Where To Buy My New Putter?

Zak Flaps

Hi guys.

18 Handicap player here.
Looking to buy a new putter in the next few days.
Finally getting rid of my ancient Spalding putter.
I'm more of a straight back and through type putter so I'm presuming a more mallet type will suit me more. (been using a toe weighted blade for a while, probably not suitable)
I tried one of the Odyssey 2 Ball putters recently and liked it. Also liked the feel of the Ping Craz-e type putter also.
Is there anywhere in Dublin I could try some of these out ? Which of the shops (McGuirks,American Golf/Halpenny) would have the most types of these 2 putters in stock? And would there be some putting area to try them out?

Any help would be appreciated.

Zak.

Adiaga 2

McGuirks would probably have the biggest selection and there's usually a practise mat where you can hit a few putts and see what you like.

I have an Odyssey 2-Ball putter for sale on Adverts if you're interested drop me a pm.

Zak Flaps

I'll have a look in McGuirks shop so...which one is the biggest? The one in Howth?

How important is getting fitted for a putter (when you're an 18 handicaper)?

Keano

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I'll have a look in McGuirks shop so...which one is the biggest? The one in Howth?

How important is getting fitted for a putter (when you're an 18 handicaper)?

IMO very important. I'm changing mine soon after a visit to a pro. To me it's probably the most important club in the bag now. Drive for show...put for dough :P

Vanbis

Zak Flaps wrote: »

How important is getting fitted for a putter (when you're an 18 handicaper)?

I'm not sure how they can really fit you for a putter. I recently go fitted for a new driver, im really pleased.

I changed my putter a while back too and went for an Oddesssy with some weight in it, starting to put alot better now. Like Keano has said probably the most important club in your bag.

BoardsMember

I havent had much success when going to shops, particulalry Mcguirks leopardstown, with regard to trying out putters, or finding interested or helpful staff. You need someone who really takes an interest, most of the putters have security devices on them which completely alter the weight/balance, so no point in trying them out until the take the device off.

Can you let us know how you get on Zak?

stockdam

Zak Flaps wrote: »

How important is getting fitted for a putter (when you're an 18 handicaper)?

Fitting for a putter? Me thinks you want to throw money away.

k.p.h

Which one looks square ..? Usually people find the Mallet looks closed and the thinner the blade the more open it looks. I think their is plenty to be said about putter fitting if you can't aim it straight to begin with what chance do you have .. Apparently 80% of PGA Tour level golfers can't aim their putters inside the hole on a straight putt from six feet away. What chance do amateurs have if you think about it like that.

nocal

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I'll have a look in McGuirks shop so...which one is the biggest? The one in Howth?

How important is getting fitted for a putter (when you're an 18 handicaper)?

As far as I know when it comes to McGuirks:

Leopardstown only have small thin putting mats beside the selection of putters but have an extensive range.

Last year Howth had no practise area - but the sales guy there was happy enough to let me hit puts away on a rug/mat in the shop to my hearts content. He pointed out a few putters to me and after trying them he selected a few others based on my feedback. Then he left me to my own devices to choose.

The Swords store used to have a nice putting area but then they moved store location within the shopping centre and do not seem to have re-installed the area.

There will be a difference on how the different style putters suit your eye (as per kph's post).

I picked my putter based on liking the weight of it, the way the ball rolled off the face and the fact that it seemed to go where I was aiming it. I am currently doing quite a bit of practise on my putting and would love to get fitted for a putter when I am done as I am sure the right putter would make a difference. Any good recommendations on where to go for a putter fitting in the Dublin area?

Vanbis

Mcguirks have a shop in Kinsealy driving range and have a putting area where you can test out putters they have on offer, they have a decent selection too.

Zak Flaps

Vanbis wrote: »

I'm not sure how they can really fit you for a putter.....
I changed my putter a while back too and went for an Oddesssy

They say the length of the putter is important....
then there's always loft and lie (seems strange that those things come into play when putting)
I tried an Odyssey recently, and liked it. Want to try more of them. I found the 2 Balls very helpful with alignment

BoardsMember wrote: »

I havent had much success when going to shops, particulalry Mcguirks leopardstown, with regard to trying out putters, or finding interested or helpful staff.

Can you let us know how you get on Zak?

That's a little worrying. Staff should try to be as helpful as possible. Hopefully I'll find someone who's interested in helping me.
I'll let you know how I get on.

stockdam wrote: »

Fitting for a putter? Me thinks you want to throw money away.

