25 Comments

1. 

   Stephen Finley

   Feb 21, 2018 at 11:47 am

   Or, you could figure out what’s actually wrong with your eyeline-to-putter-to-target relationship and simply adjust your setup. Or turn your head a little as appropriate. I’m serious. Eyeline at address matters. Not all of us have a thousand bucks to try four or five different ridiculous expensive putters through four or five fittings, and I don’t know how that’s the best solution anyway.

   One wonders how Nicklaus or Jones ever could’ve made a putt without all this. And yet they did.

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2. 

   Joe Wessendarp

   Feb 6, 2018 at 4:12 pm

   TaylorMade might re-think its use of “T-line” unless licensed by trademark owner.

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3. 

   Kyle

   Jan 27, 2018 at 10:10 am

   So it takes DJ until 2018 to get the proper putter, and I’m supposed to think that means I should get fit?
   If it was that simple, shouldn’t DJ have had the right putter years and years ago? If anything, this makes me less confident a single fitting would be successful…

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4. 

   Rybo

   Jan 27, 2018 at 7:29 am

   So DJ aimed 3.1798* to the left with the longer sight lines, seems quite reasonable from a visual perspective. And maybe his stroke path matches the 3* aim left producing a square face at his target line. Edel has been stating these visual issues for years and there have been entire books written on how different visual aspects effect performance.

   Everybody thinks Tour guys dwell over every aspect of their equipment. Nothing could be further from the truth. If something looks good and/or feels good they will put it in play. A chagne to an alignment line is a tweak compared to a change in length, lie, shaft offset, hosel location, weight, etc etc etc.

   @rusty – both stores in Naples have straight 15′ putts, just need to know where they are!

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5. 

   TeeBone

   Jan 24, 2018 at 11:46 pm

   So the #1 player in the world can’t aim a putter unless it has a special “T” on it? I think I’d seek out an optometrist before a fitter.

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6. 

   Kurt

   Jan 24, 2018 at 5:15 pm

   You can statically align the putter at address but the moment you start your backswing you lose all that alignment and depend on your putting stroke to realign the putter at impact.
   Might as well only have a dot over the sweet spot and hope for the best.

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7. 

   Ian

   Jan 24, 2018 at 3:01 pm

   Pretty sure the whole world calls it a T line.
   Manufacturers talk golfers like the golfer is a moron.

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8. 

   Jerry

   Jan 14, 2018 at 6:04 am

   Hard to believe DJ was not properly fit for aim previous to this year – shame on his fitter. If he done an Edel fitting, he would have known how the shape, hosel, offset, and slghtlines affect aim – sightlines are subtle changes to your aim.

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9. 

   dlygrisse

   Jan 10, 2018 at 2:12 pm

   I have often believed most of the obnoxious alignment aids you see on putters now days do more harm than good. I have always putted best with a small line or dot.

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   • 

     Stephen Finley

     Feb 21, 2018 at 11:26 am

     From a marketing perspective, all they have to do is give the buyer the impression and/or expectation of “better” and “improvement.”

     That goes double for all the complex heads, Jetsons looks, etc. I’m continually amazed at what kinds of features and designs pros seem to think they need to hit the sweet spot on a _putter_, for God’s sake.

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10. 

    Rusty

    Jan 10, 2018 at 12:51 pm

    Honestly, two largest PGA superstore, Golf Galaxy (former Golfsmith) in Naples Florida doesn’t have STRAIGHT putting surface from 15 feet. Each putt brakes from 15 feet. It amaze me each store has 500 different putters to sell and they can not make putting area absolute level. Any idea how to fit/test 15 putters? Anyway, you need perfect facilities to do that.

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    • 

      Christopher

      Jan 25, 2018 at 4:53 pm

      The problem with stores is they often have raised putting surfaces to test putters on, and they’re not always built for heavy traffic. So they may be flat to start off with but they often wander as they get older (as they’re not on solid surfaces) and see more use. Obviously there are some exceptions, but if you can find a store with a flat training aid to practice three footers that will give you feedback, you should be able to find what suits you best (if you don’t have a local fitter).

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11. 

    Realist

    Jan 9, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    I have a much cheaper alternative.
    1.) Put a line on the ball
    2.) Line the ball up with your aiming spot/point
    3.) Use whatever putter you own and just line the ball line up to putter line

    Putting 101 – No gimmick edition

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    • 

      Jerry

      Jan 14, 2018 at 6:00 am

      The line on the ball does not work for a lot of people. In other words, it probably will not work for most. The eyes play tricks on you, and everyone sees things uniquely.

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    • 

      Stephen Finley

      Feb 21, 2018 at 11:36 am

      And I have a question or two for the alternative _and_ original solutions:

      1. Since even the swinging of a putter is on not a straight line but an arc, how does a straight line on the putter not interfere with that and even influence a player to take the putter back on an inappropriate straight line that is out of whack with what the human body does and how a putter swings in plane?

