One positive thing that has come from the crazy times amidst our world’s battles with COVID is that more people are either being introduced to, or coming back to, this beloved game of ours. Within that has also been some interesting trends to watch. Yes, sales are through the roof right now and that has created a whole litany of supply issues (which we discussed here), but it has also lead to a surge in fitting.
Proper fitting is something we have talked about at length for years here at THP, and we adamantly believe that it can help golfers of any level. As time has passed, the expansion of top tier fitting locations like Club Champion have made it easier than ever to find a place to get a thorough fitting, and that accessibility is a driving force behind the boom. However, the overwhelming focus continues to heavily be from tee to the green, but what about on the green?
Why a Putter Fitting?
I don’t want to say that putter fitting is an afterthought as that does come off a bit harsh, but it definitely doesn’t get the attention which it deserves. Why is that? Well, golfers are fickle, particularly golfers who believe they are good at something, or perhaps more apropos would be many are stuck in the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mindset.
Well, when it comes to putting, I can tell you why. As someone who has gone through multiple putter fittings over the years (the most recent documented here) I can say with absolute certainty a putter fitting doesn’t have to mean changing your stroke, it means making it more efficient, and thus you more effective on the greens.
Look, I get it, golfers are quirky, and interestingly when it comes to putting, we are even more so than normal. Whether it is a fear of change via potential cost, not wanting to change what has always been the same, or just fear of ending up with something that doesn’t fit our eye, a great deal of golfers tend to shy away from the idea of a putter fitting.
A message that I personally feel fitters like Club Champion present exceptionally well, is they convey to the person in the fitting that even if you don’t want to change your putter or your putting stroke, you can always improve your performance with what you have. Thanks to devices like the SAM Putt Lab, top tier fitters can show you how important the things we take for granted in an off the rack putter are, and how they impact performance. Think of it this way, the exact same things that impact your performance in the rest of the bag play a significant role here too, maybe more so, where millimeter misses amount to another addition on the scorecard.
Take for example something as simple as length. We know that length dictates posture which can free up a putting stroke and even make the line more visible to the golfer, therefore impacting your performance. Interestingly, this is one of those aspects which so many of us “self-fit” for comfort, and while there is merit to that, what isn’t considered is how it can exacerbate things that will then accentuate misses no matter how consistent your stroke.
Look no further than lie angle for an understanding of how something small, which doesn’t change your stroke, can make a world of difference. All of us have seen (or are guilty of being) golfers with the toe way up in the air through the stroke, well that upright toe can lead to a left miss and something as simple as adjusting the lie angle flat (just as is done with irons) will allow hand position to remain the same in the stroke while now being able to properly sole the putter for more consistency. Of course, I know some are thinking “well, I see pros on TV all the time with their toe up in the air”, and while that is true, they also practice putting for a living and are the exception to the rule, goodness knows we amateurs need all the help we can get.
Similarly, too much loft through your stroke could lead to a roll which skips and hops its way to becoming the picture of inconsistency when it comes to pace on the greens. Yes, you can go buy a putter with the newest groove or insert technology to help with roll, but fitting is still critical to optimizing performance. You see, the uniqueness of the putting stroke means we all hit up, or down, on the ball differently, and a fitting utilizing things like SAM Putt Lab let you see your own specific putting framework. On a personal level, my last fitting showed I have a very positive Angle of Attack (AoA) into the ball through the stroke but also extremely consistent, that lead to some significant skidding at a “standard” 3° of loft. However, when taken down to 0.5° we found a pure roll that meant I no longer had to work for distance off the putter. It matters.
You want your mind really blown? Length, loft, and lie also add up to impact our ability as golfers to produce a consistent face angle through the stroke. Various studies have been done to show that over 90% of putt direction comes from face angle. Going even deeper, to make a putt from 8 feet your face angle has to be less than 1° open/closed, from 15 feet that becomes less than 0.5°. This doesn’t even consider things like break, so why would you want to eyeball something like how a putter fits you?
Look, we all know those golfers who putt the eyes out of everything, they’ve used the same putter forever and never had a fitting for it in their lives. They are the exception to the rule just like PGA Tour players. We, however, are mere mortals, and with that we are inconsistent.
What is the best way to battle inconsistency in putting? Eliminate the variables.
How do we eliminate the variables? Well, practice does indeed help, but so too does a thorough analysis of how a putter fits you. By going to work with a qualified fitter, you can give yourself a chance on the greens that doesn’t just hinge around being “hot” or “cold”, it is about being consistent.
Plus, a putter fitting doesn’t mean you need to go buy a new putter. Though some shapes or alignment setups may work better than others for you, when it comes to a putter fitting you can still dial in the one that you love and know that having the right loft, lie, length, weight, and even grip is giving you a better chance than what you had.
Have you ever gone through a putter fitting? Is it something you might consider? Let us know your experiences and thoughts, jump into the conversation below or with thousands of other golfers on the THP Community.
It’s putter fitting month at Club Champion and that means if you do want a new putter, they will give you a free putter fitting to go along with that purchase.
The three SAMlab putter fittings I’ve done or witnessed have all been a complete waste of money imo. Might be a coincidence, but if you aren’t having any specific concerns, I would not recommend it.
I have had about a handful done now and each time been really impressed with the amount of info I am seeing and how accurate the Sam Putt Lab is. Each one confirmed how loft and lie have impacted the roll I am seeing and how a couple of simple tweaks led to more consistency.
When I had my Edel Putter fitting, it dove into alignment that was fascinating with the use of lasers, which we have a video on as well.
