Putter Fitting - What You Should Know

All manufactures are making it easier and easier for the club professional to do golf club fittings for their members. This is not limited to drivers and irons but has expanded to being able to do wedge and putter fitting at your club for you. How many times have we all heard it, putting is more than fifty percent of your shots taken in a round of golf. Yet, we all still spend more time with the driver and are willing to get fit for that but not go through a putter fitting. Why not get a putter fitting before the other bandits in your regular group do? Again, the putting fitting systems that are supplied to the PGA Professional will make sure that you have the proper putter in your hand. This will allow you to make your stroke without needing to manipulate the putter.

The professional will basically take you through four stages of the putter fitting. This would include:

1. Putter Fitting - The putter length - I find that a least 80 percent of people are playing with putters that do not fit them. The vast majority are too long for them. Most players should be able to take their grip and stance that allows their arms to freely hang to where they grip their putter. When your arms bend, you are creating more levers and more moving parts. Most "standard" putters found in golf shops are 35 inches and longer. This is simply to long for most male players let alone female players.

2. Putter Fitting - The lie angle - The lie angle is the angle created by the bottom of the club and the club shaft. You want your putter to sit flat on the putting surface. If the lie angle is too upright (toe in the air) for a player they will have the tendency to start putts to the left of the target. Conversely, if the putter is too flat (heel in the air), the player will then have the tendency to start their putts to the right of the target. The length and lie angle will play a large part in whether of not the player is positioned such that his eyes are over the target line and if the putter is sitting flat on the ground.

3. Putter Fitting - The putter loft - Yes a putter does have loft. Typically 3-6 degrees. This needs to be thought about depending on your consistent impact position. Players that forward press and are able to keep the handle ahead of the impact tend to like putters with a little more loft on them.

4. Putter Fitting - The amount of offset on the putter- This will be determined by the type of stroke you use and how you deliver the putter into the ball at impact. If you have difficulty with allowing your hands to be ahead of the ball at impact, an offset putter may help you.

Again, your local PGA Professional can help you pick out the correct putter for you. Considering that putting accounts for give or take half of your score, depending on your ability level, having a putter that allows the player to make a more efficient stroke is an easy solution to lowering your scores.

Having your next putter fit or your current putter modified to fit you through the use of a putter fitting, is a simple solution to better golf and lower scores.