Finding The Sweet Spot on Your Putter

Two years ago I decided that

Two years ago I decided that the fastest way for me to improve my game was to make putting the best part of my game.

Once I felt like I was putting pretty well I decided to have a contest over a week's time between all of the putters that I had.

I had purchased just about everything since I started playing and had several different styles and brands.

The putter that won the contest was the very first putter I ever owned that I bought at a garage sale for $1 (and only used it for a few weeks because I supposedly couldn't putt with it). Ha ha!

I sold all of the expensive putters the next week. It won the contest fair and square and I still use it.

Thanks Steve, will keep all

Thanks Steve, will keep all that in mind....

Not feeling bad for you Roger

Not feeling bad for you Roger. 75's great. I'm hoping to bust the 80 wall soon.

LOL! Thought you had taken a

LOL! Thought you had taken a wrong turn down a road where everything didn't look puke green? :)

I have an old ProGear putter with the half moon of ridges on the face.ÃÂ It claims to provide "Less Skid & Better Roll". I used it for a long time.ÃÂ Now I have an Odyssey center shafted putter that seems to be working OK. Trying to get my putts down to 30 or less.ÃÂ Averaging 32-34 now.

Thanks Robert, that is what

Thanks Robert, that is what the Pro told me to do, in one of my lessons!

Marilyn

Interesting. I've been

Interesting. I've been finding that I roll the ball better when I get it closer to my front foot, about where I'd set p to hit a 3 iron. I tend to be hitting up on the ball better in that position and getting a cleaner roll up to the hole with far fewer putts left short.

I just kept a page in a

I just kept a page in a notebook for each putter with columns for different aspects of each putt hit with that putter.
Most of the putts were on the line on my rug in the living room. A few were on the putting green at the course. In both cases I was putting at a dime from different distances trying to literally stop the putt on a dime.
I had a column for quality of roll, one for speed, and one for direction.
I would score each putt in each of the three categories on a scale of 1 to 5.
Sometimes I would hit 10 putts with each putter and sometimes I would hit 3 putts each and sometimes I would rotate putters every putt. A putt that had no wobble in the line on my ball as it rolled, that stayed on the chalk line, and finished touching the dime would get a 5 in each category
At the end of the week the highest score was the winner.

As it turned out it wasn't a close contest so it was an easy choice to just go with the winner and get rid of the others.

#1.ÃÂ NO#2.ÃÂ Yes

#1.ÃÂ NO
#2.ÃÂ Yes

He established himself the first year on tour.
How do you pick and choose what to agree with?ÃÂ It's a system not a buffet.
Steve is really good.ÃÂ
Your definition of bad is askew.ÃÂ If you break 100 you are in the top 10% of all golfers (including pros) worldwide.

Thanks for your opinions but what was the point?

Robert Meade:

ÃÂ me too! -- my dream is to break 80.ÃÂ I have shot 80 and 81 more times than I can count, but so far I haven't been able to collect that " one more stroke"

ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ But "one of these days" (think Jacki Gleason to Alice on "The Honeymooners)ÃÂ LOL

ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Amos

I used the pencil drill

I used the pencil drill yesterday on the practice green and today while warming up to play.ÃÂ I like it and it really seems to help.ÃÂ It helps your back because you don't have to bend over all the time like you would with a tee.ÃÂ Just move the pencil around so it squares with your p;utter head.

Yes, Steve, with the heat

Yes, Steve, with the heat/humid stuff, I have seen that line, it does help!

mw

Well, to answer your first

Well, to answer your first question, yes it is very hard to compete against the best in the world. At anything!

