When Do You Switch Putters?

[KM144]

So I’m probably echoing some of what’s been said already but the tl;dr is - sometimes you just need to change what you’re looking down at to get the confidence back  

My suggestion is grab 2-3 putters that look drastically different, go roll them on a putting mat or at the closest putting green and see if that unlocks anything.   

I’m a headcase when it comes to putting - I’ve kept all the putters I’ve used since I was 16 so sometimes I’ll go roll them after a few bad putting performances. I usually end up sticking with my current gamer but that exercise helps free me up mentally. 

[Kwoodfield]

Honestly, I used to switch all the time and I used the excuse because my putting is terrible. But I have been putting with an odyssey o works for almost two years without taking it out of my bag and my putting is getting so much more consistent. I guess it helps if you look at the same thing every day vs something different every few days.

[FmrCaddie13]

You already own the Evnroll so this isn't a $ question. You got fitted and bought it for a reason. In practice you prefer it. So it's all mental now. Why wouldn't you play it at this point? What is holding you back? Subconsciously you may be putting worse with the Odyssey to give yourself a reason to switch. Or you have lost confidencd in it knowing the Evnroll seems like an even better choice for you. Stop torturing yourself and game the Evnroll already. It's not like you have to throw the other putter away.

[Rheustess]

I don't switch putters often because I feel it is the one club you must develop a personal relationship. I do like to try as many putters as possible always looking for one that has the perfect feel and best fits my eye. 

[Dooby]

51 minutes ago, ronanarmstrong said:

I got fit for an Edel about 6 years ago and it's been in my bag about 3/4 of that time. However, I occasionally tinker with a Tei3 Santa Fe (Just a hair too light), a Truss TM 2 which stayed in for about 6 months and did pretty well - which was a surprise to me. I've got a Sik Flo with Stability shaft which saw a few months action around Christmas.

I kept coming back to the Edel - knowing it was fitted gave me that extra bit of confidence. But, I missed the forgiveness of the Truss and Sik so I took the plunge and bought an Edel EAS 4, 2nd hand - I had the spec sheet from my original fitting so altered everything to match the other Edel as much as possible and the other putters have been put in the back of the cupboard. I'm confident this will be in my bag for a long stretch.

I got fitted for an Edel earlier this year. The EAS 1.0. But the fitter didn’t even have me try other Edel models and I’ve been wondering this whole time if the 4.0 or 5.0 would’ve been better for me. Even asked Edel if there’s any sort of swap policy since my Edel is barely used but they basically said good luck. 

[Frickenhacker]

Never, It's not the putter. My putting issues are self inflicted!

[Slight shank]

Not often. I have 2 that I rotate. One of them gets played 80 percent of the time but it does get a time out now and then 

[ZackS]

My first putter was just a hand me down blade I played for a bit. Then a 2 ball because I sucked at alignment. That I played a few years then got a Scotty Cameron mallet as a gift that lasted 10 years. After I realized how dependent I was on the line on the ball and matching to the big line on my mallet. To the point I would have to mark and align the ball on anything basically over 2 feet. I made a drastic switch to a Oddesey #2 to force myself to learn to aim and kept it another 10 years. Don’t get me wrong I still use the line for longer putts as I am more confident knowing it’s correct but don’t have to mark and realign short putts. I recently switched to a Odessey double wide as I wanted to go back to face balanced with a little more forgiveness. So I rarely switch. 

Edited April 24 by ZackS

[coupwcu]

I have a few putters but my gamer is my gamer. Evnroll ER2.2. Mountains would have to move for that to change. That being said, I do take some of the others out on the course from time to time just for the fun of it.

[wbn]

I switch after 3 putts start creeping in too often. Sometimes I take a hybrid out of the bag and carry 2 putters. If the front nine is going bad, I switch on the back nine.

[6 Million Dollar Man]

This time of the year the greens can be in transition, i.e. grasd popping out, getting cut and speeding up.  That's one factor.  But I will once in a while show my main putter the closet just to get a different feel.  Not often, though.

[Golf Dawg]

As an admitted putter ho, there are way too many “goodies in my candy store.”
 

