Face balanced putters

Evok

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Are their any advantages or disadvantages to a face balanced putter? I've never owned one and quite frankly know nothing about them. Id assume they would fit certain people better than others? Any thoughts?
 
I have always understood that they fit best with a straight back, straight through stroke.
 
Bump for the putter gurus out there
 
Feel during the stroke. I'm not a tremendous believer in the toe hang determining stroke shape. But face balanced putters tend to have distinct looks at address and will feel different during the stroke.
 
Before my Putting journey with Seemore, I swore they were made for people that feel they putt straight back and straight through. But now knowing that there is a slight arc to the stroke, that myth has been dispelled. I know if I have too much toe hang I tend to leave all my putts out to the right. Face balanced seem to sqaure up better for me
 
Thanks for the info guys. I want to try one and just see if one will make a difference because right now with my ix #9 I literally miss everything right. I'm sure it could be my alignment or stroke but I wonder if the #9 isn't helping me.
 
Thanks for the info guys. I want to try one and just see if one will make a difference because right now with my ix #9 I literally miss everything right. I'm sure it could be my alignment or stroke but I wonder if the #9 isn't helping me.

i tried to implement more of an sbst stroke (although i think it's impossible to be 100% sbst), and at the time i was gaming a 2006 scotty cameron newport studio 2 that had toe hang. i wanted to buy a face-balanced putter to match the sbst stroke, but most face-balanced putters were either mallet shapes or were center-shafted, neither of which fit my eye. but ping had recently put out the tr tatum putter which fit my eye and was face-balanced. after putting with it for maybe 6 months or so, i developed the yips and still can't shake them. because i'm an internet golfer, i blame the equipment for the yips. in my quest to resolve the cognitive dissonance, i try to justify blaming the equipment by saying that because i need some toe-hang in my arc'd stroke, i developed some right-hand "squaring" of the face to compensate for the face-balanced putter. is that true? probably not. but i NEVER had the yips until i put that putter in the bag.
 
A face balanced putter puts the moment of inertia along the same plane as the shaft. This means you have the same weight in the putter head on the left and right of the shaft. This makes it easier for the putter to stay square during a straight/straighter putting stroke. If you have an arced putting stroke it then makes it more difficult to bring the putter back to square. Manufacturers always talk about increased sweet spot for off centre hits but tbh that's irrelevant.
Caeleric you shouldn't be using a face balanced putter for an a arced stroke. Try changing back and let us know how you get on.


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A face balanced putter puts the moment of inertia along the same plane as the shaft. This means you have the same weight in the putter head on the left and right of the shaft. This makes it easier for the putter to stay square during a straight/straighter putting stroke. If you have an arced putting stroke it then makes it more difficult to bring the putter back to square. Manufacturers always talk about increased sweet spot for off centre hits but tbh that's irrelevant.
Caeleric you shouldn't be using a face balanced putter for an a arced stroke. Try changing back and let us know how you get on.


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I think the guys at SeeMore would beg to differ. They have built an entire brand on faced balanced at impact with an arched stroke.
 
I think the guys at SeeMore would beg to differ. They have built an entire brand on faced balanced at impact with an arched stroke.

You are confusing face balanced with face balanced at impact. I am sure they would recommend a toe hang face balanced at impact putter for an arced stroke and a face balanced - face balanced at impact putter for a straight stroke.
They make both.
Face balanced at impact is a very interesting concept which in principle makes a lot of sense but I have not experienced it so I cannot comment on it effectiveness. Not for not trying to experience it but seemore putters are not sold anywhere close to the places I travel to.


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You are confusing face balanced with face balanced at impact. I am sure they would recommend a toe hang face balanced at impact putter for an arced stroke and a face balanced - face balanced at impact putter for a straight stroke.
They make both.
Face balanced at impact is a very interesting concept which in principle makes a lot of sense but I have not experienced it so I cannot comment on it effectiveness. Not for not trying to experience it but seemore putters are not sold anywhere close to the places I travel to.


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When I was fit by SeeMore last June at the THP event, wih my arced stroke, I was fit into the mFGP, which face balanced at impact.

Here is a video with Ted explaining the concept, the SeeMore he uses for the video is the PTM1, which is the same design as my mFGP.

https://youtu.be/JctyNR7NEtA

https://youtu.be/6i7ZMQ69Ic8
 
When I was fit by SeeMore last June at the THP event, wih my arced stroke, I was fit into the mFGP, which face balanced at impact.

Here is a video with Ted explaining the concept, the SeeMore he uses for the video is the PTM1, which is the same design as my mFGP.

Yes but as you can see in the video face balanced and face balanced at impact are not the same thing. From the video you can see the putter he's demonstrating with is not face balanced. It is face balanced at impact. Thus they gave you a perfect fit for your stroke.


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Yes but as you can see in the video face balanced and face balanced at impact are not the same thing. From the video you can see the putter he's demonstrating with is not face balanced. It is face balanced at impact. Thus they gave you a perfect fit for your stroke.


