Does Your Putter Suit Your Stroke?

by Christopher Wright – BSI – PGA Golf Coach

To book a golf lesson contact Christopher Wright: Email: chrisw@bsisports.com Mobile: 079 668 3433 • Tel: 011 485 1067/8. Christopher is a Class A qualified member of the PGA of SA, having graduated with his PGA Diploma through BSI Golf in 2011.

Most golfers do not understand the importance of buying a putter that actually suits their stroke. Individuals tend to base their purchase of putters on the fact that it may be the new trending product on the market or they buy a putter for the reason that a friend has informed them of one that they are currently using and it works wonders for their game; however, in this case the specific putter may suit someone else’s stroke but not your own – thus the importance of finding the putter best suited to your stroke.

So, let us discuss the key elements in the putting stroke that can influence the type of putter you should use. These factors can potentially solve the issues you might be having with your putting.

There are two basic putting strokes:

1. The straight-back-straight-through putting stroke
2. The arced putting stroke.

Both these strokes are very different from one another, thus they require different tools ( putters ) to work more sufficiently. Below is a example of the different strokes :

To find out which stroke you have: Place two clubs or alignment sticks on the ground (parallel to your toe line) with your putter set on top of it. Then hit putts in this manner and assess how much the putter does, or does not, veer off the alignment stick nearest to the toe of the putter. This will indicate the type of stroke you have. For example, if the toe veers away from the alignment stick you have an arced stroke, if the toe does not veer off then you have a straight stroke. View an example in the images below:

Now that you have determined your putting stroke style, we can take a more detailed look at putters and assess which best fits your stroke and will improve your putting.

There are two styles of putters, the toe balanced putter and the face balanced putter as seen in the image below. These two putters react very differently and require a unique putting stroke to optimize performance. Below is a description of the differences :

Face balanced putter

Face Balanced describes putters that have a face that points upwards ( view image above ). This will mean that the centre of gravity is directly below the axis of the shaft. Most of the weight is situated in the face of the club which causes the club face to open less on the backswing and close less on the follow-through, this is why they are recommended to players with a straight-back-straight-through putting stroke

Toe balanced

Toe Balanced putters are putters whose toe points to the ground ( view image above ). This means the centre of gravity is not directly below the shaft axis. Most of the weight is on the heel and toe, which increases the sweet spot on the putter face, it also increases the amount the clubface opens and closes throughout the stroke and is therefore better suited to players with an arc in their putting stroke.

Not all putters are designed to be either face balanced or toe balanced. Many putters fall somewhere in between, with some degree of toe hang. Golfers will find if they can match their stroke type to the correct balance of putter, they will be more consistent on the greens.

How to determine the balance of your putter.

You can check if your putter is face balanced or toe balanced by balancing the shaft on your finger. If the toe points downwards then it is toe balanced and if the face points upwards then it is face balanced

Now that you have a better understanding of the relationship between stroke and putter type, you may now get the putter that best suits your stroke, resulting in more consistent putts and enjoyable rounds.