Putter fitting: the best money you can spend (perhaps)!

[RoyalMustang]

My putting has sucked forever; I am a 5 but when I am playing well, I am striking the ball like a scratch and putting like a 12. Tons of 3-putts, no speed control, no line control.

 

I recently did a putter fitting at Golf Tech in Plano (not to be confused with GOLFTEC). It's a locally owned place. 

 

Initially, I was hitting down on the ball (-.2 degrees at impact): my closure rate was 33-38 and somewhat inconsistent, and I was offline (inside by 1.8 degrees). It was consistent but offline, telling me that my stroke was repeatable but not working. The putter (Scotty Cameron Newport 2) was fine. 

 

The changes were: we moved the ball up in my stance by at least an inch (inside of front foot), dropped 20g from the head weight, and increased the size of the grip by 10cc. The numbers then were spot-on: 1.7 degree upward angle on impact, rate closure of 33, on-line every time. It felt different: I wasn't "struggling" with getting the putter moving, as I have a relatively deliberate stroke. It felt like I can just turn my shoulders and get the putter going now.  Distance control from 30 feet before was a spread of 6 feet; that's tough. Now, with the same drill, I am within 2 feet and can often get 5 balls within 18 inches of each other. The change was immediate; night and day. 

 

5 rounds later, the putter has probably dropped 10 strokes for me. It was notoriously bad before (lots of 3 putts, inconsistent speed and line) and now, I am making most everything within 5 feet and a whole lot within 10 feet. In those 5 rounds, I have had only two 3-putts, and they were both long range. I was playing like crap the other day and was only 4 over from the tips on a 74.7/143 (tough) course after 10 holes due to saving so many pars; I only hit 2 GIR. Eventually it caught up with me, but I should have been 8-9 over at that point. If I got within 10 feet on my 3rd shot, that par save putt was going in. 

 

I highly encourage anyone out there to get a Trackman putter fitting who hasn't yet. It's definitely the best investment I have made, assuming you have a repeatable putting stroke. 

[muniman]

I could definitely use a putter fitting. That part of my game is absolutely killing me. Where I live,  there isn't really any place to go to have that kind of fitting done. 

[Shushwap]

2 hours ago, muniman said:

I could definitely use a putter fitting. That part of my game is absolutely killing me. Where I live,  there isn't really any place to go to have that kind of fitting done. 

Make the drive if u have to 

My putting coach is a 5 hour drive... I make it a mini vacation when I go.. Play a few courses and it gives me a break from the family 

[jacho22]

Couldn't agree with you more.  I had a SAM PuttLab fitting and learned a lot about my tendencies in my putting stroke.  That information in combination with my new putter has made me shave about 4-6 strokes.

[ShortGolfer]

2 hours ago, muniman said:

I could definitely use a putter fitting. That part of my game is absolutely killing me. Where I live,  there isn't really any place to go to have that kind of fitting done. 

Maybe you could arrange to do one while you are on vacation or business somewhere?

 

[PedronNiall]

Getting to a fitter with a SAM Putting Lab along with utilizing some options from Edel really helped me to clean up my putting. Biggest thing was confirming that my alignment and face squaring was consistent, but getting the weighting just right--including top of shaft weighting--for even more predictability took it over the top.

 

I'll agree that if I could only get a putter fitting or other club fitting I'd be partial to the putter, but don't neglect optimizing your entire bag to fit the way you hit the ball.

[hammergolf]

Agree 100%. I am a decent putter, but while I was in Carlsbad, I had a putter fitting at Evnroll. I have a repetitive stroke, but was having success in spite of my putter not fitting me correctly. It was very interesting and the results were noticed instantly.

 

 

[eric61]

Yep, I'll echo that as well. I had a putter fitting over the winter -- I was basically on the right track in terms of head shape pre-fitting, but the biggest change came as a result of adding a little loft.

 

Since that putter fitting, I've noticed I'm much more consistent in terms of distance, especially on short putts. I can really see the difference on those tricky 6-8 footers where I really need to get the pace just right. Everything outside 100 yards of the pin has been inconsistent for me lately, so making those putts is really my only hope of putting together a decent score!

