Tall-er guys and putter length. Talk to me !

[bladehunter]

Wondering how putter length relates to your pw length ?     Specifically 6-0 to 6-4 ish guys.      Also wonder age.  
 

 

im working on a hunch.  And that hunch is.  That putter length should be close to wedge length assuming you don’t have a super hunched over putting stance .  And that length may increase for age due to posture change  because of flexibility etc. afterall. Reaching the ball is reaching the ball. Yes ?  
 

not making a statement. I’m just curious how many tall guys have over length   irons and above 35 inch putters?  Or does it not correlate? 

[Greenie]

I'm 62 now.  I started playing some 30 yrs. ago.  I'm 6'3" and I have played most of my iron sets at +1" since my first fitting in the 90's. 

 

I started out playing a 35" putter. I switched to a 34" putter a few yrs. after taking up the game and I have played a 34" putter ever since. As a matter of fact I still use my Ping putter I bought in 2004. I choke up on the shaft when I putt so I play it even shorter. My friend has the same putter in 33" and I like that a lot but using a 34" and gripping down the shaft feels more balanced to me.

 

I have a bad back so playing longer irons has always helped my back. Playing a shorter putter has never bothered my back.

 

The only change I have made to my putter is that I had to put a ball pick tool on the end of the grip a few yrs. ago.. I have a hard time  bending over and picking the ball out of the hole.

 

 

[Ross_Albatross]

Interesting... 6'4" - haven't started to lose flexibility yet haha... 35.5" both pitching wedge and putter... fyi 36.5" wrist to floor 

[Abh159]

I'm 6 ft 1 in, and recently switched to a 35 in putter.

 

Although I always preferred a shorter putter (33-34 inches) I've found that as I get older my back was really starting to hurt especially if I spent more than 10-15 minutes on the putting green. 

 

It took some getting used to, but now I putt just as well (if not better) with the longer putter and my back isn't nearly as sore after.

[bladehunter]

27 minutes ago, MtlJayMan said:

Interesting... 6'4" - haven't started to lose flexibility yet haha... 35.5" both pitching wedge and putter... fyi 36.5" wrist to floor 

Thanks guys for the responses 

 

im 6-3 and play a 36 inch pitching wedge.    For a long time I used a 34.5 inch putter. Hot and cold results. But much worse on lag putts. And it’s from inconsistent strikes up and down the face.    Been 35 inches for about a year and a half.  Putted bettter at first.  But really still same overall. Contact suffers the longer the stroke is .  
 

I recently have been in a kind of fitment loop with trying to find a comfortable position and or putter.  And a very good instructor suggested “ hey have you ever thought outside the box with length”?     So here I am. Thinking.  I see a lot of bigger guys on tour are in 36 or ever 37 inch putters.  So I start connecting dots.   Then in a match Saturday I missed a 15 footer by 5 inches short because of thin contact.  And lost.  This is a very common miss. 
 

im very cautious about blaming equipment- but it does have a ring of logic that your shortest wedge might be the shortest putter you should use.  If reaching the ball ( up and down  ) is the miss.  I guess only one way to know.  

[Barfolomew]

6'1" with a 41" putter

 

+1" on irons

 

Putt standing upright with hands in close to body kinda like Rickie or Ray Floyd

 

Kills me to see players hunched over with all that tension in back and body.  Dont know how hunched guys practice putting for longer sessions.  Standing upright makes whole body nice and relaxed.  Ball is further away from body then most but that's how I like it.... putting is strength of game 🐔

 

 

Edited November 14, 2022 by Barfolomew

[Cellis]

6’1, 3/4” over standard irons, play my putter 35.5”. Just feels more comfortable with how my arms hang in my putting stroke at that length. Have used 33-34” putters in the past though.

[b.mattay]

 

1 hour ago, bladehunter said:

 

im very cautious about blaming equipment- but it does have a ring of logic that your shortest wedge might be the shortest putter you should use.  If reaching the ball ( up and down  ) is the miss.  I guess only one way to know.  

