Struggling to find a putter that "feels right", need help...

[vvictoryy]

Hey guys, I've been trying to find a new putter for the last several months and I'm having a lot harder of a time than anticipated and would appreciate any help/feedback. My lag putting has always been good but I am normally inconsistent with the 3-5 footers, outside of gimme range. Most of the times if I do miss, the face will be slightly open and it will be a push. I believe my stroke has a slight arc(?) but if anything, I try to feel a "straighter" throughout the putt. I've been fit for a putter once but at that point, the fitter was saying it comes down to my preference between several options (spider tour x, rossie, ds72), all of which are face balanced. Another note, but I used to have the putting yips (right hand would twitch right before/at impact) with putts in this 3-5 feet "knee knocker" range. I don't have that anymore, however, if I try to putt with JUST my right hand, even now it will twitch. In terms of how I grip it, I putt right hand low, overlapping my right hand over the left. It would be kind of similar to a weak iron grip, but I overlap two fingers instead of just my pinky.

I know that at this point I've started to really overthink things so I'm trying to reset and get some much needed direction. Thanks in advance for all the help!

Some notes from my hours of putting at my golf store:

-No preference between milled/insert, but the Tri Hot line feels too mushy. Evnroll putters feel too ting-y.
-LAB putters don't suit my eye. The shaft being inserted behind the face throws me off.
-I've never tried a blade before but initially when putting with a Scotty Cameron Newport, it felt and performed better than I expected.
-I like how the double wide putters look.
-I used to putt with 35" putters but have been finding that 34" feels slightly better. 33" feels too short but I have not given it an extended amount of time.
-Armlock does not feel bad, although I feel like lag putting would be tough.
-I'm not sure which I prefer in regards to shaft offset. I like when I can feel that my hands are slightly ahead when the putter sits naturally, so maybe that would mean more offset (which normally comes in a non-db hosel?)

Putters that have been better than average at the local golf store:
-Taylormade Spider Tour X DB
-Odyssey AI One Double Wide (both CH/DB)
-Odyssey Versa Double Wide
-Odyssey White Hot OG Double Wide
-Odyssey AI One Rossie DB

[BHI 99]

Start at the start.
Find the neck that fits your stroke (meaning more toe hang, slight toe hang, or face balanced) then work your way through the list. Draw a line around a ball and see which rolls straightest for you, preferably on a mat. Now you’ve eliminated about 2/3 of the putters out there. Figure out the length that suits you, then it’s about where you like the balance. 
 

There’s not a bad putter on your list. 
 

Or….

 

Do like I did and buy 3 putters with the same head, length, but different necks. One will be better than the others. You’ll be able to fake it with any of them, but the first stroke will tell you a story. Eventually one plays itself out. Round Robin kinda thing. 
 

 

 

Now I’ll get my flame suit because I know what’s coming….

 

[vvictoryy]

@BHI 99 For choosing between more toe hang/less toe hang/face balanced, how will I know it "fits" my stroke? Is it as simple as trying each and saying that one feels better/more natural than the other?

How quickly were you able to figure out between the same putter with the different necks?

[BHI 99]

Rolling ball, after ball, after ball..when I saw a solid line I figured I was either right or doing enough wrong that things went right. 
 

The “general rule” is that a DB face balanced putter suits a straight back and through stroke. Plumbers neck for semi arc and slant neck for a stronger arc. What I found was messing with ball position and path I could eventually force any of them to eventually work, but for me I could get the ball to roll how I wanted with my “natural” set up. Which is nothing more than a BS term to say how I always set up to putt, which further means my habit. 
 

Certainly not claiming to be all knowing, but that’s how I figured out what worked for me. 
 

 

 

[WiscoLefty]

Have you tried counter balanced at all? Since you seem to like face balanced already maybe counter balanced would help quiet the hands especially on the knee knockers. Most stores have the jailbird or new spider CB to try. 

[BHI 99]

16 minutes ago, WiscoLefty said:

Have you tried counter balanced at all? Since you seem to like face balanced already maybe counter balanced would help quiet the hands especially on the knee knockers. Most stores have the jailbird or new spider CB to try. 

I can tell you I’m a big believer. Huge. 

[5hort5tuff]

 Start with a shape you like and can aim well. I would look for something with a little toe hang, not face balanced. If your miss is a push, face balanced putters make it worse....well they do for me anyways. Sounds like you prefer 34". Also start there. 

