How to Make a Putter Feel "Softer" (NOT TALKING ABOUT SOUND)

[CKaneb]

Apologize for back to back posts on this forum but 2 questions popped into my head at the same time. Is there any way you can make a putter have a softer feel? As you can see by my signature, I'm playing a PING Anser 3 and a Titleist AVX golf ball, so I am wondering based off that info if there are any modifications I can make to have my putter feel softer off the face

[JungleJimbo]

31 minutes ago, CKaneb said:

Apologize for back to back posts on this forum but 2 questions popped into my head at the same time. Is there any way you can make a putter have a softer feel? As you can see by my signature, I'm playing a PING Anser 3 and a Titleist AVX golf ball, so I am wondering based off that info if there are any modifications I can make to have my putter feel softer off the face

@CKanebive tried a few simple DIY tweaks e.g. blu-tac  in the putter back-cavity/ hobby Lead weights/experimenting with a re-grip

 

alternatively, search the forum for aftermarket face re-milling (I saw some old posts re Tom Slighter /LaMont Mann(?) @golfluvzmeused to provide those services(?) ... but I suspect no longer!).. or consider simply browsing for a new milled putter from those learned gents?

 For a simpler solution... might also like to experiment with different Golf ball!?

 

 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by JungleJimbo

[PixlPutterman]

Deep milling

[MattM97]

First main thing sound = feel but also how someone perceives sound can determine feel to them. So 5 guys same putter and ball can have 5 different feels. 

 

Best way to do it send the putter out and get a deep milling put on the face, will also remove weight so fyi on that and if you're using an old Anser 3 that will make the head super light. 

 

Cheaper option get some high density lead tape and fill the cavity of the putter, not the whole thing but add and test until you are satisfied. This method will increase the weight of the putter head since you are adding weight to it.

 

There are some other ones I've heard of people adding a cork in the bottom of the shaft, adding sugar and then another cork. I've heard of just cork being added, etc.  

[TheBiles]

What about a fatter grip so you don’t have as much feedback in the hands?

[T-MAC]

Softer, WINN-style grips can change the feel.
As other's have said, deep milling will change the feel (change the sound).
Maybe try a different golf ball?  See if you like the Chrome Soft.  That ball will make ANY putter feel like butter.

Edited January 28, 2022 by T-MAC

[J13]

Change to a softer ball.

[jak77]

AVX is already pretty soft no? Ball change is cheapest solution, milling more permanent. 

[Krt22]

Stability polar shaft+super stroke grip 

[skraly]

Reshaft with a more flexible shaft.  Add prosoft insert.  Add head weight, especially in the cavity right behind the sweet spot.

[sandpounder]

23 hours ago, CKaneb said:

Apologize for back to back posts on this forum but 2 questions popped into my head at the same time. Is there any way you can make a putter have a softer feel? As you can see by my signature, I'm playing a PING Anser 3 and a Titleist AVX golf ball, so I am wondering based off that info if there are any modifications I can make to have my putter feel softer off the face

You can add double sided tape with aluminum as the outside layer.

[Gohigh]

In my experience, Stability shaft doesnt make the putter feel "soft" but actually the other way around. I mean, the feel is bit muted in the hands, but its not "soft".

 

Ive installed graphite iron shaft in one of my old PING TR, and it once again muted the feel, but I dont know if it made it "softer".

 

Additional weight is really the best way to change the way the putter head feels. I would try few of those sticky tungsten weights and see if you like the way the putter feels.

 

PING Anser 3 as in oldschool non-milled face ones? There is only so much to make the putter itself feel softer with cast putters.

 

Changing balls will make the ball feel softer, but does it make the putter feel softer?

[Gohigh]

Ive used these in the past, and as long as you prep the area with bit of alcohol, it doesnt come off unless you want it to. I would try adding one layer at a time to the cavity to see if it makes it feel "softer". These are stackable in my experience without coming off.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Tabata-Plates-grams-plate-GV-0622/dp/B0026OE1TE/ref=sr_1_20?crid=YKEPLK9DVJR8&keywords=golf+lead+tape&qid=1643344676&sprefix=golf+lead+tape%2Caps%2C69&sr=8-20

 

 

[CKaneb]

11 hours ago, jak77 said:

AVX is already pretty soft no? Ball change is cheapest solution, milling more permanent. 

