2019 Official Forum Member Review-Bettinardi Arm Lock Putter

[joen]

6 hours ago, downlowkey said:

Both my elbows are tucked tight into my ribs and I would characterize the feel (for me) to be driven by the obliques. Anchored against your lead forearm, the Armlock neutralizes the hands/wrists but it’s still possible to get your arms moving out of sync with your shoulders. Which is why I’m more focused on balanced (right/left side) trunk rotation.

On the “open” shoulder subject - I think a lot of people technically “extend” their right shoulder because the exaggerated forward shaft lean requires a longer reach. But if your lead shoulder moves in a perpendicular rotation around your spine, I don’t think an open shoulder setup is necessarily a dealbreaker.

Because you are left side oriented, if you want to square your shoulders without a major setup change, a right-hand claw grip requires less reach and should allow your right shoulder to settle into a more neutral joint position.  

On the individual level, I’m a firm believer in embracing what works. If things start to breakdown (push/pull) in high pressure situations as @joen alluded, square shoulders might be something to look at. But if the potato is consistently tumbling down the line, keep on doing your thing.

Thank you for your thoughtful answer.  I am going to stop worrying about my shoulders being open and just go with the stroke as it is putting it on line. Square shoulders were always very important for me with traditional putting that I always worked with a putting mirror to make sure I was square.

[PokeForeLyfe]

Just a quick update - 98 holes into the Bettinardi SS38 Armlock experiment
The important points: no 3-putts - only (2) putts missed inside 10 feet - 1.633 pph (trending downward)
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes... turn and face the strange... Ch-ch-changes

As@downlowkey mentioned, I was able to role 20 or so putts on two occasions with his Armlock. I have to mention that my favorite head shape is a Newport and I am obnoxiously obsessed with look, sound and feel of any club. If those three items aren’t right for me it doesn’t matter if it’s the best club in the world. That said this putter did not initially fit my eye, setup, head position, etc. However, after just those few rolls I was intrigued enough to buy one on the used market.

It’s a new concept. I think I’ve been luck so far with my configuration but it would be well worth the time to do a proper fitting and get a feel for the right ball position, the right left arm position and length. Mine is 40” and it feels good. I wouldn’t want to go shorter. 4 degrees of loft after an adjustment. It was too far forward in my stance initially. I don’t normally like alignment aids but feel it is very helpful on this setup due to the forward press and difference where my head is at.

Without all of the details that the reviewers have already done a tremendous job of sharing this putter has reintroduced me to some fundamentals I think will help me become a better putter regardless of model. My grip pressure is more even between hands, I don’t have to worry about flipping at the ball and tempo is just better throughout the stroke.

I’m three tournament rounds into use. I’m finding distance control very quickly. No 3 putts and no missed putts inside of 6 feet. I don’t mind running one by the hole two or three feet anymore because I feel like the short putts are almost automatic. No pushes, no pulls, straight back and straight through is what this setup promotes. It isn’t a cure all or magic wand but I sure think it produces a much more consistent stroke and would be a benefit to anyone that struggles, especially with short putts. It isn’t coming out of my bag anytime soon.


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[M. Parsons]

I don't have this putter, but I see the benefits it and the reviewers claim it has...so, my 7 year old has some clubs that are slightly too long for him and I just told him this past Saturday to try to putt it like you would this Armlock putter, and he started draining a lot more putts.  Who knows, I might have to try this out for myself now.

[ole gray]

Great job guys and this armlock thing is intriguing to say the least.  No doubt a proper fitting is the ticket to success.  I'm guilty of the ole grip it and flip it fault.   Maybe one day I will give this or one similar a go..........

[KCLeo12]

***Update***

So I went and got properly fit for the Armlock and got a different grip put on the putter and it is much more comfortable and natural feeling. Right now I am using it like a training aid until after all my tournaments are over and then I will give it a shot. It’s great for feeling the rocking of the shoulders.