 

Just roll putters that you like and see here it goes.   You are thinking way too much about this imo. It's important to know your specs, then roll until you find one you like.

[GDB67]

Just spend $

brag about the one putt you had. 
Then sell to someone on eBay a few weeks later for half price

[vvictoryy]

6 hours ago, WiscoLefty said:

Have you tried counter balanced at all? Since you seem to like face balanced already maybe counter balanced would help quiet the hands especially on the knee knockers. Most stores have the jailbird or new spider CB to try. 

I haven’t given it an extensive try. Only rolled a few putts with a counterbalanced jailbird. Will give it more putts!

[vvictoryy]

There is a spider CB?

[vvictoryy]

5 hours ago, 5hort5tuff said:

 Start with a shape you like and can aim well. I would look for something with a little toe hang, not face balanced. If your miss is a push, face balanced putters make it worse....well they do for me anyways. Sounds like you prefer 34". Also start there. 

 

Just roll putters that you like and see here it goes.   You are thinking way too much about this imo. It's important to know your specs, then roll until you find one you like.

Yeah I definitely feel myself thinking too much… been spending many hours trying out different putters to see what feels good. I’ve felt the same with pushes and face balanced, so we’re in the same boat with that. What putter are you using currently?

[vman]

Select 1 from the better than average pile. Book a fitting and take it with you, you’ll soon find out how well you aim and roll it. If it’s not right, listen to the fitter and see if there’s something else that you aim and roll better. This would be my common sense approach.

[BHI 99]

SuperStroke grips make it easy to CB anything. And speaking of grips, that’s another factor that can make a big difference. If you only install them using only an air compressor it’s really easy to test out what you like. 

[5hort5tuff]

4 hours ago, vvictoryy said:

Yeah I definitely feel myself thinking too much… been spending many hours trying out different putters to see what feels good. I’ve felt the same with pushes and face balanced, so we’re in the same boat with that. What putter are you using currently?

 

I've switched back to a blade this year.  This one is more traditional but I'm having a custom made this year...slightly wider blade with slightly less toe hang. I used something similar a few years back and had some great success with it.  I've tried so many putters as well....mallets,blades, wide blades, LABs....and I always go back to what im comfortable with 

[WiscoLefty]

5 hours ago, vvictoryy said:

There is a spider CB?

Yes the spider tour S is counter balanced. They make it in 35” or 38” depending on how much shaft you like above your hands. I use the 35 and grip down to 34 which is my normal putter length. Really like it so far. 

[Dpavs]

Definitely figure out if your most natural swing is arc or straight back.

I always wanted to like face balanced putters but after trying a good number over a few years I found that they simply fought my natural swing too much and that was causing me issues, especially on short putts.

[vvictoryy]

2 hours ago, Dpavs said:

Definitely figure out if your most natural swing is arc or straight back.

I always wanted to like face balanced putters but after trying a good number over a few years I found that they simply fought my natural swing too much and that was causing me issues, especially on short putts.

What putter did you end up using mostly? Slight or moderate toe hang? I've felt similarly at times where I thought I fit into a face balanced, but depending on the putter it would never really feel right in my hands. But I think like @BHI 99 mentioned, finding a grip that feels good in my hands sounds like a very important variable in all of this.

[vvictoryy]

3 hours ago, WiscoLefty said:

Yes the spider tour S is counter balanced. They make it in 35” or 38” depending on how much shaft you like above your hands. I use the 35 and grip down to 34 which is my normal putter length. Really like it so far. 

Is there any huge difference between gripping down on a 35" vs. a 38"?

[jda]

Go to some store and find a flow neck and hit 30-50 putts.  If you don't miss them right as much, then consider this.

[ephmen]

Once you go LAB you never go back. Also , highly recommend The Putting Board which truly taught me how to putt. Arc/SBST is all bs. 

 

[vvictoryy]

For missing right, I have heard that you would want less toe hang/more face balanced. But I've also heard the opposite. Is this one of those things that it just depends on the person and how they react to the difference in balance?

[vvictoryy]

3 minutes ago, ephmen said:

Once you go LAB you never go back. Also , highly recommend The Putting Board which truly taught me how to putt. Arc/SBST is all bs. 

