How to Know When It's Time for a New Putter?

[MeanMachine24]

How do you guys decide when it's time for a new putter? Any time I miss a putt I just think "well I'm just not that great of a putter" and never "if I had a different putter that would have gone in". Besides just trying out a ton of putters or getting fit for one, when do most decide when it's time to switch? Or is it most of the time just an "I want that" decision?

[cnosil]

I like putters so  switch when the mood strikes.   
 

you say you aren’t a good putter, how did you come to that conclusion and what are you doing to try and improve?

[Hosel_Rockets]

I switched putters when I found a great deal on a Bettinardi, and loved how it looked. I do like it much better than my previous putter (Odyssey Stroke Lab) and do not expect to get rid of it anytime soon, but it was simply just an impulse buy. A buddy of mine switched from his Odyssey putter to a Scotty Cameron because he won it in a drawing.

That's a long winded way of saying it's different for everyone, some people switch because they get fitted, or find something that better suits their game, and some people make an impulse purchase based on a great deal.

I will add that while I did improve me putting pretty drastically this year, I also practiced putting on a fairly consistent basis and do not equate much of that improvement to the new putter.

[Chux13]

Unlike my other clubs, my putter is usually the one that sustains time in the bag over the years. Every so often I will find myself at the Super Store or Golf Galaxy and just try out different things or newer items that grabbed my attention. More often than not, there is nothing that just wows me into wanting to purchase something new. That was until I gave LAB a spin. THIS knocked the hamster off the wheel, got 'em back on, and set into overdrive. It was something I never experienced before and just had to keep trying them every chance I had. Over time, I finally succumbed to the bug and moved forward with the purchase. In this instance, there was a bit of trying something new which turned into "I need that", but it took something extraordinary to make me jump ship from my solid support for Odyssey equipment.

Edited September 11 by Chux13

[slash25rc]

When my wife says I can 

But in all seriousness, I think I have made a putter change about 4 times since I really started playing in 2016. Blade to mallet, back to blade, and now a compact mallet. I know a lot of people carry multiple putters with various weights and feels and at a new course, roll a few on the practice green to see which will work best with whatever the stimp rating may be. I putted well with a Scotty Newport 2 for about 4 years, but I lacked confidence on shorter putts, so I started testing the waters and played a round with a Mizuno M.Craft OMOI Type 6 and fell in love with it with the lighter head weight options. I feel like I can knock down anything within 10 feet and that's half the battle of putting is just thinking you can make any of them. I didn't feel that way with the SC and it has gotten better. 

[MeanMachine24]

On 9/11/2024 at 11:13 AM, cnosil said:

I like putters so  switch when the mood strikes.   
 

you say you aren’t a good putter, how did you come to that conclusion and what are you doing to try and improve?

I honestly don't really do a whole lot to try to improve. I work on the putting mat in the winter just to keep my rhythm but not a ton of drills or anything. I wouldn't say I'm a bad putter, just not a great one. It also doesn't give me any joy to work on my putting so I just don't really do it. I am fully aware that practicing and putting time in would improve my putting would be the best solution but that's not how I'm going to spend my free time. That being said, if a new putter would save a couple strokes, I'd be all for it, but my practice habits would stay the same. I am however starting to become proud of the wear mark in the center of my white ice insert so I may just rock it for another decade.

[Siamese Moose]

I can't believe nobody has said this yet:

When the old one doesn't float!

[Gravenor]

On 9/11/2024 at 5:07 PM, MeanMachine24 said:

How do you guys decide when it's time for a new putter? Any time I miss a putt I just think "well I'm just not that great of a putter" and never "if I had a different putter that would have gone in". Besides just trying out a ton of putters or getting fit for one, when do most decide when it's time to switch? Or is it most of the time just an "I want that" decision?

You should buy a new putter every time you three-putt. If you three-putt with the new one just buy another one and so it continues.

It is always the clubs fault, not yours mate.