Obviously an individual thing, and I'm not a tall guy (5'9), but I don't believe your lob wedge and putter should necessarily be the same length or even close to! I've had the most success with a putter that is 4" shorter than my lob wedge (31" vs 35"). 

 

I would demo a ping putter because of their length adjustability feature and mess around with each length until you find something that you hit solidly! 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2022 by b.mattay

[bladehunter]

18 minutes ago, b.mattay said:

 

Obviously an individual thing, and I'm not a tall guy (5'9), but I don't believe your lob wedge and putter should necessarily be the same length or even close to! I've had the most success with a putter that is 4" shorter than my lob wedge (31" vs 35"). 

 

I would demo a ping putter because of their length adjustability feature and mess around with each length until you find something that you hit solidly! 

 

 

You obviously have access to my eBay page !  Loll. Was loooking at those last night.  

[Nard_S]

Average PGA player is 6'- 6'2'', average putter for them is 34.5'' ''. I'm 5'9'' use a 32.5". 

[TheDominator273]

6'4" here and play a 36" PW (+0.5"). I'm an armlock putter that is 44", but when I pick up a standard putter, 34" is the appropriate length for me where I'm in the same position as armlocking with my eyes just slightly inside of the ball.

 

With putter and PW lie angles and eye positions being so different I'm not sure the correlation you are looking for is there.

[anser85029]

68 now...been playing for 60 years

 

6'3"...+1"...36" PW

 

34" MnBr Ping Anser since 1969 when I was 5'5"....fiddled with 35", 36" and 37" putter lengths at times but always come back to 34".   Stroke gets too wristy and handsy with putter length longer than 34"

[ColinKelvin]

I'm 6'4" and I play 34" putters most of the time. This year an ancient Scottsdale Cushin at 33" did well for me. My irons are +0.75".

Edited November 15, 2022 by ColinKelvin

[dfeldss]

Gonna caveat this with the fact the none of my clubs have been fitted for me but:

 

6'1" 28 years old

34 inch putter

I believe my PW is 35.5 but not positive. Thats what the Z785 spec is but i threw in some shaft pulls i got elsewhere and never measured 

[baudi]

The instrument is fit to the set up thus the instrument is fit to the player. 

The putter and wedges have very different functions. I do not strike my putts the way I play my wedges.  6'25''; putter - 35.25 inches -  120gr. counterbalanced - 75 degrees lie angle. big grip. The wedges are in line with iron set. 36 inches -64 degree lie. 

 

[Ghostwedge]

Me \ 6'0 35 in putter

Son \ 6'2 35 in putter

He makes more putts than me.....hmmm.

[betarhoalphadelta]

6'5" with a 39.5" WTF, so I'm no T-Rex but my arms/wingspan is short for my height. Used to play everything +1.5" before going single-length. Now play my irons (4h, 5i-48* wedge) at 37.5", and my specialty wedges (52/56/60) at 36.75". 

 

I recently (April) bought a new putter and deliberately went long at 36.5". I've taken at least 1 putt/round off my average since then, although there are other differences (blade->mallet which IMHO helps with alignment, heavier weight overall). 

 

I feel like putting is something that is so individual that a rough guide of "should be same as wedge length" may not hold true, but would absolutely suggest experimenting. I think us tall guys understand more than the average-sized folks that one size does NOT fit all, and there's no reason that shouldn't apply to putters. 

[bladehunter]

Appreciate the responses guys.  Looks like it’s a personal as any other part of the game. Maybe more so.  
 

 

one thing I have to measure is my wrist to floor.  I’m long legged.  And my putting posture with a 35 inch putter is very hunched over.     It’s officially the off season. So I’m just slow working this problem in hopes of getting a comfortable fit by spring.    I have access to a wonderful putting mind . But it’s a hike  of a drive to his place  , and I’d like to get in the ballpark length wise before wasting his time - again.    No supposed fitter anywhere has putters over 35 inches anyway except the aforementioned ping adjustables which go to 36.  This is why I chuckle when I get the “ did you get fitted “ question

[BabyCarrot]

6'3" and just switched to a 35 inch putter. I think it depends on your grip. With baseball grip, 36 inches fits well. With a overhand grip, 35 fits even better.

