Golf Putters II

As far as golf putters and heads and shapes go, there are really only a couple of definitions here. These are the blade and the mallet.

There is an abundance of both on the market. Even the less traditional looking golf putter heads are really a hybrid of both styles.

The classic shaped golf putters are the blade design or where the term ‘flat stick’ comes from.

This design probably still reigns most popular with the higher skilled, steadier nerved players because of the ‘feel’ they afford the player.

You’ll notice that most of today’s blade putters employ cavity back technology. This type of design is to help reduce any twisting of the putter face at contact.

The mallet golf putters resemble their namesake. The mallet design allows for an even weight distribution across a large area which will give the feel of a pendulum and allow for a consistent smooth stroke and get the distance needed with having to feel like you need to accelerate the putter head.

Other design considerations that you will see with golf putters will be center shafted or heel shafted. You’ll also note various degrees in the offset of the hosel.

This is where is looks like the shaft is bent forward of the putter head just before the two come together. Golf putter faces may also have inserts in them to provide the golfer with different ‘feels’ to the sweet spots. Putters even have varying degrees of loft to the putter face themselves.

I am often asked “what is the proper length of a golf putter?”

Today there isn’t a length that a shaft can’t be cut to. So the proper length of the putter is what feels best and above all what works best for you. You should pick out a putter length that matches your height and your posture over the ball.

The bottom line when picking out a golf putter that is right for you is to try out as many looks and feels as you can. Needless to say is to hit as many puts as you can when you are demo-ing golf putters for yourself.

Hit long puts, short puts, and in between puts. Golf putters that may work for me may be the worst choice you could make.

Don’t go by recommendations go by what you like. And never ever give away or get rid of that old putter… one day it might be your best friend again.

Golf Putters

The most important club in your bag, yet probably one of the least used in any given practice session is probably the golf putter.

Oh sure, you see people on the putting green.

Some with a few golf balls around them. But rarely do I see much of any serious practice time spent with golf putters.

So… it’s time for some talk about golf putters.

When it comes to reducing (or maybe better said, saving) your score the putter should become your closest friend.

Golf putters, the flat blade, the club you literally live and die by, is a club of many styles and faces.

Players of all levels pick and choose their putters by how the putter looks and feels to them. And above all, how much confidence they have in this club.

All of the mechanics of putting aside, the art of putting is as much look, feel, and confidence as anything else. The putter, more than any other golf club is in a players bag because they like they way it looks and feels and the confidence level it brings to their putting stroke. Choosing and settling on a particular putter can be a difficult task.

Since there are so many different makes, models, and styles of golf putters on the market, let’s take a look at a few of the aspects that make up this old friend of ours and maybe this will give you some food for thought.

The vast majority of the focus when considering buying a putter is on the putter head. As far as the material used in putter heads, this is as varied as the number of metals, and alloys there are available.

But again, putting is such touch and feel, don’t get caught up in what the putter head is made of, be comfortable with how the length and weight feel in your hands.

Keep in mind that lighter golf putters heads will have a tendency for you to impart a quick more hands oriented stroke while a heavier putter will probably slow your stroke down.

Keep in mind, if this is a weight change for you, you may see your putts come up short or long for awhile depending upon if you move to a lighter or heavier putter head.

Golf-Irons

Buying a new set of golf irons is a big deal.

It’s a big purchase as far as your golfing equipment goes.

The irons are the meat and potatoes of your game. They are used for more shots and more variety of shots than any of your remaining golf clubs.

They are hit from the tee box, the fairway, all kinds of rough, the sand, the edge of the green and yes, sometimes… even out of the water!

A prototypical set of golf irons comes in a set of a 3 iron through the pitching wedge.

The higher the number on the club the higher (more) loft the clubface will have. It is with the golf irons that you will (after considerable practice) be able to determine distances and thus close in on the flagstick with your shots.