 

One takeaway from the fitting was that the specific brand/model doesn't really matter -- Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Double Wide, Ping Anser 2D, Ping PLD Anser D (I have one on the way -- it wasn't yet available when I ordered the 2D) ... as long as it's a wide blade with a plumber's neck, at about 33", 72-73 degree lie angle and 4.5 degrees of loft, it'll work for me.

Edited June 20, 2023 by eric61

[DCMorgan89]

Finally getting one at CC in Myrtle on July 3rd. My putting is so bad, can’t wait. Hoping for similar results. 

[roundersmitty]

Sounds like a good experience.  Most “fitters” want to sell a whole new putter to improve your game.  This fitter gave a lesson on how to get optimal numbers and retrofit an existing putter. 

[ThreePuttForPar]

I’m going for a fitting at Evnroll this Friday. Really hoping a fitting yields me similar results to what you’ve seen. I’m a terrible putter. Fingers crossed….

[Jeffinplano]

6 hours ago, RoyalMustang said:

My putting has sucked forever; I am a 5 but when I am playing well, I am striking the ball like a scratch and putting like a 12. Tons of 3-putts, no speed control, no line control.

 

I recently did a putter fitting at Golf Tech in Plano (not to be confused with GOLFTEC). It's a locally owned place. 

 

Initially, I was hitting down on the ball (-.2 degrees at impact): my closure rate was 33-38 and somewhat inconsistent, and I was offline (inside by 1.8 degrees). It was consistent but offline, telling me that my stroke was repeatable but not working. The putter (Scotty Cameron Newport 2) was fine. 

 

The changes were: we moved the ball up in my stance by at least an inch (inside of front foot), dropped 20g from the head weight, and increased the size of the grip by 10cc. The numbers then were spot-on: 1.7 degree upward angle on impact, rate closure of 33, on-line every time. It felt different: I wasn't "struggling" with getting the putter moving, as I have a relatively deliberate stroke. It felt like I can just turn my shoulders and get the putter going now.  Distance control from 30 feet before was a spread of 6 feet; that's tough. Now, with the same drill, I am within 2 feet and can often get 5 balls within 18 inches of each other. The change was immediate; night and day. 

 

5 rounds later, the putter has probably dropped 10 strokes for me. It was notoriously bad before (lots of 3 putts, inconsistent speed and line) and now, I am making most everything within 5 feet and a whole lot within 10 feet. In those 5 rounds, I have had only two 3-putts, and they were both long range. I was playing like crap the other day and was only 4 over from the tips on a 74.7/143 (tough) course after 10 holes due to saving so many pars; I only hit 2 GIR. Eventually it caught up with me, but I should have been 8-9 over at that point. If I got within 10 feet on my 3rd shot, that par save putt was going in. 

 

I highly encourage anyone out there to get a Trackman putter fitting who hasn't yet. It's definitely the best investment I have made, assuming you have a repeatable putting stroke. 

you used Bo or Brett?

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, ThreePuttForPar said:

I’m going for a fitting at Evnroll this Friday. Really hoping a fitting yields me similar results to what you’ve seen. I’m a terrible putter. Fingers crossed….

Allen will hook you up.

[getitdaily]

Really helps to understand what your stroke does. Even better when it's a true fitting and the folks know the impact of length, lie, weight, etc. 

[MattM97]

A fitting and also working with a good putting coach can make a world of difference on the greens. Sometimes it's a simple setup change or reminder and you suddenly roll the ball 10x better than before.

[dufferaaron]

I tell everybody who will listen to get fit for a putter. It's the club you use the most and has the longest "life" of anything in your bag.

 

I also believe that a fitted putter works with your mechanics and, almost more importantly, gives you the confidence that you can make putts.

[bigolherschel]

14 hours ago, RoyalMustang said:

My putting has sucked forever; I am a 5 but when I am playing well, I am striking the ball like a scratch and putting like a 12. Tons of 3-putts, no speed control, no line control.

 

I recently did a putter fitting at Golf Tech in Plano (not to be confused with GOLFTEC). It's a locally owned place. 

 

Initially, I was hitting down on the ball (-.2 degrees at impact): my closure rate was 33-38 and somewhat inconsistent, and I was offline (inside by 1.8 degrees). It was consistent but offline, telling me that my stroke was repeatable but not working. The putter (Scotty Cameron Newport 2) was fine. 

