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Trying to find a new putter.

PingZing2

Can you HACK it?
Jun 6, 2005
184
0
I have been looking at getting a new putter for awhile. I have an Anser and a Newport but just don't feel like I am hitting them that well. I ended up selling a 2 ball that I had and am kind of regretting it (not alot though). Went and demoed a few and just looking for recommendations.

1. Tried the Heavy Putters, I like it for short shots but it just seems to have very little feedback and distance control seems like it may be an issue. Hitting in the store a tiny bit too much swing and the ball was gone. May not be as big as an issue on the course as I think.

2. Ping Craz-e was next, it wasn't too bad. The one thing that I didn't like was it just didn't feel balanced correctly for me.

3. The Yes! Victoria II was in the top two. I liked the balance of the club and the feedback was there. As well I really like the C-grooves and way the ball rolls off of them. I had a little bit of a hard time trying to line it up, but that is something I can work on.

4. The last one was the Rife Barbados, I was impressed. This is the first time I have putted with any of there clubs. I liked the feel and balance. I just don't know a whole lot about them. And back to my original problem some of the issues that I have may not be an issue on the course or with a little practice.

I would appreciate any input you guys may have on the clubs as well as others that you might recommend I look at. I just wish I didn't have to buy them before I took them on the course.
 

Stanters

Trinket King
Aug 13, 2006
1,096
1
Putters are such a personal business and you have tried the top end of the market so far and haven't found the one yet.

Maybe have a look off the beaten track or try another Scotty. The RedX is a lovely putter and the older Studio Designs have a great feel and be picked up relatively cheaply.

Speak to Ezra too - he loves his Kirk Currie - would be worth a try.


If I were you I'd perservere with the Newport but I'm not you - as I said - it's a personal business :)

Good luck - its tough to find that special one
 

Sandpiper3

Golf Course Designer
Aug 9, 2006
5,058
2
If i were to get a new putter, guarantee it'd either be a Rife Barbados, or a Red X.

Thatd be my 2cents.

Just try every putter in the store until you find the best feeling one.
 

indacup

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Jun 1, 2007
1,519
37
Iowa
I have a Slighter Putter built to my specs and territory...if I didn't I'd be using probably the Maestro putter from Mentor Sports...it's the most advanced and versatil putter I've ever seen..using weight ports you can not only alter head weight/swing weight...but you can also arrange WHERE you want the weight to be.
 

Wi-Golfer

Golfer on hiatus.
Supporting Member
Jul 25, 2007
8,147
1,474
Madison, Wi
Country
United States United States
Maybe I am way off base here, but I think the whole putter deal is kind of a farce. What makes a Scotty worth $300? There is no magic involved & someone could give me one & I wouldn't putt any better with it than I would a $15 K-mart Wilson special. I have seen plenty of people putt with some of the crappiest looking putters & they did just fine. I just don't buy into all the marketing hype regarding them.

I can see where technology would make a better & more accurate Driver, fairway wood, etc....but a putter?
 

gunning4u

Well-Known Member
Dec 31, 2006
694
0
I can see where technology would make a better & more accurate Driver, fairway wood, etc....but a putter?

I kind of see your point this year I have bought two new putters the first one was a 200$ Betinardi- Mizuno sold it after about 3 weeks the next one was a 185$ 2 ball blade and played that only for about a month. I just couldn’t putt as good with those as I can putt with my Teardrop and it’s only worth about 35$ on e-bay. I like the look and feel of it and it rolls the ball great. I have tried some 300$ putters out some of them I liked and some I hated, but if a 300$ putter worked better than what I have I would get one with out hesitation. It’s so personal when it comes to putters if a 15$ putter feels and looks good to your eye and you can putt with it great good for you, and the same thing with a 2000$ circle T.
 

Wi-Golfer

Golfer on hiatus.
Supporting Member
Jul 25, 2007
8,147
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Madison, Wi
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It’s so personal when it comes to putters if a 15$ putter feels and looks good to your eye and you can putt with it great good for you, and the same thing with a 2000$ circle T.