That's what I thought, but some people seem to think otherwise!;)

nocal wrote: »

There will be a difference on how the different style putters suit your eye

Any good recommendations on where to go for a putter fitting in the Dublin area?

The mallets seem to suit my eye more than the blades.

I presume Foregolf do putter fittings. Expensive though, just for 1 club. (albeit, an important one)

Vanbis wrote: »

Mcguirks have a shop in Kinsealy driving range and have a putting area where you can test out putters they have on offer, they have a decent selection too.

I've seen that one there. Didn't think they had many of the putter types I was particularly interested in though.(Odyssey 2 balls, and ping craz-e/wack-e)

stockdam

Zak Flaps wrote: »

They say the length of the putter is important....
then there's always loft and lie (seems strange that those things come into play when putting)
I tried an Odyssey recently, and liked it. Want to try more of them. I found the 2 Balls very helpful with alignment

Length...........not "important". You can be successful with short putters, belly putters etc. I have used cut down putters quite well but always resorted back to normal length.

Loft and lie......not "important" - look at Isao Aoki. He was one of the best putters around. Also look at Hubert Green.....he was an extreme croucher yet he scored pretty well. Gary player had his own style.

It really depends on what works for you and what feels comfortable. It's one area where I think it is hard to say what is good and what is bad. The results speak for themselves. You can stand open or closed or crouch or stand tall; you can stroke or stab. Ok so maybe you can be guided but I think you know what feels right for you.

In my experience good putters can putt with almost any putter.......bad ones think they need the best technology.

Zak Flaps

stockdam wrote: »

Length...........not "important". You can be successful with short putters, belly putters etc. I have used cut down putters quite well but always resorted back to normal length.

Loft and lie......not "important" - look at Isao Aoki. He was one of the best putters around. Also look at Hubert Green.....he was an extreme croucher yet he scored pretty well. Gary player had his own style.

It really depends on what works for you and what feels comfortable. It's one area where I think it is hard to say what is good and what is bad. The results speak for themselves. You can stand open or closed or crouch or stand tall; you can stroke or stab. Ok so maybe you can be guided but I think you know what feels right for you.

In my experience good putters can putt with almost any putter.......bad ones think they need the best technology.

You know, i am tending to agree with you. I do think it's what will work for you. I think the putter is the most unique club in the bag. I think it's a case of picking up a few putters, trying them out, and seeing what works for you. Then just going with that one.
I'm sure many here will probably disagree!!

k.p.h

Zak Flaps wrote: »

You know, i am tending to agree with you. I do think it's what will work for you. I think the putter is the most unique club in the bag. I think it's a case of picking up a few putters, trying them out, and seeing what works for you. Then just going with that one.
I'm sure many here will probably disagree!!

Well the thing is in the picking them up and trying them out you will inadvertently end up fitting yourself. If you having a few putts with a putter you will probably have a tendency to pick the one that performs best. And that will probably be the one that suits you best anyway.

One thing I will say is that some putters have a better roll than others. Some of the cheaper putters when struck the ball bounces off the face and dose not roll for some distance. This has an easily measured influence on distance control and accuracy. While not vitally important it is definitely worth getting some type of putter with an insert or some type of face technology (or just made with quality materials).

Oh yeah take a look at some Rife putters they are really nice

bustercherry

Unless you are keeping accurate putting stats then forget about expensive custom fitting (choosing the right shaft length is not custom fitting IMO); or anything more than picking a putter up and liking the feel of it. There is absolutely no way you can know if it's working for you otherwise.

I'm not being harsh but as an 18 handicapper you should be looking at making no more than 2 putts per hole (in fact everyone should be) and you'll tie yourself up thinking about your putting stroke. Just hit the little ball towards the hole and get it up there, some you'll make.

You ever notice kids are good at putting? Then just hit the ball at the hole without worrying about the consequences, their stroke or face inserts to get the ball rolling quicker :rolleyes: It's instinctive and all about feel or developing the feel.

By all means change putters, I have a few and have eventually settled on the 2 ball centre shaft but it was a simple matter of getting something that felt good standing over and not to fit my stroke.

PRAF

I'd recommend that you check out pelzgolf.com. Dave Pelz has a link up with Odyssey and there is an online module which gives you soime steer in terms of what putter may be right for you. If you attend the Dave Pelz clinic, you get a putter fitting included.

