33 replies to this topic

[broomsticker]

As my screen name suggests, I am not new to long putters.  I have messed around with side saddle for several years while sticking with "conventional" long-putting.

The putter shaft must be at least 10 degrees off of perpendicular to be legal.  If you are thinking about trying side saddle I would recommend trying to find a putter that is close to the limit.  Most long putters are close.  Most belly putters have significant less lie angle.  Meaning that when you try to putt side saddle with a belly putter, you will find that the heel is too far off the ground.

I am looking to adopt side saddle for 2016 on.  My M.O. is going with 2 putters, a long putter to putt side saddle with on the 10 footers and in, and a short putter for longer tries (a method I used the first time I ever shot even par).

[tvandyke]

I've been putting sidesaddle for about the last 6 months.  I use the Face On approach where I look at the hole, not the ball.  It took a while to get used to and I definitely took a step backward before I took a step forwards but I'm now a few strokes better than I used to be.  The main reason I switched was it allowed me to stand with a more upright stance, which was much easier on my back and allowed me to practice for much longer periods of time.  When I first tried it, I started with a standard, Odyssey 2-ball long putter.  However, the lie angle was 22 degrees and the heel tended to lift up more than I liked.  I eventually just decided to shell out the doe for a Reeso-Cook Face On putter.   It has a lie angle that's adjustable all the way up the the maximum that's legal of 10 degrees.  It also has adjustable weights.  The other nice thing about it is that if I want I can purchase a standard length shaft and swap it out with the long shaft if I ever wanted to.  I've been anchoring the putter shaft against my right shoulder but it's not much of a change to move it off the shoulder a couple of inches in order to comply with the new ruling.  I'd defintely suggest giving it a try.  I won't be switching back any time soon if ever.

[Paul Cleeve]

wonderputter.com  explains everything about replacement of any "anchor or pivot" putter.
definitely a new era in putting. Long sidesaddle putters allow your leg to get in the way. Walking up from behind the ball and putting FORWARDS seems logical.

[Tactical Golf]

Great article, and well timed. One of my golf buddies for 20 years used to putt croquet style when he played high school golf, until the ruling that went into effect 1968 about straddling your line. He tried sidesaddle with a little success, but went conventional the last 40+ years until last Friday. We were doing our typical putting for who buys the Diet Pepsi when he just walked up to a practice putt sidesaddle and drained it. I made the mistake of convincing him to switch to it as his technique. So he grabs one of my demo SeeMores, a belly Si3, and starts to make putts from everywhere. We play our little game, I went and bought the Diet Pepsi's, and we kept working on his stroke. We were trying to find a consistent set-up, ball position, etc., and he found that using the SeeMore "hide the red dot" philosophy to work. I am not saying you have to have a SeeMore to do this, as much as I want to...lol.

Any putter will work, short, belly, or broomstick...I messed around with it until dark just in case I need to teach it to a student, and brought out my 50" Ping B90 and my other B90 that I cut to 41" to try as a belly putter a couple of years ago. I find that I prefer the broomstick as I stand taller and see the line better. Last night went in to PGA Tour Super Store to try some SeeMore broomsticks that they had...made 8/10 and lipped 1...uh ohhhhh....