Golfsmith

The golf industry has seen some tremendous advances in equipment technology over the last several years. While these advancements will certainly continue, U.S.G.A. limits on maximum Coefficient of Restitution (C.O.R.) and overall head size have brought some of the game-improving emphasis to a logical group of dedicated professionals — custom clubmakers.

Properly fitting clubs to each player's swing is at the very core of custom clubmaking, but the art of finding the right putter to help a golfer enjoy more success on the greens ns thehough the putter is the club you will use most in any given round of golf.

While the primary focus at Hot Stix Technologies is performing extensive, non-bias testing on golf components, we also understand that fitting a golfer with the right equipment is paramount. There are many factors to consider when it comes to fitting each golfer with the right putter.



LENGTH/LIE (Posture)

When determining the length and the lie angle a putter needs to be, it is important to look at the player's height and posture. In general we like to see the player's legs relatively straight, but not locked. The back should be fairly straight, with the player bent slightly at the waist. This position should allow for the arms to hang naturally.

With the player in this setup it is easier to properly determine the correct length of the putter. The vast visit our testing facility have their eyes directly over the ball or just slightly inside. With that in mind, find the putter length that puts the player in this position. Now that length has been determined, we can correctly fit the lie angle. With the putter resting on the ground the toe should be no more than three degrees up to level with the ground (the heel should never be off the ground with a standard or mid-length style putter).

LOFT (Effective Loft)

To achieve optimum roll the effective loft of the putter at impact should be four degrees. Effective loft is defined as the measured loft of the putter plus or minus shaft angle relative to ninety degrees. An example of this would be a player that forward presses the shaft two degrees turning a putter that measures four degrees into a putter that will have two degrees of effective loft at impact.

PATH (Style of Putter)

The path the putter travels during the player's stroke is directly related to the style of putter that best fits this individual. The three distinct putting paths are: Straight down the target line, inside to inside, and inside to out. A straight-back, straight-though stroke is best suited for a face-balanced putter design. An inside to inside path would be best served with a slightly toe weighted putter. Lastly, and inside to out path works best with a heavily toe-weighted putter.

WEIGHT (Swingweight VS. Overall Weight)   

The swingweight and overall weight of a putter are determined mostly by personal preference. Generally speaking, the shorter the putter the heavier the head should be. The standard head weight for a 35-inch putter is approximately 320 grams. Whereas the standard head weight for a 34-inch putter is approximately 340 grams. Based on the experience of fitting thousands of players, we are seeing more putters at 34 inches and under, as opposed to the industry standard of 35 inches. Recent player testing performed by Golfsmith's Research and Development team indicates that many golfers may actually benefit from playing with a putter that is shorter than 35 inches in length. In the study, more than 100 golfers attempted five-foot putts with five different putters (all the same model) ranging from 32 inches to 36 inches in length. An artificial putting surface with no break was also used to make the playing field even.

Collectively, the golfers, who are average to better players, made 88 percent of their putts with the 33-inch putter, 84 percent with the 34-inch putter and 81 percent with the 32-inch flat stick. In comparison, only 78 percent of the putts went in the hole with the 35-inch putter and just 72 percent of the putts with the 36-inch putter found the bottom of the cup. Although informal, this test shows that the standard 35-inch putter found in most golf retail stores may not be the best fit for evv

The trend toward custom fitting is sometimes overlooked in this process. That is a mind-blowing statement considering that the putter is the club a player uses most in any given round of golf.



The putter fitting system at Hot Stix Technologies may be considered overkill by many — and they might be right. It incorporates 32 cameras, 10 lasers, two 16-way video multiplexors, and state-of-the-art Dartfish swing analyzation software. While this system allows our staff to fit players as precisely as anyone in the world, a basic system can be set up with as little as three cameras, a computer, and some type of video capture software. It’s an investment that may prove to be very beneficial.

It is important to point out that these are general putter fitting rules. Everyone has seen someone who breaks all the conventional teachings and still finds a way to get it done on the golf course. Look no further than the Champions Tour and you will find several players not following conventional methods, and still having great success. •

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