Putters are getting more and more expensive, and it is making many gofers question whether or not the expensive putters are worth it.
When you have a good putter, there is a lot that you can do to navigate the greens and become a really great player.
However, there is still a question as to whether or not it’s worth the price.
If you don’t have the right putter, you will likely end up leaving some strokes on the course.
Does A Putter Make A Difference? (10 Reasons It Does)
1. The Most Important Scoring Club
The most important scoring club in the bag is the putter.
As great as you may be at hitting fairways or getting a ball out of the bunker, none of it will matter as much as the putter.
The putter is the club that allows you to get the ball in the hole when it matters the most.
For many golfers, this will be the club that saves a par or a bogey, but for others, it can be the club that helps ensure a birdie is possible on the hole.
The most important scoring club will ensure that you are able to reach your goals as a golfer and work your way towards becoming a single-digit handicap.
If you told golfers that this one club could do all of that for them, you would think it would be considerably easier for them to make the investment.
However, unfortunately, many players would still just like to hit for distance, and they won’t worry nearly as much about getting the ball in the hole.
Getting the ball in the hole is not always easy to do, but it is something that can be made easier when you have a putter that you trust and rely on.
The most important scoring club is worth a bit more of an investment, and golfers should take time to ensure that they are choosing a club that is a good fit for their game.
If you are still using a 20-year-old blade putter that allows you to two- or three-putt every green, it’s time to make a change.
One of the things that make the game of golf so great is that putting is something anyone can be good at.
Simply learn how to putt well, and you can be just as good as a professional on the greens.
Getting the ball in the fairway and on the green takes a bit more work, but any golfer who makes the commitment can become a great putter.
2. Feel
The feel of the putter is perhaps one of the most important features.
With a cheap golf putter, feel is almost always compromised.
The feel will be almost a little hollow or cheap with a lower-priced putter, whereas the premium putters give a more solid and impressive feel when contact is made.
The feel of the putter is something that tends to be more of a player preference than a true specification.
However, the golfers who are the best putters in the game have no problem playing for a golf putter that is going to have a great feel.
For some players, this will mean that the putter is milled from one piece of steel, but for others, it will require an insert that leads to a softer overall feel.
There is no perfect golf putter when it comes to feel, but it is certainly a reason to pay a little bit more money to get something great.
The more you learn to trust and like the feel of your putter, the easier it gets to be a consistent and efficient golf putter.
3. Alignment Technology
The top of a golf putter will have alignment lines.
These alignment lines, coloring, and overall orientation of the club head will help assist golfers who are looking to line up their putt and get it into the hole.
Even when you make a perfect stroke, you must be sure that you have the club aligned correctly, or your putt is not going to go in the hole.
Alignment technology is never the same from one putter to the next.
Some golf clubs will have a long line on the top or even a track that will allow you to line the ball up.
Others will have a single line that makes it a bit more streamlined.
Some golf putters have no line on the top and will instead use the actual shape of the club to help you line up towards your hole.
There is no right or wrong way to line up to make a putt.
The key is to line up the same way every time.
If you can learn to consistently aim at or near the hole, you will be able to get more of your putts on the line and into the hole.
Another great thing about strong alignment technology is that you can learn to trust that if the putter is on the line, the only thing left for you to do is swing on that line.
4. Forgiveness
Golf putters have forgiveness.
Some golfers think this is ridiculous that a golf putter could have forgiveness built in, but it is absolutely a factor and one that will impact your game.
The more forgiving a putter is, the easier it is for you to miss the center of the face slightly and still make great contact with the ball.
A forgiving putter will allow you to hit towards the heel or the toe and still get the ball to the hole.
However, a less forgiving putter will leave you short or to the left or right when you don’t hit it directly in the center.
Forgiveness is something that golfers have learned more and more about in the last few years.
Some golf manufacturers are even making putters that have a more forgiving shaft in them to try and make them forgiving from every angle.
However, the research and development that goes into a forgiving golf putter will not be part of a value golf putter.
This kind of technology is expensive and something that you will really only see in the more high-end golf putters.
However, when you spend more money on a putter, and it is able to help you make more putts, most golfers find that this is money well spent.
5. Blade And Mallet Designs
Golf putters have both blade and mallet designs that can help players who have different types of strokes.
For the most part, the blade-style putter tends to be a better fit for those with an arc-style putting stroke.
The mallet putter is for those with more of a straight back and straight through style putting stroke.
With the blade and mallet designs, it is important to consider the type of golf stroke you have and what you are looking for in your game.
A great mallet putter may work well for one golfer and not so well for another.
This will tie back into the importance of choosing a putter that is not just a great putter but one that is perfect for your golf game.
We can’t tell you that the blade or mallet design is better, as these are both effective models to use when putting.
However, more and more golfers have been switching to the mallet putter in the last few years simply because of the ability to hit the ball close to the hole and stay on track.
The blade and mallet design putters are there to serve whatever type of player you are.
You just need to make sure you choose the right type for your game.
