Are expensive putters worth it?

ReefBreak

Hi,

I have some vouchers from xmas presents that I need to spend. I was thinking about buying a new putter. Even though there's not much particularly wrong with my Odyssey 2 ball. I was thinking of getting a Scotty Cameron putter, but crikey they're expensive. Or one from here: http://www.golfdigest.com/hot-list/golf-clubs/mallet-putters

Apart from a new trolley I can't really think of anything else I'd get from the vouchers.

Anyone out there really regret/do not regret spending the extra cash on a putter?

Hoof Hearted2

ReefBreak wrote: »

Hi,

I have some vouchers from xmas presents that I need to spend. I was thinking about buying a new putter. Even though there's not much particularly wrong with my Odyssey 2 ball. I was thinking of getting a Scotty Cameron putter, but crikey they're expensive. Or one from here: http://www.golfdigest.com/hot-list/golf-clubs/mallet-putters

Apart from a new trolley I can't really think of anything else I'd get from the vouchers.

Anyone out there really regret/do not regret spending the extra cash on a putter?

If you're just buying it for the sake of buying it, then no it's not worth.

CMOTDibbler

ReefBreak wrote: »

Hi,

I have some vouchers from xmas presents that I need to spend. I was thinking about buying a new putter. Even though there's not much particularly wrong with my Odyssey 2 ball. I was thinking of getting a Scotty Cameron putter, but crikey they're expensive. Or one from here: http://www.golfdigest.com/hot-list/golf-clubs/mallet-putters

Apart from a new trolley I can't really think of anything else I'd get from the vouchers.

Anyone out there really regret/do not regret spending the extra cash on a putter?

As HH says, that's about the worst reason to buy a putter. Unless you're having real problems with your current one. But generally, putting problems are with technique or head space.

Lots of other things you can buy with vouchers:

Clothing, Shoes (a winter pair and a summer pair ftw), Waterproofs, Gloves, Balls, Tees, Re-gripping, Practice aids etc.

Russman

CMOTDibbler wrote: »

As HH says, that's about the worst reason to buy a putter. Unless you're having real problems with your current one. But generally, putting problems are with technique or head space.

Lots of other things you can buy with vouchers:

Clothing, Shoes (a winter pair and a summer pair ftw), Waterproofs, Gloves, Balls, Tees, Re-gripping, Practice aids etc.

This exactly.
A decent Galvin Green jacket is probably in or around the price of a Scotty, and will probably stay in the bag longer !:)

Ronney

Putter is the one club to ignore price.

Every golfer in the world would putt with a €10 piece of crap if the holed 6-10ft's 99% of the time!

Most important things are do you like the look of it, ie at address/ during a stroke.

And does it feel nicely weighted/balenced.

slingerz

i recently went back to an old and battered odyssey 2 ball srt and got it regripped.

30 putts on the button last weekend with it.

CMOTDibbler

Ronney wrote: »

Putter is the one club to ignore price.

Every golfer in the world would putt with a €10 piece of crap if the holed 6-10ft's 99% of the time!

Most important things are do you like the look of it, ie at address/ during a stroke.

And does it feel nicely weighted/balenced.

For a very long time, Zach Johnson was using an ancient putter to great effect. I think he's changed it now, but it was yonks old. A brass headed one if I'm right.

ReefBreak

Yup, I pretty much agree with everything that's been said here, even though I'm the OP. I was kinda hoping someone would pipe up and say yes, go for the Scotty Cameron, you'll save 4 putts per round! But I know it's rubbish. It's obvious they're not like (say) digital cameras, or golf waterfproofs, where you usually get what you pay for.

...Still though, I've had my current putter for a long time now, I don't exactly love it like I do my driver, and it just feels like it's the right time to get a new one... Maybe not a €350 model however.

Seriously, if you were buying a new putter, what would you go for today? Just askin'...

Rum Ham!

I was thinking of getting a new putter but decided to get a new grip and get 2 inches cut off it. Tricked me into getting my confidence back putting and looks and feels better, might be an idea?

ReefBreak

Rum Ham! wrote: »

I was thinking of getting a new putter but decided to get a new grip and get 2 inches cut off it. Tricked me into getting my confidence back putting and looks and feels better, might be an idea?

Interestingly, I decided to grip about 2 inches further down the putter the last time I played, and I putted very well. I'll need to try it for a few more rounds, but it's definitely an idea.

