The second part of my analysis of the putter will be closely related to becoming aware of how we make mistakes in our purchases and in what we carry in our bag, using it more than 30 times per round.
I also want to be very clear in what I am going to explain to you in this article and I want your profile to adjust to reality:
GOOD PUTTERS ARE BORN AND NOT MADE
This is something I've heard many times and honestly, I don't totally agree. Since to putt well and get optimal results, technical work, many hours of work and a consistent movement are necessary. Talent is something that is a plus for the player.
The Golf As you all know It is the least natural sport that you can find, and for a very clear reason, It is not something we do on a daily basis and less from the moment of birth, or what in physical education are called primitive movements (Running, jumping, throwing objects, etc).
Therefore everything that is related to the biomechanics of golf must be learned and worked conscientiously and carefully.
But how many talented players have gone on to win Majors without working?
And the first law of the correct biomechanics of golf movement is… having the clubs perfectly adjusted to the player's stance and allowing a teacher to create a standard in the stance. In order to facilitate the movement of the body.
SHOULD THE PUTTER BE ADEQUATE TO THE POSTURE, HEIGHT AND ANGLES THAT ARE NECESSARY TO ADOPT?
Honestly, I know that many putter articles I read are excessively technical and with language that is not very adapted to professional and amateur players. And they are really very good, but the approach that I like to give to articles of this type is to explain it openly.
Normally we can see on television in the PGA Tour, LPGA and European Tour tournaments how the position of the players has some common characteristics, but then each one executes the movement in a very different way, obtaining a goal, having consistency in the movement .
In amateur players I find mistakes of all kinds and as a consequence many of them have the problem of not being aware of their mistakes and as a consequence, they often make quite radical decisions and most of the time inadequate:
- BUYING A NEW PUTTER: They usually buy a completely different model from the one they play, trying to fix the problem with a new putter. Or as many people say, to change scenery.
- ALTER THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THE ONE THAT HAS: The spec changes that many of you tend to do is the simple thing, change the grip, make the putter longer or shorter, etc.
Actually these decisions are the most common, but…. adequate?
The main failures that I usually find when I do fitting are:
- The position of the view on the ball
- Arm angle placement.
- Orientation of the shoulders in relation to the target
- Irregular ball roll and causing the ball to jump out of control.
- Hand action on the back and downswing.
- Inconsistent movement through the rotation of the putt
In order to get to this point, before I had to explain to you why it is the great forgotten of the stock market.
If you didn't read it, here's a direct way to read it:
As you well know, our work philosophy is not to touch technical things on the players, but to make the pertinent adjustments and the recommendation so that the putter adjusts to the characteristics of each player, and then facilitate the golf teacher's work to be able to make the appropriate technical adjustments to each student or player.
Once we have detected these common mistakes when making a fitting, there are certain very important aspects to take into account:
THE LENGTH
I remember when I started in this, that when I went to a store to buy a putter, they were all or almost all 35" long and what I always say, as players we were treated by a herd, the consequence was that we got used to discomfort, and we think... this length is normal.
But currently the change in stores we already find a high percentage of putters in 34" or less and 35" is almost non-existent.
But do you think this ends here?
No. The length is the main factor that facilitates a correct position in the stance, and that will make our eyes be on the ball, our body is relaxed with a position of the angle of the back and a correct and relaxed position of the arms
In the past we were pigeonholed when it came to recommending the putter, having the distance from the wrists to the ground as a reference. Currently working like this is losing a lot of information and not finishing working with the player as it should be done correctly. Telescopic shaft putters are a great tool for finding natural posture, arms, back and eye position in the stance.
THE LOFT
It is another of the main factors that affect the rolling of the ball, and for that at Handmade Custom Clubs we work with a special mat designed by Guerin Rife, CEO of Evnroll Putter, which teaches us how the ball rolls for each player. , the model we use is the Evnroll RollBoard.
When I work with the players, the loft is a factor that directly affects the putter, since each player is a world and no two people are the same who execute the same movement with the same tendency, therefore, each putter should be adjusted accordingly. personalized shape according to the trend.
So that you have a very clear understanding of what a 1º misalignment can cause in a three meter putter with the same length of back swing and with the same acceleration, the difference is between the ball reaching the hole or falling short a or two turns.
If a player's execution technique changes, normally the main incident that is usually found is in the loft, and as a consequence, in the roll. Therefore, we will have to make the pertinent adjustments when this technical process begins to be solid and then a periodic control analysis to see that everything is in place, or to see how it is evolving.
THE SWINGWEIGHT / MOI
It is a factor that has a fundamental effect on performance, since swingweight and MOI have a lot to do with player feel and are very important when it comes to distance control and green speed control.
If you don't know what swingweight is, you can't stop reading this article that I put below:
Therefore it is very important that the weight of the head adjusts to the weight of the swing that the player needs and makes him feel comfortable and consistent in the movement. I know that some of you will think that the neck of the putter is also important, and honestly it is, but it is not a factor of primary importance, I am going to talk about that in the 3rd part of this series, in addition to other aspects that are also relevant and perhaps they will serve to arrive at the perfect adjustment.
THE LIE
Another fundamental factor to analyze and adjust.
HAVE YOU NOTICED HOW YOUR PUTTER LOOKS PLACED ON THE GROUND? DO YOU SEE THAT BOTH THE HEEL AND THE TOE ARE COMPLETELY FLAT, 100% PARALLEL TO THE GROUND?
If this is the case, your lie will be perfectly adjusted, and as a consequence if the putter misses on impact it goes to one side that you have your swing plane.
Having an inadequate lie will generate an inconsistency on the face of the club that will consequently make consistency in all putters governed by the impact zone and with what skill, as a player, you are able to handle the putter.
I always talk about the fact that 1st in golf is a lot, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BALL INSIDE OUT OF THE FAIRWAY OR BALL INSIDE OR OUT OF THE HOLE.
Well, playing a putter with an inappropriate lie already makes us play on the course giving the course an advantage, and we must work on that to try to take blows off the course.
In the next article and end of the series I will talk about the fitting and the less relevant sections in the putter, but important.
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© Miki Rapado ®, 2020
