Putting Problem: Face Alignment

I attended the Better Golf Through Technology Seminar at MIT in lovely and sunny, but below freezing, Boston, MA in January of 2008. The last thing I ever expected at this conference was to run into a putter expert who not only fits you for a putter, but also builds it from milling the head to putting on the grip. When Dave Edel, PGA (www.edelgolf.com) made his presentation I knew I had just found me a '€œNew Friend.'€ I sensed, and I guess mostly hoped, he would have the answer to help we with my putting.

I have had over 30 years of poor putting that I knew was from vision problems. I have 20/20 vision and am far sighted, so seeing is no problem, except up close, like in putting — especially short putts. My vision problem is that my eyes don'€™t line up so I can see and judge lines, like reading greens. I cannot visualize and see lines on the green when putting like most golfers can do. I was extra excited when speaking with Dave to learn he was going to be on the putting green for the Bay Hill Classic in Orlando, which I was going to attend to work with DJ. I told Dave I would be there and to count on me going through a fitting.
I met Dave on the putting green late Monday afternoon. It was getting close to deserted and he was free. I expected that the main issues of shaft length and flex, lie angle and loft, head shape, and grip size and shape would be the topics of discussion. I soon found out I was missing perhaps the most important piece of the putter fitting puzzle.

Dave has a special travel bag that looks like a hard cover golf club travel cover. Inside of it is a collection of different shaped heads, hosels, shafts and grips. The first thing he asked me to do was select a head shape. After I made my selection he took the putter and attached a mirror face to it. Then he took a 33 inch shaft, the length I told him I use, and put it into a plumber'€™s neck hosel and screwed the hosel and shaft into the head. In a matter of a minute or two, he whipped together my custom putter for the fitting.

Dave then gave me my instructions to address the ball at the mark, which was 6 feet from the hole, and line up the putter face in the dead center of the cup. Behind and touching the back of the cup was a board with a little hole in it. I would learn in one minute that behind the hole was a laser beam that would shoot out a beam and bounce off the mirror putter face back to the board to show where the face was aimed.

I put on my prescription playing sun glasses and I addressed the ball. Working hard enough to get a headache, I lined up, looking back and forth from hole to putter face like I had to make this putt to win the US Open. When I said good to go, Dave pushed the button to shoot the beam. When it hit the board it was at least 2 -3 inches left of the hole. Not even close enough for horse shoes. I begged for another chance, grinded even harder and flunked again. I was even more to the left. Like baseball, I had one more strike left, and whiffed that one just as bad.

Dave saved me, saying it was obvious a plumber'€™s neck hosel does not work for my eyes. So he removed it, grabbed another hosel and attached it to the shaft and then the head. When he handed it to me and I put it down, is was a reverse plumber'€™s neck. Instead of the shaft being ahead of the face, it was now well behind it, actually near the back of the head. I struck out 3 times with this reverse hosel exactly as bad as the first one. The amazing thing was that it was exactly opposite. I was on the right side of the hole.

The next hosel we tried was a straight shaft in-line hosel where the outside edge of the shaft is directly in line with the face of the putter. After hitting 3 grand slam face aims dead center, we knew what hosel and shaft alignment worked for The Surge.

Next, Dave ran me through all the different head shapes with this shaft in-line hosel. Again I was amazed that the head shape also affected aiming, but not anywhere to the degree of the shaft/hosel setup. We ended up with the original test design, which is the shape and size of a Ping Anser type putter. I chose the variable loft model that comes with a 2, 3 and 4 degree interchangeable face. This is good in that on slower greens I use the 4 degree. On faster greens I drop down a degree or two. I also asked Dave to make my putter a lot heavier than normal because I always have putted with heavy putters, even on fast greens. (I'€™ll discuss this concept of heavy putters are better for fast greens in another blog.)

Dave made me my custom fitted milled putter and when it was delivered around two weeks later, it came with a leather case with my name engraved on it that holds the two extra lofted faces and the wrench to change them. The putter also has my name engraved on the face near the heel and all writing is painted a light blue that would excite a UNC Tar Heel. The putter looks and feels great and I putt much better with it, especially the short ones at 6 feet and under.

The moral of this story is that if you are missing too many short putts and or missing your start line/spot on long big breaking putts, you need to check out your hosel and shaft to face setup to find the one that fits your eyes best to aim it accurately. If you own different shaft/hosel putters, heck, even if you don'€™t, go to your PGA golf shop or golf store and test to see which hosel/shaft and head shape you can aim the best.

I have written many articles and daily blogs about the importance of aiming the body to hit better shots. Aiming the putter face is just as critical. It'€™s even more as the margin of error is now only the size of the hole versus the fairway or green. When you find the putter you aim spot on, if you own it, use it. If it is in the shop or store, buy it. Now that you can aim the face better, you will see more long putts lagging up closer and shorter putts dropping in.

The Surge!