Do You View a Putter Fitting Like a Driver Fitting?

[seemoreputters]

Do you view a putter fitting like a driver fitting?  Share your thoughts below.

[cnosil]

32 minutes ago, seemoreputters said:

Do you view a putter fitting like a driver fitting?  Share your thoughts below.

View is a very open ended ambiguous term and if I look at it from a 10,000 foot level, they are the same: find a club that gives you the best performance.   If I were to dive down a bit more, I think a putter fitting is significantly more than a driver fitting or fitting for most other clubs.   
 

intent of a driver fitting is to find a driver that I deliver the club with a consistent face angle and hit as far as possible; maximum ball speed.  I do a similar thing with irons and I tweak them to hit specific distances.  With these clubs I generally won’t have a need to hit one club significantly different distances; I’m generally not going to try at hit a 5 iron in a range from 100 to,200 yards.  IMO, The closest fitting to a putter would probably be wedges. Since I need to be able to hit them specific distances over a wider range.  
 

when I get to putters I need a club that I can consistently deliver a face angle consistently but I need to be able to maintain that consistent face angle over a significant distance variations (one inch to maybe 100 feet or more depending on the greens and where I choose to use the putter) and in some cases differing turfs since the ball primarily remains in contact with the ground.   I also believe that fitting a putter requires someone that is knowledgeable about putting in general as players fall at different places on the feel/technical scale, have different visual perceptions, and can swing the putter in a variety of different ways all of which can influence the fit.  
 

while distance; accuracy is important as well, is a main focus for both drivers and putter,  driver fittings try to maximize distance and putter fittings try to maximize distance control. 

[NCDuffer]

I’ve done both now.  Driver is in the fairway more often and 23 yards longer on average one year after the fitting.  Had the wrong shaft, shortened shaft 3/4”, maybe a newer head helped some.  Putter fitting was eye opening too.  Received a putter fitting for Christmas and was fit into a smaller mid mallet with 40* toe hang.  On the floor and the outdoor green the results were wonderful for speed and alignment.  I owned 10 putters before the fitting and I took my “favorite” to the fitting.  I line the rascal up 1* open and hit it toe side with a 1-2* push consistently.  Something about the mid mallet head shape had me lining up correctly every time and hitting near dead center.  The SAM said so too.  I tried others too, but that shape and hang was just it.  In my 10 are Seemores, a Ping, Odysseys, a Taylormade, and a high moi Maltby.  All trying to find a fit.  I never would have picked that smaller head and when it was handed to me I said I hope the hole is twice the normal size.  I honestly did, as every putter I had, but one Seemore, was a large mallet for alignment of all things. Grip went to a small.  Again, never would have done that, but the SAM…

 VIEW…Driver vs Putter..yes and no…for driver I wanted more fairways and distance…for putter I wanted to roll my line and consistent distance.  So yes.  But, I agree with @cnosil that a putter fitting is more than a driver fitting.

[GolfSpy_APH]

10 hours ago, seemoreputters said:

Do you view a putter fitting like a driver fitting?  Share your thoughts below.

I guess in what sense? Or are there examples of situations or specifics that you're looking for? 

They are both club fittings, so yes. However just like any club it has its nuances with it, data points and aspects that vary club to club consumer to consumer. 

I would suggest fewer get a putter fitting over a driver and rely more on the looks of a putter than a driver. 

Tough to answer the question without going on forever as it is such a broad question. I'm sure within many of the replies a wide range of answers will be given which is good.

[ED13]

Yes and no.

Both clubs require a good repeatable setup as well as a proper face angle at contact.  Driver is hit the same every time.  The difference I see with a putter fitting is distance control.  Consistent setup and good face angle at impact will not mean very much if you can not control distance.  I have tried a couple of putters that I could get on line easy but had no feel for distance.  Tempo and swing length can be different each putt.  During a fitting try to pick some spots before the cup, dying into the cup and putts with speed to see how far you can putt consistently for long range putts. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

In terms of getting the best setup for the golfers stroke/swing yes. 
 

Because the clubs serve different purposes there’s a no. Driver fitting I’m trying to optimize ball flight and both carry and total distance along with minimizing the dispersion. With putter it’s about getting the setup that allows for the most consistent strike and starting the ball on the intended like with intended speed. My first putter fitting confirmed why I prefer heavier putters and also why certain necks and head designs fit my stroke

[Golf2Much]

I have to agree with a lot of what's been posted so far.  The one addition I would have is that a driver fitting is more of an end point and the putter is more of a starting point.

Having done both fairly recently, I think with a driver fitting is better designed to give you a final answer.   A fitter will take into account your swing and match the shaft, head and other variables to optimize your overall distance and accuracy.  I found that in my putter fittings, they too account for your swing and match the shaft, head and other variables to optimize your stroke.  @RickyBobby_PR was right in that a valuable outcome for me was finding out why I tended to migrate to certain types of putters and their configurations.   However, that's just the beginning of the journey.   I made a mistake in my first putter fitting of relying only on the outcome and purchasing a putter without taking into account the variables that are difficult to simulate with most fittings.  It's only after putting on different surfaces, practicing from various lengths and other variables that I realized I had made a mistake.  When I got the new putter and put it into play, I had difficulty getting a consistent roll on our greens.  

Though the fitting gave me the putter specifications I needed for my stroke, it couldn't yield the total feel and consistency I needed to carry the success from the fitting to the course.  So a putter fitting is a great start, but often not the end point that you typically would get with a driver fitting.