      2. For people who put lines on balls, what happens when you’re two degrees off from, say, 15 feet in setting the ball perfectly on line? Do you back off and reset if you notice it? How does it not complicate things (and slow down play) to put yourself in a situation where now you have one more task during a putt, and if you get it wrong, presumably you’re almost guaranteed to miss the putt? And how do you make the straight line on the ball match up with the curving arc of a properly swung putter?

      I’m seriously asking.

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12. 

    Steve

    Jan 9, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    What makes me laugh about this is, where can an amateur golfer find a fitter, who will make them 12 different versions of a specific putter they like just for fitting purposes. The best putter fitting I’ve experienced is for an Edel which I bought just over a year ago, it was awesome but we have since fell out and it’s in the naughty bag. However the next putter I bought was still based on what was found in the Edel fitting and we getting along well at the moment. Also don’t think I’m a poor putter who’s looking for his next fix, according to my stats recorded on garmin gps I averaged 30 putts per round last year, which isn’t bad for a 7 handicap. I think proper fitting for amateurs for any club can be a difficult thing to find (In the UK anyway).

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    • 

      KJ

      Jan 9, 2018 at 4:43 pm

      Exactly Steve. It’s not exactly “available” in the US either. In fact, the article states, “…it also explains to us mortals that we should be doing the same test for ourselves before buying a putter.” Huh? Is this author trying to tell me I can go into my local PGA Superstore and receive the same, or even remotely similar, care and treatment that DJ received from his TaylorMade rep? In all likelihood, I couldn’t receive this kind of treatment and consideration from my local pro, who would usually do adequate to good clubfitting. Does putter fitting make sense? Yes. Is it readily available for an amateur handicap golfer? Not really. I only know one pro anywhere near me who could perform putter fitting — Todd Sones — and his approach is more focused on length, lie angle, and type of putterhead recommended relative to a player’s natural path. I doubt even he would have anything that would replicate a “putter lab” with laser-type aiming analysis.

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    • 

      Stephen Finley

      Feb 21, 2018 at 11:41 am

      “Naughty bag.” I love it. Gotta remember that. I’m still using two of the same forged-blade putters — an Old Master 8802 replica and a MacGregor George Low copy — I was using as a plus-2 in my 20s and then as a pro (for a while, both teaching and playing), but I’ll confess thinking about a new putter on the odd week and taking the current putter into the shop just to show it that there were other pretty girls too, and it could be replaced. Always seemed to do the trick.

      The rest of your post is so right, too. One wonders how this over-over-triple-overkill approach to fitting could ever apply to even an avid and skilled player who wasn’t endlessly sponsored and funded.

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13. 

    Sam

    Jan 9, 2018 at 10:09 am

    This site is turning into Golf Digest, every other article is about how you need to buy the latest because your gear is too many weeks behind

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    • 

      Stephen Finley

      Feb 21, 2018 at 11:42 am

      You can say _that_ again. Nothing like presuming endless funding on the part of players who work for a living.

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14. 

    dbleAGLE

    Jan 9, 2018 at 8:53 am

    When spinter muscles tighten over that 3′ rt to lt breaking putt to win the hole all alignment marks on the putter fade out and it comes down to being mentally strong & making a good stroke without jabbing at it.

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15. 

    Vince Ja

    Jan 9, 2018 at 5:22 am

    C’mon, the putter alignment is a false hood…if you rely on something visual behind the club face youre a fool. VJ

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16. 

    Philip

    Jan 8, 2018 at 10:33 pm

    A golf putting fitting doesn’t need to be a special facility or professional – a golfer just needs to be objective and honest with themselves when they practice on a decent green (not a fake store putting green) so they they can decide on their gaming putter (of course, having a collection of 16 different types of used putters to go through at different lengths helps me out a lot), but I always come back to my favourite 2-3 putters. The thing is – we change over time and one should be double-checking regularly to ensure that they haven’t picked up bad habits or the speed of the greens have changed enough to make their gamer putter start working against them. That all being said – I have been trying for a few seasons to set up a putter fitting with a relatively close Edel facility, but they never respond – I think this year I’ll go over to the course and see if the facility listed on their website is still in operation – my 2018 golf season present to myself :o)

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17. 

    COGolfer

    Jan 8, 2018 at 7:53 pm

    Unfortunately, for most of us putter fitters are harder to find than driver/iron fitters. I believe Club Champion does have fittings, but haven’t heard much about the process or results.

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18. 

    steve

    Jan 8, 2018 at 6:09 pm

    Here’s the problem and more confusion.
    The sight line parallel to the putting line is only useful at static address, not during the putting stroke while looking at the ball.
    With only a sight line perpendicular to the putting line you must visualize a putting line that is perpendicular to the putter face.
    In either case, the path of your putting stroke overrides all static alignments. DJ’s “T-line” is a personal preference that seems to help him with poor address alignment.
    It’s puzzling because when you are standing at address and trying to align the putter you are gazing sideways for a putting line which is optically problematic. Oh, well ….

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