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Does cutting down a putter shaft really "throw off the balance"?

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kkelley

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I recently purchased a putter from one of the better known boutique brands. I love the new flat stick overall but now realize it needs to be an inch to an inch and half shorter in length.

After reaching out to the rep, he is telling me it is just a 5 minute fix so I am assuming he is just going to cut it down and re-grip it. I have read elsewhere here that cutting down a putter will throw off the balance. Is this really true?

Thanks!
 
Some people think so. It will change the swing weight. I doubt it will affect the balance all that much if any.


HOWEVER, In my honest opinion it wouldnt ever be something that a 24 handicap, 15 handicap, or even 4 handicapper would notice. Swingweight(in putters) and putter head weight are two things that I think too many people make much ado about nothing and IMO its something that people get way too caught up in. Big margins like going from 150G to 400g in putters I can understand, but when people say the only headweight theyll ever play is 340g I just laugh.


I think you should be just fine hacking off 1.5 inches.


Glad you found a flatstick you love!





kkelley said:
I recently purchased a putter from one of the better known boutique brands. I love the new flat stick overall but now realize it needs to be an inch to an inch and half shorter in length.

After reaching out to the rep, he is telling me it is just a 5 minute fix so I am assuming he is just going to cut it down and re-grip it. I have read elsewhere here that cutting down a putter will throw off the balance. Is this really true?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Balance no.. swingweight yes. Depending on how heavy the head is you might be ok cutting an inch off. You will have to adjust to the new "feel" of the putter. There are several things that you can do to offset the effect of cutting it down: leadtape, lead powder down the shaft, or counter weight it but that is all personal preference.
 
Thanks for the quick and helpful responses as I am to take it in tomrrow... FYI, the head is on the heaver side 360 or 370 grams I think. I was so into how the thing looked and felt overall that I didn't really think about length. This putter is 35" and I am used to 34" and was thinking even then that I could go maybe a half inch shorter. Regarding adjusting to new feel, that shouldn't be difficult as it is only a few days old. I just don't want to ruin the feel I already have with this putter.
 
Thainer said:
Some people think so. It will change the swing weight. I doubt it will affect the balance all that much if any.


HOWEVER, In my honest opinion it wouldnt ever be something that a 24 handicap, 15 handicap, or even 4 handicapper would notice. Swingweight(in putters) and putter head weight are two things that I think too many people make much ado about nothing and IMO its something that people get way too caught up in. Big margins like going from 150G to 400g in putters I can understand, but when people say the only headweight theyll ever play is 340g I just laugh.


I think you should be just fine hacking off 1.5 inches.


Glad you found a flatstick you love!
Click to expand...

I agree. I don't think the weight should matter that much. I had my Ping putter shortened to get my eyes over the ball by a putter fitter. It made all the different in the world. I'm making way more putts than I ever did. It was an eye-opener for me!
 
Swing weight, yes but going from 35" to 34" won't be noticeable. It's when you get to the 33" and below levels that you start noticing. I'm a high capper and I could tell the difference when I cut my 34" to a 32". Some lead tape worked for me.
 
Well, I had it cut down an inch to 34" and had the fitter add some lead tape under the grip. The good news is that I feel much more comfortable over the ball so I believe this is the best length for me. Now this may just be between my ears... but the putter head feels lighter now. I liked the feel of the head before we cut it.

How do I counter this? Would removing the lead tape under the grip help or should I have him add an optional lead insert where the shaft meets the head?

Thx!!!
 
Glad I found this thread. I am looking at doing the same thing with a putter I have on the way. I got a Odyssey white Ice #1 35". I usually use a 34". I couldn't pass on the price of the putter winning it at $66 on the bay. The head on the 35" #1 is 355g. I am hoping that cutting 1" off doesn't through the putter all out of sorts.
 
I did it on my Bettinardi, like you Snyperx I got a good deal on Ebay. I had my pro cut it down 1" and honestly I didnt feel a difference except the confidence it gave me at address. This is coming from a 15 handicapper so take it with a grain of salt, but I think you will be just fine.
 
FWIW, I ended up pulling the extra weight I had previously added under the grip to counterbalance things and added a couple of pieces of lead tape to the back of my putter. This seems to put the now 34" putter back to more of the way it felt as a 35". I am experimenting with the weight as I am planning on adding more. Once I get the correct feel, the rep for the putter manufacturer will be able to put some tungsten (i think) weight down the shaft equal to the weight of the lead tape so I can remove that.

Once you get the hang of the process, things work out pretty well. I highly recommend getting the length right for you and then work in balance and swingweight from there.

Thanks to all earler in this thread who helped point me in the correct direction!
 
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