The best putter ?

any thoughts?

I'll try that one !

Would you have broke 30 if you used your driver ?

I have tried lots over the last few months and i have found that i really dont like the look of the ultra modern putters especially if it has plastic stuck all over it ala ping craz-e or the 2-ball. most of the putters i have seen in the shops are much along the same theme. the only one i have found that performed well and was pleasing to the eye (imho) was the callaway i-trax.

This was on my shortlist until i managed to locate and try the american classic flange by scotty cameron. I found it looked and performed perfect. So search over.

One thing i did find whilst testing every putter i could lay my hands on was that the Yes!! putters gave a lovely sound and nice roll but i just didnt like the styling (im shallow i know)

No offence intended to anybody who has a putter adorned with plastic "bling". whatever floats your boat (or sinks your putts)

Dont know to be honest. Its not oilcan though. Will check with Scotty later.

Colin

Scotty says raw billet no finish.

I was gonna buy a new putter, the MD stardust, as my current putter wasn't clicking right. Then this week I putted like a man possesed, I think it was less than 30 putts in the round. So Im stick with my Zebra for the time being

Bought myself an Odyssey White Hot #2 and have to say I am very,very,very impressed so far.  Made far more 1 putts last weekend. The more I am using it, the better it gets.  Best �90 I ever spent - Knocked a few shots off per round.

I use the Odyssey White Hot Classic which I've not quite got there yet with it but guess this is down to not playing often enough.  Great feel but just not found my touch on the green. 

I used to use a really old classic style putter, on looking at my stats I used to average around the mid 30s for putting but my last few games have been in the low 40s !  eek   Also the 1 putts have gone and the 3 putts crept in.

Time for more golf and practice me thinks !  Back to the 2007 resolution.

In my humble opinion (ha) the putter is one of the most over hyped clubs in the bag.  No amount of development, buzzwords or material science is going to effect what is the simplest of shots, but arguably the most important.  OK, it's true that certain areas of design may help, ceramic faces, head weights and grips for example, but ultimately it's a mind process.  If you don't feel comfortable with a club and the way it works for you it's not going to work.  My brother played off 9 at his best, yet still regularly turns in mid twenties putts per round.  He still uses a cast brass, aluminium shafted council crazy golf putter he stole 35 years ago, but he has got amazing spacial awareness that allows him to read greens in a way I can only dream of, and because he's used the same club for so long knows exactly what weight and line to use.   A pro may show you a new technique, may even recommend a putter but all it will do is to guide you closer to a style that he feels comfortable with and knows, after years of practice, will work.

If you can't read a green or visualise a put, then the most expensive or lavishly branded putter ain't going to help.  Find one you feel comfortable with, go to pro shops and golf barns and try them all.  Find one and stick with it, even if it's the cheapest in the shop.  Then practice, practice and practice more.  If you've got (like I have) a wooden or laminate kitchen floor practice on that, it exagerates errors.  Practice on carpet, practice before a round.

Whoops, sorry, got on my soapbox again there.    

Everything you have just said, I can agree with.

I struggle to get down behind the ball these days so have had to start using the plumb line method for guaging the amount of break. It works really well and although not as good as getting down behind the ball it is a sound method.

I got an Odessey White Hot #7 in May after trying as many putters as I possibly could.  I found I was most consistent with that one but changing the length improved things further.  A quick fitting session showed that the 34" putter I was using was 1.5" too short for me, so I was able to get one that suited my stroke instead of having to putt unnaturally.  This putter feels smooth and I know how hard/far I have to swing to get the distance I need.  I'm now down at low 30's per round and rarely 3 putt because I'm comfortable with the putter and believe it will get me very close to the hole from most distances.  In all honesty, my putting is often my saviour on the course. 

I try to break the green down into sections if I'm more than six feet away.  I tend to work backwards and visualise how to get to my ball from the hole in three foot sections, reducing the impact of the break as I get further from the hole to account for the extra ball speed.  For example, I visualise a three foot putt from the hole, then a three fott putt from where the ball would stop, etc until I get to where I am.  This then gives me a line.  If I'm more than 12 or 15 feet away, I just aim to get it as close as I can with a view to making the second putt as easy as possible. 

One from the archives here!

David you make some good points and i always try to "visualise" the putt before taking the shot.

On the odyssy shout, they make some very good putters, but i personally think that the 3ball putter are a bit of a joke (sorry if anyone out there uses one) they are huge.... and i just cant help thinking that they are more gimmic than helpfull.

So onto my putter history. I first started out with a Donnay simi blade with a polymer insert, I have to say that this was a very good putter and for £8 you cant go far wrong. I then progressed to a Taylormade Nubbins B7 (blade with a off set) which i used for ages and thought that it was the best about. Hoever after using a friends Taylormade Mezza Rozza for a couple of rounds i couldnt fault it and im now a mallet convert.

So for my recomendation i would currently say that the Rozza mezza is great, well balanced and feels great, and you can currently get one in very good condition 2nd hand for no money at all. hoever this is a heavy Mallet and doesnt suit everyone so shockingly i would say have a good look at the donnay range (currently available from sport soccer/sports world) they are very cheap an in the styles of many of the high end putters on the market. (yes im risking a lynching here but worth saying).

Well thats my tuppence worth.

Cheers

danny

Excellent point, Wayne regarding the break point.

IMO every putt is a straight putt that is not always aimed at the hole.

I might also mention that I am now the owner of Waynes PGA Pro Mallet and it is working very well.

So when are you giving me the futura?

Only joking.

I still think the Scotty Cameron Newport and Studio 1.5 styles are my favorites.  Have 3 of them, no 4 now.  Two in London, one in Wisconsin and the other in Boston.  Hell, I've got a set of clubs in three different cities, lol.  Beats carrying them on the plane through that nightmare called the Tube and Heathrow.