Shopping for new putter.. trim to length or 33" from factory?

[ReidE5]

33" is the Length I have decided works best for me but obviously there are not many that length on the used market.  What (if any) is the difference in buying a 35" , cutting the grip end of the shaft to 33" and regripping and buying one that is 33" from the manufacturer?  Is there a counterbalance issue? Head weight issue?  

I have an older mizuno putter that I cut down from 35" to 32.5" and that thing is way too light and really hard to have a consistent stroke with.  I just dont want to make that same mistake again since I am shopping for a much more expensive putter this time. 

 

Sorry if this has been discussed in length already.  Thanks for any advice in advance!

[Jc0]

What putter are you looking at? This is going to depend on the brand and specific putter. Some companies make adjustments based on length and others don't. 

[MattM97]

Most brands don't adjust head weight depending on length except for Scotty. So if you don't care about the stock grip on what you're buying and don't want to wait buy a 34-35" in store, cut it to 33" slap on a new grip and good to go.

[ReidE5]

40 minutes ago, Jc0 said:

What putter are you looking at? This is going to depend on the brand and specific putter. Some companies make adjustments based on length and others don't. 

 

15 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

Most brands don't adjust head weight depending on length except for Scotty. So if you don't care about the stock grip on what you're buying and don't want to wait buy a 34-35" in store, cut it to 33" slap on a new grip and good to go.

I realize how dramatically different they are... but im trying to decide between odyssey tri hot one, SC X5 and SC X7.  Undecided on neck style.  Have hit variations of each in person and these three heads were my favorite.  Going to get some more expert fitting advice tomorrow. 

Edited February 4, 2023 by ReidE5
spelling

[MattM97]

4 minutes ago, ReidE5 said:

 

I realize how dramatically different they are... but im trying to decide between odyssee tri hot one, SC X5 and SC X7.  Undecided on neck style.  Have hit variations of each in person and these three heads were my favorite.  Going to get some more expert fitting advice tomorrow. 

 

That's probably best, don't have to buy but gather all the info you can from the fitting.

[5hort5tuff]

I would say it really depends on what headweight you like vs what putter you buy. Any putter with removable weights will make adjustments very easy. 

 

If you play the stock weight regardless of length, your original question doesn't matter. 

 

For me...I like a putter 360-370g.  If the putter I buy already has that headweight, when I chop down to 32" (my preferred length), I wouldn't make any changes to the head. 

[ReidE5]

5 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

 

That's probably best, don't have to buy but gather all the info you can from the fitting.

Yeah luckily the guys at this shop are laid back enough that I can just ask them what style putter they believe would match my stroke best in a casual way without going through a total fitting.  Ive had driver and irons fit there and also take lessons there so im basically a member lol.  They carry a good variety of Scotty and Odyssey and others to try. 

Edited February 4, 2023 by ReidE5
spelling

[MattM97]

1 minute ago, ReidE5 said:

Yeah luckily the guys at this shop are laid back enough that I can just ask them what style putter they believe would match my stroke best in a casual way without going through a total fitting.  Ive had driver and irons fit there and also take lessons there so im basically a member lol.  They carry a good variety of Scotty and Odyssee and others to try. 

 

That's good so I'm sure they'll point you in the right direction, best of luck finding the new flatstick.

[Jc0]

18 minutes ago, ReidE5 said:

 

I realize how dramatically different they are... but im trying to decide between odyssey tri hot one, SC X5 and SC X7.  Undecided on neck style.  Have hit variations of each in person and these three heads were my favorite.  Going to get some more expert fitting advice tomorrow. 

 

Those putters it matters. Scotty changes the sole length based on length. Tri hots have the stroke lab shaft which has a counter weight grips side. It can be removed and replaced if you cut it down but would be easier if your didn't have too. Not sure if odyssey changes weight based on length but they do have weights that are interchangeable.

[ReidE5]

15 minutes ago, Jc0 said:

 

Those putters it matters. Scotty changes the sole length based on length. Tri hots have the stroke lab shaft which has a counter weight grips side. It can be removed and replaced if you cut it down but would be easier if your didn't have too. Not sure if odyssey changes weight based on length but they do have weights that are interchangeable.

Good to know! I would have never guessed Scotty changes sole length, thats wild. Very cool

[mjo23]

1 hour ago, ReidE5 said:

Good to know! I would have never guessed Scotty changes sole length, thats wild. Very cool

Hmm i’m pretty sure the only thing that changes are the tungsten heel-toe weights. They get heavier (10grams i think) for every inch subtracted

 

 

And just fyi, (since SC doesn’t offer weight-kits) some people will purposely buy a 34” scotty and cut it down because they find the 33” stock headweight to be too heavy. Swing-weight is personal preference.

Edited February 4, 2023 by mjo23

[Jc0]

9 hours ago, ReidE5 said:

Good to know! I would have never guessed Scotty changes sole length, thats wild. Very cool

 

Sorry that was a typo. Ment sole weights. 

[bellken]

You can find 33" putters in store every once in a while. One advantage of ordering a 33" putter is that you are not paying extra for a new grip and cutting the shaft. Though, if you cut down a putter, you have the opportunity to pick the grip you want.

 

You can talk to your local golf shop about ordering a custom length putter. They should be more than happy to help you.

Edited February 4, 2023 by bellken

[ReidE5]

9 hours ago, Jc0 said:

 

Sorry that was a typo. Ment sole weights. 

Haha okay that makes more sense.  I was like holy s*** now thats custom precision haha.

I did see what you meant with the weights.  The 34" models had 15 gram weights and the 33" models had 20 gram weights.

 

Ended up with a Scotty x5.5 and the 34" factory length actually measured at 33.5 when the grip was taken off, so we only cut .25" off and put my prefered grip on.  Tried a lot of different putters for about an hour and that scotty I was lining up the best and making the most consistent stroke so had to go for it.  Loving the feel of it putting on the carpet at home especially with the grip I like on there. 

[jomatty]

13 hours ago, ReidE5 said:

Haha okay that makes more sense.  I was like holy s*** now thats custom precision haha.

I did see what you meant with the weights.  The 34" models had 15 gram weights and the 33" models had 20 gram weights.

 

Ended up with a Scotty x5.5 and the 34" factory length actually measured at 33.5 when the grip was taken off, so we only cut .25" off and put my prefered grip on.  Tried a lot of different putters for about an hour and that scotty I was lining up the best and making the most consistent stroke so had to go for it.  Loving the feel of it putting on the carpet at home especially with the grip I like on there. 

If I wasn’t buying into the LABGOLF kool aid I think I would have to try a 5.5.  Congrats on new purchase and nice that it was an easy job to get it how you want it.  Those Scotty grips are not cheap so I personally would take the extra effort to salvage it and either put it back on or sell it to some schmuck like me on BST but I can see why a lot of people don’t want to mess with that stuff. 
For me, I usually like putters on the light side so I just cut em down and see how they feel.  I don’t mind lead tape so I just adjust from there.  I get it that many do not want to have lead tape on a new expensive head so it is good your putter worked out so well without needing to change anything!