As far as the design or construction of irons goes, you have two different options of club head types. This being cavity-back or forged.

The cavity-back or perimeter weighted golf club is played by golfers of all skill levels today. The physics behind cavity-back golf irons is to distribute the weight of the club toward the outside or the edges.

Doing this has the affect of enlarging the sweet spot on the face of the club. So, less than dead centered contact may still produce acceptable results. If you are a beginner or higher handicap player you should definitely consider using the cavity-back clubs.

The original forged blade irons are still the design of choice for the skilled player and professionals. Forged golf irons from a softer steel and provide more feel to the skilled player.

Also, the forged irons don’t have the ‘corrective nature’ as part of the design. For the skilled player who is trying to impart a particular spin on the golf ball, this is preferred because you don’t want the ‘forgiving design’ of golf irons to negate the spin you are purposely trying to accomplish.

Used Golf Clubs

When it comes time to actually choose a used set of golf clubs for your self you may not be thinking too much about the technical specs of the used golf clubs you may be looking at.

In fact, you may only grab them, take a few practice swings, check to see if they look and feel OK for your swing. Although, not the best way to fit yourself to your clubs, many people take this approach in buying used golf clubs.

Needless to say, this approach takes nothing about your physical structure, your swing, or your current ability into account.

If you are a beginning golfer or just underway with the game, all of the technical specs may not be that big of concern to you, but you should be a bit familiar with some what and why’s of golf clubs.

Choosing the right golf clubs for you is important; especially for those beginning golfers who are just establishing their golf swing. If your posture, grip, and setup are affected by improperly fitted golf clubs, then your swing and golf game may be off on the wrong foot right out of the gate with bad habits. So, keep in mind the importance of properly fitted golf clubs and

When it comes time to actually choose a used set of golf clubs for your self you may not be thinking too much about the technical specs of the used golf clubs you may be looking at.

In fact, you may only grab them, take a few practice swings, check to see if they look and feel OK for your swing. Although, not the best way to fit yourself to your clubs, many people take this approach in buying used golf clubs.

Needless to say, this approach takes nothing about your physical structure, your swing, or your current ability into account.

If you are a beginning golfer or just underway with the game, all of the technical specs may not be that big of concern to you, but you should be a bit familiar with some what and why’s of golf clubs.

Choosing the right golf clubs for you is important; especially for those beginning golfers who are just establishing their golf swing. If your posture, grip, and setup are affected by improperly fitted golf clubs, then your swing and golf game may be off on the wrong foot right out of the gate with bad habits. So, keep in mind the importance of properly fitted golf clubs and how to determing the proper fit.

By definition in the rules of golf you are allowed to carry a maximum of 14 clubs in your golf bag at any one time. There is not any restriction on what type of clubs these must be… just a maximum number allowed. This is why you should opt for clubs that best fit your ability as a golfer.

For instance, long irons (such as the 1, 2, and 3 irons) are the most difficult to hit. As a beginner, you should opt these clubs out and look for as they are too difficult to hit and too unforgiving. You should replace your long irons with a 5 wood and 7 wood. So, let pause for a quick review of what we have in the bag so far.

Driver
3 – 5 – 7 woods
4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 irons
and a putter.

So, were up to 11 clubs with 3 remaining. This leads us to the very important short game clubs. I would suggest that is were you use your three remaining choices with a pitching wedge, a sand wedge and an in between the two (in terms of yardage) wedge know by most terms as the gap wedge.

If you opt to only carry two wedges (the pitch and the sand wedge) you may find that the yardage difference between these two clubs will leave you wishing you had that gap wedge to use.

In summary, although you may be in the market for a used set of golf clubs, do completely sacrifice functionality and what fits your game solely for the sake of price. Take a few moments to check out the Callaway Golf Pre-Owned Clubs web site and other such quality sites as Pinemeadow Golf.com.  With these two sites you can combine price, quality, and fit, into a good set of used golf clubs that will work for your game.

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