6. Speed Control
Another reason a good putter makes a difference is speed control.
With the proper speed control, you can ensure that your putt will stay on track and end up near the hole.
Speed is incredibly important because your putt can be on the proper line, but if it is five feet short or five feet long, you will probably end up three-putting.
For golfers who struggle to get the speed right, there are lots of problems with three putts that can occur.
Premium putters have proper weighting and technology that will help with speed control.
If your putter is more of a premium type, expect that you will have an easier time two-putting a green once you get used to the speeds.
Of course, all players need to be aware of the course they are playing and how the individual course is going to impact speed, but the putter will help.
Many of these putters that have better speed control are also a little heavier.
A heavy putter tends to give players the feel they need to enjoy their time out on the course.
With a lightweight putter, the ability to get the ball close to the hole is difficult.
This can even be the case on a fast green.
Many golfers think that a lightweight putter makes a better choice on a fast green, but it is really the opposite.
A heavy putter provides a higher MOI and better control over the total speed of the golf ball that a player hits.
If you want to feel the real difference between a great putter and a cheap putter, see how long it takes you to get five ten-foot putts within a three-foot circle of the hole.
Chances are, the more premium putter with better speed control will help you get it done faster.
7. Consistency
A great putter offers more consistency than a cheap putter.
The reason here is that you will likely have a better grip, proper weighting, and maybe even more forgiveness in the club head.
These are all features that you pay for up front, but they will be there on the golf course when you need them the most.
Even if your putting stroke is not perfect, when you are able to make the same stroke over and over again, the chance of getting the ball in the hole is greatly increased.
Consistent golfers are those that know they will make a two-putt at the worst.
They know how to get the ball within a one or two-foot range around the hole.
Players who are not consistent will end up leaving themselves ten-footers or even fifteen-footers for their second putt, and this becomes a problem.
If you are not overly confident in your ability to be a consistent putter, chances are you need to reconsider the club that you are using.
Try to start keeping track of how many putts you take during the course of your round.
See how consistent you are in the number of putts that you take from one round to the next.
If the number is very inconsistent, then it makes sense to try a putter that will help you be more consistent.
8. Fitting
Most of the time, a great putter is chosen after a golf putter fitting.
A putter fitting can help establish which club you should be playing with and why it is the best for your game.
Of course, this kind of putter fitting is going to come at an increased cost, and you can also expect that the putter will be more of a higher-end model that is fine-tuned to your needs.
Golf putter fitting is an added expense that will ensure that you end up with a great putter.
For those who want this impressive technology, fitting is a very important step in the process.
Years ago, the work that went into choosing the perfect putter was a bit less complicated.
Today, there are a variety of shafts and options that will go into fitting a putter, and this will help players end up with something that is the perfect fit.
When you have a putter that is the right fit for your game, you will end up making more putts.
This is exactly the same concept that applies to drivers, wedges, and irons.
9. Can Focus On Reading The Greens
When you have a great putter, you can start to focus on reading greens and worry much less about making a great stroke.
Great putters make it easy to make a great stroke.
In addition, you will have a better feel and be able to control the speed of your putts.
The great putter makes it much easier to walk up to the green and then just focus on reading the putt.
When you do this, your chances of making the putt will be considerably higher.
Players who are still stuck focusing on trying to take the putter back the proper way will end up having a hard time focusing on actually getting the ball in the hole.
With a great putter in your hands, you can clear your mind and start to really read the greens.
Green reading is a skill that will take time to develop, and you must put in work on the putting green, practicing and getting it right.
Reading greens requires knowing how to judge speed as well as the direction of the break.
When golfers putt, they won’t always get it right, but it is possible to get really good at reading greens.
The better your putter is, the more you can focus on reading these greens and improving your game.
10. Longevity
A putter will last a long time.
In fact, of all the golf clubs in your bag, the putter can hold up the longest.
This is one of the major reasons that golfers will consider spending extra money on a great putter.
Many players who invest in a classic model like an Odyssey or a Scotty Cameron blade will be able to use that putter for ten or more years.
As long as you invest in some great technology initially, technology that allows for better control and feel, there is no reason to update the technology quite as often.
Golf irons and drivers tend to go out of date within about a four- or five-year time frame.
Although you may still love these golf clubs, chances are upgrading them would allow for more distance or forgiveness in your game.
However, when it comes to putters, an upgrade is really only necessary when you feel as though your putting stroke has changed.
The longevity of these golf putters will make a difference in how much money you spend on your game and the confidence you have in the putter.
Having a great putter that will last you for years to come will be well worth it.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have seen that having a great putter can make a difference.
When you can focus on reading greens and can fully trust the functionality of the club you have in your hands, you will be well rewarded on the golf course.
Even if you are a 30 handicap and you think the putter is the least of your worries, it is still worth it to have a great putter.
The putter can make it so that you enjoy your round of golf considerably more, and in the end, the great putters are the ones that score low.
Take advantage of the technology on the market and find something that works for your needs.
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Gord Meldrum says
Lot of great info for a newbie to the game… thanks!