I think that putting fitting can be very important. Most golfers have putters that are way too long for them. This means that they tend to line up with the ball too far away from them. Check out a lot of golfers on the course and you will see lots of them don't have their eyes directly over the ball to target line (critical for putting because it affects your perception of the line of the putt) and a good few more don't have the putter head lying flush on the green (it's held at an angle, resulting in bad contact with the ball). A badly fitted putter will lead to inconsistent aim, inconsistent contact and an exaggerated in-to-out stroke.

stockdam

PRAF wrote: »

Most golfers have putters that are way too long for them. This means that they tend to line up with the ball too far away from them. Check out a lot of golfers on the course and you will see lots of them don't have their eyes directly over the ball to target line (critical for putting because it affects your perception of the line of the putt) and a good few more don't have the putter head lying flush on the green (it's held at an angle, resulting in bad contact with the ball). A badly fitted putter will lead to inconsistent aim, inconsistent contact and an exaggerated in-to-out stroke.

Sorry but I don't think that's true. Those who write books and teach may tell you this but those who do it for a living sometimes break the "rules" very successfully.







(sorry many won't recognise this guy but he was one of the best putters in the world - his eyes are not over the ball and the club is far from flat. I'd be happy to putt like him)

bustercherry

stockdam wrote: »

Sorry but I don't think that's true. Those who write books and teach may tell you this but those who do it for a living sometimes break the "rules" very successfully.







(sorry many won't recognise this guy but he was one of the best putters in the world - his eyes are not over the ball and the club is far from flat. I'd be happy to putt like him)

Exactly, you can read all the books and theory you want but it's about putting that ball into the hole. I think there is far far too much made of custom fitting, I personally think it's a bit of a racket.

stockdam

bustercherry wrote: »

Exactly, you can read all the books and theory you want but it's about putting that ball into the hole. I think there is far far too much made of custom fitting, I personally think it's a bit of a racket.

Here's what the Hall of Fame site says about Aoki.......

Aoki's success around the world can be best attributed to his touch around the green. "I've never seen a putting stroke like his in my life," said Hall of Fame member Chi Chi Rodriguez. "He's the king of the jabbers." "What a touch. What a putter," added Nicklaus. Some thirty years ago Aoki developed his unorthodox toe-in-the-air style with the flat stick. "At that time they had this putter called Silent Pawn by First Flight," he recalled. "It was 36 inches long. It was too long for me. Therefore, I tried to put it far away from my body." He changed putters through the years, but his idiosyncratic technique became his trademark as did the number of putts that fell in the hole.

The best advice I have for a youngster is to get onto the practice green and try all sorts of different things until you find a style that works for you.........then stick with it through thick and thin.

PRAF

stockdam wrote: »

Sorry but I don't think that's true. Those who write books and teach may tell you this but those who do it for a living sometimes break the "rules" very successfully.







(sorry many won't recognise this guy but he was one of the best putters in the world - his eyes are not over the ball and the club is far from flat. I'd be happy to putt like him)

Well the very best of luck to you if you want to copy Aoki. In my opinion, you are better off trying to imitate guys like Luke Donald, Steve Striker and Tiger Woods. Those guys have good setups and good equipment and make a lot of putts. Golf is difficult enough IMO without adding to that difficulty by having a poor setup and using poor technology. Why not at least try the FREE online fitting service from Odyssey? At worst, it'll give you some ideas on what putter suits you. And just to reiterate again, it's free, it's online and it takes about 5 mins to do.

I would've agreed that putter fitting is a load of mumbo jumbo until I read Dave Pelz Putting Bible. He's done some hard core research into putting (more than anyone else that I'm aware of and he's also an ex-NASA senior scientist). If he says putting fitting is important (and he has coached 9 players to 13 major titles), I believe him.

Adiaga 2

PRAF wrote: »

Well the very best of luck to you if you want to copy Aoki. In my opinion, you are better off trying to imitate guys like Luke Donald, Steve Striker and Tiger Woods. Those guys have good setups and good equipment and make a lot of putts.

Stricker is a great putter but not exactly the poster boy for putter fitting. The heel of his putter tends to be raised off the green - as if the putter is too flat for him. I'm sure he could get a properly fitted putter for free He's almost like the anti-Aoki

PRAF

Adiaga 2 wrote: »

Stricker is a great putter but not exactly the poster boy for putter fitting. The heel of his putter tends to be raised off the green - as if the putter is too flat for him. I'm sure he could get a properly fitted putter for free He's almost like the anti-Aoki

Maybe we have different ideas of what putter fitting is. I think the idea of putter fitting is that they fit the putter to suit you. They try to understand your putting preferences, your height etc and give you options to try out. Given that he uses an Odyssey putter, I would be amazed if Stricker hasn't got fitted at some point or tried different putters (at least in practice). That doesn't mean that all good putters have to use the exact same method, it just means that you use the technology that's out there to enhance your game.

