Side Saddle putting. Even the name of it brings polarizing thoughts of legality in the game of golf. But it isn’t new, is legal, and while it might look a bit different than the norm, could be an alternative to help you on the green. A new company called Face the Hole Golf, is hoping to bring it to life, and we put it to the test.
For some transparency, to me personally, this is an idea that makes a lot of sense. Different without a doubt, but at the same time, viewing your line from behind seems like a simple way to have more consistency. Having tested some side saddle offerings in the past, I was pretty excited to put this putter in the bag and bring it on a recent trip to see how it fared. This would be jumping in cold, straight from unboxing to Ballyhack Golf Club for multiple days of trial.
Before we get into how it fared, let’s discuss the company and where Face the Hole Golf came from. Randy Romberg is known throughout the golf industry by many for his time with Cleveland Golf. He started as a customer service rep and worked there for 25 years, including his final role with them as VP of Marketing. He knows products and he knows short game. In speaking with him leading up to this trial, he talked about golfers that were willing to make the change and labeled them as “brave”. It stuck with me. I wasn’t sure if that was the adjective I would have chosen, but it does make sense to some degree.
Golf is a game of social credit. The ribbing from friends is all part of the wonderful side of this game that can be played for a lifetime. A change to side saddle putting brings a unique look to not only your putting, but also your bag, with that giant flat stick hanging out the end. Then on the greens as you stare intently at your target before pulling back the putter and pushing through. It is all a big change.
Throughout the 15 wonderful years on the THP Forum, we have learned that change is not always well accepted, but in this instance, without better results, it would be change for the sake of change. Anti-establishment for no reason. Well, you get my drift.
Before continuing, I want to discuss the legality of side saddle putting. It’s legal. What isn’t legal is straddling the putt or using a putter that is 90 degrees perpendicular in terms of lie angle. The actual art of side saddle putting done properly is completely legal and the putters from Face the Hole are legal as well.
The Face the Hole DT 31.6 putter is legal, features a lie angle of 80 degrees and is center shafted and face balanced. The club head itself has a piano black-like finish and the alignment line is bold and almost in your face with three white lines. Like most long putters, it has two grip sections and the DT 31.6 uses a soft Winn grip in both to promote feel. The sole of the putter has a number of cutaways both behind the face and then the entire back portion. This is done to create a very stable design that stays on line (more on that below). The face is void of any milling, but more of that glossy black with the simple F logo with the hole in front of it.
The Face the Hole DT 31.6 putter comes in 7 different lengths. The company has some recommendations based on height.
If you have made it this far, you are waiting to hear about whether or not it worked, how awkward it was at first and am I switching to it full time? Walking over to the putting green with some friends, the expected ribbing never really happened. More curiosity and “can I try that” took the place and really it comes down to most people are not very good putters.
The look at setup is quite good. Below we share a simple video on how to roll it, and when you first take the cover off and set it down, it looks well done. Alignment is easy and you really are staring down your target. All things that should help immediately. Then I rolled the simple 15 ft putt and the first one went about halfway there. It’s a foreign feeling concept and I immediately thought to myself, what am I doing?
The impact sound is a bit metallic and higher pitched than expected, and part of that most likely comes from two factors: The weight placement (meaning cutouts in the sole) and the lack of milling. Milling on a putter face changes the amount of surface impact with the ball, which leads to a different sound. This being void of any of that, the sound offers a bit of a “ting” which, funny enough, I found myself missing when I used a different putter for comparison.
After that first putt that left me confused on the speed, I settled in and rolled a number of others. You know the drill, you hit the putting green, drop 3 balls 5-10 feet from the hole and begin putting. We golfers call that putting practice, but in reality it’s more about gauging the speed, as we are not really practicing anything.
First grouping we made 2 of 3. Then a few more. It was enough to drop it in the bag for a bucket list course trip and go right to the first tee. Did I putt better? Honestly, I would say no. Going from no practice and warmup to an incredibly hard golf course with harder green complexes than most will beat a person up. Yet on the 17th hole, with our match on the line, I stepped up and drained a 25 footer for birdie to win.
What does that all mean? Not a lot for most, but there are some massive takeaways. There is zero doubt you see the line and green better putting this way. Does that mean you will make more putts? Probably with time and getting a bit more comfortable with it. Think of this example. If you were asked to roll the ball at the hole on a green, you wouldn’t turn sideways to do so, you would face the hole. This philosophy holds true with the DT 31.6 putter.
Am I sticking with it? I am for now. One side effect from using the Face the Hole putter is it really opened my eyes (so to speak) to seeing the green a bit differently. You are staring down your intended line the entire time through impact and it is fairly enlightening for lack of a better word. I don’t know if this catches on, or continues to live in obscurity for only those “brave enough” to give it a try. Time will tell on that part.
The Face the Hole 31.6 putter is currently on sale for $249 at the time of this writing directly from their website. The company also has a lot of good information there for those looking for more on side saddle putting. What are your thoughts? Would you give it a try?
