TomTuckerGolf.com
Professional Golf Lessons - Thomas Tucker
WGTF "Top 100 Golf Teacher"   -   USGTF Certified Class "A" Professional
Email: ttucker@rochester.rr.com Cell (716) 474-3005
www.tomtuckergolf.com


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 Putter Fitting

 Why You Should Get Fitted For A Putter   Putter Fitting Overview 
  *Putter Length     *Putter Lie   *Putter Loft   *Putter SwingWeight   *Putter Playability 
 Putter Fitting Rates   How To Schedule a Putter Fitting 



How To Schedule a Putter Fitting


By appointment, please contact Tom Tucker through his cell phone (716) 474-3005, or by email at ttucker@rochester.rr.com


Why You Should Get Fitted For a Putter


As a golf teaching professional, I never allow a student to even think about blaming equipment for any swing problems - at least not until they have learned proper technique. However, in putting, sometimes it's not you, it really is the equipment!

The one club in your bag that contributes to your score more than any other club is the putter. Most amateur golfers do not take putting practice (and chipping) as seriously as their driving and iron play. And they do not have putters that fit them and match their abilities.

Percentage Of Shots During A Round

Putting............35-40% Of Your Total Score

Driving............15-20% Of Your Total Score

Irons, Fairways, Metals, Sand, Pitching & Chipping 40-50% Of Your Total Score

Putting and wedge shots together can be as much of 70% of all strokes in a round. Getting fitted for a putter will definitely help improve your scores.

Touring Pros can strike the ball so consistently on the sweetspot of their putter that their impact never varies more than 5/16th of an inch! Unfortunately most of us are more like the 18 and over handicapper. We impact the ball over a larger area of the putter face.

When ball impacts away from the center (sweetspot) of the putter face it causes the face to twist. Hit nearer the toe, the face will twist to the right of the target. Hit the ball near the heel, the face will twist to the left of the target. This twisting is so subtle most times you will not even notice it.

Yet robot testing has shown that an impact even a fraction of an inch off center can result in the ball missing the hole by an inch or so on a 22 foot putt.

Another cause of off center impacts is when the lie of the putter is too upright or the lie is too flat. In this case, most golfers will strike the ball where the bottom of the club is closest to the ground, instead of on the sweetspot. This is very common with off the shelf putters.

A properly fitted putter will help you become a better putter - period!


Putter Fitting Overview


Here's an overview of a typical putter fitting, for more detailed information please read the sections below.

1) First, the student is positioned into the correct posture to execute either their own stroke, or if they want to build a stroke - a "pure in-line pendulum" stroke - over a Mitchell Putter Fitting Club Station that measures for correct length and lie angle.

Please note that if the student already has a stroke method that they are comfortable with, that's fine. Everything we do applies directly to whatever stroke is being used by the student. I prefer the pendulum pure in-line stroke method because I am totally convinced that it the easiest and best putting stroke to use. However. I teach different methods if the student desires. If a student feels comfortable with a different method, we work to get the putter fitted to the student for that particular stroke. Comfort is important.

2) Then I have the student set up in front of a Vertical Loft Angle Reference Board to check the effective playing loft of their putter.

3) Next I adjust the students putter to match their specifications. Usually this includes bending their putter shaft on my Putter Bending Machine for lie angle or effective loft angle adjustments. On occasion, we may need to shorten the shaft if it's too long. (If we need to cut the shaft and add a new grip, the cost of the grip is additional.)

Please read the detailed explanations of Length, Lie, Loft, Swingweight, and Putter Head Playability below.




Proper Putter Length


Once the player is set-up in the proper posture, the length of the putter can be measured. When a putter is the proper length, your arms should hang down relaxed and relatively straight, and your eyes should be over the ball.

This is always the first fitting variable to be determined. Its importance is to place the golfer in the proper posture position with the eyes directly over the ball. Proper length also allows the golfer to have his or her arms positioned correctly under the shoulders, which in turn allows correct hand positioning, which in turn sets the golfer up for a pure stroke. This builds consistency in the stroke because it heavily influences both distance control and directional control.

Frequently, players with standard length shafts require some length adjustments to their putter, which we can do on location.


Proper Putter Lie


Once the proper length of the putter has been established, the sole of the putter should be flush on the ground. If the toe or heel is off the found, the ball will tend to travel off line. The key to lie angle is to only make adjustments if necessary after the player's posture and length has been determined.

Lie angle is a major factor in controlling the initial direction the ball will travel after impact. If the toe of the putter is sticking up in the air, the ball will be pulled slightly to the left. Conversely, if the toe of the putter is down and the heel is up in the air, the ball will most likely be pushed slightly to the right. Also, an incorrect lie angle will cause a slightly less solid hit because the ball is being impacted at more of a glancing blow, which also adds some degree of sidespin.

On a typical 22-foot putt, if the putter's lie angle is four degrees up, the ball will be pulled 1 3/16 inches to the left. That is enough to miss the hole completely.


Proper Putter Loft


Most players are not aware that the ball, when resting on the surface of the green, actually settles down in a depression caused by its own weight. Another unknown fact is that the ball will skid approximately 14-20% of the total putt distance, regardless of how hard it is hit. Conversely, the ball in a pure roll state covers 80-86% of the total putting distance.

