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The price of putters

SuperStroke
jefffann

jefffann

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I was reading another thread and this thread was suggested.(thanks for the idea JB)There are some pretty pricey putters out there.But then again there are pricey drivers,irons,hybrids,fairway woods.
I was of the opinion that prices were way out of line.Then after agonizing for quite some time I bought a putter for $300 made to my specs.The results I acheived with that putter has made me think at times that was the best money I ever spent.
What's your take on this subject?
 
My idea was "what makes a good putter good", but I like this one too. Price wise for many it comes down to supply and demand. One needs to look no further than the Scotty Cameron line to see that. Quality putters that are made well and are priced higher than the same putter by just about every other brand. Just like any industry it comes down to supply and demand.

The custom putter world is an intriguing one to say the least. Regular golfers like you and I can get anything they want on a putter from shape and aesthetics within reason at a price. At the same time, we are seeing more and more tour players pick up regular production models because the choices are endless and they seem to be working.

Good conversation for sure.
 
Someone good with reading greens & making putts could use a rock tied to a stick & make their putts. The price of a putter has nothing to do with how well it performs. A lot of it is pure status symbol, but if it makes you feel good about your game & you have the $$ to blow on an expensive putter, go for it.
 
dynarider said:
Someone good with reading greens & making putts could use a rock tied to a stick & make their putts.
Click to expand...

That brings up another part of the equation. What about the people that are not good? Can more technology in a putter help them? Better weighting, or different weighting?
 
dynarider said:
Someone good with reading greens & making putts could use a rock tied to a stick & make their putts. The price of a putter has nothing to do with how well it performs. A lot of it is pure status symbol, but if it makes you feel good about your game & you have the $$ to blow on an expensive putter, go for it.
Click to expand...
I was of the same opinion.And I can't argue the point you make here because I still beleive in them but not as strongly as before.
 
JB said:
That brings up another part of the equation. What about the people that are not good? Can more technology in a putter help them? Better weighting, or different weighting?
Click to expand...

I don't think so, no such thing as a magic club. From what I see & experience myself the club has little to do with making putts. It's reading the green correctly to obtain the correct line & getting the speed correct. If you can do those 2 things you will make putts no matter what you use.

Unfortunately people like to blame their equipment for their lack of golf prowess, & everyone knows the more you pay for something the better performs:bulgy-eyes:
 
JB said:
That brings up another part of the equation. What about the people that are not good? Can more technology in a putter help them? Better weighting, or different weighting?
Click to expand...
To some extent maybe.But there still has to be a good stroke,a good read.They might be able to make up for poor mechanics and off center hits but they still will never be able to sink the ball by theirselves.
 
dynarider said:
I don't think so, no such thing as a magic club. From what I see & experience myself the club has little to do with making putts. It's reading the green correctly to obtain the correct line & getting the speed correct. If you can do those 2 things you will make putts no matter what you use.
Click to expand...

So when it comes to choosing the "right" putter it is merely just the comfort for the eye? This is a great topic and one that should have been done months ago. I am fascinated with why people choose the putters they do.

I believe that if someone can putt with mallets that they can help promote a better stroke since more can be done in terms of weighting. We have spoken with SC, Kia Ma, the folks at Ping, and so many more about this very topic. But in the end, some cannot use a mallet due to comfort and of course not all mallets are good putters. I am still not sold on the fact of being able to putt with one. I love the look of a blade.

SeeMore putters have helped me more than just about anything and while some think it is gimmicky, it really has helped my putting stroke with something simple like RST. It does not hurt that I like the shapes they have either.
 
dynarider said:
I don't think so, no such thing as a magic club. From what I see & experience myself the club has little to do with making putts. It's reading the green correctly to obtain the correct line & getting the speed correct. If you can do those 2 things you will make putts no matter what you use.

Unfortunately people like to blame their equipment for their lack of golf prowess, & everyone knows the more you pay for something the better performs:bulgy-eyes:
Click to expand...
The balance.weight and feel will help you acheive.It's easier to follow the line and get the correct speed but as you say it's up to you in the end.When you know if you hit it on the sweetspot with the correct speed it will follow the line you were taking at the speed you intended it's worth the money.I've had a lot of putters and this isn't necessarily true with all of them.
 
JB if you mean by pleasing to the eye you mean inspiring confidence then I think that's true.The power of positive thinking sure comes into play when putting.
On another note I have a Cameron circa 62 #1 that to me is beautiful but I can't putt WAS with it.Can't ever seem to hit it in the same place twice.
 
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jefffann said:
JB if you mean by pleasing to the eye you mean inspiring confidence then I think that's true.The power of positive thinking sure comes into play when putting.
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That is what I mean. However if that is the case going back to your original question, there should be no difference between a $300 anser style and a $30 anser style. That is where craftsmanship comes in and for some they like the feel of different metals or techniques used.

However I also think many golfers think they are getting better "feel" and in the end it is based on marketing. But that is purely my personal opinion. During our putter shoot out, there was noted trends on what putters worked for people and while in the end it is personal, the same 3-4 putters were the favorite by so many of the testers.

And in that group event, we had so many that were the same shape, so there is clearly something there to the feel aspect of it.
 
there shouldn't be any difference but since I have an Anser 2 to compare as well as a Cameron Nerwport 2 and the Morgans I can state as far as I'm concerned there's a lot of difference.That's not to say that if I had one of the new Clevelands I wouldn't feel it was better than the rest.For me it's basicly feel and what gives repeatable results.Maybe if I was a better putter that might be a roll of nickels taped to a yardstick.
 
Here then lies another question Jeff. Does the price dictate better feel or just different feel? And what dictates better feel?
 