[MattM97]

Don't forget to factor in arm length that plays a huge factor as well. 

 

Height 6'3" 

Wingspan 6'10" 

Putter length 34.5-35" 

50° length 36" 

[SaVo_]

I'm 6'4

play irons +1/2 inch over standard, may increase the length in my next fitting

I used to play 35 inch putter then just extended my old Odyssey 7S to 37 inches and haven't looked back.

Im not the biggest fan of the added weight in extending putters as I like mine lighter, but the added length has definitely helped my practicing sessions as I don't have to bend over and put strain on my lower back as much and it has helped me feel more comfortable standing a little taller.

I've putted lights out with 37 inch putter all the way down to 34. Just gotta find the length where you are most comfortable

Edited November 15, 2022 by SaVo_

[Cliffy2020]

6’4” , 47y/o , 39” WTF, 36” inseam

 

Played +1” irons until last year.  Tooled around with 34”-36” putters throughout.  Currently rollin a 35”  

 

Practice ~4-6hrs / week no problemo (except for the snow now)
 

 

[Kuuuch]

30 years old 6’ 2” 

irons 1/2” over standard 

putter 34”

 

I used to use a 35” putter but I always struggled with too much arc so I think I switched to 34” a couple years back because I didn’t arc it was much with it fwiw 

[Scottbox]

It depends on a lot of stuff: your arm length, your posture at setup, whether you hold the putter more in the fingers or more in the palms of your hands, the type of putting grip you prefer (regular, saw, cross-handed, etc.). Those are just a few variables. For example, Patrick Cantlay is 5'10" and he uses a 33" putter, which is a length commonly used by players under 5'10. Getting fit properly is the key to see what fits you. There's no one size fits all deal.

[baudi]

If 1 degree converts to .25'' then my wedges are shorter than my putter.

11*.25'' + 35'' =37.25''.

Focus on set up to achieve alignment, stroke pattern, impact, roll and speed control.

Edited November 15, 2022 by baudi

[bladehunter]

2 hours ago, baudi said:

If 1 degree converts to .25'' then my wedges are shorter than my putter.

11*.25'' + 35'' =37.25''.

Focus on set up to achieve alignment, stroke pattern, impact, roll and speed control.

Right. But that’s just the problem.  It’s the same feeling of not reaching the ball I used to have with a wedge years ago , before I went to longer irons. I have to hunch over quite a bit to feel like I reach.   
 

just measured my wrist to floor. Dead on 37 inches.   
 

i “ can “ hunch over and play a 32 inch putter.  But it seems to be part of my putting puzzle.   The mishits up and down the face.     I remember  this from wedges as a beginner with a standard length set. Dive down at it to hit it good or fat.  Or swing naturally to catch it thin.    Maybe Widen  stance ( feet ) to - , 4 feet apart to get it right. Lol. Doesn’t work.  Or hasn’t worked.  
 

 

[bladehunter]

6 hours ago, Scottbox said:

It depends on a lot of stuff: your arm length, your posture at setup, whether you hold the putter more in the fingers or more in the palms of your hands, the type of putting grip you prefer (regular, saw, cross-handed, etc.). Those are just a few variables. For example, Patrick Cantlay is 5'10" and he uses a 33" putter, which is a length commonly used by players under 5'10. Getting fit properly is the key to see what fits you. There's no one size fits all deal.

Right.  But I feel and look very hunched over. 
 

I’ve been fitted several times in the past 3 years.  Each fitter hands me a putter and then measures how I impact the ball with it.  The problem is I can hunch over to suit any length.  But it’s not comfortable  .  And untenable for any length of time to practice.  No fitter has 36 inch and up putters.  Or at least I have never been handed one.  
 

 

[North Butte]

I'm only 6' tall and with average proportioned arms and legs so maybe I'm not an extreme enough case. But I find anything shorter than 34" requires me to bend over a little bit extra and anything longer than 35" means part of the grip will be sticking out behind my hands. I can use 34", 34-1/2" or 35" putters pretty much interchangeably by slightly varying the positioning of the grip in my hands.  

