Centre VS Heel Shafted

[Sandpiper3]

Whats the diff stroke or "technique" (theoretically) between a heel shafted and centre shafted putter? Which is suppost to do wat differently and watnot?

[kwcsports]

I think a center shafted putter fits a straight back straight thru stroke and a heel shafted is better for the open and close stroke.

[chemboy2]

Originally Posted by kwcsports

I think a center shafted putter fits a straight back straight thru stroke and a heel shafted is better for the open and close stroke.

I don't believe shaft position plays as big of role as weighting when it comes to straight thru vs. arced (open/close).

Face balanced putters work best with straight thru. While toe weighted putters work best with the open/close arc stroke. Come to think of it though, I can't think of a center shafted putter that is not face balanced.

[Sandpiper3]

Originally Posted by chemboy2

I don't believe shaft position plays as big of role as weighting when it comes to straight thru vs. arced (open/close).

Face balanced putters work best with straight thru. While toe weighted putters work best with the open/close arc stroke. Come to think of it though, I can't think of a center shafted putter that is not face balanced.

Supposedly the Seemore putter is heel-toe weighted? At least thats wat they say on their site and on the ebay scripts.

[chemboy2]

if it's heel-toe weighted then it should work for you. i'm assuming that the heel-toe weighted SC currently works for you...

[Sandpiper3]

No, putting is the only thing keeping me above scratch (hehe.. I wish)

(Its really my tee shots holding me back, but were not talking about that, I swear to god I get more wood in a round then quagmire from Family Guy has in an entire season of episodes).>>Yes im talking about hitting trees you sick freaks!

[emc]

A 2-Ball is a face-balanced putter, as are most if not all mallets. The PING anser style is toe-balanced

[dave.]

Originally Posted by kwcsports

I think a center shafted putter fits a straight back straight thru stroke and a heel shafted is better for the open and close stroke.

this is correct

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

Whats the diff stroke or "technique" (theoretically) between a heel shafted and centre shafted putter? Which is suppost to do wat differently and watnot?

Where are you missing your putts? Are most of the misses left? Or, are most of the misses right? Do you leave all your putts short? Or, do you bang most of them by the hole? Mark off a spot 6 - 8 feet from the hole, on your practice green, and putt 20 to 30 balls from that spot. What are the tendacies of those putts?

It is difficult to groove a perfect 'straight back, straight through' pendelum stroke. Most who think they are, should lay down a couple of 1X2's along the line and see how difficult it is to actually do. Yet, most of us do either attempt to make straight back, straight through swings or gated swings.

I feel there are two main issues when selecting a putter. First, the putter MUST look good to your eyes. You use the putter for over 1/3 or your strokes per round. It needs to suit your mindset of what you think will roll more balls to the hole. Secondly, the putter must be able to control speed on your greens. Most putts are speed putts. It you bang 'em 10' by on a large percentage of your strokes, you will be taking out any break that is readable. There's nothing more devastating that a 10' come backer for bogey! Likewise, you cannot maintain a consistent stroke if you feel you are banging it as hard as you can to get it to the hole. The putter needs to have the proper weight, insert, etc. to maintain a semblence of the speed required for you and your greens. Once the putter looks good to your eye and you can stop lag putts within 3' of the hole... the battle is virtually yours.

The last item... and this goes back to those 30 putts you made from 8-10 feet... is EXACT directional control. First, you must rely on a grip that will repeat. Pelz maintains you will be much more consistent with the left hand low. (I agree with him.) But, whatever you decide is the most consistent... repeatable... grip for you stay with it. Now, if a large percent of your putts are pulled to the left... put a dab of lead tape on the toe of your putter. That will slow the closing of the toe ever so slightly and you will find the center of the cup. Likewise, if you find yourself pushing a large percent just by the right side of the cup... put a dab of lead tape on the heel of your putter. Now, the toe will close a little quicker and you will begin making those putts.