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Yet in the second video this dispose of the face balanced myth since we dont play golf at 90*, show that they dont have to be mutually exclusive and show the problem with face balanced but not face balanced at impact causing you to manipulate the stroke to close the putter face, qhere as face balanced at impact worked with every stroke they made in both videos not just an arch os SBST
 
Yes but the fact of the matter is that you were fitted with a toe hang putter by seemore themselves.
Regardless I think the number of wins on the PGA with face balanced putters shows the strength that they offer.
From my recollection all of seemores wins have come through toe hang putters.


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I'm a slight arc putter, face balance squares up better when playing the ball from center of my stance where I like it. When I play toe hang the ball tends to play better towards my front foot where my eye doesn't like seeing the ball.
 
Yes but the fact of the matter is that you were fitted with a toe hang putter by seemore themselves.
Regardless I think the number of wins on the PGA with face balanced putters shows the strength that they offer.
From my recollection all of seemores wins have come through toe hang putters.


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I think blades, "anser " shapes especially , are predominate. I fact, I don't remember the last major won with a face balanced blade. Webb Simpson maybe?
 
I'm not sure tbh. The most famous was probably jack nicklaus's last major


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I'm not sure tbh. The most famous was probably jack nicklaus's last major


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That was a massively big blade putter. I remember seeing that and being astounded on the size.
 
I had a unique experience last night relating to face balanced putters. The first putter I ever bought was face balanced and was just sitting in the basement. For the heck of it I out a SuperStroke 2.0 grip on it and started putting with it and it immediately felt perfect to me. I made my first 8 putts in a row with it from 12'. I've been working on a slight arc stroke but using a toe hang or slight toe hang putter, and this one felt so much more natural. I need more practice with it to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but I might be going away from my $200 putters to play a putter I got off eBay for $12.50.

Which current Odyssey putters are face balanced?
 
I am actually thinking about going back to a FB putter (#7 probably) as I have always found I make a lot more putts within 10 ft to save pars and bogeys (U/D) than I ever do with a toe hanging putter. The challenge for me with a FB putter had always been distance putting as you know we don't often hit it to within ten feet on approach shots...LOL But the critical distance is inside of 10 feet to shoot good scores IMHO...so I had given my current putter a chance but I think it is time to go back to FB and practice lag putting with it??? Probably going shopping this weekend?
 
I had a unique experience last night relating to face balanced putters. The first putter I ever bought was face balanced and was just sitting in the basement. For the heck of it I out a SuperStroke 2.0 grip on it and started putting with it and it immediately felt perfect to me. I made my first 8 putts in a row with it from 12'. I've been working on a slight arc stroke but using a toe hang or slight toe hang putter, and this one felt so much more natural. I need more practice with it to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but I might be going away from my $200 putters to play a putter I got off eBay for $12.50.

Which current Odyssey putters are face balanced?
That's awesome Neb, im hoping for something to match up for me as well. I like the #9 shape and have been grinding on the greens trying to make it work but it simply isnt. Starting to realize maybe it isnt a good fit for me. Going to roll some blades this weekend and see if anything is better. Haven't even held one in years lol
 
One hears a lot of talk. I've heard people talk about "releasing the putter", "closing the gate," etc.

If you use your hands to manipulate the putter, my thoughts are that a non face balanced putter is easier to manipulate, whereas a face balanced and/or high MOI face balanced putter do not want to turn in your hands.

I never understood the closing the gate stuff, as I just wanted the putter to square up at impact along the arc, i.e.. remain square to the arc.

I've putted with face balanced, toe at 4:30, etc., high MOI face balanced, face balanced at impact - SeeMore mFGP ... using the same stroke, which is a slight arc while remaining square to the arc. I do not turn my wrists over - "close the gate." I still think that language is imbedded from the last century.

I now use an Edel torque balanced putter, which is toe up.

I think several things matter - it starts with a shape, lines, and hosel that allows you to aim where you intend to aim, headweight, shaft feel, counterweighting, length and lie that are fit to you to reach your potential as a putter.
 
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That's awesome Neb, im hoping for something to match up for me as well. I like the #9 shape and have been grinding on the greens trying to make it work but it simply isnt. Starting to realize maybe it isnt a good fit for me. Going to roll some blades this weekend and see if anything is better. Haven't even held one in years lol

I just switched from a Yes! Mollie (Del Mar style) to a Yes! Bella. Been working pretty well for me. I think I'll wind up using the Mollie long term, but I have no issues with the Bella at the moment, am putting with it pretty darn well. And I hadn't used a blade in probably 7 years.

Sometimes change just for changes sake can be helpful, even if it is purely a placebo effect type thing.
 
I think several things matter - it starts with a shape, lines, and hosel that allows you to aim where you intend to aim, headweight, shaft feel, counterweighting, length and lie that are fit to you to reach your potential as a putter.

Very good points made here...I cannot just putt with any FB putter as I have tried many. All these things have to play into the decision.
 
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