ShivasIrons

The only reason to buy a club if it performs better then your current one.

Different putter heads get you aligning the putter face differently, different weighted putters get you controlling putter head speed differently. Better and more consistent alignment and better control of speed means more putts holed.

Can a more expensive putter do this? Yes. Is it worth paying more money to have 2 putts less a round? Yes.

The only way to find this out is to get fitted for the putter. You might be amazed how differently putters perform.

FixdePitchmark

The important thing is to try them out - this is actually not that easy.

An expensive putter can give you false confidence and to a degree good putting is confidence be it false or not.

The Scotty thing is all a bit daft - as a blade is a blade and one for 90 euro is the same as 300 euro, the design hasn't changed in what - 50 years ? +

A good idea is to buy the Nikes being sold off - serious top level product for under 100 euro at present. And they have every type of putter in their ranges.

I think the best company out there for the last 10 years are Odyssey. Well they have been used by Donald etc.

Your getting them at the 120 to 200 range as opposed to the daft level at 300 euro

One piece of work that ping did - and Odyssey is making putters designed for your stroke type

You can have a straight stroke
slight arc

etc

http://www.ping.com/fitting/fitforstroke.aspx

So - as well as trying the putter - make sure it matches your stroke . People say it is all feel etc, but that is wrong you can actually have a putter that is technically wrong - so worst 200 to 300 euro ever spent.

So same with anything in golf - walking in and buying is daft and a waist of money and more importantly - time and practice time with the wrong equipment can lose you a season.

After being in the putter area of say 200 euro + , Odyssey - I would find it hard to go back to a dunlop , and that mental aspect is enough in putting to play games in a part of the mind we don't know.


One more thing.
Another part of the modern putter is the grip - most people have gone fat , but again , you need to understand this or talk to someone who understands this.

spacecoyote

I have an odyssey 2-ball. Was having a not great run with it, so switched in a scotty for a while to give it a try.

My putting got worse.

Went back to the odyssey & played around with the weights and started rolling the ball better again.

There's no right answer.

Maybe try get into someone with a SAM lab and try out a few different styles of putter on it?

Montgolfier

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

The important thing is to try them out - this is actually not that easy.

An expensive putter can give you false confidence and to a degree good putting is confidence be it false or not.

The Scotty thing is all a bit daft - as a blade is a blade and one for 90 euro is the same as 300 euro, the design hasn't changed in what - 50 years ? +

A good idea is to buy the Nikes being sold off - serious top level product for under 100 euro at present. And they have every type of putter in their ranges.

I think the best company out there for the last 10 years are Odyssey. Well they have been used by Donald etc.

Your getting them at the 120 to 200 range as opposed to the daft level at 300 euro

One piece of work that ping did - and Odyssey is making putters designed for your stroke type

You can have a straight stroke
slight arc

etc

http://www.ping.com/fitting/fitforstroke.aspx

So - as well as trying the putter - make sure it matches your stroke . People say it is all feel etc, but that is wrong you can actually have a putter that is technically wrong - so worst 200 to 300 euro ever spent.

So same with anything in golf - walking in and buying is daft and a waist of money and more importantly - time and practice time with the wrong equipment can lose you a season.

After being in the putter area of say 200 euro + , Odyssey - I would find it hard to go back to a dunlop , and that mental aspect is enough in putting to play games in a part of the mind we don't know.


One more thing.
Another part of the modern putter is the grip - most people have gone fat , but again , you need to understand this or talk to someone who understands this.

I'm not sure I buy the whole ping stroke fit thing. I mean most face balanced putters are straight back and thru but there also more upright lie angle so your eyes are over the ball.
Also the toe flow version's for a strong arc are supposed to help close the face but how can you put a number on the rate toe flow.
Another thing is the distance your eyeline is inside the ball will increase your arc so length and lie would be the most important fitting parameters. In saying that different head shapes and alignment lines suit different people I saw that at a recent edel fitting.

Hoof Hearted2

ReefBreak wrote: »

Yup, I pretty much agree with everything that's been said here, even though I'm the OP. I was kinda hoping someone would pipe up and say yes, go for the Scotty Cameron, you'll save 4 putts per round! But I know it's rubbish. It's obvious they're not like (say) digital cameras, or golf waterfproofs, where you usually get what you pay for.