 

The changes were: we moved the ball up in my stance by at least an inch (inside of front foot), dropped 20g from the head weight, and increased the size of the grip by 10cc. The numbers then were spot-on: 1.7 degree upward angle on impact, rate closure of 33, on-line every time. It felt different: I wasn't "struggling" with getting the putter moving, as I have a relatively deliberate stroke. It felt like I can just turn my shoulders and get the putter going now.  Distance control from 30 feet before was a spread of 6 feet; that's tough. Now, with the same drill, I am within 2 feet and can often get 5 balls within 18 inches of each other. The change was immediate; night and day. 

 

5 rounds later, the putter has probably dropped 10 strokes for me. It was notoriously bad before (lots of 3 putts, inconsistent speed and line) and now, I am making most everything within 5 feet and a whole lot within 10 feet. In those 5 rounds, I have had only two 3-putts, and they were both long range. I was playing like crap the other day and was only 4 over from the tips on a 74.7/143 (tough) course after 10 holes due to saving so many pars; I only hit 2 GIR. Eventually it caught up with me, but I should have been 8-9 over at that point. If I got within 10 feet on my 3rd shot, that par save putt was going in. 

 

I highly encourage anyone out there to get a Trackman putter fitting who hasn't yet. It's definitely the best investment I have made, assuming you have a repeatable putting stroke. 

This is awesome to hear. I am a 16ish but when I’m hitting the ball well I play full swing shots and pitches like a 3, but unfortunately putt like a 30 (not exaggerating). I have decided to overhaul my putting in the next 12 months. I’ve always hated putting. I played 3 rounds in the last week with friends and family (rare to play that much)… I personally think I am truly terrible at putting but I spoke with them after the rounds and they say I’m actually worse at putting than I think I am. It’s that bad. 
 

My stroke isn’t repeatable unfortunately. Would you say:

- take a lesson initially (no SAM)

- practice for a while, maybe another lesson

- SAM fitting (I don’t like my putter)

- six months of practice a couple times a week? 

For what it’s worth, I play suuuuuuper slick greens and my putter is an extended to 36” Mizuno M Craft VI - it feels way too heavy for those greens. 

 

Overall my wife seems to have approved serious budget to fix this because she knows how bad I am and has seen the sadness in the eyes of those who love me when they talk about my atrocious putting. 
 

 

[RoyalMustang]

20 hours ago, roundersmitty said:

Sounds like a good experience.  Most “fitters” want to sell a whole new putter to improve your game.  This fitter gave a lesson on how to get optimal numbers and retrofit an existing putter. 

 

yeah-all I had to do was pay for the fitting, set of SC weights (10g) and grip. He saw my numbers initially and liked them: said there was no reason to try a different style as I was consistent with the Newport 2. 

[RoyalMustang]

19 hours ago, Jeffinplano said:

you used Bo or Brett?

 

Bo

[RoyalMustang]

10 hours ago, bigolherschel said:

This is awesome to hear. I am a 16ish but when I’m hitting the ball well I play full swing shots and pitches like a 3, but unfortunately putt like a 30 (not exaggerating). I have decided to overhaul my putting in the next 12 months. I’ve always hated putting. I played 3 rounds in the last week with friends and family (rare to play that much)… I personally think I am truly terrible at putting but I spoke with them after the rounds and they say I’m actually worse at putting than I think I am. It’s that bad. 
 

My stroke isn’t repeatable unfortunately. Would you say:

- take a lesson initially (no SAM)

- practice for a while, maybe another lesson

- SAM fitting (I don’t like my putter)

- six months of practice a couple times a week? 

For what it’s worth, I play suuuuuuper slick greens and my putter is an extended to 36” Mizuno M Craft VI - it feels way too heavy for those greens. 

 

Overall my wife seems to have approved serious budget to fix this because she knows how bad I am and has seen the sadness in the eyes of those who love me when they talk about my atrocious putting. 
 

 

 

In my non-expert opinion, coming from the same situation, I would recommend getting a repeatable stroke down. Understand your stroke, which probably involves a lesson. General things like putting with your shoulders and trunk (eliminating hip movement) and the right ball placement. A good putting coach can help you there. If you start building a good stroke, it shouldn't be more than a couple hundred reps before you have it down. For me, it was realizing when I was getting unwanted hip movement: if that is eliminated, my stroke is on plane.  

