[Lumpy_22]

Hello All;

Been struggling with the putter of late... well longer than that actually... Based on my handicap I should be averaging around 31-32 putts per round, yet I routinely average 34 or more... Had 38 putts on a round where I was 4 over......2 putted every green I hit wether in reg on not, and 3 putted twice, once on a par 5 that I reached in 2...

So after reading an old issue of a golf magazine, the article mentions that the arms should hang from the shoulders, and then grip the putter...

So without buying a new putter.... I went to Golftown before work ( I work nights, so I can do this..lol), and tried some different putter lengths. Now obviously they didn't have either of my scotty's in 33 or 34 length, but they did have other stuff, some odyssey's and rossa's. I spent about 45 minutes just rolling putts. Now I seem to putt fine with a 34, but made more with a 33 although it felt odd..

Here's the kicker though... as I write this my back is sore...Obviously I'm bending over more, so that makes sense....

Anyone have a feedback on anything similar. I'm 6'1" with average arm length (not long or short..I know this makes a differnce..) Just wondering if anyone else made this switch.

Also, I'm not chopping the Scotty's down, and I know that alters the feel of the putter..... any thoughts on this also???...

Thanks!

Gerald

[vulture20076]

I posted something to this effect about 2 weeks ago. I had a 34.5" putter that was giving me problems. Had it cut down to 32.5". Used a few creative techniques to get some of the weight back. However, I also completely changed my putting style in the past few weeks, so it is very difficult for me to say whether the change in length made a huge difference. One thing that is without question, the blade now lays flat without my need to constantly grip down on the club.

[*sigh*]

If you just want to feel your putter in 33" just choke up about 2" from where you are gripping it currently. Go putt around with it and see how you like it.

[Lumpy_22]

sounds simple in theory, and have tried it messing around (even marked 33" on the grip) but the head of the putter seems way to light.

so consequently I just seem to be more upright and am inconsistent on the greens...really from day to day I'm not sure..

My concern if I 'cut' my putter down, I t would change the charachteristics of the putter. For example, Scotty dosen't make the Newport 2.5 in anything but a 330 g head, 35" shaft, but a newport 2 would be 350 g for a 33" shaft. I could add lead tape, but that brings another concern that should I cut my putter or add something to it, would pretty much limit my ability to trade it if it dosen't work out... I suppose people do it all the time, and yes, I should have gotten fitted for the putter at the time of purchase, but I didn't buy it from a big box store or clubhouse shop where they have the facilities to do that correctly, or # 2 have someone that I trust to do it. Highly unlikely I'll let a young guy handle my $300 putter, rendering permanently altered...

Thanks for the idea, and sometimes the obvious is the most difficult point to do. That's why I tried putter's specifically made to a 33" length...

From what I understand the normal for most would be 32.5 to 34 so why do store continually sell 35" putters without fitting their consumers?.... Wait I know, they'll come back again, when that putter dosen't work right for them......Sorry for that rant....LOL

[atlanta golfer]

I had my ping G5i b60 cut from 35 down to 34 a few weeks ago and am very happy with the change. My arms hang more freely and much of the tension is gone from my forearms and wrists. The people at the shop where they did the work told me taking only one inch off would not have a significant impact on the balance.

Before I had the putter cut, I experimented with just gripping it lower, to make sure I would be happy with the change.

Note that the lower down on the club you grip, or the more you cut off, the head will feel lighter. This doesn't mean that you need to add weight. The putter head didn't change, only your perception of it. There is nothing inherently wrong with a slightly lighter putter head, in fact, this should give you improved distance control. It is just personal preference, nothing more.

[aromkey]

I personally have just gone through cutting down all my putters to 33" and the head became alittle light but nothing crazy. All i did was added alittle lead tape to the bottom of the head and got the head back up to the weight i like but the feel of the putter hasn't chaged a bit for me. Since i have done this though i have had some of my best putting rounds ever. So it worked for me but i know it doesn't for everyone.

