Does Your Putter Have to Look Good?

[artful_golfer]

8 hours ago, OsoBear said:

Isn't kinesthetic and tactile the same thing?

No. Kinesthetic employs large movements - like throwing a ball or swinging a club. Tactile involves how things feel when you touch them - like texture and somewhat weight (how your grips feel, etc.) But all of your individual learning styles do work together.

[artful_golfer]

13 hours ago, TShaffer said:

Mind blown!! I love this!! I was just discussing the other day the impact learning styles has on the confidence of individuals in difference circumstances. I think this makes a lot of sense!

It's true. Teachers learn this as part of their education and part of their evaluations note whether their lessons involve the use of several learning styles in order to reach how various students retain information. The subject is what varies (athletics, science, art, and even advertising) but how we each learn is consistent.

Example: I test very high for visual and tactile but low for kinesthetic and super low for auditory. The lady pro I hired to help with my swing had a hunch that my high visual receptors were interfering with me being able to feel how I was swinging. She had me close my eyes after I line up for a shot - and voila!, I hit the ball straight every time. Now whenever I'm having trouble with my swing, I get passed it by hitting with my eyes closed. Even in the middle of a game I have a lot of confidence that I will hit the ball and not embarrass myself by hitting the ground or just air.

[Kenny B]

3 minutes ago, artful_golfer said:

It's true. Teachers learn this as part of their education and part of their evaluations note whether their lessons involve the use of several learning styles in order to reach how various students retain information. The subject is what varies (athletics, science, art, and even advertising) but how we each learn is consistent.

Example: I test very high for visual and tactile but low for kinesthetic and super low for auditory. The lady pro I hired to help with my swing had a hunch that my high visual receptors were interfering with me being able to feel how I was swinging. She had me close my eyes after I line up for a shot - and voila!, I hit the ball straight every time. Now whenever I'm having trouble with my swing, I get passed it by hitting with my eyes closed. Even in the middle of a game I have a lot of confidence that I will hit the ball and not embarrass myself by hitting the ground or just air.

“Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand.”
― Confucius

[Erik-M]

Short answer, yes.  And always needs to have a head cover on!

[chisag]

On 4/18/2020 at 8:44 PM, artful_golfer said:

By the way, I also have a theory that the best natural putters, right from the beginning, are visual learners because they can naturally read the greens better.

 

... Interesting premise. I have always been a visual learner and can't stand podcasts, which is ironic since I was a DJ for the first 12 years of my working life. For me a podcast has to be presented by a good voice and be interesting, which knocks out about 90% of them for me. I could never hear a lesson online without visuals. I am a little better with books but always prefer a video. And to your point, I would love to say that after years of study and experience, I have become really good at reading greens. The truth is it always came easy for me to see the correct line with the correct speed. Since I am a die in the hole putter, I have no problem seeing the maximum break needed to have the ball roll into the front, side and even sometimes back of the hole. When I taught full time and gave putting lessons, I was shocked at how many were confused by the break and how hard to hit the putt. "I can maybe hit it on this one if I am aggressive and maybe way up here somewhere if I roll it slow and maybe somewhere in the middle with really good speed". No wonder they can't read greens with all theat conflicting information in their heads. 

[artful_golfer]

11 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Interesting premise. . . And to your point, I would love to say that after years of study and experience, I have become really good at reading greens. The truth is it always came easy for me to see the correct line with the correct speed. Since I am a die in the hole putter, I have no problem seeing the maximum break needed to have the ball roll into the front, side and even sometimes back of the hole. When I taught fun time and gave putting lessons, I was shocked at how many were confused by the break and how hard to hit the putt. "I can maybe hit it on this one if I am aggressive and maybe way up here somewhere if I roll it slow and maybe somewhere in the middle with really good speed". No wonder they can't read greens with all theat conflicting information in their heads. 

I get it. I have been a good putter from my very first lesson and have no trouble reading the greens. It's the kinesthetic coordination of big swings that knock me for a loop.

