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ACCURACY USING DIFFERENT POWER SCALES?

• slimjym 141 Posts

  Fri, Aug 3 2018 1:08 PM

  Oft times when playing I'll have a 8' putt for e.g., with the 20' max default power meter showing, which means someone would try to hit the ding using 40% power. I myself though always revert to a lower distance 10' max scale & strive to hit the ding using 80% power instead. 

  Assuming flat lies & standard speed greens, is there any discernible difference whether we use one scale vs.the other?. I assume (possibly erroneously?), that it is better to have more resolution & use the scale where the highest % of power , i.e. the smallest distance scale is used. (In the example above that would be the 10' scale vs the 20' scale). My only doubt comes from the fact that many times the default power scale that initially appears is NOT the one I'd use. It makes me wonder why? It seems to me that it is alot easier to nail an EXACT % of power when using a scale with the highest resolution possible, as error would be at a minimum if anyone were off a tad.  

  With all my other putt shots, I as well always use the scale where I use the highest % of power. Am I helping myself, hurting myself, or does it make no difference? Replies appreciated.  

• BPeterson8256 2,940 Posts

  Fri, Aug 3 2018 1:25 PM

  The scale should not make a difference. I personally try to stay with a scale where I am hitting about 17-30% power. That keeps the meter a little slower and allows me to hit the ding more frequently. My putting is pretty decent and my distance control is great. So the lower percentage works well for me.

  Cheers   Brett 

• Luckystar5 1,641 Posts

  Fri, Aug 3 2018 1:57 PM

  BPeterson8256:

  The scale should not make a difference. I personally try to stay with a scale where I am hitting about 17-30% power. That keeps the meter a little slower and allows me to hit the ding more frequently. My putting is pretty decent and my distance control is great. So the lower percentage works well for me.

  Cheers   Brett 

  I totally agree, I haven't had one meter skip or glitch, by using the shorter travel distance. I also, ding alot more frequently by keeping the meter travel distance shorter.         Lucky

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Fri, Aug 3 2018 2:43 PM

  slimjym:

  Assuming flat lies & standard speed greens, is there any discernible difference whether we use one scale vs.the other?

  I think there is. I use the larger scales a lot for shorter putts and the big difference is mistakes are magnified more with the higher scale.

  By way of an example, if I have an 8 foot putt and use the 15 scale (13-30-60-100) and miss the ding by a line it usually drops. That same miss with the 30 scale doesn't.

• slimjym 141 Posts

  Fri, Aug 3 2018 5:53 PM

  Yankee,

  Forgot to mention that I use putter Saber M2 with 10,20,50,100,150, & 300 ft scales. Unless I'm interpreting your reply wrong, I believe you're of a different opinion than BPeterson8256 & LuckyStar5, & are of the same opinion as I. To avoid any confusion in interpretation, let me use the words "meter travel distance" from here on out.. As mentioned in my previous post, I always tend to use the scale with the LONGEST meter travel distance, but after reading the posts from Brett & LuckyStar, I'm going to give the SHORTER meter travel distance a whirl for the same putt. I'd like to try this due to the fact that I seem to have noticed just the slighest bit more of forgiveness when using the 20' scale than when I use my 10' scale to make an 8-footer. I could be imagining it, but I seem to detect small mistakes being magnified when I use my 10' scale, but being overlooked when I use the 20' scale. 

• Luckystar5 1,641 Posts

  Fri, Aug 3 2018 6:13 PM

  slimjym:

  Yankee,

  Forgot to mention that I use putter Saber M2 with 10,20,50,100,150, & 300 ft scales. Unless I'm interpreting your reply wrong, I believe you're of a different opinion than BPeterson8256 & LuckyStar5, & are of the same opinion as I. To avoid any confusion in interpretation, let me use the words "meter travel distance" from here on out.. As mentioned in my previous post, I always tend to use the scale with the LONGEST meter travel distance, but after reading the posts from Brett & LuckyStar, I'm going to give the SHORTER meter travel distance a whirl for the same putt. I'd like to try this due to the fact that I seem to have noticed just the slighest bit more of forgiveness when using the 20' scale than when I use my 10' scale to make an 8-footer. I could be imagining it, but I seem to detect small mistakes being magnified when I use my 10' scale, but being overlooked when I use the 20' scale. 

  I have the same putter, and I find that by using the "shortest meter travel", I have less misses, and meter glitches.  But now I will clarify a bit, I still use the 10 foot scale, for 6 foot putts, or less. I always try to use the scale, that the meter only has to travel one half the distance, of the overall meter length, to the ding mark.  It stays slower, and smoother, for me. Hope that's a clear explaination.  Good luck, give it an honest trial period, and  I think you'll find it a better way to make putts.    Lucky

• el3n1 4,505 Posts

  Fri, Aug 3 2018 8:03 PM

  I dont want to go into info overload... but i would add that beyond just considering the meter travel distance, i also factor in the type of putt you are hitting and green speed because there are times i have found the real benefit of this putter is hitting delicate downhill putts on champ greens... when using the 10ft scale even if pulling back to 80% is better than hitting one of the higher scales... it could be preference or something subtle with the putter.. now if it is uphill with less break i may even use 100ft scale and hit firm on the ding...  it can be putt dependant so you may want to allow for those other options if the situation calls for it. 

  But the general rule of minimizing the meter travel distance is good overall... just dont limit yourself to that alone...

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Sat, Aug 4 2018 6:55 AM

  slimjym:

  Unless I'm interpreting your reply wrong, I believe you're of a different opinion than BPeterson8256 & LuckyStar5, & are of the same opinion as I

  No, I think you got it, I do see it differently. It comes into play on longer putts. In the picture of the lines, where the black line is the lower scale, you can see the early travel isn't that different but as the line increases, the gap gets bigger. A slight miss at 8 feet might go in but that same miss on a longer putt sees an exaggeration of the miss.

  

• Luckystar5 1,641 Posts

  Sat, Aug 4 2018 7:29 AM

  You're 100% correct there jim, ( you multiply your error) but what we are saying is that by using the larger putting scale, you will have less of a chance of missing the ding mark.  This in turn will hold your original line. The larger putting scale doesn't effect your distance travel ( of the ball) in the least.  If you use the 10 foot scale to hit the  ball 10 feet, it travels 10 feet (depending on green contour) likewise, if you use 100 foot scale, and hit the ball at the 10% mark  of the scale, the ball will still only travel about 10 feet. But  your meter will travel a very short distance, enabling you to easier hit the ding mark easier. The whole idea of this theroy, is based on the distance of travel, and ding accuracy, if you miss the ding, chances are you're going to miss the putt anyways. It's just like everything else in golf, it's whatever you get used to doing, and that you're comfortable using it! 

• HackWilson1930 1,437 Posts

  Sat, Aug 4 2018 7:57 AM

  There are a number of factors in scale choice that come into play. One factor is the desire to hit the ding or miss it. To me that 6'  putt that is straight should be hit using the 20' scale (10,20,50,100) because I want to overpower the putt as well as hit the ding. Once there is substantial break I employ more of an off ding approach. To do this I go to the 10' scale which provides a little more time to miss the ding line where I want. 

  The other question that come to my mind is whether the meter speeds up during putting. I have been told that it is a uniform speed while putting but does speed up using other clubs. I have not been able to substantiate  a constant putter speed vs a varying speed as yet.