 

Beside your body dimensions and how much you hunch over, there are two main factors that determine putter length.

 

Do you let you arms hang down vs. bending your elbows?

 

And do you stick the putter out at a flat lie angle (akin to an iron or wedge) or does the shaft hang down more vertically.

 

An awful lot of people I play with have putters with 69 or 70 degree lie angles but the toe sticks way up in the air because they're standing far from the ball with their hands tucked in near their belt buckle. If you think about it, that has to add two or three inches to the length of the putter versus putting with a 71 or 72 degree lie putter with the sole level to the ground.

 

I know different styles work best for different people but the one I've never been able to figure out is the guys who bend way over at the waist (makes my low back ache to look at them) but then bend their elbows out to the side so they aren't gripping the putter way down below the grip. If it works for them, great, but dang. 

[bladehunter]

16 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I'm only 6' tall and with average proportioned arms and legs so maybe I'm not an extreme enough case. But I find anything shorter than 34" requires me to bend over a little bit extra and anything longer than 35" means part of the grip will be sticking out behind my hands. I can use 34", 34-1/2" or 35" putters pretty much interchangeably by slightly varying the positioning of the grip in my hands.  

 

Beside your body dimensions and how much you hunch over, there are two main factors that determine putter length.

 

Do you let you arms hang down vs. bending your elbows?

 

And do you stick the putter out at a flat lie angle (akin to an iron or wedge) or does the shaft hang down more vertically.

 

An awful lot of people I play with have putters with 69 or 70 degree lie angles but the toe sticks way up in the air because they're standing far from the ball with their hands tucked in near their belt buckle. If you think about it, that has to add two or three inches to the length of the putter versus putting with a 71 or 72 degree lie putter with the sole level to the ground.

 

I know different styles work best for different people but the one I've never been able to figure out is the guys who bend way over at the waist (makes my low back ache to look at them) but then bend their elbows out to the side so they aren't gripping the putter way down below the grip. If it works for them, great, but dang. 

Great points.  
 

I’ll start by saying that I’m considering all that myself.  
 

I definitely prefer to have my arms hang straight.  And shaft more vertical.  So upright lie angle suits me.  Which would point to a shorter putter than if it were 69 degree lie and I had my elbows bent .  
 

 

I don’t know. At this point it’s almost all conversations I’m having here or with myself. But here’s the gist.  
 

I haven’t picked up a putter in over a year and said “ oh I like the feel of that “.  Etc.  Not once.  I used to walk into a store and like 10 things I tried.   Or see a buddy and try out his new wand and have to try one too.  That’s all gone.    One putter rolls it better. But directionally sucks.  The next puts it online but distance control over 10 feet sucks due to the up and down mishit.  
 

i don’t know.  Just grasping I guess. I’ve taken several weeks off at a time.  Seen the best guy on earth for help , nothing clicks anymore.  and am to the point where nothing feels good in my hand.  I still want to play but putting kills it every round.  And it’s past the make/miss stage of mental expectations.  I don’t expect to make.  I’ve tried very hard to focus on quality rolls.   And I’m doing that I now see how rare or hard that is.
 

 So I set out to tune my stroke with a good eye.  And in practice I can do it.  Hunched over etc and repeat 10 footers on a string.  I have a dime  worn on my putter face to prove that …I practice a ton.  ..But in play , I see those consistency’s evaporate quickly with thin mishits.   It’s probably me lifting my head. I guess.  And I’ll investigate that next round I play .  But it just made me wonder if it wasn’t a combo of me AND fitment ?  I truly don’t know.

 

 I’d love for it to be just me.  Work doesn’t bother me one bit.  it’s cheaper than equipment.  But I’m so far gone now I just can’t tell.  

[betarhoalphadelta]

So it sounds like you have two options...

 

• Take a putter you own and like to a store and have them extend it. 
• Buy a longer putter and try it out. 

 

Based on what you're saying, it's almost like this thread was your attempt to get validation for wanting to try a longer putter. Well, I'd say you've gotten it. Now go do it! 😉