[golfernut78]

all my putters are 33" now (i am 5'-10"). i cut my nike oz mallet and added lead tape to the head. my scotty newport beach i bought cut to 33" and the shaft was sugar filled. i took the sugar out and put 35 grams of lead weight/tungsten powder down the shaft. it lost some feel, but has a good swing. my scotty newport 2, red x, and futura are 33"/350 gram models and the yes callie and callie forged come with 355 gram heads and the yes olivia head has adjustable weights.

you do need to get the head weight back up. i've tried the odyessy's and while i like a number of them and the feel, the heads are just much too light at 33"

[Goldenhawk]

I am 5'9" tall. I use an Odyssey Black No. 2. The Black Series has a tungsten weight that is fastened to the back of the putter. This tungsten weight can be changed heavier or lighter depending on your preference or specs.

My putter is 33" long. And Callaway/Odyssey did a little customizing by putting a slightly heavier tungsten weight on my putter to place the exact weight at 350 grams.

[Babaganoosh]

32" 70gram back weighted Ping Craz-e One.... Love it, money....

[Jameson]

If you are debating whether or not cutting it will effect the VALUE Of the club. Dont cut it.

DO you want to be a better golfer and make more putts? Or do you want to preserve your clubs value should you want to sell it later? You cant get a little bit pregnant.

I think the idea of guarding your clubs resale value is ridiculous, if you plan on using it on course. I am all for keeping the clubs nice, and cleaning them after every shot, but when I am ready for new sticks, Ill buy em used again. I understand not nicking the toplines/crown as that is visually distracting.

You either want to play better, or you want your clubs to maintain value. I would rather show people I am a 6 hcp than tell them my putter is worth $300. Its embarrassing.

JC

[drewspin]

Pull the shaft, reshaft it with a new shaft cut to 33" grip it, then add some lead tape to the sole.

If you want to sell it, just pull the shorter shaft and reshaft it with the original shaft and grip.

Cheers!

[Juan73]

I had an Odyssey Two Ball Putter that was 35". It was too long, so I had it cut down to 32.5" and it was perfect from a length standpoint. HOWEVER, the head felt light and I found that I was leaving putts short.

So I did a little research and learned that my putter had become a B5 swing weight, which was WAY TOO LIGHT. Maltby suggests putters should be in the C6 to D2 range. So I could have added lead tape to the head to get it into this range, OR just go buy a 32 inch putter from Odyssey.

I opted to buy a new putter, and I love it.... well I didn't buy the original Two Ball, I purchased the new Marksman. I have only three putted once in the last 5 rounds, my putts per round have dropped by an average of 2, and I am very confident no matter what the distance.

So if you do not want to ruin your $300 Scotty, buy a $169 Odyssey or a Ping and get it directly from the manufacturer at the right length. Then if you don't like it you can sell it back or trade it in on other clubs.

Just one Juan's opinion.

[hbear]

even if you do cut it...it's pretty easy to get the length back with a shaft extender peice....

Btw are your high number of putts a factor of poor iron/wedge play?
E.g. 1st putt is too far away balloning putting stats.
I see that all the time...guys that have a high number of total putts....but don't put an approach inside 40 feet, or can't get a chip close...then blame their putting when it's really their iron/wedge play that is costing them strokes.

[NikeDD59]

Cut my np 2 cs prototype from 35 to 33.5.

[Lumpy_22]

Just wanted to reply....

"Btw are your high number of putts a factor of poor iron/wedge play?
E.g. 1st putt is too far away balloning putting stats.
I see that all the time...guys that have a high number of total putts....but don't put an approach inside 40 feet, or can't get a chip close...then blame their putting when it's really their iron/wedge play that is costing them strokes."

Kept full stats today because what said I believe, and besides I'm curious as heck..lol

So yesterday's round...
Score: 77 Putts: 31 Pars: 9 Birds: 1 Eagles: 1 Bogies: 6 2Bogs: 1
Fairways: 9 G.I.R : 9 (no too good)
Average distance to hole on G.I.R : 22 feet Putts per G.I.R: 1.88
Average distance to hole on missed greens: 15.4 feet Putts per non G.I.R. : 1.77

Interesting to see that the short game from 75 and in needs improvement.... go figure, stats don't generally lie...

Now I knew this already, but I believed that putting was the major issue, when accuracy is....

The day prior I shot the same score with 34 Putts, 8 Fairways, and 11 G.I.R. Unfortunately I didn't keep track of the distance stats. For the rest of the year, I will do this ( a couple weeks) that way I can get an accurrat guage.

I tried holding the putter lower (choking down) and it seems to work fine. If it goes well, I'll either reshaft at 33.5 or cut the existing shaft down...