The purpose of putter loft is to provide a consistent amount of skid and roll every time on any length of putt . This helps dramatically in controlling the distance a putt is hit. Here's how it works: When you strike a putt, the ball first needs to be lifted up and out of its depression so that it can skid on top of the grass and not through it. When the putt is not lifted slightly or if it is lifted too high, it will bounce. You will usually not see this bounce but it will make your skid and roll through different length putts inconsistent. This in turn makes it very difficult for you to consistently achieve the proper putt distance. Most players will start the ball rolling consistently with a putter launch angle of 4 degrees. Simply because your putter has 4 degrees loft does not mean you impact the ball with 4 degrees of loft. Special equipment can determine your putter's actual loft and whether or not your hands are ahead of the putter head at impact (de-lofting the putter), square to the putter head at impact (utilizing the actual loft on your putter) or if your hands are behind the putter head at impact (increasing the putters loft).

In putting, there are three ways to contact the ball at impact. One is to de-loft the putter with a forward press. The second is to increase the loft by having the hands behind the ball at impact. The third is perfectly vertical or straight up/down.

To test for the correct loft, I have the player take their putting stance with a vertical loft angle board between their legs. If the shaft is ahead or behind the line, I need to adjust the loft of the putter to compensate. It has been shown through testing that a putter should have four degrees of loft to obtain the most consistent roll. Therefore if a player de-lofts or increases their loft, I need to adjust the putter to obtain that 4-degree optimum loft.


Proper Swingweight


The next putter fitting parameter is swingweight. Head weight accounts for 85% of a putts distance control and only 15% of a putts directional control. To measure a putter's swing weight, the club is placed on a 14inch fulcrum scale and the measurement is taken. The range should be between C4 and D6 or for better results the swing weight should be between C6 and D4. If the putter is too light, the player will not have a good feel for the distance and therefore consistency will suffer. If the putter is not heavy enough we need to add weight to get as close to this range or to the correct feel for the player as possible.

Swingweight is the most overlooked aspect of putter fitting, mainly because it is not visible. Swingweight has to do with feel. It is the feel of the putter head as it swings. Swingweight influences the distance the putter travels on the back and forth stroke. It influences tempo as well as the path the putter head swings.

Whenever you alter the length of a golf club by cutting it down, gripping down it or even adding length to it, you change the swingweight. When you shorten a club, you decrease swingweight. When you lengthen a club you add swingweight. For every inch you alter the length of a golf club, you change the swingweight by 6 points. 1 swingweight equals 2 grams of weight. Ultimately, if you have shortened your putter or even grip down on your putter by one inch, you decrease it's swingweight by 6 points or 12 grams of weight. 6 swingweights is enough to change the feel of your putter, your tempo and your stroke.

Another factor that most people aren't aware of is that when you buy a 33 or 34 inch putter off the shelf, the majority of computers use the same head gram weight no matter what length, which serves their purposes for reducing inventory of putter heads and increasing their profit margin. Using the same putter heads benefits the manufacturer, however it is a detriment to the player.

The proper putter headweight promotes the proper feel of the putter and, more importantly, is another major factor in distance control.

Too light a putter mainly hurts consistent distance control but is also a factor in directional control.

Too heavy a putter usually does not affect directional control but it seriously affects distance control.

The proper swingweight range for any conventional style putter in any length is very important it is another key putter fitting variable that most golfers are not aware of, but one that can benefit them immensely.


Putterhead Playability


 The last fitting parameter is head design. Head design accounts for 50% of the putts directional control and 50% of the putts distance control. A typical 18 handicapper misses the center of the putter face by 1 1/2'inches on a typical 22-foot putt. Research shows that if you miss the sweet spot by 3/10 of an inch, you will miss a 22-foot putt.

Pros seldom miss the center of the putter but amateurs do. This is why most of us would benefit from a more forgiving putter head style or a putter with a very high moment of inertia (MOI). MOI is the measurement of the objects resistance to twisting. The higher the MOI, the less likely the head is to twist on a putt struck on the toe or heel. With a low MOI putter, not only do we lose the power on and off center hit but with the head twisting, the direction of the putt also suffers.

There is no doubt that a high MOI putter will result in better distance control and directly contribute to a golfer's ability to putt more consistently. Every one of us can benefit from playing a putter with a high MOI.

Come in and get fitted.

.
Putter Fitting Rates


Putter Fitting - $25
If we need to shorten your putter shaft, the cost of a new grip is additional.


How To Get Fitted For Your Putter


By appointment, please contact Tom Tucker through his cell phone (716) 474-3005, or by email at ttucker@rochester.rr.com
 

Newsletter        Lesson Testimonials        Contact Us        Home

Putter Fitting        Advanced Putting Lessons

Lesson Details and Rates        Indoor Lessons        Drills

TomTuckerGolf.com
Professional Golf Lessons - Thomas Tucker
WGTF "Top 100 Golf Teacher"
USGTF Certified Class "A" Professional
Email: ttucker@rochester.rr.com Cell (716) 474-3005
www.tomtuckergolf.com

Copyright © 2010 Tom Tucker Golf