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What really happens during a putter fitting?

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With all due respect to the flastick, it’s probably safe to say when most golfers envision a club fitting, the last “club” they are thinking about is the putter.

Dial in a driver, optimize your bag setup and gapping, find the right irons and shaft combination — even wedge fittings probably garner more attention.

Should they? Shouldn’t we be paying more attention to making sure the club we use on every hole — with which the margins are the slimmest — is optimal? Shouldn’t the process of putter calibration be more sophisticated than grabbing one off the rack that feels good and you holed a couple of putts with on the equivalent of outdoor carpet?

The team at Club Champion, the nation’s No. 1 club fitter, certainly think so, and they were kind enough to answer a few questions on the subject of putter fitting.

And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention golfers get their fitting fee waived all September long at Club Champion — a $100 value — this month when they purchase a new putter.

GolfWRX: Why is putter fitting important, first of all?

Club Champion: So many reasons, but the easiest to understand is that the putter is the only club you use on every hole. It’s not a full-swing club so it’s not as sexy as a driver when people think of fitting — you aren’t gaining distance or obvious bragging rights. Instead, you’re dialing in your control on the greens, which is where the most strokes can be saved. For most average players, putts account for 40% of their strokes…there’s a ton of room for error there if your putter isn’t the proper head style, weight, length, and so on.

GolfWRX: What should a golfer bring to a putter fitting?

CC: Their current gamer and an open mind. We find that putters, more often than many other clubs, tend to be an emotional purchase versus a performance-based one. Putters are so stylized and can be so beautiful, so we see a lot of people coming in with preconceived notions about which brands or models they’re dying to have in the bag, but that isn’t always the right option for their stroke. Having an open mind and trusting the SAM PuttLab data is just as important as trusting the numbers in front of you when TrackMan is telling you which driver is the best performer.

GolfWRX: Is a putter fitting done as part of a full-bag fitting, or what is the process?

CC: The putter is included in our full bag fittings and we offer putter fittings as a separate fitting type as well. The best value is to do the whole bag at once but there are plenty of people who want to experience a putter fitting on its own.

GolfWRX: How do the goals of a putter fitting differ from (or are similar to) the full-bag fitting?

CC: At the end of the day, all fittings share the same goal of lowering your scores. A putter fitting is a slightly different approach, in that we use SAM PuttLab technology instead of TrackMan, but we have a similar process — set a baseline with your gamer, use that data to dial in the club specs you need, test your options, recommend the best performer. We’re looking for more control, better feel, consistency and more.

GolfWRX: What is the process for putter fitting?

CC: As stated above, we’re starting with your gamer. We use the SAM PuttLab system to collect dozens of metrics about your stroke with your current putter; everything from your face at impact to your spin to your lie at impact and so on. We then take the data generated by SAM PuttLab to dial in the ideal head style (mallet, blade, etc.) and then we go from there. We’re looking at everything — weight, toe hang, even sightlines and shaft options — to make sure that you’re aiming properly and staying on-line each time.

GolfWRX: In terms of results, what do most golfers see?

CC: There’s no one-size-fits-all result in any fitting, but we usually see a measurable difference in speed control. When your putter looks and feels right, you’re able to better judge distances and the force needed to get the putter to the hole. We also tend to see a correction for common problems — consistent left or right misses and so on.

GolfWRX: If a player likes to switch between putters for different green speeds or has a few putters in rotation, what do you suggest s/he does?

CC: We don’t see this often, but we always try to dial in the basics like length and grip size so there’s consistency across all options. Then, we take a look at their specific uses for each putter and work on tweaking the other elements to best suit those uses.

GolfWRX: How often should a player be fit for a putter? Is it best to do it before, during, or after the season?

CC: There’s never a bad time to be fitted but before the season makes the most sense. Frequency is really dependent on the player and what they’re looking to get out of their game but a rule of thumb is to check in on your gamer annually to be sure lofts/lies are still dialed in, to replace grips, etc.

GolfWRX: Do you ever recommend non-traditional putter styles?

CC: Yes! We have a couple armlock options, including the SIK putter that Bryson plays. We worked on an exclusive Bettinardi collaboration that yielded a great long-neck option. We even have a couple putters that stand up on their own so you can read the green with the putter lined up. We have a little bit of everything.

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5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Pingback: Club Champion Master Club Builders discuss the craft – GolfWRX

  2. Frank

    Sep 14, 2021 at 8:23 am

    Totally agree with Bill above. Overall, I’d rate this article a “flop” at best. Didn’t learn a thing.

  3. MCoz

    Sep 14, 2021 at 3:34 am

    People have to be open to what works best for each individual. And most often the best putter head and fit is nothing like what they think they should putt with. I have worked on fitting putters as a side favor for putter manufacturers and the players for several years across the country. Most of the time someone can become a better putter but they have to start with a “clean sheet” and an open mind. Often their “favorite” model doesn’t fit the player at all. Overlooked is the players vision and their dominent eye can play a part also. It can be much different than other club fittings and no less important, maybe more so!

  4. William Dutton

    Sep 13, 2021 at 11:35 pm

    this should be marked as an advert for club champion I didn’t learn anything at all about putter fitting.

    “we use SAM put lab and sell you a putter’

  5. Mike

    Sep 13, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    This was a useless article it’s stating the obvious who doesn’t know to get fit.

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

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Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Equipment

Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

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With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

 

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play? 

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week. 

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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