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[downlowkey]

1 hour ago, KCLeo12 said:

***Update***

So I went and got properly fit for the Armlock and got a different grip put on the putter and it is much more comfortable and natural feeling. Right now I am using it like a training aid until after all my tournaments are over and then I will give it a shot. It’s great for feeling the rocking of the shoulders.

Did you learn anything interesting during your fitting? Besides the new grip, were any additional spec (length/lie) changes made to your SS38?

[KCLeo12]

I added 1” in length and went changed the lie angle from 70 to 71*.


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[ole gray]

I may have missed it however how long are these arm lock putters?

[cnosil]

I may have missed it however how long are these arm lock putters?

Ideally they are however long you need them to be. 40-43” seems to be average.

[downlowkey]

I'm planning to hit the short game complex today.

It will be the first time I've touched a club in ~6 weeks, so it should be... interesting.

Very curious to find out how a long layoff affects my feel for the Armlock.

If you guys have any specific questions _or_ things you'd like me to address during today's practice session, please post them in the official review thread.

I'll report back over the weekend.

[GB13]

UPDATE!! 

It’s been a tough stretch for me getting in golf so I apologize for not updating y’all more frequently, but I didn’t want to falsify anything. I’ve only had 4 rounds in the last 2 month which were, 81, 80, 76, 74. All of which were carried by superb iron play. I’ve really been struggling with the putter recently,  however I am putting on a different breed of grass than I traditionally play on. Is that the difference? I think it matters some, but I don’t think it’s the whole story. I’ve really been unable to get the ball started on my intended line, and my confidence from 3-4 feet has been reduced to zero. As of right now, my sample size is still fairly small, so before I go running off to Golf Galaxy to get a new putter, I’m gonna stick it out for a while, especially knowing what my Betti can do when it’s rolling the ball well. I should be playing more in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for another update, hopefully with more info. 

[ole gray]

5 hours ago, GB13 said:

UPDATE!! 

It’s been a tough stretch for me getting in golf so I apologize for not updating y’all more frequently, but I didn’t want to falsify anything. I’ve only had 4 rounds in the last 2 month which were, 81, 80, 76, 74. All of which were carried by superb iron play. I’ve really been struggling with the putter recently,  however I am putting on a different breed of grass than I traditionally play on. Is that the difference? I think it matters some, but I don’t think it’s the whole story. I’ve really been unable to get the ball started on my intended line, and my confidence from 3-4 feet has been reduced to zero. As of right now, my sample size is still fairly small, so before I go running off to Golf Galaxy to get a new putter, I’m gonna stick it out for a while, especially knowing what my Betti can do when it’s rolling the ball well. I should be playing more in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for another update, hopefully with more info. 

 I know how that feels and it's a awful feeling while stepping up to those short ones and have ya scrotum tighten up! 

[joen]

Thread bump. Any of you guys still rocking this putter?  I had to give it up. It just wasn’t getting it done for me. Curious how others are faring?

[downlowkey]

16 minutes ago, joen said:

Thread bump. Any of you guys still rocking this putter?  I had to give it up. It just wasn’t getting it done for me. Curious how others are faring?

I haven’t struck a golf ball outside of my living room since October, so I cannot claim to be rocking anything. Nonetheless, the Bettinardi is currently leaning against the wall, alongside two Nike Method putters (one of which is set up as another armlock). I practice the stroke with all of them, everyday.

If I needed to post a score today, I’d absolutely bag the SS38. But I really like how the black double-wide B1/01 blade swings and looks at address. And if I’m ever able to play golf on grass again, I’m hopeful it will prove to be something special. For now, the Betti still gets the nod.

#TeamArmLock (quarantine edition)

[GB13]

1 hour ago, joen said:

Thread bump. Any of you guys still rocking this putter?  I had to give it up. It just wasn’t getting it done for me. Curious how others are faring?

