January 21 Grand Lake Golf Report

Quote on being positive

“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, and give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, and think of others”                                 Power of Positive Thinking     

Pick a Putter - The objective of the golf putter is rather straight forward: finish up the game by putting the golf ball into the hole.

#1 – Length and Lie

This is the least sexy part of the putter buying process, but it’s critical that you get it right.  The wrong length or lie will put you in a position where you don’t see the line accurately, and it’s all downhill from there.

Think of it like buying clothes.  Finding your size isn’t the fun part, but what’s the point of buying a great shirt that doesn’t fit?

#2 – Toe Hang…And Then Some

The next step is figuring out what putter design fits your stroke.  The most important element is the distance from the shaft axis to the center of the face, which is largely – but not completely – reflected in the toe hang.

Toe hang will also be impacted by the location of the COG relative to the putter face.  If you have a mallet with a COG far from the face, it will have less toe hang than a blade with a COG near the face.

#3 – Swing Weight

Everyone has had the experience of picking up a putter and sensing, “Hey, this feels good.”  You were likely reacting to the swing weight.  The swing weight is, in simple terms, how heavy the club head feels.

Start with a swing weight that matches your sand wedge – likely something around D6.  If you need to release the club more, you can go to a lighter swing weight.  Conversely, a heavier swing weight will slow the club’s release.

#4 – Total Weight

While swing weight gets a fair amount of attention in putting, very few people consider the overall weight.  You views overall weight as being key to distance control.  Try matching the overall weight to your tempo.

If you’re an up-tempo player, you may find better success with a putter around 500-515 grams.  Players with more methodical strokes can get into the 550-575 gram range.

#5 – Grips

Finally, you should consider the grip shape.  The emphasis here is to pick a grip that works with your source of motion.  Don’t pick a grip to “fix” your stroke.  If your stroke is powered by your hands, choose a smaller grip.  For the shoulder-driven stroke, a big Superstroke  grip can be a good choice.

Golf Joke

The golfer called one of the caddies and said, "I want a caddie who can count and keep the score. What's 3 and 4 and 5 add up to?" "11 sir," said the caddie. "Good, you'll do perfectly." 

Keep in the Middle

Mike Kelly