Heavier head weight for slower greens

[cptfeeezies]

I’ve seen some articles and heard from a putter fitter that adding a bit of weight to the head is normal thing to do when playing a course with slower greens. I wish had thought of my follow up question when I was getting fitted, but no luck. Question below.
 

Do you then add counterweight to ensure the same swingweight as the putter normally is? Or would a counterweight simply nullify the benefit of adding whatever weight to the head?

[mkidding]

I simply have two putters that are the same, with one 20g heavier than the other. The heavier one has a 25g counterweight in the grip. It helps but honestly it's minimal help for my skill level 

[MattM97]

Depends how sensitive you are to feel, you can always just add a heavier grip unless you prefer a specific grip. 

 

Just remember if you add a heavier grip or counter weight to a heavier head you will have an overall heavier putter. 

 

What it comes down to is a bit of tinkering to see what works as everyone is different. 

[Nateyeight]

Just hit it harder 😄 By the 17th green you will have worked out the pace for the day (maybe that's just me haha)

[ChaosTheory]

Generally it’s the opposite of the question asked.  Lighter weight for slower greens, heavier for faster.  As greens have gotten faster over the years, standard weights have gone up.

[Ivyguy]

59 minutes ago, Snowman9000 said:

Generally it’s the opposite of the question asked.  Lighter weight for slower greens, heavier for faster.  As greens have gotten faster over the years, standard weights have gone up.

This is what I was taught. Slower equals lighter (see the old highlights of golfers with sub 350 head weight putters) and faster equals heavier (now with much faster smoother greens than the 80’s or so). 
 

But it’s a generalization… whatever u prefer. 

[Soloman1]

Weight is something more tuned to the stroke and feel for a player. Championship level greens still vary in speed because of contour, firmness and type of grass, but I can’t recall a Tour player changing putters.

 

More weight means less speed is needed at impact, regardless of speed.

[AlohaPineapple]

tiger added lead tape to his putter for slower greens: “Normally when I’ve come over here and virtually almost every single Open I’ve played in, I would put lead tape on my putters to try and get it a little bit heavier and get the ball rolling,”

[Binson]

How will the regular joe even know ahead of time if greens are going to be fast or slow?  I'm sure we've all had the experience of the greens not at all matching what we saw on the practice green.  Or, having greens at the start of the round be different from greens at the end of the round as conditions change.

What we can control is getting a good enough feel for how a putter swings and how the ball comes off the face.  Then adjust based on how fast the greens are on the fly.

 

If I have to add weight to a putter just for certain greens, that's yet another feel I have to get used to.  It's also unreasonable for the average golfer to expect to be able to accurately and proportionately increase putter weight based on green speed on any given day or hole.  Unless there's a weight port, the weight I'm adding will be somewhat different each time.   So either way, you'll have to get used to something else.  

 

I'd prefer to keep the putter feel constant with green speeds being the variable.  

[scott406]

I have a putter that allows me to add weights in the bottom of it

My home course has notoriously slow greens, so when I play somewhere else I always lighten up the putter head.

I make the same stoke, with the same tempo, and the ball goes the same distance (sometimes)

 

Everyone is different and everyone has different strokes so you just have to find what works for you

I find that the lighter putter on faster greens works for me

You just have to experiment, if you can, and see how it works for you

 

 

 

 

[Soloman1]

1 hour ago, AlohaPineapple said:

tiger added lead tape to his putter for slower greens: “Normally when I’ve come over here and virtually almost every single Open I’ve played in, I would put lead tape on my putters to try and get it a little bit heavier and get the ball rolling,”

 

And he left almost all putts short and didn’t come close to making the cut.

[AlohaPineapple]

25 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

 

And he left almost all putts short and didn’t come close to making the cut.

 

what a hack, he doesn't know what he's doing out there 🙃

Edited January 6, 2023 by AlohaPineapple

[cptfeeezies]

24 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

 

And he left almost all putts short and didn’t come close to making the cut.

Note the quote said virtually every Open Championship. You’re referencing just one tournament while Tiger’s success at the Open Championship over time speaks for itself. 

[bogeyman71]

Everyone is different.   bottom line is you just have to get comfortable with the pace of the greens.  Adding or subtracting weight may or may not help with this.

[Soloman1]

1 hour ago, cptfeeezies said:

Note the quote said virtually every Open Championship. You’re referencing just one tournament while Tiger’s success at the Open Championship over time speaks for itself. 

 That’s fair.

[mjo23]

On 1/6/2023 at 8:04 AM, AlohaPineapple said:

tiger added lead tape to his putter for slower greens: “Normally when I’ve come over here and virtually almost every single Open I’ve played in, I would put lead tape on my putters to try and get it a little bit heavier and get the ball rolling,”

Morikawa and Rory also increased their head-weight at the Open. But it’s personal preference bc some guys do the exact opposite and increase weight for faster greens. I think a heavier putter will help slow down your stroke if you have an aggressive stroke, but the ball also comes off the face a bit faster - so there’s competing schools of thoughts

 

But the vast majority of guys on Tour don’t mess their putter’s head-weight based on green speeds, even in extreme scenarios

[mjo23]

On 1/6/2023 at 9:53 AM, Soloman1 said:

 

And he left almost all putts short and didn’t come close to making the cut.

I’m pretty sure Morikawa is on record for increasing his putter’s head-weight before he won The Open. But yes the opposite school of thought is also valid, it’s all personal preference

[WJack13]

On 1/6/2023 at 10:53 AM, Soloman1 said:

 

And he left almost all putts short and didn’t come close to making the cut.

Oh you got to love it don't ya... when a fellow WRX'er knows better than Mr. Woods, the greatest putter to ever walk the planet.

You're referencing one Open Championship but Tiger has added led tape many times ( including several victories) for slower Open Championship speed greens.. he has also done this a few times in the States before as well.

Imagine thinking you know more than Tiger does about his own game, to tell him he's wrong...

 Pretty soon you'll be dining on Crow with Mr Chamblee.

   Here's an interesting fact for you, the reason Tiger had to send his putter back to Cameron's Studio to get the red cherry bomb & paint re-filled was because all the paint came off over the years from the many times he's added lead tape to the cavity and removed it the following week.

 

[Soloman1]

Of course people change weights to suit their feel.