That’s a shame, as the three I’ve done have all been incredibly insightful as to what is happening in the stroke and how that impacts putting consistency, as well as what type of putter would be optimal for my stroke or how to make the current putter more optimal.
A putter fitting at a proper location is a game changer.
I also have a tendency to get nervous during the stroke and for me, the shoulder rock (or other stroke) was not working with a heavy headed putter (350+g). A machine did not say, "Hey, you need a lighter putter head at 34.5-35 inches and a lighter grip on the putter to increase tempo, or "maybe we need to go to a more athletic stroke. That shoulder rock ain’t rocking for you." That’s where the human element and experience comes in to interpret what the data is telling them.
In sum, get fit. A machine can tell you what is occurring with data. We need a human to diagnose the cause.
This was a big emphasis I tried to put in the CC putter fitting i documented for a different homepage article. The SAM lab is amazing and worth its weight in gold, but so too is the fitter running it. When combined? It would be impossible for someone with a willingness to listen to find more consistency or even a better outer setup to allow them to find more.
As others have noted, a proper fitting session *with a knowledgeable fitter* could be a game changer for many players.
It’s interesting how many of us acknowledge the benefit of a proper fitting with drivers and irons but then neglect to do so for the most used club in the bag.
It blows my mind honestly. I’m always amazed at the lengths one will go to to get their irons and driver just right, but just grab a stock length and lie putter off a shelf and throw all that care to the wind.
Out of curiosity, why would the break change your stroke? Alignment would change of course. I am WAY on the other side of this one as the elimination of any variables should be the way to go.
I’d think you’d want it both ways. Use a SAM, as @JB said, to eliminate variables.
If putts are not falling after the SAM analysis, you may want a separate putting lesson with an instructor to review your routine, analyze break, and to see if you are doing something outside that may be inhibiting your ability to make more putts.
I consider it all of the time but never follow through with it.
I’m sort of where you are on this. It’s been several years since I last did it, but I’ve done it three times at Club Champion and each time I was told my putter was good for me, but they tweaked loft, lie, or both. I don’t feel like it amounted to lower scores though. Maybe it’s time for me to try again.
You see exactly how you stroke.
You see what dynamic loft your putter has.
You see what the face is doing at setup.
You see what the face is doing at impact.
You see how the ball leaves the head.
You see where you make contact on the face.
All of these things can be model (and even alignment aid) specific. All of these things can support steering in the direction of shape, toe hang, alignment option, weight, and length to put you into the best possible head for success.
What I think people tend to do, is look at a putter fitting more like a putting lesson. If you get into a situation where your fitter is tweaking you more than the putter, you would do well to stop them and let them know your stroke isn’t changing, the putter needs to.
I would agree with this. Its a lot of data and its not explained clearly.
For me, I guess figuring out if it’s an actual putter issue is just as important as figuring out if you just have a terrible putting stroke. Kinda like in full swing fitting, it’s nice to know if you’re just bandaiding a bad motion or if it’s consistent enough, but the equipment is indeed the culprit.
See post #26.
I guess those are two different things though. If one is constantly tweaking their swing, stroke, motion or setup, a fitting will dynamically change. No different than full swing. The delivery shouldn’t change if a putt breaks or not though.
That last section is truth. A fitting and a lesson are two different things, people lose sight of that.
Club Champion last year, fit in to a Scotty Phantom, ordered and love it.
Awesome to have a putter fit your stroke. Would highly recommend a fitting.
Again, like anything there are good fitters and not good ones.
That was the goal my man, thank you for reading!
Setting proper expectations… It’s not like you’re going to go to a driver fitting with an aggressive outside/in move and get fit into something that hits tight draws that start right and turn over. There has to be some level of consistency and realistic expectation in play to achieve the best possible results.
Admittedly, I may be blending a putting fitting into putting demo’ing. I’m not sure they didn’t blend them when I had them done to begin with, which does make it more confusing.
In the same boat. Same distance issues for me regarding CC.
How many putters were used?
In my fitting, we used two putters. The first one was my gamer, which isolated some of the common errors based on my stroke + that style of putter. We then switched to another one that was more supportive of my stroke, and saw many of the variables tighten because of it.
Each page on SAM has excellent information to isolate to a putter. Path (determining arc vs SBST), face rotation, face at address/impact etc (see; alignment style changes), basic speed consistencies (see; weighting), launch characteristics (see; loft changing), and then plenty of other things that could lead into better education elements.
If you went through SAM and didn’t learn everything you need to know about your stroke, and how to combat it with a putter shape, you had a bad fitter.
I honestly think distance and location is the biggest barrier to a ton of people ever getting any fittings. As a rural guy, I totally get it, it’s a bummer.
I think the other part of it might be intimidation.. People see SAM data and get WAY overwhelmed and lost in it.
There’s enough data out there (and on this forum) to have golfers go into a SAM fitting educated on what the numbers mean, at least to the point where they can talk WITH the fitter about the data rather than getting overwhelmed.
This is true, and with putter fittings in particular there’s just the general barrier of not grasping the impact a degree here or there can make when it comes to lie and loft and their impact on going from a streaky putter to a consistent one.
Also, a fitting won’t make a sh***y green reader a better one. People don’t grasp that.
I’m not rural but there isn’t a location close to where I am here in Albany. My choices for CC would be:
Hartford CY
White Plains NY
Hackensack NJ
Rochester NY
You mean like when your buddy comes to town with his barely-any-loft putter and you love the way it jumps off the face?
Ugh.
Hahahaha! 0.5* to be exact!
Frankly I have been toying with trying an armlock also and I think custom fitting is critical for those.