Yeah it's super soft. I'm gonna try the lead tape route

[llewol007]

I think the lead tape will probably be a good test. I have done it before to add weight to the putter and sure enough it made the feel more solid over all in my view. Not sure if that is what you are goin after. Also, milling often times will do it. Best thing is to bring a ball with you and go to one of your local golf stores and ask them if you can use your ball to putt around with or just drop it when nobody is looking and try putting with the different faces. The milling and inserts do change the overall feel of the putt. 

[T-MAC]

9 hours ago, CKaneb said:

Yeah it's super soft. I'm gonna try the lead tape route

It's not as soft as the Chrome Soft.
Trust me.  Go putt with a Chrome Soft golf ball and tell me how your putter "feels" then.
The only ball I've used that might be "softer" is the Wilson Duo.

[Socrates]

Sorry, but sound is the only difference between "soft" and firm or hard feel.

[jomatty]

9 minutes ago, T-MAC said:

It's not as soft as the Chrome Soft.
Trust me.  Go putt with a Chrome Soft golf ball and tell me how your putter "feels" then.
The only ball I've used that might be "softer" is the Wilson Duo.

I’m not so sure about that.  Avx is as soft as anything ive tried and I used to game chrome soft.  I could be wrong, and don’t know the actual compression, but I can imagine a game able ball that is much softer than avx…

[MattM97]

11 minutes ago, jomatty said:

I’m not so sure about that.  Avx is as soft as anything ive tried and I used to game chrome soft.  I could be wrong, and don’t know the actual compression, but I can imagine a game able ball that is much softer than avx…

 

AVX is 80, ChromeSoft is 75, Tour B RX is 75, Srixon Q-Star Tour is 72, TM Tour Response is 71, Titleist Tour Speed is 78, Vice ProSoft is 71, Wilson Duo Pro is 63

[Hammer_Hands]

[jholz]

I know that sound is often heralded as the way we perceive "feel" but doesn't this conversation suggest that the softness or hardness of a putter face is related to construction?

 

I mean, if you somehow managed to put a bell on the end of a putter and it made a dinging noise every time you contacted a ball, would that really change the physical properties of the putter face? 

 

At the end of the day, we might "perceive" feel through sound, but the physical construction of the putter itself is what determines how soft or hard it might be. As a result, I would have to argue that the only way to make a putter "softer" would be to physically alter its design through face milling, beaching, inserts, or other. 

 

But, there's also a chance I'm completely wrong. It's happened before. 

 

 

[Carson33]

AVX is about the softest ball out there. Fill the cavity with lead tape. I did this years ago with a Ping Anser and it worked well.

[Socrates]

1 hour ago, jholz said:

I know that sound is often heralded as the way we perceive "feel" but doesn't this conversation suggest that the softness or hardness of a putter face is related to construction?

 

I mean, if you somehow managed to put a bell on the end of a putter and it made a dinging noise every time you contacted a ball, would that really change the physical properties of the putter face? 

 

At the end of the day, we might "perceive" feel through sound, but the physical construction of the putter itself is what determines how soft or hard it might be. As a result, I would have to argue that the only way to make a putter "softer" would be to physically alter its design through face milling, beaching, inserts, or other. 

 

But, there's also a chance I'm completely wrong. It's happened before. 

 

 

You can do anything you want to the putter: softer face, milled face, soft shaft, but the end result is that it softens the blow to the face and dampens the sound.  We perceive it to be softer because the sound is muted.  The collision is a little different and the ball might come off slower or faster. 

 

The face on my putter is some sort of polymer and "feels" softer and although it feels softer, the ball actually comes off the face faster than my milled face Scotty.

[Krt22]

12 hours ago, Gohigh said:

In my experience, Stability shaft doesnt make the putter feel "soft" but actually the other way around. I mean, the feel is bit muted in the hands, but its not "soft".

