.  BUT, I don't know if that's because of the toe hang putter I'm currently using, or because of the stroke itself.  

It's your stroke that determines arc.

 

Toe hang determines the putter face angle (closure) relative to your stroke.

[maverick]

I've read where even golfers who prefer straight back and forth still have an arc in their stroke. My 2021 Phantom X 5.5 has about a 4-5 o'clock toe hang. I love this putter and putt well with it. I have 15, 20, 25, and 30 gram weights plus 6 different grips I can put on it so I have been experiencing with the balance and weighting. I use a 142 gram grip (discontinued Golf Pride Crown grips) now with 20 gram weighs. All specs compared to a Byron Morgan and a Swag are almost identical. 

 

[R5Two]

On 10/15/2021 at 9:55 AM, rkillian said:

Not sure I can offer too much help but for me, it doesn't seem to matter whether I have a face-balanced putter or something near toe-down. As long as I can set up comfortably without having to think about it and I can align it correctly, and the weight/balance seems fine, I will putt about the same no matter what, which I'd describe as mediocre..

I agree 100%. I don't think it's a bad idea to go into a putter fitting, or a demo session trying to match to things you like (toe flow, alignment markings, etc.) Just keep an open mind! I like the post here because putting is all confidence. If you get over the ball and feel good, good things will happen. I have had many different flows, or putters designed for different paths. Another great thing to try is all the different grip options. It is wild. 

 

I personally bounced around mallets and ended up back at my Newport 2 from 13 years ago. Wouldn't trade it though learned a lot about my game and tendencies playing what felt the best to me each year. 

[gents15]

On 10/15/2021 at 10:55 AM, Haroputt said:

Any mallet models with extreme toe hangs?

The closest I tried is a spider with slant neck at about 45 degrees

If the neck was a straighter  would it give me more toe hang like 90 degrees  directly to the ground?

The mid mallet Sik with the slant neck has a good amount of toe hang, not 90, but closer to probably 75-80

[njlam]

While I prefer the aesthetic of the Anser2/Newport2, I have recently switched to a mallet style putter.

 

For me, it was having a long alignment line that makes the biggest difference. I am currently gaming the Ping Doc 12.5 (face balanced), but have also liked the Cameron Futura Phantom (not quite face-balanced).

Both of these are oldies, but very effective. Interestingly, they both have aluminum faces, and their feel is a big improvement over steel.

Other's I have enjoyed are the Cameron Futura X 7, X7M and 5W...all, generally face-balanced and the ones I own have aluminum faces (other years have steel faces).

I think the aluminum may allow for better weight allocation (MOI) and it makes for a much more solid feel.

Edited November 8, 2021 by njlam