Thanks guys....

[cubfanbob]

This is a question I asked of the Ping Customer Support department before cutting my Anser 2 down to 34" [from the original/stock 36"].

Their response was that while a 36" putter cut down to 34" will indeed feel a bit "lighter", it will feel the same as a 34" putter as it came from the Ping factory. In other words, Ping does not make different weight putter heads for different shaft lengths.

Not sure what other manufacturers do, but I thought I'd pass this along.

[justyn]

35" putters are the easiest to find, I take them home and chop them down to 33" and put on a Scotty Cameron baby t grip with two wraps. I am 5'11" with long arms.

I dont think that you would benefit from gripping down on the putter because you would be gripping the putter at a different postion on the grip than normal, this alone could cause some unexpected results (unless you play a grip that has the same dimensions all the way down the length of the grip).

[Crosier]

Ok...I've read all your comments about a shortened putter. Here's my situation and then my BIG question.

I LOVE the JAT style putters, but can't get clearance from the Tower to drop $500 on one. I picked up a TP Maranello 8-02 from a buddy that HE had cut down from a 35" to 34". I actually like a shorter putter even though I'm 6'0" so that was fine. The swing weight on it is a C5 though and I'm used to my Circa62's that are all D3. Obviously unacceptable to leave it at C5 and try to putt well with it, especially 10 feet in, it's too light and hard to keep on line.

So we've confirmed in this post that you need to add weight back to the putter to get the swing weight back to normal or OEM spec. So my question is this: where is the best place to add it and NOT affect the balance or feel of the putter? Lead tape is not pretty. And WHERE you put it on a putter I would think would matter a TON. If you think about the weight on an MOI putter, you want it low and back. But there's really no place to hide it except maybe behind the face.

My other option is dropping a 10g tungsten weight down the shaft and effectively increasing the headweight that way. This is the "prettier" option. Is there a chart somewhere that I can see exactly how much weight is needed to increase a 34" putter from C5 to D3 swing weight?

[Mike_C]

I had an old Ping 35" B60 that I used as a backup for years, I also choked up about 1 inch when I used it. When I wanted to get it regripped about 5 years ago, I had them chop off that extra inch. Bad move. Even after adding a lot of lead tape, it never felt the same, it felt harsher, I lost the feel with it. I haven't used it since.

[Funkey]

You know same here. I had a SC newport 2 that I cut down to 33.5" from 35". I felt this was a bad mistake. I used it about a week after that then sold it. The club just never felt right after the cut off. I had this done as part of a putter fitting. I'm sure the guy was right the 33.5" length is the best for me. But it just does not feel right. So now I'm just choking down the 1.5".
Now for the dumb question. If you choke down from a 35" I guess the weight does not change because it still has the total weight of the club? Right or Wrong?

[Crosier]

The overall weight of the putter doesn't change but the "effective" swing weight does...significantly. You're basically playing with it just like you had gone ahead and cut off the 1.5".

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one in this boat...but still no one has thrown me a life raft!

Come on all you putter geeks and gurus!!!

[Mike_C]

One thing I did seem to feel with my Ping after it was cut down was that I actually could feel that the shaft felt stiffer, which was probably the "harsh" feel I noticed.

I also have a Scotty Del Mar 3 that I got several years ago that was cut down to 33 inches, but I bought it used that way. The putter feel was OK, but it just was too light, especially if I was not playing on really fast greens. I never did try to add weight to this one though, that might work with it.....

[atlanta golfer]

Mike C:

I had the opposite experience to yours.

I also had my Ping B60 with insert (G5) cut down from 35 to 34 inches. Doing this plus taking a putting lesson has dropped my avg putts per round by over 5 strokes.

Note that I was in the mid to upper 30 putts per round range to start with, though. I was a bad putter. Now I am an average putter (for my handicap) and getting better, with lots more confidence.

I will say that I believe the lesson had more to do with the improvement than the putter length change, though.

[Crosier]

So I found this little nugget online (pay special attention to #3-6):

1. All Swingweights are based on the raw weights of the club's components. The shaft is not to be cut to length in order to pre-calculate swingweight.

2. The balance point of the shaft, particularly certain graphite models, may change the final swingweight by several points. A lower balance point will increase the swingweight; higher balance points lower it.