...Still though, I've had my current putter for a long time now, I don't exactly love it like I do my driver, and it just feels like it's the right time to get a new one... Maybe not a €350 model however.

Seriously, if you were buying a new putter, what would you go for today? Just askin'...

It's down to an individuals taste and requirements, and no one can make that decision for you.

In saying that, if I were buying a putter today, I'd buy a mid range "karsten style" putter, but if I wanted to treat myself I would buy a high end version, for no other reason than it's a status symbol, I wouldn't be buying it in the mistaken belief that it will improve my putts per round by x amount of shots.

Almost all manufacturers, produce a mid range and high end version of that style putter, the difference in price is attributable to the method of manufacture and materials used, final word, hand on heart, there is no noticeable difference in performance., between a mid range and high end putter.

Donal55

Mizuno do a nice range in putters.

cgh

if you have a good putter then stick with it.
no need to change,
if your having issues with putting then yes getting custom fit for a putter would be the way to go.
its the most used club in the bag. so you need to be comfortable with the club you have.
we all go mad buying irons, wedges, woods and Drivers. but a €10 putter will be grand.
again nothing wrong with a €10 putter if you can use it.
otherwise getting a good custom fit putter is the way to go.

blue note

I had a look at putters just there and can't believe the price of some of them! Actually, I hadn't looked at the price of golf clubs in general for a couple of years - were they always that expensive?!?

I paid €100, down from €160 or something a few years ago for a Taylor made putter. I'm guessing there could be value to a more expensive one, but this one just suited me really well, nicely weighted so I found it a real improvement on my previous one in gauging distance. A little line coming off the head to help me line up the putts. And a consistent roll from the club face.

I do believe that there must be something better about the more expensive ones, but I can't imagine what it is.

CMOTDibbler

blue note wrote: »

I had a look at putters just there and can't believe the price of some of them! Actually, I hadn't looked at the price of golf clubs in general for a couple of years - were they always that expensive?!?

I paid €100, down from €160 or something a few years ago for a Taylor made putter. I'm guessing there could be value to a more expensive one, but this one just suited me really well, nicely weighted so I found it a real improvement on my previous one in gauging distance. A little line coming off the head to help me line up the putts. And a consistent roll from the club face.

I do believe that there must be something better about the more expensive ones, but I can't imagine what it is.

There's still value out there in putters that are end of line. Halpennys have a big range of Odyssey putters for around the €115-119 mark. Must be at least 15 of them at that price range. Configurations to suit everyone.

They're giving a €5 voucher online as well which would drop that price a bit.

The Rape of Lucretia

Is it not daft to spend €200 on a putter without spending €100 to get fitted for it first? Everybody is a different size, has a different stroke, has a different level of putting skill, and needs a different putter specification to suit that. Would you buy a pair of shoes for €200 without being sure they fitted you correctly ?

exaisle

Balls!

That is...buy balls with it....you'll use them all eventually!

If your current putter isn't broken....don't fix/replace it..

ShivasIrons

Hoof Hearted2 wrote: »

It's down to an individuals taste and requirements, and no one can make that decision for you.

In saying that, if I were buying a putter today, I'd buy a mid range "karsten style" putter, but if I wanted to treat myself I would buy a high end version, for no other reason than it's a status symbol, I wouldn't be buying it in the mistaken belief that it will improve my putts per round by x amount of shots.

Almost all manufacturers, produce a mid range and high end version of that style putter, the difference in price is attributable to the method of manufacture and materials used, final word, hand on heart, there is no noticeable difference in performance., between a mid range and high end putter.

It is incorrect to say that there is no noticeable difference in performance between a mid range and a high end putter.

There is a performance difference between putters. This is measurable and quantifiable. There will be a difference between two mid range putters, between two high end putters and two cheap putters. However it could be the case that the cheap putter works best, the mid range putter works best or the high end putter works best. What is required is testing and advice.

Senecio

Putters are part science and part feel. The science part is making sure you have a putter style that suits your stroke (toe weighted vs face balanced and all the iterations in between). Once you've identified the type of putter style that suits your stroke the rest is down to feel. If a Scotty gives you confidence and feels great in your hands then buy it. If the €50 Wilson in the bargain bin gives you confidence and feels great in your hands then buy that. There is no linear curve that says the more you spend on a putter, then the better putter you will get (for you).

millerj

slingerz wrote: »

i recently went back to an old and battered odyssey 2 ball srt and got it regripped.

