Putter Stroke/Face Rotation

[MH]

Can a person putt well with either a face balanced putter or a putter with toe hang without manipulating their natural stroke? Obviously a putter fitting is the best option for anyone but in my case due to logistics it is simple not an easy option.

The question I have is can a person with a slight arc stroke still get away with using a face balanced putter and vise-versa? Is there a typical miss you would see if you were using the wrong style of putter? Does it mainly come down to what suits your eye? For example I really like the look of a short slant hosel but not sure if it is the best style for me.

For you guys/gals who have had a putter fitting did it surprise you? Have your results been better since?

 

[Sox_Fan]

I had a fitting last year and the fitter said I should a face balanced putter because I had excessive head rotation in my stroke. He also said, since I typically use SeeMore putters, that I could use any of their face balance at impact putters. Since that fitting, I have worked on reducing the putter head rotation in my stroke.

 

[MH]

I had a fitting last year and the fitter said I should a face balanced putter because I had excessive head rotation in my stroke. He also said, since I typically use SeeMore putters, that I could use any of their face balance at impact putters. Since that fitting, I have worked on reducing the putter head rotation in my stroke.

Interesting, he said to use a face balanced putter to force you to work on a sbst stroke?

 

[Sox_Fan]

Interesting, he said to use a face balanced putter to force you to work on a sbst stroke?

Not necessarily. I believe the object was more to help reduce the face rotation. He said toe hang putters tend to cause more rotation during the steoke and that I didn't need any help in that area.

 

[razaar]

Just keep the stroke simple. The hands move parallel to the ball/target line with the clubhead following the ball/target line. The shaft will ride against an imaginary fixed rail, moving up and down the rail when the putter head moves further than the hands. This is referred to as keeping the putter on plane. The putter head will travel on two arcs - a horizontal arc and a vertical arc due to the lie angle. Never think rotation, think horizontal arc.
To answer your question - yes. Some players have a preference for where the shaft inserts into the putter head relative to the COG or sweet spot on the putter face.

 

[MH]

So how important is either a face balance or toe hang? Do either actually make that much of a difference?

 

[razaar]

So how important is either a face balance or toe hang? Do either actually make that much of a difference?

Not to me. I have played with toe hang putters, face balanced putters and a heel hang putter. My preference is the heel hang putter. For me it is a feel thing at the time.
The heel hang putter has the shaft angle pointing to the toe side of the sweet spot of the putter face.

 

[Desmond]

I do not manipulate the face during the stroke, have one face balanced putter hanging in the closet and slight toe hang putters. I also have one DelMar type putter with more toe hang. What's in common is not much offset - no more than 1/2 offset.

I've found that for me, I prefer slight offset/toe hang. I don't add arc.

I can play SeeMore, Bett, Swag. My only heavy toe hang is a TP Mills DelMar type putter. Love the look, it's German SS. And I can play it, changing the grip to GP Classic.

I can play face balanced but prefer not to do so.