 

 

I think this is all personal perception. But I specifically said the polar (I have both), it is the "soft" profile

[golfluvzme]

If you want a softer feel, the cheapest way is to find a grip with a lot of cushion.  The Golf Pride Tour Tradition or Tour Classic is an excellent route to go for a much softer, fully rubber grip.  I used them years ago on a copper build and it was unreal the difference in perceived feel between the Golf Pride and a lesser brand that was just something laying around in my shop.  Night and day.

Just one Mann's thoughts,

LaMont in AZ

[T-MAC]

1 hour ago, jomatty said:

I’m not so sure about that.  Avx is as soft as anything ive tried and I used to game chrome soft.  I could be wrong, and don’t know the actual compression, but I can imagine a game able ball that is much softer than avx…

The compression of the Chrome Soft is lower than the AVX (75 - 80), but the way a ball feels isn't just about compression.  It's also about what the outer layer is made of, how thick or thin that outer layer is, and it's construction properties (2-piece, 3-piece, 4-piece, etc).  Different dimple designs can also have an effect on feel.
The Callaway ERC Soft is only around a 60 compression but it has a Polybutadiene core and what they call a Trionomer cover (cross between ionomer and urethane) on the outer layer so I don't think it feels much softer than the Chrome Soft at 75 compression and (how Callaway describes it) their "Ultra soft urethane outer cover".
The AVX uses a "cast thermoset urethane cover" which is a different thickness than the Chrome Soft, so (to me anyway) it feels firmer than the Callaway.
But hey, if the OP wants a softer feeling putter he may want to look into getting a different putter altogether.  Messing with the face milling isn't cheap and it can lose weight.  Sure you can dabble with some lead tape in the cavity, but then you're adding weight to a putter that you may not want to be heavier.  Adding lead to the cavity will change the sound, which is what will make it "feel" differently.  If it changes to a lower pitched thud, then it will "feel" softer".  If it changes to a higher pitched ting, then your brain may think "firmer".
Put a pair of earplugs in and see if you notice any difference in "feel".

[jholz]

7 minutes ago, Socrates said:

You can do anything you want to the putter: softer face, milled face, soft shaft, but the end result is that it softens the blow to the face and dampens the sound.  We perceive it to be softer because the sound is muted.  The collision is a little different and the ball might come off slower or faster. 

 

The face on my putter is some sort of polymer and "feels" softer and although it feels softer, the ball actually comes off the face faster than my milled face Scotty.

 

It's obviously a chicken and egg argument. The face on my putter is uber soft, but puts a nice zing on the ball too. Let's you be nicely aggressive with a very short swing. 

[Krt22]

32 minutes ago, Socrates said:

You can do anything you want to the putter: softer face, milled face, soft shaft, but the end result is that it softens the blow to the face and dampens the sound.  We perceive it to be softer because the sound is muted.  The collision is a little different and the ball might come off slower or faster. 

 

The face on my putter is some sort of polymer and "feels" softer and although it feels softer, the ball actually comes off the face faster than my milled face Scotty.

Spot on. This is also why can't/don't use insert putters. TM spider, the odyssey "hinge" face, etc...the feel is very soft/muted but the ball rockets off the face. It makes speed control very hard for me. I am somewhere in the middle with scotty insert putters (BB, T22, Super Rat). They are firm but not hard/harsh, just enough feedback to help with speed control 

[gsxrdn]

On 1/28/2022 at 9:34 AM, Krt22 said:

Spot on. This is also why can't/don't use insert putters. TM spider, the odyssey "hinge" face, etc...the feel is very soft/muted but the ball rockets off the face. It makes speed control very hard for me. I am somewhere in the middle with scotty insert putters (BB, T22, Super Rat). They are firm but not hard/harsh, just enough feedback to help with speed control 

Any other alternatives that are comparable to the BB, T22 and Super Rat that you know of? I gave my CC BB to my dad and really dont want spend 1k for a new putter. 

[Krt22]

1 hour ago, gsxrdn said:

Any other alternatives that are comparable to the BB, T22 and Super Rat that you know of? I gave my CC BB to my dad and really dont want spend 1k for a new putter. 

Old school studio style with the GSS insert or something with deeper milling