I believe it's a combination of a placebo effect/ mental attitude. You pay the big $$ for any club & you will try & put a little more effort into making the thing work...because it's supposed to be a magical club.

Either that or you have some sort of emotional attachment to a particular club because it was your dads or grandpa's etc & you just play better because it makes you feel good.
 

Sandpiper3

Golf Course Designer
Aug 9, 2006
5,058
2
I believe it's a combination of a placebo effect/ mental attitude. You pay the big $$ for any club & you will try & put a little more effort into making the thing work...because it's supposed to be a magical club.

Either that or you have some sort of emotional attachment to a particular club because it was your dads or grandpa's etc & you just play better because it makes you feel good.


There is the plecebo effect a little regarding the putters with a pricetag, but thats very minimal at best.

Putters are 100% all about feel, it has nothing to do with price, its about how the thing feels in the user's hands, the type of metal used, the weight, the length etc.

I literally tried over 100 putters, many even the exact same putter, just a different one off the shelf, personally two putters that looked and basically were exactly the same felt entirely different to me. When at first I bought my SC, i got it down to a few models, but couldnt find the one of those few that felt just that little bit better.

Ended down to my SC model, and one of the original Rossa putters, honest to god went through 7 different GolfTown locations to find "just the right one" of these two putters I liked best, first one of the two i would find I was guna buy, finally on the 7th store I found the SC that was "the one".

Ill say I wish that the putter that felt best to me was a cheapo, but unfortunately didn't work out that way, but ill use a broomstick if it gets into the hole the fastest. Your comments on the putter are in a sense correct, but wayyy off base and complete BS imho.
 

kiwi

Kiwi Club Ho
Aug 20, 2005
168
0
Yep I have about 8 putters at the moment. My gamer..... a $30 Carbite belly. Probably costs the same as one of the grips on one of the others
 

Andy299

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2007
117
0
I think that there are technological improvements in putters just as well as in other golf clubs in recent years. However, maybe for a lesser extent. There are certainly companies out there doing research and trying to have a better understanding of what and why works and what doesn't work. This does not mean though that there aren't any old putters out there that aren't perfectly balanced, cheap to buy secondhand and can be more effective in one's hand than any new putters you can buy.

The biggest problem I see with putters is that most of them are made (read any given model) to have a specific weight, one specific shaft and one specific lie. The length for most of them is 33, 34 or 35". However, the head weight and the lie remains the same irrespective of the shaft length. Surely the putter will feel different at each of these shaft length.

Consider that you like the feel of the putter with 34" shaft, but the length and/or lie will not be right for you! If you do not like the feel of the 33 and 35" versions, it does not matter whether the length and the lie might be perfect! Well, that is a big problem!

When an 18 hole golf course's par is determined, shots for each hole is allocated to reach them in regulation and also two putts per green are allocated for each hole to finish the hole in regulation. For a par 72 course, that would be 36 shots and 36 putts. Most of our clubs are tailored to our personal needs to match our swing, NOT THE PUTTER THOUGH. At least not for 99% of golfers.

It is no wonder that we all or at least most of us try our best with putters that we are ill suited to or if you like putters that are ill suited to us.

I have never seen any putters where there would be options for us buyers to say I want to try this putter with a different shaft. Yes, we can buy the putter and then change the shaft, but the options are still limited for weight, flex, shaft balance, etc. We can test most of our clubs with different shafts. This is simply not available to us when it comes to putters!

Surely a putter with one specific lie is not suitable for all people to putt with. This is not an option either! Yes, some putter's lie can be altered, but again for most of them this is not an option, because they will break if you try to bend them.

I think there is a hell of a lot of room for improvement when it comes to putters.

It would also be great if there were some experts out there who could fit us properly when it comes to buying a putter.

