The Scoring Club
by Rene Cleaver, PCS 2005 International Clubmaker of the Year
The putter is the club that puts the ball into the hole. And what’s the object of this beautiful game?
“But putting is very personal”, I hear you say. “How is it possible to custom fit a putter?” Well, it is precisely because putting is so very personal that custom fitting and custom building a putter to suit each golfer is….ahem…. the only way to get it right.
The alternative is “trial and error.” And when it comes to putting, flirting with “error” is very dangerous.
Make no mistake about it, there is a lot of art and skill in putting well. Yet just as you wouldn’t want to hone your driving skills in a car whose unbalanced wheels veer you into the ditch all the time, it is best to hone your putting skills with a putter that is set up to provide you with maximal directional and distance control.
In my own putter fitting procedure, I focus on fitting five major putter specifications to each golfer. Each specification contributes to a greater or lesser extent to DIRECTION CONTROL and DISTANCE CONTROL.
| DISTANCE CONTROL | DIRECTION CONTROL | |
| Length | 50% | 50% |
| Loft | 90% | 10% |
| Lie | 5% | 95% |
| Swing Weight | 85% | 15% |
| Putter Design (MOI) | 50% | 50% |
Putter length is the specification that sets everything else up and equally important for direction and distance control. Fitting for correct putter length allows for the correct posture with the player’s eyes directly over the ball, arms hanging comfortably so that the putting stroke is controlled by the big muscles around the shoulders (not the small ones around the wrists and hands).
Many manufacturers’ standard lengths are 35” for men and 34” for women. Yet fitting putter length properly results in shorter lengths for most golfers. Phil Mickelson’s putter is 311/2” long. Many tour players use 33” putters. Don’t ask me how many major brand putters I have shortened!
Lie angle contributes more to directional control than any other specification. A putter that is set too upright for you will have the toe sticking up off the ground at address and will cause you to miss left. A putter that is set too flat for you will have the heel sticking up of the ground at address and will cause you to miss right. A putter that has the lie angle set correctly for you will sit flat on the ground and send the ball along your target line.
Many golfers do not fit the standard lie of a putter. My putter loft and lie machine is in constant use for custom bending operations. Another nifty skill under my belt is the art of bending double bend putter shafts. Most people will tell you it can’t be done. Yes it can!
Loft contributes more to distance control than any other specification. Yet how many golfers know the loft of their putters? There are actually 3 loft measurements to take into consideration. Ideally they should all come out to the same number; usually they don’t. What am I talking about?
Well, putters are manufactured to be a certain “putter head loft”; most are between 2o and 5o.
When the putter head and shaft are assembled, the “assembled loft”, when the shaft is held vertical to the ground, should be the same as the putter head loft. This is not always the case in massed produced putters.
And then there is “effective loft at impact”, i.e. the loft that results from the position of the golfers hands at impact (e.g. if you impact the ball with a forward press, your effective loft will be reduced). For a putter of 4o, the effective loft at impact should also be 4o. Commonly this is not the case. However, the loft angle of a putter can be adjusted in a bending machine to suit your putting stroke. 4o is the optimum loft for consistent distance control over a wide range of distance putts.
Swing weight is a measure of the weight of the putter head compared to the putter’s total weight, and contributes largely to distance control. A certain optimum balance is required for the golfer to feel the putter head and control the length of the backswing, which in turn influences the distance the ball travels.
If a putter is shortened, it’s swing weight should be restored by adding weight back to the head. One of the big benefits of having a putter custom built is that the head weight can be selected to produce the optimum swing weight for the length of putter that fits you best. One of the disadvantages of buying an off the rack putter is that manufacturers rarely make different weight putter heads for different length putters. So if you are lucky enough to find one shorter that standard, chances are the swing weight will be on the low side.
Putter design
A specific putter design is usually what golfers look for when selecting a putter, and often it has to have a certain brand name on the bottom; once found the golfer’s selection process is complete. The unfortunate result is that over 90% of golfers are playing with putters that do not fit their putting stroke.
Putter designs can be divided into three categories: Low, High and Super-high Moment of Inertial putters. Moment of inertia – MOI - is simply a term that denotes resistance to twisting on off-centre impact with the ball.
A low MOI putter has a small sweet spot area. It will twist readily if the ball is putted off centre causing loss of distance and for the ball to travel off-line. If you can make successive 25’ putts and not miss the middle of the putter by more than 1/8”, just like the pros, then a low MOI putter would be fine to use. Most of us are not that skilful. Low MOI putters are those that have an even weight distribution from heel to toe e.g . any blade style putter design.
A high MOI putter has a larger sweet spot area and will twist less on off centre hits. These putters are recognised by having extra weight positioned at the heel and toe, giving rise to the name heel-toe weighted putters.
Super-high MOI putters have the largest possible sweet spot areas and will twist the least on off-centre hits. In order to achieve such stability, these putters are usually multi-metal in compostion, with heavier metals like tungsten or brass being used for the heel and toe weighting system. In some, the weight is also positioned back from the face.
The fitting system that I have developed and routinely use is a real eye opener to customers. Where else can you go to have the loft and lie of your putter adjusted to be perfect for the way you putt? Where else can you go to have your correct putter length determined and swing weight adjusted accordingly? Where else can you go to have the best putter technology available built into a putter that gives you the best chance of putting the ball into the hole?
These articles change regularly. Visit the site again to learn more and find out what’s new in golf club technology.
Rene Cleaver is a Professional Clubmakers’ Society CLASS “A” Clubmaker, CLASS “A” Clubfitter and Golf Clubmakers’ Association Advanced Clubmaker. Rene offers custom fitting services and custom made golf clubs at Club Masters, Bamfurlong Lane, Cheltenham. If you have any questions about golf equipment, contact Rene at rene@clubmasters.co.uk or tel. 01452-715007.