30 putts on the button last weekend with it.

I sold the exact same thing on Tuesday for €30 as I had it sitting in the shed for the last couple of years or so.......I feel guilty now!

FixdePitchmark

ShivasIrons wrote: »

It is incorrect to say that there is no noticeable difference in performance between a mid range and a high end putter.

There is a performance difference between putters. This is measurable and quantifiable. There will be a difference between two mid range putters, between two high end putters and two cheap putters. However it could be the case that the cheap putter works best, the mid range putter works best or the high end putter works best. What is required is testing and advice.

what is the difference between performance and works best ?

Mid range and high range are the same manufacturing techniques and materials.

Just a piece machined by a computerised milling machine.

You can't tell a piece of material and a milling machine to be in the 100 to 200 range as opposed to the 200 to 300.

I know you can have dirt cheap cast heads etc.

But a golf ball in itself - is an imperfect object , the surface it is on is imperfect - this idea that additional accuracy or higher level manufacturing is applied to more expensive putters (I'm calling bul****), not to mention it makes no difference with the larger variable of the player at play.

And then after all that a guy typically gets a new grip put on - and this is done by a pro in a shop by eye - this typically has a flat surface , so after all that fancy manufacturing , you change the face angle slightly due to a grip.

Spend what you want - but 300 to 400 euro for a putter, is a nonsense.

Hoof Hearted2

ShivasIrons wrote: »

It is incorrect to say that there is no noticeable difference in performance between a mid range and a high end putter.

There is a performance difference between putters. This is measurable and quantifiable. There will be a difference between two mid range putters, between two high end putters and two cheap putters. However it could be the case that the cheap putter works best, the mid range putter works best or the high end putter works best. What is required is testing and advice.

That's just like your, opinion man.
Back up your ascertains with meaningful with stats, and by meaningful stats I mean stats like putts per round etc. etc. not static numbers retrieved from a robot.

billy3sheets

I've got 2 putters - a fairly large Ping mallet and an MD blade.

I swap between them for months at a time sometimes. In summer, when the greens are fast, I might prefer the lighter blade.

Probably all in my head but it works for me.

Seve OB

OP depending on the nic of your current set of clubs, you have more than enough money there to get the full set regripped if needed. Something that could quite easily take 4+ shots off your round if the ones you have now are in poor condition. And if you still want........ get one of them Nike putters

red ears

A good putter is a feel thing i think. You feel a nice balance and weight with it. I use an odyssey now and love it. I owned a scotty a few years back and couldn't take to it at all.

DuckSlice

red ears wrote: »

A good putter is a feel thing i think. You feel a nice balance and weight with it. I use an odyssey now and love it. I owned a scotty a few years back and couldn't take to it at all.

I agree, putting for me anyway is all about feel. I have an odyssey white hot that's at a guess about 14 years old. Would be hard pushed to change it, and if I was to change I would go for odyssey again.

Like said before, if your putting is fine don't buy a putter just for the sake of it.

tritriagain

Anyone any experienc of ray cook putter. Looks nice with a decent price.
http://www.colegolf.ie/products/putters/putters1/ray-cook-silver-ray-sr800-putter.html

reax

For my tuppence worth I'd say take the plunge. I bought an expensive putter last year and have great success with it since. Not because it's scientifically better per say but because I believe it's better. Putting is all about confidence and as soon as I found one that I liked the look and feel of, I went for it. If you believe your putter isn't that good you're at a disadvantage before you hit a ball.

The Rape of Lucretia

Thats only worth doing for the weaker minded, though, like the cherry on top of that throwing money away routine, getting fitted for one.
No one putter is better or worse than any other for any golfer is the reality. Great golfers have played and won will all sorts over the last century, some have the same one throughout their life, others changing them as often as their sponsored shirts. Its all just in the mind. They all only cost €10 to make anyway so anything you pay above €20 in a shop is just channelling the rest of your cash to some split of the advertising people, professional endorsement fee, or profits of the manufacturer. If that help your putting, then you may consider it money well spent. If you realise that it is all down to what you do with it, you will know that there is no difference in spending 20 or 200 as far as the effect it will have on your game goes.