I have a number of putters. None of them are the latest models, but some are/were considered to be really good at least in some pro's hands eg: Ping Answer, See Moore, Bulls Eye, a number of heal shafted, center shafted, blade mallet, face balanced, etc.

For me, all the putters I own work for shorter or longer periods of time then I must switch to another one. With some I can make short putt easier while can not control distance. With others I am controlling long distance putts well, but miss a lot of short ones. And so on. However, I still struggle to find one that meets all requirements: easy to align to the intended line, feels comfortable in my hands, has a good feel on contact with the ball, equally good on short, medium and long putts.

Some of my putters were as cheap as $5, while the Ping Answer I bought new many years ago when it came out. I shot my lowest scores with it yet at times I can't make any putts and must take it out of my bag. My other favorite putter is an old blade putter, Ben Hogan Swing Weight Plus L (Ladies model) made by Slazenger. It had a rusted shaft and partly missing grip. Got it for $5. Put a graphite shaft in it and a new grip on it and it is by far the best long distance putter I ever had. However, I miss a lot of short putt with it.

I do not buy putters that do not look right at address, puts me into an uncomfortable putting position, does not feel right when it contacts the ball, etc.

Obviously some aspects of my putters suit me, while other aspect of them aren't quite perfect for me. So, the search is still on for me.

It may not be the putters at all, but my putting stroke. :laugh: However, I am hoping that one day I discover that the not quite suitable putter specifications were the cause of my putting struggles!:laugh:
 

dave.

Well-Known Member
Mar 20, 2005
5,926
2
. What makes a Scotty worth $300? ?


easy answer,milling from solid blocks of carbon steel,same for Ping Redwoods and Odyssey Blacks,as opposed to cheaper cast putters

they are also technically very good,you can also ay for customisation ie loft,lie and of course head wieght

so there are many reasons to pay the cash
 
OP
PingZing2

PingZing2

Can you HACK it?
Jun 6, 2005
184
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #12
I have to agree with dave. Is a Scotty worth $300 for some. Yes and no. I personally don't think any one club should be worth that much and I have bought a few that cost more then that.

The problem is something is only worth what people will pay for it. And for many clubs, people will pay to get a club that feels good, fits them, and gives them the confidence (for a few this may be a cheap club). The thing for me is I will pay to get something that I like and that feels good. Many don't think twice about buying a $250 to $500 driver, but won't consider paying much more then $50 for a putter. Personally I haven't used used many $15 cast putters that were well balanced, looked square at alignment, had good feedback, and rolled the ball well. This is not to say that some of the less expensive putters don't have a few of those aspects.

Wi-Golfer at one time I would have agreed with you on why pay so much for a club, especially a putter. When I was a 20 +- cap golfer I didn't see the point of expensive clubs because there were so many areas that I could make up strokes with.
 

ualtim

Carrollton, TX
Supporting Member
Aug 20, 2005
7,779
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United States United States
Wow, dave actually saying a putter is worth that much. Even a Scotty, no less. :laugh:

Dave hit the nail on the head. The manufacturing process is what seperates out the large price diference from a Scottty, Bettinardi, Redwood, Black, Slighter, TP mills and the cast steel that most of the the "cheaper putters" are made from. It is very similar to the cast vs. forged iron debate. Some believe that the feel is worth the price increase, others do not. Of course, being a Titleist, you will be a $50 premium on a Scotty over some of the other OEM's that produce milled putters if you buy it retail. eBay is your friend here. I have been able to procure my Scotty's for $220 and under in mint or better condition. It takes some patience, but deals can be had if you can avoid the "gotta have it" bidding.

The biggest thing about procuring a putter is finding one that works for you. Whether its a $20 or $400 putter, try to have a few goes with one before you go ahead and snap one up of eBay. Once you find the specs, head style, neck style, and weight that works for you, it is a bit safer to take a flyer on a putter without giving it some runs on a green or practice area.
 

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