I’m still rocking it. It got benched for an old Odyssey White Hot #1 for a few rounds last year, but after reviewing my putting in each round, the armlock was still way better. I really believe my struggles with the putter come from green reading inadequacies. When I make the proper read on putts, I am pretty confident I’ll make a good stroke and scare the hole. 

So, yes I’m still rocking it, no, my putting still isn’t where it should be, but it’s mainly due to green reading, not my actual stroke. 

[joen]

1 hour ago, GB13 said:

I’m still rocking it. It got benched for an old Odyssey White Hot #1 for a few rounds last year, but after reviewing my putting in each round, the armlock was still way better. I really believe my struggles with the putter come from green reading inadequacies. When I make the proper read on putts, I am pretty confident I’ll make a good stroke and scare the hole. 

So, yes I’m still rocking it, no, my putting still isn’t where it should be, but it’s mainly due to green reading, not my actual stroke. 

Have you tried Aimpoint Express?  Helped me immensely with green reading. I know some people can just read a green by looking at it. I am not one of those people. 

[CarlH]

9 hours ago, joen said:

Thread bump. Any of you guys still rocking this putter?  I had to give it up. It just wasn’t getting it done for me. Curious how others are faring?

Mine's benched.  I still like to pull it out now and then and take it to the practice greens.  Helps me groove the rocking of the shoulders for the stroke and minimize my arm/hand use.  I tend to struggle with longer putts with the armlock putter.  If I could carry 2 putters (have to figure out which club to pull from my bag), I would use it for shorter putts and my standard putter on longer ones.

[GB13]

8 hours ago, joen said:

Have you tried Aimpoint Express?  Helped me immensely with green reading. I know some people can just read a green by looking at it. I am not one of those people. 

I haven’t, it would be worth looking into. I’ve seen people using it and doing quite well with it, and given the current state of my green reading, I’ll try almost anything.

[PMookie]

Well, I just saw Norlander using an armlock method at the AT&T, so I searched for this thread. The last posts were a year ago, so curious as to how many of the testers used these putters throughout this past golf season???

 

Thanks!

[downlowkey]

1 hour ago, PMookie said:

Well, I just saw Norlander using an armlock method at the AT&T, so I searched for this thread. The last posts were a year ago, so curious as to how many of the testers used these putters throughout this past golf season???

Thanks!

The SS38 Armlock still has a spot in my bag, albeit splitting some time with a super stealth mode Bobby Grace NYC Tour.

Inside 10 feet the Armlock is fantastic but pace control leaves something to be desired on longer putts. The plan is to take some length out of it (from 40” down to 38.5”) and wrap the chrome shaft in matte black heat shrink, once I’ve determined an appropriate grip for the experiment.

Re: Norlander - I can barely watch him roll that wide split left-hand-low grip. Feels absolutely awful when I’ve tried that setup.

Full disclosure, I have a real soft spot for Bobby Grace mallets and love the feel/look of my NYC Tour, but the Armlock has the edge on paper. I just wish longer putts were getting more good looks with the SS38. Hopefully the setup change I have planned will help.

[PMookie]

22 minutes ago, downlowkey said:

The SS38 Armlock still has a spot in my bag, albeit splitting some time with a super stealth mode Bobby Grace NYC Tour.

Inside 10 feet the Armlock is fantastic but pace control leaves something to be desired on longer putts. The plan is to take some length out of it (from 40” down to 38.5”) and wrap the chrome shaft in matte black heat shrink, once I’ve determined an appropriate grip for the experiment.

Re: Norlander - I can barely watch him roll that wide split left-hand-low grip. Feels absolutely awful when I’ve tried that setup.

Full disclosure, I have a real soft spot for Bobby Grace mallets and love the feel/look of my NYC Tour, but the Armlock has the edge on paper. I just wish longer putts were getting more good looks with the SS38. Hopefully the setup change I have planned will help.

Thanks for the update. A buddy has gone this route and loves it. I couldn’t even hold the thing the right way. Feels so odd.