In my experience, putter fitting meant that I ended up using a slightly shorter putter and went from using a blade to a mallet. My putting improved afterwards, that's just my experience. At the end of the day, we all make decisions differently and some people run a mile at the thought of getting fitted (even if it is for free)

Adiaga 2

I'm sure the putter is set up exactly the way he wants it. I don't know much putter fitting but one aspect of it surely must be lie angle? If Stricker went for a fitting, with a guy who'd never seen or heard of him, would the guy not say his putter is too flat for him?

k.p.h

Think it really depends on what way you look at it or your own personal preferences. To say that putter fitting has no merit at all and you would really be swimming against the tide as tons of top golfers and professionals would disagree (with proven science to back them up). To say that it's necessary to be fit or would will be a crap putter is silly also as their are numerous examples of great putters who use what looks like ill fitting putters (plenty of pro victory's to back them up).

I personally think people should probably try out a fitting if they are unsure. Fitting is done by taking measurements and matching variables , easily quantifiable so you can understand whats going on. If you only get out occasionally and can't practice that much it's probably better to have a putter that suits your stroke rather than try to groove a stroke to make the putter work for you. No ..?

On the other side is the fact that the only way to be a good putter is by practicing. And if you are a good putter you are a good putter no matter what you use. Jimenez had 3 birdies thru 5 holes in Bahrain earlier this year using a lob wedge. Mental stuff

nocal

So Zak - did you check out the putters in Kinsealy earlier on? Anything interesting in stock?

dubber

Went out to McGuirks in Leopardstown today, they have a good selection there ... walked out with a Scotty Cameron

Zak Flaps

nocal wrote: »

So Zak - did you check out the putters in Kinsealy earlier on? Anything interesting in stock?

I just had a look at a few. Didn't try any out properly. I was looking for some Odyssey 2 Ball putters but they had none in stock (they had Odysseys, but not the 2 Ball ones). Picked up a few others, some Pings and TaylorMades (seems to be the only 3 brands they had), swung them a bit but didn't hit any balls. Need to putt some balls. Maybe I'll go over to Howth on Thursday to see if they've any 2 Balls in stock.

nocal

dubber wrote: »

Went out to McGuirks in Leopardstown today, they have a good selection there ... walked out with a Scotty Cameron

But a very limited testing area???

Hope it works well for you. What model did you get?

nocal

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I just had a look at a few. Didn't try any out properly. I was looking for some Odyssey 2 Ball putters but they had none in stock (they had Odysseys, but not the 2 Ball ones). Picked up a few others, some Pings and TaylorMades (seems to be the only 3 brands they had), swung them a bit but didn't hit any balls. Need to putt some balls. Maybe I'll go over to Howth on Thursday to see if they've any 2 Balls in stock.

Cheers. AFAIK the Howth store is not open late on Thursday - closes at 6 according to their website.

dubber

nocal wrote: »

But a very limited testing area???

Hope it works well for you. What model did you get?

It is limited alright, but the guy there was quite helpful, with some good recommendations ... went in to the shop thinking I wanted a Ping Craz-E. Went for the Squareback 2 in the end (had to go look at the putter to find out what it was!).

Jul3s

OP I think a shop may be a good place to buy a putter, then again I may be wrong.

Zak Flaps

Jul3s wrote: »

OP I think a shop may be a good place to buy a putter, then again I may be wrong.

I just got in contact with United Agents in the UK. I spoke with Duncan Hayes who is the agent for Ricky Gervais. I informed him of your post and he was happy to look at it. Not 10 minutes had past, when he rang me back. I could barely make out what he was saying as he was so excited. He hadn't seen comedy as cutting edge, fresh and daring as your comment.
He immediately contacted the Gersh Agency in the States, and they were similarly blown away. "Ferocious potential doesn't even come close to what this guy has" (Jake Conners - Head Of Comedy)
Representatives of each agency will be in contact with you asap.
Congratulations!

Adiaga 2

^^^^Best comeback I've seen on the internet in a long time!!!

Jul3s

Well you know that they say, ask a stupid question and all that eh!.