3. A change in the head weight by 2 grams will yield a 1-swingweight change in the club. Heavier heads increase swingweight; lighter ones decrease it.

4. A change in shaft weight of 9 grams will yield a 1-swingweight change in the club. Lighter shafts decrease swingweight.

5. A change in grip weight of 5 grams will change swingweight by 1 point. Lighter grips increase swingweight; heavier ones decrease it.

6. A 1⁄2" change in the length of a club causes a 3-swingweight point change. Lengthening a club increases swingweight; making it shorter lowers it.

So given the above information, if I want to go from a C5 to D3 swing weight, I need to add approximately 16 grams of weight to the head of my putter (makes even more sense considering the original swing weight on this putter is D1-ish and 1" was cut off, decreasing it 6 total swingweight points). That's waaaaaaay too much lead tape, so I will definitely be dropping a few tungsten weights down the shaft and doing it that way.

I hope this helps any of you who have had the same problems I have!

[MrMom]

hbear, on Sep 28 2007, 10:58 PM, said:

even if you do cut it...it's pretty easy to get the length back with a shaft extender peice....

I can attest to this. I cut my putter down from 35" to 33", and then put a shaft extender in it to bring it back to 35.25". No problems at all.

Now when I started practicing with the shorter putter I would bend over so much my back would strain, then tighten, and then it was just a matter of time before I tweaked it (A La David Howel, Andy North, etc...). If you are already noticing that your back tightens up on you with the short putter you may want to think twice about going with the shorter putter. At least I believe it was THE major cause for my back issues in recent years.

I went with the shorter putter because I liked the straight arms feel and just the turning of the shoulders. Since I have gone back to the more standard length I find myself standing more upright (allows me to practice without straining my back now), while still maintaining the straight right arm, my left bends a bit and I anchor against my left side, and I am still able to make my stroke with my shoulders. I have been working on the Tiger Woods one hand/two hand putting drill from Golf Digest in the November 2005 issue, and he put the same drill in another recent issue of Golf Digest. The drill gives me the same feel of taking the hands out of the putting stroke that the short putter did.

As someone who has tried both lengths of putters it seems to me that they sell the 35" putter length because someone a long time ago figured out that 35" was the length where it stopped putting undue strain on backs. Just my experience and Humble Opinion though.

[boxpressed]

I took an old Daiwa putter to my local Nevada Bob's and had it regripped with an oversize Lamkin grip. The guys said they would cut the shaft for no charge. So, it cost me about $6 for a new grip and shortening.

I went to my local hardware store and bought a 70 gram clevis pin. This fits perfectly in the top of the shaft (after I cut the top of the grip). So, I backweighted my putter for about eighty cents.

The swingweight feels great to me now, and this $20 putter has kicked an Odyssey White Steel out of the bag.

[Spoon]

now i am confused i want the length of my putter right i am 6' with long arms yet i was stooping way too low with a 33". extended mine to 35" and now its too long that i am having to grip lower than normal. i prefer this option though of getting something longer, that way i can change my grip orientation depending on how i feel. im having no problems with gripping down

[hbear]

It's a personal preference....with really no right/wrong.

Phil Mikelson is over 6' and plays with a putter than is 31" or so I belive.

DiMarco is MUCH shorter and plays with a longer putter....

It's not just based on height...but how one likes to setup to the ball and what feels the best.

[bigstunnerdude]

I've just switched back to a normal putter after being a long putter user for the last 15 months. I got a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 at 35" as I'm 6 foot 1 and have short arms. Was putting very average to poor with it. Had a lesson yesterday and the Pro had me gripping probably an inch to inch & a half down the grip, with a slightly wider stance and obviously with me positioned with my eyes over the ball. Got a nice little inside-to square- to inside path going and was solidly rolling in putts. Then 5 minutes later I had to ask to stop the lesson because my back was killing me and had tightened up something rotten. We moved round the green, set up some more putts he spent a few minutes demonstrating then my turn again. 5 minutes later I was in agony again.

Tried today at lunch, went out to practice a few putts and no doubt about it the setup and technique works but after a couple of minutes it becomes to painful to carry on. Will this ever improve? Will I get used to the shorter short putter or would I be much better off going back to my broom length putter?

[hbear]

suppose it depends on how strong you back/core are....

Obviously the stronger you are, the more resistant to fatigue you become.