Differences in putters: Inserts/milled faces/ neither

Bridges

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As I search more and more for putters I came to realize I dont quite know what the benefit/non benefits of inserts or milled faces or even how they work in a putter. Just curious whats the thought of behind inserts in a putter and milled faces, or even just a plain face with no insert and no milled face. I think alot of people dont actually know why a putter is the way it is (me being one of them) and just kinda wanted some knowledge on the subject, so i thought id ask all of you.

Does the insert help roll better, faster, more feel?
Same with milled face. Faster, roll better, feel or what, I really have no idea why other than personal preference in why a milled face is milled or why a putter has a insert.
 
Feel!

And stay tuned for the next Greenside Radio show as that is one of our topics.
 
Feel!

And stay tuned for the next Greenside Radio show as that is one of our topics.

Cant wait! I just want knowledge when it comes to putters and why they are made the way they are. Irons, drivers, wedges for the most part have the same style in there category, but with putters you have all these crazy shapes, lengths, faces. And just didnt know what the purpose was of inserts or milled faces.
 
This is why I keep a nice milled putter, v-groove putter, and an insert putter. I vary them according to where I play alot.

Fast = insert, slow = milled, and mid-to-slow=v-groove FOR ME.

But, its all subjective to YOU. I think thats what I love the most about putters and why I've become SO addicted.
 
Whats a v-groove putter, That just standard no insert no milled face?
 
Whats a v-groove putter, That just standard no insert no milled face?

Just a milling for the purpose of a MUUUUUUCH softer feel (IMO) and many believe puts a faster forward roll on the ball.

Here's mine on my Lajosi...

LPS1-JM047.jpg
 
Oh so the mizuno bettinardi BC 1 would be kinda like a v-groove putter?

MizunoBC1.jpg
 
Actually, many insert putters are slow as heck. That's why it's so much fun rolling a ton of different putters in the store. You will learn which new putter has a softer or stronger feel. When I got my last Slot-Line w/brass insert I expected it to be fast as heck, but turned out much slower than I really wanted.
 
Yup, thats why they're my go to on faaaaaaaast greens.

I actually even love BG's HSM inserts on ALL greens though.
 
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I have never been able to stick with an insert putter for more than a few rounds. I'll find one that I think I like and then the next day I hate the feel.
 
Correct, typo on my part.

I've been yelling at teenage footballers the last 4 hours, youll have to excuse me LOL
 
Correct, typo on my part.

I've been yelling at teenage footballers the last 4 hours, youll have to excuse me LOL

Haha no worries. Those Oklahoma kids are just slow learners at football, sorry couldnt resist saying that :D
 
Haha no worries. Those Oklahoma kids are just slow learners at football, sorry couldnt resist saying that :D

All good my friend. We are gonna have some good banter in the coming weeks! LOL


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I use just a basic putter with a smoooooooooth face. Ive tryed everything else and did game a nike Ignite putter with an insert for a few years but after totally losing my feel for it over the winter I went back to smooooooth and its been good times this season.
 
I dont want this to turn into a what type of putter you game but more of how its made, why the insert, why the milled face, why the sizes, shapes, etc? Just for someone to explain the differences and what they're for, the performance differences, etc..
 
I dont want this to turn into a what type of putter you game but more of how its made, why the insert, why the milled face, why the sizes, shapes, etc? Just for someone to explain the differences and what they're for, the performance differences, etc..

I think that any actual performance differences between milled, grooved or insert-faced putters is subjective at best. It still boils down to feel.

For instance, my current putter is an Odyssey Dual Force II #2, which has an insert and feels great to me. But I can't say that I see any difference in the way in which the ball leaves the clubface when compared to other longtime "go to" putters I've used like my T.P. Mills #3 or my Slotline gooseneck nor have I noticed any difference in the way the ball rolls off the face.

I'm not saying that there isn't a difference.
All I'm saying is that I don't see it.

One thing I do notice in a putter (for me) is that I can do more with a heel-shafted putter than a center shaft or plumber's neck. With a heel shaft I can intentionally hit the ball towards the toe to "take a little off" a putt and I can also hit a ball near the heel to help hold the line on a left to right putt.

That's something that's much more pronounced in a putter like my T.P. Mills, but I can still do it (albeit to a lesser degree) with my Dual Force #2.

But other than being able to do that, I really don't have any preference for whether a face has an insert or is just milled flat. I haven't tried any grooved-faced putters, so I couldn't say whether I'd like them or not, but I can say that anything with decorative milling or colored heat effects turn me off.


-JP
 
Deeper milling means less material is making contact with the ball, which equates to a very soft feel.
 
Deeper milling means less material is making contact with the ball, which equates to a very soft feel.

I'll agree with that, but it also has a lot to do with the ball as well.

For instance, I used my T.P. Mills putter right up to when they stopped making balata balls. After that, almost every ball felt "clicky" to me. I started using a Pro V1 and that felt OK with a flat-faced putter but it was still not what I was used to.
I tried a bunch of different putters over the years with pretty good results and I stayed away from Odyssey because I wasn't sure about inserts in putter faces. But after I tried a friend's Odyssey with the Pro V1, it felt nearly identical to putting with a balata ball and I was sold.


-JP
 
Toe hang 1/4, 3/4? Face balanced? What do those mean?

Toe hang equates to the flow of the putter toe. Take a putter and lay it down on a table or countertop where the head hangs off one side and the grip hangs off the other. A right handed face balanced putter would have the toe at 9:00 and the heel at 3:00. Face balanced putter has no toe flow, it is for straight back straight through stroke. A blade, like a Wilson 8802 or Cameron Napa, would have the toe hang at about 5:00, lots of flow, great for arced putting stroke.
 
Toe hang 1/4, 3/4? Face balanced? What do those mean?

Weighting. Theres a quick way to check if you do the trick with the two finger balance. Face up means it's face balanced (I noticed this tends to be more of the mallets mid and full) and the 1/4 & 3/4 are like looking at a clock.

Certain putter swings are geared towards certain putters. When I did the TMPL fitting the fitter told me due to my swing that I should stay away from heel/toe balanced putters (they tend to be the anser style type putters) and stick with face balanced putters (just an example).
 
Weighting. Theres a quick way to check if you do the trick with the two finger balance. Face up means it's face balanced (I noticed this tends to be more of the mallets mid and full) and the 1/4 & 3/4 are like looking at a clock.

Certain putter swings are geared towards certain putters. When I did the TMPL fitting the fitter told me due to my swing that I should stay away from heel/toe balanced putters (they tend to be the anser style type putters) and stick with face balanced putters (just an example).

explain the trick to find out lol
 
explain the trick to find out lol

Hold the putter with two fingers on one hand where the balance point is (where it won't fall off and the putter stays still on your two fingers, tends to be more towards the putter head). the putter head should naturally rotate if it's heel/toe. On face balanced the face stays up.

Now take those 2 fingers and... jk, jk, jk.
 
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