[Firebird]

No, as long as it works. It is the most used club in your bag so it has it looks should not matter.

[zzyzxx]

It has to look good at address! 

[LittleWalter]

In my opinion, a putter must be appealing to the eye.  I always keep mine in a cover.  I hate seeing a putter get all dinged up from bag chatter.  However, some people think the dings build character.  I guess to each their own.  One thing I've noticed is that my putter looks better when putts are dropping.

[CRW]

Yes, it has to look good. Not just at address, but in general. 

[808nation]

To me it has to look good and feel good.  If it doesn't look right when I'm over it, then it won't feel comfortable.  Get fit to see what putter type will work for you and go shopping, you don't need a $400 putter, but get one that feels and performs good for YOU.

[aerospace_ray]

Until MGS started educating us about what golfers perceived they performed well with  vs what they actually had more success with, I would say it absolutely has to look good and feel right. BUT......I started paying attention to the putters with unique geometries, the putters that had sight lines or dots, anything regarding alignment and I chose several putters that actually reduced/improved my putts from all distances and hate to admit, they are not eye candy nor very good looking. However, they look better more and more as my HDCP goes down. Yes I am older and my vision is not as good. So I got glasses and learned how to better read greens (I like aim point ) . But my current putters work better than what played with for so many years  So I guess I should have up front just said NO a putter does not have to look good for me anymore. 

[Bgreen44]

I think looks and a putter go hand in hand. If I don’t love the look I frankly don’t care to use it even if it does give me a small advantage. Now, if I made money playing golf then I’d have a very different thought. I’d find every advantage possible and as someone said, I’d put with a brick if it was better than my $400 shiny putter. I have too many putters and plan to add more based on how they look. I think my next step is to actually get a putter fitting. I’d be very curious of what I like would be contradicted by data (I’m 100% sure it would)

[Agent Mike]

I don’t think you should be buying putter for looks as the top priority. I don’t play a flashy putter, just a stock Pink Ketsch. It’s changed my game so much I’m scared to get another putter. I’m tempted to try the Evnroll blade which isn’t flashy either, except they don’t make the two models I’d try in leftie... Flashy putters are cool to look at, putters that work are fun to play with. Not saying flashy putter don’t work, just haven’t gone down that road before. 

[GolfSpy_BOS]

Short answer, yes.  And always needs to have a head cover on!

Don’t you find it difficult to putt with the headcover on?

I kid I kid. The only time I had a head over
Not on my putter while in the bag was when I had an OGIO bag that reallllly separated the putter.


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[thatjasonlee]

I don't think it's necessary something that looks good. For me, the putter has to make me FEEL good. Not the putter itself needs to feel good. It needs to make me FEEL good. Kinda weird to explain, but I am gonna try.

I have two putters right now. One is a silky smooth Scotty California Del Mar that I've taken really good care of so it's essentially blemish free. The other that I have is a second hand Scotty Red X that has not been well taken care of. One looks a lot better than the other. But I switch back for forth when I practice, and when one doesn't make me feel good, I go to the other. Right now, it's the Red X that's in my bag. So for me, it's not how the putter looks for feels, it's how it makes me feel? I don't know if that makes any sense at all. 

 

[gavinski91]

It depends what "look good" means. If it means "attractive" then no. But there is definitely a "look" to a putter in terms of alignment (since I strongly prefer mallets) that allows me to more easily see if I'm aligned with my target line. Color for me plays a big part of it - if the alignment aid doesn't incorporate white (either a white alignment line, or a black/colored alignment line on a wider white line) then it doesn't "look good" while I'm standing over it and I'm not comfortable and confident in my stroke.

[Bosox04]

My putter has to look good to me. If I don't like the looks, I won't even consider using it. All my clubs have to look good to me.

[Micah T]

Looks will definitely make me pick up a putter, but feel will make me put it down just as quick.


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Edited June 29, 2020 by Delete
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