The winter season has set in. This is the season to get to know and love your putter. This is the time to develop an intimate relationship with the club that will spend the most time in your hands next season. Wear out the carpet in your living room. Find a place to stand the putter close by your bed at night. Take the putter to the office and spend your lunch break stroking putts across the carpet. The more familiar you are with your putter when next season rolls around, the better chance you have of knocking strokes off your score. Good luck!!!!

p.s. Whew! I'm way too long winded this morning! During the off season, check and manke certain the grip is on your putter perfectly alighned with the blade/face. A large percent of the OEM putters you find in the store have the grips misaligned just a bit. Either take the putter to a good clubmaker who can check the alignment... or you can do it yourself. Clamp the putter in your vise (make sure you protect the shaft) and, with a torpedo level, get the face perfectly vertical. Now, with that same torpedo level, you can check how perpendicular the grip "flat" is to the face. Any misalignment of the putter grip could be cause of your leaving putts left or right of the hole.

[Pa Jayhawk]

I think the balance of the putter has more to do with the nature of the stroke you use than the shaft mount. I would question if the Seemore is actually face balanced, if it is it seems to defy what I heard on the logic behind the device. Firstly, a heel~toe weighted putter is not necessarily face~balanced. They are two different concepts. For example, my old #4 white hot was heel toe weighted yet had a slight to hang. This also brings up the idea of center shafted and heel shafted. It was a heel shafted Anser style with offset. So I think depending on the design of the shaft, you can likely duplicate the same effect of a center shafted putter yet mounted on the heel. Where a heel mount with a straight shaft would likely benefit a inside~square~inside stroke. I think whether a heel toe weighted putter is face balances has to do with the shaft mount, and design of the shaft.

The reason the concept of the Seemore seems strange to me is that I would imagine a heel~toe weighted putter, that is center shafted would likely be faced balanced, yet the whole idea behind the Seemore is to achieve an inside~square~inside stroke, yet still maintain a pendulum effect. Most of the logic I have heard regarding this is that a face balanced putter is more condusive to a square thru putting stroke. Curious whether this thing is face balanced.

edit 1 - Sandpiper, something else I would only imagine, and would be necessary to obtain the correct results with the desired stroke. I would only imagine you want to have the ball in the direct center of your stance and not even with your front eye. I am not sure what school you come from on putting but if you do in fact line up with your left eye, or center with a forward press, I would only imagine it may be awkward to get used to lining up dead center. But this is only speculation, realize there may be other reason the putter is hard to align correctly at first. I guess that may be a common trait with inside~square~inside, but not something I ever tried. So just because it seems strange to me, it is likely just because that is not how I putt.

[Sandpiper3]

Yea, PA i line my putts off my left foot (forward). And to make this aid even weirder is im blind in my left eye, so im actually looking at it completely crooked... But i have been tinkering around with my putting abit making sure everything is comfortable, so we'll see.

Limpalong, i can tell you for a fact my putting grip is miss-aligned, although i dont think im guna fix it because some of my best putting came at the end of the year, and i just noticed recently it was misaligned, probly from sitting in my trunk. My misses are generally short and left btw.

On the straight back/through, that is wat i have. I really do have a straight back and through stroke because when i started golfing my dad gave me a 1x2 and told me to go at'r. I adjust my shoulders and keep everything solid throughout my stroke, but it feels completely natural to me, and other ppl always comment on how they wish they could keep the putter as steady as i seem to, they say it feels awkward, but awkward to one is normal to another in this crazy game...

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

...but awkward to one is normal to another in this crazy game...

Isn't that the truth!!! That's why you'll never hear me jump up and down and say "My way or the highway!" when it comes to, as you put it, this crazy game. Everyone should attend at least one Senior (now Champion') PGA event. I haven't been to one since all the "textbook" swings of Kite, Haas, etc. have come up. But, early on attended a couple of the events with Coody, Trevino, ChiChi, etc. It was so evident the secret was to get the ball into the cup. There were no 2 swings alike. There were no 2 putting styles alike. Yet, at the end of the day, the scores were all excellent! So often we get wrapped up in "black and white" theories and forget "It's not 'how', it's how many!!"

[JEFF4i]

Exactly, center-shafted are akward to me, but normal to others.

[dave.]

Originally Posted by emc

A 2-Ball is a face-balanced putter, as are most if not all mallets. The PING anser style is toe-balanced

pedant mode>heel-toe balanced,to be precise