 

Something about the LAB putter and how the shaft is inserted and how it looks doesn't seem to suit me 😕
The closest I got was with the Link.

[ephmen]

Just now, vvictoryy said:

Something about the LAB putter and how the shaft is inserted and how it looks doesn't seem to suit me 😕
The closest I got was with the Link.

It takes time. Have you tried the DF3? 

[vvictoryy]

3 minutes ago, ephmen said:

It takes time. Have you tried the DF3? 

Maybe hit two putts with it and put it back on the wall in my golf store. They sold out of them, but PGA Superstore should have plenty of them to try.

[jda]

19 minutes ago, vvictoryy said:

For missing right, I have heard that you would want less toe hang/more face balanced. But I've also heard the opposite. Is this one of those things that it just depends on the person and how they react to the difference in balance?

 

Go and hit some.  Some feel that the toe hang makes the putter lag and they miss right.  Some feel that the toe hang goes through too much and they pull the ball left.  It is different for all people.

 

Most of what you read on here, and the rest of the web, is just anecdotal.  Even a putter fitting does not tell you much, IMO.  The truth is that nearly all good putters can putt with any tool but many are swapping out sticks franticly trying to find some magic, but there is no magic.  Eventually, the player gets better at their craft and likes the tool in their hands when they do, but it is rarely the actual putter and moreso the player just figured something out or gained some competency even if they do not realize it.  Friend joined the LAB craze, but the investment in his putting was the difference - he is back to Cleveland flow neck and putting just as well... it never was the LAB that mattered and it was his desire to be better, the practice and all of that.

 

You can do more with your hands/grip than the head, IMO.  Wrapping the lead hand under the club to prevent a pull, etc.

 

You seem to know that your push, yips, etc. need to all be fixed at the root (you) to really be good, so don't get too dependent on a tool to fix your issues.  One can help a bit in the mean time.

[Jeff58]

Most of the differences in feel are due to the grip and overall length. They have little to do with the putter head. Unfortunately, we blame “the putter” for our discomfort, the result being the standard merry go round of insane expectations and expenditures. *

 

 

* Please don’t ask how I formed this option 

[vvictoryy]

25 minutes ago, jda said:

 

Go and hit some.  Some feel that the toe hang makes the putter lag and they miss right.  Some feel that the toe hang goes through too much and they pull the ball left.  It is different for all people.

 

Most of what you read on here, and the rest of the web, is just anecdotal.  Even a putter fitting does not tell you much, IMO.  The truth is that nearly all good putters can putt with any tool but many are swapping out sticks franticly trying to find some magic, but there is no magic.  Eventually, the player gets better at their craft and likes the tool in their hands when they do, but it is rarely the actual putter and moreso the player just figured something out or gained some competency even if they do not realize it.  Friend joined the LAB craze, but the investment in his putting was the difference - he is back to Cleveland flow neck and putting just as well... it never was the LAB that mattered and it was his desire to be better, the practice and all of that.

 

You can do more with your hands/grip than the head, IMO.  Wrapping the lead hand under the club to prevent a pull, etc.

 

You seem to know that your push, yips, etc. need to all be fixed at the root (you) to really be good, so don't get too dependent on a tool to fix your issues.  One can help a bit in the mean time.

Yeah I’m definitely not looking for a fix per se, but just trying to get something that feels comfortable in my hands when putting with some sense of consistency. After that it’s a lot of practice and working on my stroke.

[BHI 99]

The trick is to get the “mechanical” parts figured out, then you can “tune” it to your liking. Here’s 30 or so variations of the same putter to get the feel I wanted. Don’t internet your way out of what you like and how you like it. 
 

 

[vvictoryy]

9 minutes ago, BHI 99 said:

The trick is to get the “mechanical” parts figured out, then you can “tune” it to your liking. Here’s 30 or so variations of the same putter to get the feel I wanted. Don’t internet your way out of what you like and how you like it. 
 

 

Wow that's a lot. Which one ended up working the best of those for you? And was this something you kept track of yourself?

[WiscoLefty]

2 hours ago, vvictoryy said:

Is there any huge difference between gripping down on a 35" vs. a 38"?

For me personally a 38” starts to hit my stomach and get caught in my shirt so I went 35”. Like several others have stated, it all comes down to personal preference and the best way to find out is try.