 

Once you get consistent, you are ready for a putter optimization. 

 

The worst thing would be to continue to spend a lot of time practicing a bad stroke. That's just wasting your time and what I have been doing for the past 18 months. Once I worked on my stroke after some camera feedback, working on really turning at the shoulders, I built a nice consistent stroke-wise when I went in for the fitting. 

 

You can think of it this way: if you had a production run of 100 units, 98 were defective but all 98 had the same general defect, you could likely correct that defect and have a perfect production run the next time. That is much better than having 15 out of 100 uniquely defective units. Now you have 15 problems to correct for, not one!   Sure, you can sell 85 of your units instead of 2 off that first production run, but what about the next 100,000 units? That inconsistency will remain and hurt you long-term. 

[Sp4zRX]

I had a putter fitting recently. It wasn’t on any high tech equipment like a SAM Putt lab or anything but it made a world of difference. The fitter just used a putter that he could adjust length, loft, and lie on, then used a mat to measure the skid. He could have sold me a new $400 putter but he told me my putter was good for me and just needed length, loft, lie, and weight adjusted. $40 later and my putting immediately improved dramatically. 

Edited June 21, 2023 by Sp4zRX
Grammar

[dmeeksDC]

On 6/20/2023 at 6:37 PM, eric61 said:

Yep, I'll echo that as well. I had a putter fitting over the winter -- I was basically on the right track in terms of head shape pre-fitting, but the biggest change came as a result of adding a little loft.

 

Since that putter fitting, I've noticed I'm much more consistent in terms of distance, especially on short putts. I can really see the difference on those tricky 6-8 footers where I really need to get the pace just right. Everything outside 100 yards of the pin has been inconsistent for me lately, so making those putts is really my only hope of putting together a decent score!

 

One takeaway from the fitting was that the specific brand/model doesn't really matter -- Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Double Wide, Ping Anser 2D, Ping PLD Anser D (I have one on the way -- it wasn't yet available when I ordered the 2D) ... as long as it's a wide blade with a plumber's neck, at about 33", 72-73 degree lie angle and 4.5 degrees of loft, it'll work for me.

Interesting. Did you try mallets too and the wide blades kept performing better? Always seems like fitters like to lean toward fitting amateurs in mallets. 

[hammergolf]

On 6/24/2023 at 5:59 AM, dmeeksDC said:

Interesting. Did you try mallets too and the wide blades kept performing better? Always seems like fitters like to lean toward fitting amateurs in mallets. 

When I had my fitting the fitter had me try blades and mallets. With the blades I tended to have a little less face control, less launch, and not enough forward roll. The wide blades were slight better, but mallets were better for me. Much more face control, better launch, perfect forward roll, and better line.

[Bigjim1022]

I booked my first ever putting fitting with Club Champion this Thursday.  I'm pretty excited, never had a putter fitting before its all been trial and error.  The closest place to me that I know of that does an in depth fitting is 3+ hours away so I combined it with a business trip. 

 

What does CC use for putter fitting, is it SAM or something else?  

[Elkhair]

27 minutes ago, Bigjim1022 said:

I booked my first ever putting fitting with Club Champion this Thursday.  I'm pretty excited, never had a putter fitting before its all been trial and error.  The closest place to me that I know of that does an in depth fitting is 3+ hours away so I combined it with a business trip. 

 

What does CC use for putter fitting, is it SAM or something else?  

SAM

[Duffmang]

How does one find a reputable putter fitter? I’m not opposed to visiting club champion or something, but I’m not at all interested in a sales pitch. 
Im in the Bay Area fwiw.

[mjo23]

On 6/21/2023 at 2:35 PM, RoyalMustang said:

 

yeah-all I had to do was pay for the fitting, set of SC weights (10g) and grip. He saw my numbers initially and liked them: said there was no reason to try a different style as I was consistent with the Newport 2. 

Glad you got paired with a fitter that wasn’t just trying to make a sale + commission. Many, dare i say most, fitters aren’t like that - at least in my experience

[Sean124]

I shot even par today with 3 goddamn 3 putts to miss qualifying for the AZ state amateur by 1 stroke. 
 

I booked a putter fitting for tomorrow with Cool Clubs in Scottsdale.