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Re: What makes a good putter?

• Rooster2821 107 Posts

  Sat, Aug 24 2013 2:59 AM

  What attributes make up a good putter?  What plays more of a factor in the putter? Balance, precision, forgiveness?  Right now i have the Amateur putter and was wondering if the level 33 Versa or level 51 Method putter's are worth the upgrade. Thank you in advance for any help.

• muttsnutts69 283 Posts

  Sat, Aug 24 2013 7:44 PM

  Rooster2821:

  What attributes make up a good putter?  What plays more of a factor in the putter? Balance, precision, forgiveness?  Right now i have the Amateur putter and was wondering if the level 33 Versa or level 51 Method putter's are worth the upgrade. Thank you in advance for any help.

  Putting is an art, but you will certainly help yourself by buying the Level 51 Nike.

   

• lonniescott711 4,208 Posts

  Sat, Aug 24 2013 8:43 PM

  Rooster2821:

  What attributes make up a good putter?  What plays more of a factor in the putter? Balance, precision, forgiveness?  Right now i have the Amateur putter and was wondering if the level 33 Versa or level 51 Method putter's are worth the upgrade. Thank you in advance for any help.

  Slow your roll . You have good clubs , you just have to learn them . Your putting problem , starts with your G.I.R. , which is 66.35 % , and your avg. distance to pin , is 19 ft. . This is where the problem is . That and the fact that you are playing with the starter ball . I always suggest that if you are going to upgrade , start at the bottom and work your way up . In your case , you simply need a better ball . Get you a ball with 1 dot of feel , and some spin , and go practice , practice , practice . If credits are a problem , do the videos and surveys . But before you buy any more clubs , start with a better ball , as it will be a whole lot cheaper . Hope this helps . Good luck and Happy Swinging :-)

   

• Chinajohn 1,190 Posts

  Sat, Aug 24 2013 9:07 PM

  Rooster2821:

  What attributes make up a good putter?  What plays more of a factor in the putter? Balance, precision, forgiveness?  Right now i have the Amateur putter and was wondering if the level 33 Versa or level 51 Method putter's are worth the upgrade. Thank you in advance for any help.

  To add to what has already been said, it really depends on your style of putting. There are two main styles of putting:

  1. Try to hit the ding and aim off to compensate for the slope. - For these Balance and forgiveness are good (precision always helps i.e. the ball goes where you aim it).

  2. Deliberately miss ding to compensate for the slope. - For this type of putting you don't want forgiveness, as the forgiveness will try and compensate for missing the ding.

• bhoese 679 Posts

  Sat, Aug 24 2013 9:59 PM

  Chinajohn:

  Rooster2821:

  What attributes make up a good putter?  What plays more of a factor in the putter? Balance, precision, forgiveness?  Right now i have the Amateur putter and was wondering if the level 33 Versa or level 51 Method putter's are worth the upgrade. Thank you in advance for any help.

  To add to what has already been said, it really depends on your style of putting. There are two main styles of putting:

  1. Try to hit the ding and aim off to compensate for the slope. - For these Balance and forgiveness are good (precision always helps i.e. the ball goes where you aim it).

  2. Deliberately miss ding to compensate for the slope. - For this type of putting you don't want forgiveness, as the forgiveness will try and compensate for missing the ding.

  Good advice there.  Lonnie's advice about the balls is helpful, as well.  The GIS-2 can be a big help for less than a quarter per ball.  It will help you control your approaches.  If you don't mind spending more, the Callaways are fantastic.

  You already have a putter that is a major leap forward from the starter, and about as good as the two that you mentioned, so they aren't really upgrades.  Start planning for the next putter you buy to be your last one, and in the meantime invest your credits elsewhere. 

  Putters are the only club where WGT has done a good job of offering an array of high-level choices to suit various playing styles.  The reviews in the pro shop aren't especially helpful, but there have been plenty of good discussions in the forums that can help give a sense of which will be best for you.  Perhaps we'll get a free rental weekend soon.  You won't be able to rent the best models, but the lower-level versions tend to play the same with just a little less consistency.  

• oneeyedjohn 9,589 Posts

  Sun, Aug 25 2013 1:32 AM

  I went from the beginner putter ( not starter but beginner) straight to the level 71 Nike.

  I thought i was ok with the beginner, but the difference is remarkable, so yes a better putter will help, but that is only the beginning. You need to learn how and where u must land the ball for the easiest putt.

  That is quite simply the quickest way to improve, but it takes effort and patience to learn every course and every hole.

  For example above or to the left and right of Kiawah holes is not good, by default stay below the hole.

  That is generally a good rule for all links courses for some reason, so RSG anD STA the same

• Rooster2821 107 Posts

  Sun, Aug 25 2013 2:35 AM

  Thanks for all your help guys. As far as the ball goes, i am gonna stick with the free ball for playing. So i am gonna have to learn to get good with them. I changed irons and noticed some improvement with my iron play. The only thing that saves my butt is my short game around the green.  So those short 5-15 foot putts are the ones i am looking to improve. I miss those putts if i miss the ding slightly. So i guess i am wondering if there is a putter that will help any more than the putter that i already have now. The level 33 versa gives me a half dot of precision and a full dot of balance. Is that worth the upgrade? or wait till i can get a full dot of precision and a little more forgiveness and balance?

• JimbeauC 5,835 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 8:56 AM

  Great advice above. I use the Method. 

  Upside: Slow meter makes it easy to ding. 

  Downside: Suffers from the shorts and the infernal 10 foot default scale. 

• BrachttalGoffer 195 Posts

  Tue, Aug 27 2013 5:27 AM

  Another good idea is to play in a Challenge putting game. You will have to pay for the experience but you will learn faster.