Choosing a putter

Hi all

I might be in the market for a new putter....the one that I got with my beginners MD set of clubs back in August is OK and helps to put the ball in the hole (sometimes!)...but If I'm looking to improve my game and £100+ pounds is burning a hole in my pocket, what putter should I invest in?

I assume a quality putter, coupled with good technique (I can dream...) will help my game or is it best to stick with what I've got as I'm still fairly new to the game?

Other than your suggestions and turning up at a golf store and trying out putters on the practice mats, are there specific things to look out for when choosing?

Cheers

Matt 

Try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try.  Then try some more. 

Putters are so individual that what is good for you will not be good for someone else.  Make sure you get the right length first.  Most men in the 5'8" to 6'0" range will be best with a 34" putter but if you have an upright or crouched stance this may differ - I putt very upright and use a 35" despite only being 5'9". 

The first thing you will decide is whether you like an insert or not, then whether you prefer mallet or blade, and then just try as many as you can now you've narrowed the choice.  You will find that some just 'feel' better and that will give you confidence.  You will have a favourite and that is the one you are most likely to go for. 

Personally I'm an Odessey fan as I like an insert and they feel very well balanced and have a soft feel off the face.  Scotty Cameron's (Titleist) are one of the best non-inserted but I don't like them (pitchforks and burning torches at the ready everyone!) as I don't like the feel off the face although they are very well balanced.  Those two brands are the most popular on tour, but the Mizuno Bettanardi is also worth looking at. 

Matt, please don't fall into the trap of thinking that if you spend more you will get a better putter, or that it will make your putting miraculously pro standard.  What Chris says is correct, try all of them and don't be swayed by the brand name.  Remember, pros get given theirs, and they are made to their specifications.

Personally I still use my Ram Zebra that came with one of my first sets, albeit with a few mods.  It just feels right, physically and pyschologically, despite having bits chopped off and some weight added (and soon to be regripped and shortened).  My stats show that 75% of my rounds are in the 31 - 35 range and 13% are 26 - 30, pretty pleasing for a high handicapper with a £15 putter.   

Thanks for the good advice.  My current putter feels `OK' but I guess you dont know unless you try something else.  The one I got with this MD set is a mallet style and I feel that i sometimes have a bit of weight resistance when drawing back to make the stroke. I might look at an insert down at American Golf / Nevada Bobs etc just to feel the difference. 

 Matt, when I first started playing I'd change my putter like underpants 'til I realised it was me that was the problem. I have had the same brass putter, I forget what brand it is (my playing partners think it looks like a branding iron) for 30 yrs and the only reason is that it feels right, even without hitting a ball. You'll have ups and downs with it but be wary of the trap that getting a new putter because you've gone off the boil. It's a quick fix and it wont last, a bit like getting married except you've more chance of getting the putter to iron your shirts. Joking aside,  I agree with Kevin Hewitt's point. I think putting is the most neglected part of most peoples game, mine included, and I think the reason is that putting is less dramatic than a 300 yd drive.  

You don't use your new robbo putter Tim?

Hi Matt,

I'm using, and have used for the past four or five years a putter that I bought in Donnay Sports for �3.49!

Although I'm always looking for that magical putter, I haven't found one yet.

I've tried a few at my course, even took them out for a round of golf, but they were no better in results than the one I'm using now.

One thing that has helped my putting was having a lesson on putting! It means I know know what I'm supposed to do rather than what I thought I was supposed to be doing.

Good luck with the search.

Russ

I splashed out last year and bought a Scotty Cameron (Red X with 33" shaft). 

I love it, but to be honest my results with it are no different to those I was achieving with my Benross putter or the Bay Hill or the £5 Donnay special or the RAM or the Odyssey rip off etc etc etc. 

Matt, you could always add some extra alignment marks as I have on mine.  Got a centre line on the top and bottom of the blade, two for the width of the ball and two extra dots on the bottom of the blade to eliminate parallax error.  Try some Tippex at first to get the alignment right then grind them in afterwards.  Easy.