As for the rest of the comment: Most of we "regular posters" are just a bunch of people trying to play the game as well as we can.
I have no way of knowing if we, as a group, are better, worse, or about the same as any other group of golfers with the same demographic make up.
I can't figure out how you can know the answer to that question without seeing any of us play. What are you going by?
You can't go by the scores that some of us occasionally post because we play a wide variety of courses, from a wide variety of tee boxes, so scores are basically useless to go by.
I usually shoot right around par but I play on a course were some of the guys that shoot 80 might have a better score than that. We just don't know.......
Do we?
One thing is pretty much indisputable. Many of the people on this site are interested in playing the game without the strain on the body that they were enduring from using a rotational swing. Some of them might not even be able to continue to play the game if it weren't for this method.
Some are now able to play again after having to give up the game because of the strain on their body from the way they were playing.

I've always been the same way

I've always been the same way Robert. I figure as long as there is not a lot of trouble over the green I should miss long an equal amount of times to missing short, with the pin being the center of my "target pattern" where hopefully most of the shots are grouped.
I will admit that lately I am getting a little sick and tired of going long though.
I was on a 127 yard par three today with a pretty strong wind in my face and I thought surely a pitching wedge would be OK as long as I didn't try to nuke it.
Hit it dead at the flag stick and watched it sail right over the green. Of course that is better on that hole than short because there's water in front, and I did get up and down for par.
I just mostly rode around on the front nine. I shot 2 over for the nine and only had one birdie which the team didn't need because Mike had already birdied the hole.
We were just playing single low ball on the front side and we won at 5 under and not one time did I hit a shot that meant anything. Mike shot 5 under for the nine while the rest of us were just cheerleaders. Ha ha!
On the back side we played double low ball so the rest of us had to help him a little. I buckled down and shot 1 under for that nine and Mike did also but we came up short in the team score because we had some bogies and one team shot 5 under.

Booger:ÃÂ Thank you.ÃÂ

Booger:ÃÂ Thank you.ÃÂ Your comments are much appreciated!ÃÂ R2

Roy, one of our regular

Roy, one of our regular bloggers and a golf teacher himself uses the side saddle and swears by it. I met a young Nationwide pro in Cali and he says it works well for him.

I recently did exactly this

I recently did exactly this with my putter, then drew a series of lines across the top to help me center the ball on the sweet spot and align the face squarely to my target line. Now to get my actual stroke more consistent.

Thanks Robert,ÃÂ ÃÂ I will

Thanks Robert,ÃÂ ÃÂ I will have the pro look at to see if it needs a lie adjustment.ÃÂ ÃÂ Also, maybe peaking up a little to see how the new putter is working, darn.ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ

I just love this site, the Surge has helped me so much!

M. Wheat

Sorry. How many PGA Tour wins

Sorry. How many PGA Tour wins do you have?

Robert my friend.

Hang in there patience is a virtue.
I have played my home course to many times to count 25 years worth. I know this course like I know my wife and we have been married 25 years. This is why I expect myself to shoot mid to low seventies every time I play it. The other courses that I play including tournaments my goal is to be upper 70's to mid 80's and the tournaments I am not there yet.

The best piece of advise I have gotten this year that has helped me the most on the course is to clear my head and play golf and not play golf swing that's for the range.

When I get to a point when I start struggling I find that I am just going through the motions and I will stop going to the range for a week or so and just play my weekend rounds and pull out of it. I guess sometimes less is better just to keep from getting burnt out.

I have no doubt that you will achieve your goals and once you do and set new goals the cycle starts all over its never ending that is why golf is a game for a life time.

Roger

Roger, Thanks for the

Roger,
Thanks for the encouragement. Yes it is a game of a lifetime my dear ol' (no passed) Dad gave to me. Seems consistency is my biggest challenge. But I love it anyway.
Yes new and continued goals for improvement until they drop my dust in the warm Bahamian waters when I'm gone. Until then play on and persue I will :0
Thanks again fgor your kind help and words.

