Will a Plumbers neck make you pull putts?

[wmorgan05]

Hey, i recently just purchased a scotty cameron square back with a plumbers neck. I have been wanting one for a while now and finally pulled the trigger. I feel like i am pulling my putts now and it has really affected my putting. Now i cant tell if it is me or the putter and my confidence in so low now i cant make anything with my old putter either. I putted with an odyssey teron before i purchased the scotty and putted well, it had a double bend shaft straight into the putter head . I have owned plumber necks in the past and putted well with them. I didn't know if i had gotten used the double bend look and this was the reason.

 

Thanks Will

[Samsquanch]

I'm assuming the Teron is face balanced? The Squareback with the plumbers neck has a little more toe flow than the Squareback 1 which is face balanced, so the face is going to open and close more throughout the stroke which might be the cause of the issue. I also find that when I switch putters I need to spend some time on alignment and make sure that where I think I'm aiming is where I'm actually aiming.

[avgjoe]

is the amount of offset the same in the new and old putters?

[PreppySlapCut]

Plumbers necks do often cause people to AIM left, which combined with a little more toe flow can cause putts missed to the left.

[5under]

All of the previous replies are accurate information.
You might also check to see if your new putter is the correct length and or correct lie angle for you.
If either one of them is incorrect it will cause an optical illusion when aiming the putter face at address.
With improper lie angle and or putter length, if you use a plum bob or imagine a line straight down from your eyes at address and it's inside your ball or your feet side of the ball, this will cause you to aim the putter face slightly left of your target to compensate for your angle of view.
It will be the other way around if your eyes are lined up outside your ball at address which happens occasionally, but is much more rare.
You can get a professional putter fitting from $10 to $50 depending on who does it and where you have it done.
Lie angle can also cause you to hit putts to the left if your putter toe is higher than your putter heel or hit putts to the right if your heel is higher than the toe.
Just like your irons, with incorrect lie the loft of the putter face will cause the putt to go off line, one direction or the other, even if your alignment is perfect.

The way to check for correct putter length is to have someone hold your putter away from you while you take your putting stance, get comfortable and pretend you have your putter in your hands and are gripping it like you are about to stroke a putt.
Once you feel comfortable and are about to take your imaginary putting stroke, without changing the position of your hands, have the person holding your putter slide the putter into your hands while being careful not to change the position of your hands and paying attention to making sure the sole of the putter remains in a neutral/level lie position and take note or mark with chalk on the putter grip where your hands are.
This will be your most comfortable place you prefer to grip your putter.
You will have to calculate if you need to shorten or lengthen your putter shaft or possibly leave it like it is to have your hands end up in the sweet spot or the grip manufactures intended position on your putter grip.
If you have an inch or more of the butt end of your putter grip sticking out you will want to shorten your putter appropriately.
If you end up with none of the butt end of your putter grip sticking out or possibly part of your hand is off the putter grip, you will need to lengthen your putter grip appropriately.
I am sure there are a million different opinions, but I would say 1/2" to 3/4" is about the amount of the butt end of your grip you want showing or exposed with a conventional putter.

Have the same person check your lie angle also.
Have them look at your club face from the front or hole side while you hit putts.
They will easily be able to tell if your toe or heel is higher than the other.
You will still have to estimate how much you will have to increase or decrease your lie angle to get it to level or a professional fitter will figure it out to within 1/2* or so.
I am sure there are many more reasons how a golfer can consistently pull putts and we will most likely read a few more, but I hope this info has helped you.

If you don't want to go through all this, just aim a little right every time if you are right handed.

[Donly]

Learned a little from this thread. How does one find out how a putter is balanced?

[TMBob]

[quote name='PreppySlapCut' timestamp='1285176086' post='2708796']
Plumbers necks do often cause people to AIM left, which combined with a little more toe flow can cause putts missed to the left.
[/quote]

Man I have some issues if this is true, as I miss to the 80% of the time and certainly have issues aiming left also. I thought the toe hang would increase pushes?

[5under]

[quote name='Donly' timestamp='1285242494' post='2710088']
Learned a little from this thread. How does one find out how a putter is balanced?
[/quote]

Do you mean how do you find the sweet spot on the putter face?
You can find the balance by resting the shaft across your extended index finger and sliding the shaft left or right until it balances.
To find the sweet spot hold the butt end of the grip between the thumb and index finger fairly lightly and let the putter hang.
Hold it high enough to use the point end off a tee and tap near the center of the putter face until you find a spot where the putter face bounces straight backward without any sign of twisting or turning.
Another way is to line up 20 to 30 balls on a green and using a natural putting stroke and only taking a second or two between putts, hit 40' to 60' putts paying close attention to where on the club face they are being struck and how they feel and little if no attention to where they roll to.
You will quickly get a feel for where your sweet spot is on your putter face.
I like this second method better because I think it is more accurate than the tee tap method.

[5under]

[quote name='TMBob' timestamp='1285253556' post='2710346']
[quote name='PreppySlapCut' timestamp='1285176086' post='2708796']
Plumbers necks do often cause people to AIM left, which combined with a little more toe flow can cause putts missed to the left.
[/quote]

Man I have some issues if this is true, as I miss to the 80% of the time and certainly have issues aiming left also. I thought the toe hang would increase pushes?
[/quote]
The wording can get a little confusing.
Toe flow means the toe flows from open on the back swing to closed on the forward swing.
If the ball was being struck after the putter face has flowed to a slightly closed position the putts would be pulled.
Toe hang makes me envision the toe is lagging or hanging behind on the forward swing and that would definitely cause you to push putts.

[golfbum9]

"Will a Plumbers neck make you pull putts?"

In short the answer is no. A too active RH will however.

Use Both palms together to roll the ball down the line imo

[naj959]

hosel design plays a huge part in how the putter set's up and releases. I struggled with plumber's necks (pulling) and double bend shafts (pushing). I finally tried a slant neck and have been in love ever sence. It has perfect amount of toe movement throught the stroke so that the ball starts on my line every time. I have been putting better than I ever have

[skizix]

A plumber's neck screws up my aim, for sure. I put much, much better with a fully straight, center shaft. FYI, not all center shafted putters are face balanced. My gamer has just a little bit of toe hang (~4 o'clock or less), which seems to fit my putting stroke well.

[Boba]

I always step on my putter's necks to take off a little loft & open the face a smidge. Nothing massive, but all putters look like they're going left until I "fix" them.

[madaboutgolf]

[quote name='Donly' timestamp='1285242494' post='2710088']
Learned a little from this thread. How does one find out how a putter is balanced?
[/quote]


for me i hold the shaft in the crook of a finger with the putter face "flat" facing up and if it sits square without tilting either way its face balanced.

most are toe heavy and tilt that way.

i prefer a face balanced model myself.