JB said:
Here then lies another question Jeff. Does the price dictate better feel or just different feel? And what dictates better feel?
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What dictates better feel?That's hard to describe as you might imagine.It's subjective to say the least.What I think has better feel might not be the same for you.For me it's the way I can sense the speed of my stroke and the line the putter head head is following.It's also how the ball feels when stuck and how it starts rolling after contact.If you could play a lot of putters which you have an opportunity to do I'm sure you could find that kind of feel without having to spend a lot of money.Money spent doesn't necessarily mean anything.There's got to be a lot of hidden gems out there that poscess that intrinsic something.
 
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Well said Jeff. I recently had the opportunity to interview John Hoeflich for the upcoming magazine and one of the things we spoke about is feel and what he and other club makers think of feel and what it means. He says "its 80% sound". While he is talking about irons more than putters, I think I agree with him.

But I think we need to do some video testing and see if readers ( or watchers in this case) agree with the sound vs feel aspect of it.

I also think that feel is so subjective, but marketing has said that high end putters feel better. It cannot always be soft that makes feel because if that was the case, some of the softer inserts would be the choice of most.
 
Putting comes down to feel and having the right putter for your 'natural' putting style. If you are not comfortable over the ball then do something else. I putted terribly all summer but have that back on track now that I switched back to my old putter. Started hitting some good putts again recently.
 
I totally agree that "feel" is very subjective. I will also say that the technology put into certain putters as well as the material used have helped me enjoy putting much more. Take for instance the SeeMore mFGP. To me the feel or spring action of the ball coming off the ball is second to none. Each of my SeeMores are great sticks and made out of similar materials but the mFGP is just better for me. Also, the shape fits my eye and as JB said some think the RST is a gimick but it has helped me.

I also have a Scotty Newport 1.5 with the weights on the toe and heel. I really like this putter too but for different reason. When I use it I change my stance and play the ball more off my my back foot vs front foot with the SeeMore. Using the SC allows for a more straight and back swing and the weights keep the face from opening and closing.

Both of these putters are blades and I enjoy using them both but the ball bounces off the face of the SeeMore much more to my liking and coupled with the RST gives me more confidence.

Price wise... they are not that different and I have won putting contests at a local big box store using the Adams $69 A series putter. Not that I am a great putter but I want to emphasize that any putter can be a good one it just depends on what sets up best for you eye, stroke, and confidence level. I really think the type of neck on the putter is critical in getting fitted.
 
Selecting a putter is such a personal thing. A good putter for you is one whose charactaristics complement your deficiencies, ie, if you tend to hit off-center, a putter with a higher MOI, if you push or pull your putts, a putter that has a tendency to do the opposite. For instance, I'm a fair putter at best, so, I use a large mallet SeeMore SB-1, I like a single sightline, could never putt using a Two Ball, A soft aluminum body lets me lag very well, inserts or a hard SS leave me inconsistent, and so on.
I think there is a corellation between price and technical quality of a putter, it's in the materials used , the engineering of the face, weight, balance and neck, forget appearance, that's only for marketing. Some people putt well with a $29 putter from Walmart, most would putter better with a $200 putter from the better mfrs.
 
Sometimes I wish that you could try putters and they had no price tags on them at all. I think price can sometimes sway your decision and make you feel like its a better putter because it says $299 on the sticker. Sometimes I wont even pick up a $69 putter because theres no way it puts better then the $169 putter. And I think thats flawed thinking. Id think tour players find a putter like this, they just putt with them until one feels right. Wasnt it Kenny Perry who was using Ping putter that someone gave to him at his home course? They said here try this it will help your game. He did and won with it. I doubt he asked how much it cost. For me look plays HUGE role in how I feel about a putter. The last putter I got the Tour #9 just looks amazing. Love the look. But that in no way means I'll putt better. I'll definitely look looking down at it though. But ultimately it will boil down to performance and how good I can roll the ball with it.
 
Very interesting topic, guys.

I had a brief "fling" with a SC Newport last year before getting my Kia Ma. Both are Anser type shape so no real difference there. The Newport had no sight line or dot and that was my first doubt that I had with it. The other was the roll I put on the ball when I used it. I really had trouble getting consistant results. The Kia Ma has the asgi+ w/steel insert. Firmer feel than the standard asgi+ insert but softer than a milled face club. Maybe I didn't give milled face putters a chance but after I lost confidence, I lost interest.
 
I think there is something to it...slightly...for instance, I honestly believe that Odyssey Black putters feel better than their other lines. I have a buddy that uses the original 2-Ball. He tried my Black Series i #7 (without any idea of price variance) and was amazed by how balanced and smooth it felt. On the other hand, I also think that Cameron putters may be the most overated club in golf. Whichever club that you believe in the most is probably the one that will perform best for you. There is that dang mental game again. :)
 
The mental game is a huge thing. I agree, I tried out the new Odyssey white ice #9 and didnt care for it as much as I do the Tour Black. Just love how that putter feels. There is a lot of good stuff going on in that putter. SC putters do nothing for me but hurt the wallet. I agree with your statement.
 
putting is such an individualized thing. more so than the golf swing, imo. putter fitting is the most overlooked part of a golf bag for the most part. money spent on a putter that is fit properly can make all the difference in the world.


and if you evaluate your score and shot making....your putter is used far more than your driver. twice as much.

drivers come and go.....but a good putter is forever.
 
I think the speed of the greens that you play has a lot to do with putter preference.

Hey Kevin - I'm also a HUGE Cowboys fan! Last week's loss was pretty tough...I haven't watched ESPN or NFL network or listened to sports radio since...maybe tomorrow I'll check out some pre game coverage.
 
When Cleveland recently came out with their $69 line of putters, my first thought was: Good: That is about all a decent putter should cost! Maybe they made a mistake though: For all I know they might have sold just as many with a $119 pricetag.
 
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