Meter stutter is strictly a local, client issue. I'm not saying that a slow connection or lazy server can't contribute, but if you turn off background loading, it WON'T contribute.
If you don't believe that, set up your shot and unplug your modem entirely. The swing will be carried out right up until you hit the ding.
There are lebenty-jillion posts on the forum regarding fixes. Some are valid and some are BS. Basically, make sure you have a system that can handle relatively simple game graphics, get all the trash and viruses off of it, and quitcherbitchin if you can't follow through.
This game has bugs, yeah. The METER is up to you and 3rd party providers.