Steve:ÃÂ Thank you for

Steve:ÃÂ Thank you for covering one of the main reasons we are on this site - so we can KEEP golfing pain free!ÃÂ You are right on!!ÃÂ ÃÂ :-)ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ R2

Steve you might remember my

Steve you might remember my post from acouple of weeks ago where I mentioned I did pretty much the same thing. I have six putter including my Dad's ol' callaway blade fro 30 years ago. Because of my love for him I so wanted that one to win. But it along with the others that included my $140.00 belly from last year and a nice "YES" putter, my current old no namer won fair and square. So far it's a love affair.

Yeah, here in the desert that

Yeah, here in the desert that's tough with the lack of dew. Also our muni course has such lousy greens that the ball always bounces a bit. ;-) Have to try that at a better course sometime.

That doesn't surprise me.

That doesn't surprise me. Putting is such an individual thing that many factors could come into play.
Those people that use a forward press, which is fairly popular, probably would have the ball more forward on average than I would.
Putting the ball on my right eye creates much the same effect as a forward press, as far as the angle of the shaft, without my actually having my hands and forearms in a different line than my shaft.
I find that I not only make a better roll that way but don't feel as if I am having to hit at the ball on longer putts to get it to the hole because contact is made before what would be the natural place for contact.
All of us need to find our own way of getting the best roll we can make. It takes some time and some experimenting only focusing on the roll. That's the problem I have with people that don't have a line on the ball. Too many times they think they made a good roll when they didn't. I know as soon as I hit my putt if the roll is perfect or less than perfect and if it weren't for the line they would look the same.

Edit: Oh, a great drill to see where the ball position should be (may not work in the desert) when there is dew on the green I like to hit long putts and see from the track of the ball in the dew whether there was any skipping before the ball actually starts to roll.
I love that drill but to do it I have to get to the course before they mow the greens.
Sometimes it is very surprising how far the ball is going before it starts to roll if I'm not doing it right.

Surge and ALL others:

ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ I agree it is important to know the sweet spot location on your putter - and strive to stirke the ball on the sweet spot.

ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ However on some occasions, it may be better to deliberately strike the ball nearer to the toe of the putter. Main example -- a medium long downhill putt on a slick green.ÃÂ with my old Bulleye putter, deliberately making conact about halfway between the spot and the toe with a smooth swing produeces a good roll and great distance control. If I try to hit the ball in the sweet spot, I have to "take so much" off the swing that there is a real danger of decelerating into the stroke.
ÃÂ ÃÂ
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ The same thing should apply to other putter types -- but IF the newer high-tech multi-weighted wonders really work, then the affect should be lessened.ÃÂ I don't own one of those becuase they always feel very clumsy to me -- like using a sledgehammer to drive a tack.

ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ And besides -- the "balance hook" on the chaft end of the Bullseye is great for picking up you chipping club!ÃÂ Another way to save an Old Man's back!! LOLÃÂ

ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Amos

Yes CJI have a side saddle

Yes CJ
I have a side saddle putter & it works well
I mostly use a conventional putter & stance but I trot the side saddle out now & then
For what it's worth, here are my findings
My side saddleÃÂ is a 41" Aut-O-Sight
My favourite putter is a 33" malletÃÂ
The mallet gives me better feel
The Side Saddle gives me better "visuals"
The Side Saddle is better over short range
The mallet is MUCH better over long range

I like to think I putt fairly well with the mallet but the Side Saddle is definitely a valid way to putt & makes a lot of sense
The concept has been around a long time & is not as radical as you suggest
Sam Snead used this method a long time ago

So if it "fits" your eyes & body - go for it

Jack

If you check DJ's money

If you check DJ's money earnings, you will find that he has made more than a million each year since 2007 and in 2008 made over 2 million. If making a million plus doing what you love, is not breaking through, just what the hell is. When was the last time you earned over one million for doing something you love.

Have the same goal DGood

Have the same goal D
Good putting to you.
PMG!!

That would be cool Booger.

