Putter Journey

[chadly643]

I thought I’d share the journey I’ve been on the last year trying to find a putter that can get the ball in the hole more often. 
 

Back in 2010 I had a beloved Cameron Studio Style 1.5 stolen. I replaced it with a Cameron California Monterey with no fitting and no real trial. I was replacing all 14 clubs and the putter was the last spot so I grabbed one I liked the look of and that was that. Well that putter wound up being quite good to me for 10 years. I customized it. I modified it. It helped me break 80 for the first time. It was the putter I used for my best rounds. It was a solid tool. I ran into a slump and made the decision to swap it out because I wanted some more forgiveness. 
 

So I booked a fitting at club champion last summer and went through a SAM fitting with them. They wound up fitting me into a Spider EX. I preferred the Cameron Phantom X 5.5 during the fitting but the guy there convinced me that it doesn’t matter about preference as much as performance. He told me the spider was a better fit. So I trusted him. I bought the Spider and went on my way. Needless to say, I learned a lesson. The rest of the summer I was hundreds of dollars poorer and 3-putting more than ever. I never got along with that Spider AND I hated the finish of it. Despite trying my absolute best to take care of it, it wound up with some chips in the paint. 
 

So this week I decided to make a change. I listed my Cameron California on eBay and to my surprise I sold it for what I bought it for 12 years ago (someone got a heck of a putter). Meanwhile that Spider I bought just 8 or 9 months ago is worth less than half what I paid. 
 

Today I went to my local golf store and I walked out with a shiny new Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5! I got just some practice in this afternoon, but so far this thing is absolute money. It looks good. It feels good. And I’m making putts with it. I’m sure there’s a bit of a honeymoon situation going on, but I’m optimistic that this one might last 10 years like my last Scotty. 
 

I’m sure some have had great experiences with putting fitting. For me it was a huge bust. The putter I grabbed off the wall because I liked the look lasted 10 good years and held its value. The putter I was custom fit to lasted less than a year and had little resale value when it was time to make a change. If I need to make a change again in the future I’m just going to grab one I like to look at that’ll hold value and roll it for a bit and see if we’re a match. If it doesn’t work out I can easily flip it and try another. 
 

What sort of journeys have you all been on trying to find the right tool to get the ball in the hole?

[SteelieD]

Never been fit. I go with what looks and feels good. Always have. I like blades. Tried to force myself into mallets several times but just don’t like ‘em. I’m with you… grab one (or several 😉) of a style you like and go. 

[rooski]

Finding a good putter is 30% finding something that works with your stroke and 70% magic and feel

[Eeecc]

Maybe it is because I have never got a putter fitting but I feel putting is a lot more about unquantifiable feeling of confidence. And so if you don’t feel confident about the club you are looking at to line up the putt I don’t know how you can be confident about the stroke you will make. And if you stroke isn’t with confidence, it maybe a miss. Or maybe this is just my justification of not having gone for a putter fit. My putter is neither hot nor terrible 🤷🏻‍♂️. 

[chadly643]

My position on putter fittings has soured. In hindsight it makes sense that rolling balls on 12’ carpet hooked up to a machine can’t tell you much. 

[5hort5tuff]

Just shows there is a huge mental component to putting. If you look down an something you really don't like, I'm not sure you will ever putt well.

[Maroon_19]

Bit of a different take on fitting.

I went to Artisan and had a fitting with John Hatfield.  If you don't know who John is, read up on Nike and The Oven back during Tiger's rise.  John is old school.  No SAM machine.  No technology of any kind.  We walked from the shop (which is The Oven) over to the bent grass green at Leonard's Golf Ranch with a golf bag full of putters and started putting.  Every three or four strokes John would hand me another putter.  And teach.  Three or four strokes with him behind, another putter, a snippet of wisdom, more strokes and another putter.  He watched me putt from all angles.  Long putts.  Short putts.  Straight putts and snakes.  Three hours of putting on a real green in real weather with one of the absolute masters in the craft watching me and teaching me.

And then back to the shop.  He did take a couple of measurements to make sure what he saw on the green matched the numbers and they did.  Very flat lie (66*).  I had never had a putter that flat before.  John walked me through the putter building room and said "Pick the head that looks good to you and I'll build it to match your game," and he did.  Absolutely the best putter I've ever played.  I only toy with the idea of others now so I can have another Artisan, or another custom built to John's specs for me.

"The number one thing is that it has to look good,” he said. “It needs to give you confidence. If you set something down and you don’t like to look at it, how long are you going to play it? Then after that it needs to sound good. That audible sound has to give you good feedback or you aren’t going to play it." - John Hatfield (https://www.golfwrx.com/550818/the-artisan-golf-putter-fitting-experience/)

I think data is really helpful.  I do data for a living.  I think it has its place in golf, but to me golf is 99% feel.  You can stand over a ball in the fairway and know that you are going to nuke it, or know you are going to miss-hit it just by feel.  Same with putts.  Sometimes you just see the line and know.  A SAM machine is going to give you data on the specs your putter should be built into, but it isn't necessarily going to get you into the best putter.  If you hate the putter the data chooses, you'll never putt well with it because the feel just isn't there.

Edited March 9, 2022 by Maroon_19