Average length of normal putters on tour

[PuttingDoctor]

[quote name='Clemsonfan' post='2134697' date='Dec 20 2009, 12:09 AM']Putting Doctor,

My arm bend is modest, maybe 145*-150* angle, and my knee flex is just a few inches. My knees are closer to my toes than ankle at address.

I have been using bent arms after following Mike Shannon's teachings for the past year, but I am clearly not at the 135* he recommends. My arms, in my opinion, are supple, although I have a tendency to grip too tightly.

Your reference to the full swing is interesting. My putter and wedge setup are pretty close although I am a little more crouched with the putter.

What results do you see with bent vs. extended? I putted with straight arms that hung directly beneath my shoulders for years until I stagnated. I changed to a bent arms as a means to improve. This year my iron play improved, and I hit one more GIR per round than 2008, and had one fewer putt. The combination helped me drop my handicap by a couple of shots.

Thanks for your insight. It is greatly appreciated.[/quote]

Mike is a great instructor but I've agreed to disagree with his 'connected' approach and arm bend ideas. We're both big time RIFE Putter fans.

Let me suggest that if you can make a repeatable stroke with arms hanging supple and at 145-150 you'll be o.k. But try this experiment. Grip the putter as tight as possible and use a straight arm setup. Move the putter back and forth but keep it short in length of stroke. You'll notice how true the path is. Now do the same with your arms at 135 such as Mike suggests. I think you'll find a little more possibility to have the path waver.

If your setup with the putter is about the same as with the wedge do you hit the wedge with 145-150 degree of arm bend.... I hope not.

I would rather not see any tension in the hands and arms during the putting stroke and that's why I'd like to see the stroke work from short to long with a hold at the conclusion of the stroke. With supple arms and softer hands we can absorb the feel of impact. Just like the great feel of impact in our full swing we can build a solid positive mental feel for our game through satisfactory feel at impact. It's not very often we get an 'out of sweet spot' impact with the putter. So don't rush the end of the stroke and erase the great feel of putting impact.

Bottom line is that we have a setup relationship 'triangle' with extended, supple arms. Keeping the triangle is as important in putting as it is in the full swing.

[Clemsonfan]

[quote name='PuttingDoctor' post='2134939' date='Dec 20 2009, 07:39 AM']Mike is a great instructor but I've agreed to disagree with his 'connected' approach and arm bend ideas. We're both big time RIFE Putter fans.

Let me suggest that if you can make a repeatable stroke with arms hanging supple and at 145-150 you'll be o.k. But try this experiment. Grip the putter as tight as possible and use a straight arm setup. Move the putter back and forth but keep it short in length of stroke. You'll notice how true the path is. Now do the same with your arms at 135 such as Mike suggests. I think you'll find a little more possibility to have the path waver.

If your setup with the putter is about the same as with the wedge do you hit the wedge with 145-150 degree of arm bend.... I hope not.

I would rather not see any tension in the hands and arms during the putting stroke and that's why I'd like to see the stroke work from short to long with a hold at the conclusion of the stroke. With supple arms and softer hands we can absorb the feel of impact. Just like the great feel of impact in our full swing we can build a solid positive mental feel for our game through satisfactory feel at impact. It's not very often we get an 'out of sweet spot' impact with the putter. So don't rush the end of the stroke and erase the great feel of putting impact.

Bottom line is that we have a setup relationship 'triangle' with extended, supple arms. Keeping the triangle is as important in putting as it is in the full swing.[/quote]

I should have written that my wedge and putting stances are pretty similar, not my arm bend, in that my crouch and ball position are not drastically different. My apologies. Short to long is the only way to go, IMO, as you state. I think that is the best chance for most of us to maintain stability through the stroke.

I do need to work on the softer hands. When I am [b][i]trying[/i][/b] to make a putt my tendency is to grip the club too tightly.

Thanks for the help.

[PuttingDoctor]

Divorce your hands from the putting stroke and build a constant routine to eliminate any tension in your body AND you mind. Allow your shoulder plane to propel the putting pendulum.

Again I go back to unlocking the subconscious and allowing you to react to what you see. If your routine is exactly the same for each putt you're on your way to "getting out of your own way" and to putting better than ever before.

Routine = comfort level.

[sevenfourate]

Not sure how true it is but on 'Golfnight' on sky a few days ago they said putters were made to be 35" in recent times only so that they didnt fall inside a modern golf-bag ! There was no thought or planning around useable lengths,what players wanted,bio-kinetics etc etc......

[Geohans]

I shortened my driver so it would fit in my trunk.

[sevenfourate]

[quote name='Geohans' post='2135062' date='Dec 20 2009, 03:06 PM']I shortened my driver so it would fit in my trunk.[/quote]


Better than doing it to fit in the bin................

[Elliebarley1978]

[quote name='pirettigolf' timestamp='1261188729' post='2132902']
All the tour players I've made putters for are 34-35" long.
[/quote]
none under 34?
interesting.

thanks

[the man with no aim]

I'm 5'10" with a straight arm, low hands, eyes directly over the putter, stroke driven by the big back muscles, thought I was SBST till I found on a SAMputtlab, I'm a little in to square to in, opening and closing 5 & 7 degrees. I use a 32-1/2", 2 degrees flat & 1 strong, gone with a lighter 338g head weight and its been great, getting fitted has opened up a whole world of freedom in my putting, I know I have the putter setup to what my stroke needs so, I just take aim and let it go.

I've brought something in the region of 20 to 25 putters, never found the one till I got fitted. Don't worry about what your fit is, just get fitted for the stroke you've already got.

Regards
T

[rainkingjr]

I have been using a 34 inch putter for quite some time, but am switching to a 35 due to back issues. That extra inch goes a long way in relieving tension in the lower back.

[esketores]

Wow three years between posts.

[Twoironblade]

If you go to Ping's website, you can get detailed club specs on most all of their tour pros (PGA, Senior, European, LPGA). You can see the length, loft, lie, model, and even grip. Most standard length putters are 34 to 35 inches for the pros listed.