Dismal,I normally want to

Dismal,
I normally want to ignore ignorant and discouraging comments but will let you hear this anyway:

Actually his year has not been too bad. Until this week he has been playing especially well lately and is currently 99th in the FedEx standings out of 300 of the greatest golfers living that play on the PGA Tour.
Your timing is interesting, did you take the time to read the "Power rankings:
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ 2011 Greenbeier Classic"
You'll find it on the top left;
It says about DJ (listed # 8 on that list), " Three of his five top 25's have come in his last five starts, and he's coming off his first top 10 (9t at the Viking Classic). Gets the nod for hisÃÂ irons (26th on tour in greens hit) and nack for low numbers.ÃÂ Pop off the tee does'nt hurt(24th in distance)"

Did you notice how many "great" golfers missed the cut this week?ÃÂ Phil M., Tom Watson, Stuart Appleby(Mr. 59 of last year) and the list goes on. Great golfers miss cuts every week. Yes the PGA is really tough for all these guys. Established? Bust through? He's won 2 tournaments and millions of dollors. I'd say he's not only established, he holds his own just fine. Take a look at those 300 players listed and you'll be doing great if you can name 30 or 40 who have EVER won once. Many have good carrers and never win. DJ has and this year he's just fine thanks.

As for those following Surge. Ah, most of us are here because we have made great improvements and have chosen this swing after trying other famous gurus and deciding this is the one for us. We are here because we are improving. So thanks for stoping by and have nice day.

I'm not feeling sorry for

I'm not feeling sorry for either of you, I'm just waiting to get back in the top 10% like I used to be and then I'm going to start to knocking off the strokes a few at a time.

Done!ÃÂ I flagged it.ÃÂ

Done!ÃÂ I flagged it.ÃÂ Thanks Robert.ÃÂ R2

I would experiment a little

I would experiment a little with how long your putter needs to be also.
You can probably do that by either choking down a little or toward the end a little extra.
For me the length of the putter is a huge factor in how relaxed I am at address and during the stroke. Even an almost unnoticeable amount of tension, in my case from bending a little extra, really has an effect on my performance.
We have all different putting styles and so the spine angle is different for each of us but I still think we need to be very relaxed and that's hard the do with the wrong length putter.
My putter is 35 1/2" and when I re-grip it I am going to add another 1/2".
With some of my shoes it is perfect as it is, but with other shoes I can feel that it needs to be just a little longer.
The most important factors in a putter for me are length of putter, loft of putter, and lie angle.
The different configurations of lines, grooves, smoothness, or roughness on the face of various putters I have found to not be much of a factor in my putts one way or the other.
P.S. Just to throw something out there, I roll the ball the best when the ball is even with my right eye instead of exactly in the center.

Steve there is probably

Steve there is probably nothing I hate more than short with any club. On clubs other than the putter most amateurs under club, especially on par threes. Id rather be long than short. Never up never in.

... A wise man ( I was going

... A wise man ( I was going to put old,but then I remember he isn't that much older than me) once told me, "Golf isn't like riding a bicycle!". He told me that to master this game I would have to practice and practice correctly. So while I have no grandeÃÂ delusions of making the senior tour,it's nice to know that I do indeed, have tour quality swing speeds. It's also nice to know that now after toiling with this game,that I love with a passion, for nearly 37years I finally have a set of clubs that were built from the ground up for my own unique swing profile.It's also nice to know that after a four year hiatus due to multiple bad discs in my back that I can go out tomorrow and the next day,if I so chose and still be able to get up to pursue whatever endeavor I want on the third day, knowing that I won't be in any distress due to my back injuries It's also nice to know that I have a Gentleman that has been a wonderful mentor to my game since late last summer and developed aÃÂ purely natural swing that allows me to play anytime I want without pain. It's also nice to know that my mentor has a son that is successful on the PGA tour and that he also has mentored other professional players.It also tickles me to no end ,that a Surge Swinger won the PGA National Tournament.
ÃÂ " My name is Carl, my friends call me Booger, I'm a fairly bad player but I'm getting better with every passing day"
Thanks Surge , Doc and the entire Swing Surgeon team.