Periodically (like yesterday) I will pull some off the shelf and try, but end up going back to my gamer, which has become a small-head mallet. 
 

I grew up with a putt-putt putter, then a Ping Anser, which I’ve used for decades. Then I sipped the heavier putter kool aid and spun down the rabbit hole, trying/buying a myriad of Anser clones and other unique putters…

My teacher got me to the “Dark Side” of mallets. I still pull the Ansers out, as well as other mallets, but I end up back with the “chosen mallet.”  

[fossil]

20 years ago. To the then two ball odyssey.  Really,  if there is nothing structural wrong with a putter, then it is the person using it.

[Getoffmylawn]

54 minutes ago, FmrCaddie13 said:

You already own the Evnroll so this isn't a $ question. You got fitted and bought it for a reason. In practice you prefer it. So it's all mental now. Why wouldn't you play it at this point? What is holding you back? Subconsciously you may be putting worse with the Odyssey to give yourself a reason to switch. Or you have lost confidencd in it knowing the Evnroll seems like an even better choice for you. Stop torturing yourself and game the Evnroll already. It's not like you have to throw the other putter away.

Appreciate all the feedback.  Yeah, I'm likely to go this route.  Part of my hesitation is that I don't want to scapegoat the putter versus correcting my own deficiencies, if that makes sense?  I've been making plenty of putts with the Odyssey and now I'm not, and obviously the putter didn't change.  

My main challenge seems to be sub-optimal or inconsistent contact, which in term impacts speed and distance control, so I'm wondering if moving away from an insert-based putter like the Odyssey might be a good idea.

[Zatty]

I have had the same putter for 15 or so years.    Whitehot sabertooth.  Only thing I have changed is a big grip - that was very beneficial - took hands/wrist out of stroke.  Balance/feel is unmatched in anything else I have tried.  Putting is the strongest part of my game and this beauty is the reason why. 

 

 

[Kevyn Nightingale]

I'm loyal to a putter. When I took up golf, a few people told me: "Buy cheap clubs, because you'll replace them soon; buy the most expensive putter that feels good." That was sage advice. 

The first putter I bought - a Ray Cook Blue Goose - I used (with a couple of intermissions) until last year. That's 32 years. 

I even changed hands 6 years ago (yes, I hit from the other side now), but I still putt leftie.

I've moved to an Evnroll ER5, because it's more stable, but I still love that original putter. It's still in my locker, and I use it with my Sunday bag (because it's lighter to carry).

This is not mine, but this is what it looks like.

[HDTVMAN]

LOL. Friends joke every time I play with a different putter! Tomorrow will be the third change in a week!

[NoRebound]

I'm the guy who doesn't switch.  I won a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 at an outing around 10 years ago and have never put it down.  I've regripped it twice and played around with lead tape on it from time to time but I just love the feel and balance of it so much that I've never even seriously considered moving on from it.  I'm playing fairly well this year (averaging 1.8 putts). 

[cnosil]

13 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

My main challenge seems to be sub-optimal or inconsistent contact, which in term impacts speed and distance control, so I'm wondering if moving away from an insert-based putter like the Odyssey might be a good idea.

Changing the putter may not fix those issues,   Insert was fine before so insert should continue to be fine.   Miss hits with a different putter will still be a miss hit and you may get better or worse performance depending how the ball comes off that area of the putter.   Just like other clubs, putters lose ball speed based on where on the face you hit them.   I believe insert vs non insert has little effect on the performance and other factors would have more of an influence.  
 

Where are you hitting on the face?  Have you tried putting something on the face to give you feedback during practice to try and fix the contact issue?   Have you checked if ball position has moved?  

[Getoffmylawn]

2 minutes ago, cnosil said:

 

Where are you hitting on the face?  Have you tried putting something on the face to give you feedback during practice to try and fix the contact issue?   Have you checked if ball position has moved?  

All annoyingly good questions Chris.   I'll be doing that this week before I commit to a course of action.  I would bet that my ball position has crept back in my stance some, and I'm getting a more downward de-lofted "top of the face" strike.  More to follow...