One hugely overlooked factor in putting is that of the weight of the putter that you use.
A senior golfer more than any other can be affected by the weight of the putter because of the way that the weight affects the swing of the putter through the ball. Find out whether a heavy putter head could really benefit your putting with this tip.
Problems of using a light putter.
The new Swing Science FC-ONE B1 putter has adjustability as it’s middle name. With a removable sole plate that has room to add up to six standard weight plugs. It starts at 330 grams unshafted and can be pushed to 364 grams unshafted with all the weight ports filled. Lighter = Subtracting 10 total grams of head weight from Standard, which takes away 5 swingweight points. Heavier = Adding 10 total grams additional head weight than Standard, which adds 5 swingweight points. Extra Heavy = Adding 20 total grams additional head weight than Standard, which adds 10 swingweight points. Lead weight is the way to go to get the right swing weight. Another option would be finding a lightweight putter grip to increase the swing weight. Golfworks sells rubber coated tungsten squares that might be more visually appealing on top compared to lead tape but that depends on your preference.
The ideal putting stroke is one where the putter swings backwards and forwards in a straight line towards the target. If a putter is very light it is extremely difficult to manipulate the putter to swing naturally, particularly if, as an older person, the muscles in the shoulders and arms are less flexible, stiff or weaker than they once used to be. If the putter is very light in weight, as it is taken backwards away from the ball there is a tendency for it to move around and wobble off line. This is because it becomes too easy to use the smaller muscles in the wrists and hands to control the putter. Also, in the forward swing, the wrists and hands have a tendency to dominate and 'flick' the putter through the ball rather than letting it swing as it is difficult to feel the putter in the hands through the weight being too light. With a putter that is too light these factors cause inconsistency in distance control on longer putts through a lack of feel, and inconsistency in accuracy on the shorter putts as the club is twisted too easily through impact.
Benefits of using a heavy putter.
If a putter has a heavy head it dictates the swing of the club far more as it is harder to move the club off line. The putter will swing slower, more deliberately and with better rhythm as the smaller muscles in the hands and wrists are unable to manipulate the club so much. Imagine the extreme of a putter weighted like a sledgehammer. It would be very difficult to push and pull the sledgehammer through the ball and so the golfer would naturally let it swing slowly back and forth using its momentum rather than the power of the holder.
With a heavier putter the tendency will be to use the bigger muscles in the shoulders to swing the club and so there will be less movement off line through the ball promoting a more accurate putt. Also the putter will swing in a more pendulum-like fashion with better rhythm and a more balanced length of back swing and forward swing – all giving the golfer more control of distance of putt.
To make your current putter heavier you could do one of two things – Either buy some lead tape from your local professional which is a heavy adhesive tape that you can stick to the head of the putter, or have your putter cut down by two to three inches. This second option lessens the total weight of the putter but redistributes the weight so that there is more in the head end of the club, thus promoting more club head feel.
The other, more favourable, option is to simply buy a heavier putter. Whichever option is chosen, putting with a club of a heavier variety is surely a way to improve putting for the senior golfer.
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An acronym for Moment of Inertia.
The Moment of Inertia (MOI) of a putter is a measurement of its resistance to twisting on off-centre hits. The greater the figure, the more stable your putter will be. |
Techno-talk
It is the techno-talk manufacturers use to promote their putters. In simple terms the moment of inertia is the measure of a putter's resistance to twisting on off-centre hits. The greater the moment of inertia, the less the putter blade rotation and loss of energy.
The way to increase the MOI of a putter is to move weight away from the centre of gravity (CG). In other words you redistribute the weight away from its balance point.
Hanger Test
DaveTutelman gives the example of two identicallyweighted coat hangers suspended by a piece of string. If you tap the centre ofeach hanger it will swing back and forth, but not twist.
However, tap the end of each hanger and the hanger with theweights close to the centre of gravity will rotate faster than the hanger withthe weights spread apart.
Although both hangers have the same mass,their weight distribution is different, and this affects their moment ofinertia.
Ping Anser Putter
In 1966 Karsten Solheim used this principle of physics to create what became known as the Ping Anser putter.
By taking away the mass at the centre of the putter through a cavity back and redistributing it at the heel and toe of the putter, he improved the playability of his putter.
MOI Bandwagon
Other manufacturers have joined the MOI bandwagon either by copying Solheim's design or with big-headed mallet putters with extreme weighting away from the centre of gravity.
Bobby Grace Putter Design |
MacGregor Golf produced an elongated putter, the Response ZT 615, which was used by Jack Nicklaus to win the 1986 Masters.
Increasing the heel to toe length helps stabilise a putter at impact in much the same way as a tightrope walker uses a long balancing pole.
Sweetspot Contact
The Moment of Inertia of a putter would be irrelevant if golfers were capable of consistently contacting the ball on the putter head's sweetspot. Because they can't, the effect of off-centre hits can be minimised through design.
However, whatever the manufacturers say, you can't enlarge the sweetspot - you can only enlarge the area of forgiveness. How significant this is for distance and directional control is a matter of opinion.
Scatter Pattern
Scatter of Hits |
Frank Werner and Richard Greig in their book How Golf Clubs Really Work and How to Optimise Their Designs concluded that the scatter of hits on the face of the putter (pattern error) for a typical golfer have a surprisingly small effect on most putts.
Far more important were errors in alignment angle and squaring the putterface to the target.
Summing UP
So what does this all mean to you? In all probability you are more likely to miss putts for reasons other than the moment of inertia of your putter.
Besides weekend golfers wouldn't have a clue what the MOI of their putter is, or even what moment of inertia means.
Fiorella 2004 drivers side mirror. If you putt with a recognised make and model of putter that has been custom-fitted for you, your focus for improvement is best directed to working on the different skills of putting.
A change to another putter based on its comparative moment of inertia is probably not warranted.
Average Putter Weight
Image Source
1 = www.bobbygraceputters.com
2 = Adapted Drawing from How Golf Clubs Really Work and How to Optimise Their Designs
1 = www.bobbygraceputters.com
2 = Adapted Drawing from How Golf Clubs Really Work and How to Optimise Their Designs