Nice round Roger. Nothing

Nice round Roger. Nothing wrong with a 75.

Great tip Surge. I have a

Great tip Surge. I have a couple of old putters in the shed that may still have a future. Just need to check them out

Can I play from the red tee's

Can I play from the red tee's if I wear one of his dresses. They do look nice!

I was pulling for my

I was pulling for my Tailormade Rosa. I really liked that putter but it didn't win so it got cut from the team.
As general manager of the team I can't let emotion dictate who makes the team. Ha ha!

kudos, Roberts & Steve, I

kudos, Roberts & Steve, I thought I was a quick typist,lol... nicely done all of you!

Not a thing wrong with it. I

Not a thing wrong with it.
I was playing around with choking down on the new driver from 44 1/2 to 43 1/2 - 43 and actually knocked the cover of the ball almost LOL had a couple of them out at 290 and probably averaged around 270 ish today of the tee. . I am going to continue to play around with this and see what happens. ÃÂ

Thanks Surge,ÃÂ I just a

Thanks Surge,ÃÂ I just a new putter,ÃÂ ÃÂ a YES putter, on the side you putt with my new putter has a half moon of ridges, have you seen them and what do you think??ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ I only have used it a couple days so far, seems to run left, or, could be me trying to hard??

Thanks for the tip, hope my new putter works out for me!

M. Wheat

Very interesting, I have a

Very interesting, I have a Taylor Made Rosa in the basement as well. It was my last attempt to switch from the Rife Two Bar Mallet. I hope the Nike Method will be more fruitful.ÃÂ PMG

You lucky bugger Steve,

You lucky bugger Steve, finding the right one. I'm on my 5th one which seems good . Its a mallet style that I can add weight to so I can find what works best for me. My biggest problem with putting is coming up short. Very frustrating when you know the putt would have gone in if the length was right. So finding the right weight is my goal

Steve,Exactly HOW did you

Steve,
Exactly HOW did you perform this putting contest?ÃÂ Sounds like fun.
TinaB

Carl, I feel privileged toÃÂ

Carl, I feel privileged toÃÂ call you my friend and hope to meet you and Josh and if I'm really lucky maybe Honey too.

I've been doing the same

I've been doing the same thing with the driver and with the three wood. I can't tell that my best drives are any shorter and I am getting more of those "best ones".

Of course I immediately had

Of course I immediately had to grab my 'current' putter now my favorite club and check it's sweet spot. It's at least a 10 year old putter yet the line at the center is right on. It is one of those perimeter (toe and heal)ÃÂ weighted blade style putters with about a half inch offset, a "no name"ÃÂ called a 'Club Classic'. I think I found it used somewhere (not sure) but it looks like someone put a graphite shaft in it. In any case it's sweet spot is el perfecto :)
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ I think the toe/heal weighting works well for my latest putting method that has me set up and once my clubface is centered behind the ball I no longer look at my ball or the clubfaceÃÂ but only the chosen spot I plan on rolling over. At that point I trust my stroke will go back and return on the sweet spot as I rely on feel and roll.
ÃÂ ÃÂ Another change I made recently isÃÂ I now don't use aÃÂ line on my ball when lining up my ball. I may go back to the line but as of now my focus is not on the center line of my putter or a line on the ball. All I see and feel are the target spot and the distance needed. So far I'm putting much better.
Heck, I may start using this method for all shots focusing on the spot in front of my ball and not the ball or clubhead once set up.

I'm with you on the short

I'm with you on the short putts Russty.
I said for a long time that the difference between the good putters that I knew and the bad ones was that the good ones weren't afraid of a 4 footer coming back and the bad ones were scared of the come backer, and for good reason. LOL
At the time I never dreamed I would be one of the guys that wasn't afraid to run it by but now I seldom leave a putt short (and I absolutely hate it when I do).

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Finding The Sweet Spot on Your Putter

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