How often should you check the loft and lie of a putter?

[cptfeeezies]

I had a putter fitting yesterday using Quintic so got a detailed view of what was going on. The main issue was ball launch angle was very low even as moving my ball position forward. The fitter ended up checking the loft of my two putters. They were both between 1 and 1.5 degrees. These putters were both off the rack with no adjustments other than re-grips. 
 

Do putters change loft easily over the course of normal playing usage?
 

For what it’s worth, I do not slam my clubs or abuse them in general. I have traveled with golf clubs but always in a Club Glove bag with putter covers on. 
 

Putters in question:

Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2

Scotty Cameron Special Select Newport

[coloradogolf72]

Yes. You can bend a putter simply by leaning on it, especially double bend/single bend putters. Old school tour reps would simply stand on the putter and push it to bend it back in the day. I still do that every once in a while. 

[nsxguy]

2 hours ago, cptfeeezies said:

I had a putter fitting yesterday using Quintic so got a detailed view of what was going on. The main issue was ball launch angle was very low even as moving my ball position forward. The fitter ended up checking the loft of my two putters. They were both between 1 and 1.5 degrees. These putters were both off the rack with no adjustments other than re-grips. 
 

Do putters change loft easily over the course of normal playing usage?
 

For what it’s worth, I do not slam my clubs or abuse them in general. I have traveled with golf clubs but always in a Club Glove bag with putter covers on. 
 

Putters in question:

Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2

Scotty Cameron Special Select Newport

 

1 hour ago, coloradogolf72 said:

Yes. You can bend a putter simply by leaning on it, especially double bend/single bend putters. Old school tour reps would simply stand on the putter and push it to bend it back in the day. I still do that every once in a while. 

 

Yes ?

 

Yes what ?

 

The question was "Do putters change loft easily over the course of normal playing usage?"

 

Personally, I've never heard of, nor experienced, a putter changing loft (or lie angle) with "normal use" - putting that is.

 

That certainly doesn't mean it doesn't happen but it's hard to envision a putter changing loft through normal use.

 

I have heard of irons changing loft/lie after enough use, especially on hard ground, but putters ?

[gsrjc]

Every few months as I’ve found that my Bettinardi HIVE BB8 is off specs but then and i don’t lean on it at all. For those who have a HIVE putter you know how soft the metal is. I am curious if tapping down pitch marks on the green affect the specs but who knows. 

[Cwebb]

Seems very odd very for two Scottys bought new off the rack to have loft that low.  They usually measure higher than 'standard' if anything

[coloradogolf72]

1 hour ago, nsxguy said:

 

 

Yes ?

 

Yes what ?

 

The question was "Do putters change loft easily over the course of normal playing usage?"

 

Personally, I've never heard of, nor experienced, a putter changing loft (or lie angle) with "normal use" - putting that is.

 

That certainly doesn't mean it doesn't happen but it's hard to envision a putter changing loft through normal use.

 

I have heard of irons changing loft/lie after enough use, especially on hard ground, but putters ?

 

Yes, putters can change loft over the course of normal usage. I don't see it often with plumbers necks, but I have seen it. You get someone leaning on the putter constantly... depending on how they are leaning on it and how much weight is put on it, they can move. Putters are softer and much easier to move than irons. You can bend a putter with your hands on a loft/lie machine. 

 

The answer "yes" was to the question "do putters change loft...", not sure how that was difficult to follow, but I apologize if it was. 

[nsxguy]

1 minute ago, coloradogolf72 said:

 

Yes, putters can change loft over the course of normal usage. I don't see it often with plumbers necks, but I have seen it. You get someone leaning on the putter constantly... depending on how they are leaning on it and how much weight is put on it, they can move. Putters are softer and much easier to move than irons. You can bend a putter with your hands on a loft/lie machine. 

 

The answer "yes" was to the question "do putters change loft...", not sure how that was difficult to follow, but I apologize if it was. 

 

Except the OP asked about loft changing "over the course of normal playing usage".

 

My apologies as well. I'm not sure what was unclear about my post.

 

I guess what confused me, and still does, is how leaning on it is considered "normal use".

 

Any club can SNAP if someone leans on it the wrong way. *I* wouldn't call that "normal use".

 

Obviously we disagree. No worries.

[coloradogolf72]

1 minute ago, nsxguy said:

 

Except the OP asked about loft changing "over the course of normal playing usage".

 

My apologies as well. I'm not sure what was unclear about my post.

 

I guess what confused me, and still does, is how leaning on it is considered "normal use".

 

Any club can SNAP if someone leans on it the wrong way. *I* wouldn't call that "normal use".

 

Obviously we disagree. No worries.

 

I would consider leaning on a putter normal usage. Depending on how much weight you put on it, it can move. I don't know if I would say leaning on it is the answer to the OP question, but it can't be ruled out completely, because it is possible. More so with single bend/double bend putters. 

 

[Phabs]

I get the four I cycle in and out checked every few years and they haven’t moved yet. 

[North Butte]

I can't imagine my 50-year-old Ping Ansers will ever move more than a fraction of a degree one way or another over the rest of my lifetime. Unless something prangs one hard enough to bend the shaft (like a gorilla airline baggage handler, long story) there's just not enough force encountered by a putter to bend the hosel on a Manganese Bronze plumbers neck putter. 

 

My only modern putter has no neck and a single bend shaft. That shaft is quite resilient and I think the only way it would take a permanent set at some other angle would be maybe if it were stored with something heavy pressing down on it for a period of time. But again, not really normal use, that's a storage/transportation accident.

 

But what do I know. I don't check the loft or lie of my irons, fairway woods or driver either unless I have some reason to think they've gotten damaged. Wedges can get moved enough to matter (more than a degree or two) in through heavy used but I can only recall that happening once that I know of and it was a very hard-used and nearly worn out wedge anyway so I just replaced it. 

[nsxguy]

21 hours ago, coloradogolf72 said:

 

I would consider leaning on a putter normal usage. Depending on how much weight you put on it, it can move. I don't know if I would say leaning on it is the answer to the OP question, but it can't be ruled out completely, because it is possible. More so with single bend/double bend putters. 

 

 

I consider normal usage to be using the implement for its intended purpose - so I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

[cptfeeezies]

Thanks for all the replies. It doesn’t seem like there’s a consensus of how much the loft can change through normal playing usage. I’ll probably end up getting them checked yearly just to be sure. 

[rbpwrx]

Never.

[Ger21]

Never had it checked, but I've had my Newport for 24 years, and it still looks the same to me.

[chriskilmer]

IF  I did want to bend my Scotty Special Select Newport 2 about 2 degrees flat, would anyone recommend doing it like "the old school reps did" by standing on it and bending?

 

I realize this reply is not really to the OP but it is sort of related.  Thanks