[GG194]

11 hours ago, Gravenor said:

You should buy a new putter every time you three-putt. If you three-putt with the new one just buy another one and so it continues.

It is always the clubs fault, not yours mate.

Too many three putts, not enough money, but the occasional four putt will usually require a different putter. Do generally agree. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

On 9/11/2024 at 6:07 PM, MeanMachine24 said:

How do you guys decide when it's time for a new putter? Any time I miss a putt I just think "well I'm just not that great of a putter" and never "if I had a different putter that would have gone in". Besides just trying out a ton of putters or getting fit for one, when do most decide when it's time to switch? Or is it most of the time just an "I want that" decision?

Usually all that it takes is knowing that it is a day that ends in a Y. That typically is a good indicator of needing or wanting a new putter. 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Surprisingly I haven’t thought about changing putters since I got the 24 Scotty 5.5 but everyday I see a putter that I like just haven’t needed to pull the trigger lol

[Josh Parker]

I don't need one, but always want one...  I mess with them every time I go to the golf shop. 

[TJ Hall]

I mess with putters every time I walk into a golf store.  Definitely don’t need one right now.

I really haven’t had many putters over the years, so I don’t change them out very often.  Typically stick with something for a long time, but when I did make the change it was because I couldn’t get the ball started on line.

[MattWillGolf]

Tuesday. As that’s usually my first round of the week.

[MattWillGolf]

13 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

I don't need one, but always want one...  I mess with them every time I go to the golf shop. 

Walking in to a golf shop is dangerous. It’s so easy to do. The putters are neatly lined up around a putting surface. Balls are just strewn about. It’s the retail equivalent of a bare leg to a Chihuahua really. The inevitable will happen.

[Josh Parker]

1 minute ago, MattWillGolf said:

Walking in to a golf shop is dangerous. It’s so easy to do. The putters are neatly lined up around a putting surface. Balls are just strewn about. It’s the retail equivalent of a bare leg to a Chihuahua really. The inevitable will happen.

I have my eye on a ping mallet and it's gone on sale but it's about to be close out so it will drop again. Again, don't need, but it's on sale....  haha

[marfau23]

I realized it was time after my third round of >40 putts.

Was the problem me? Absolutely.

That said, I still needed a scapegoat to change up the voodoo and blame all the bad on. Went in to get fit and fell in love with a very similar puttter from the numbers perspective (toe drop, length, weight, etc) in a mid mallet compared to my blade. People are a neurotic bunch and maybe none more so than golfers. Sometimes we just need something to blame. We all know deep down that it’s really just us but if we let ourselves believe that, it’s easy to get discouraged and fall out of love with that aspect of the game. A very similar story led me to start with a super stroke (17/18 GIRs and shot 81). 
It’s just nice to have something mentally to blame!

[Shrek74]

Technically, we never really need a new putter. It's the one club in the bag that we could basically play our entire lives, nicks and all. It's more of a desire or a want. We as golfers love tinkering with our equipment (that's read as golf clubs you sicko's ) and trying new things.

I played my first "adult" putter (meaning the first one I actually bought) for 20 years. I still have it. But tastes change, visuals change, feels change, and desires change. So I've picked up some others in the past few years. There are a few others that have my attention as well that I may give a go.

Ultimately, it's more of a want than a need on the course. There are some things that can actually help you (the right hosel, right length, etc), but after that it's about what you want. Enjoy owning as many as you can!

[The TXBexar]

On 9/11/2024 at 12:07 PM, MeanMachine24 said:

How do you guys decide when it's time for a new putter? Any time I miss a putt I just think "well I'm just not that great of a putter" and never "if I had a different putter that would have gone in". Besides just trying out a ton of putters or getting fit for one, when do most decide when it's time to switch? Or is it most of the time just an "I want that" decision?

I've found that it always happens when you try your buddies putter on the course and you instantly turn into liquid drain-o, just nothing stopping you from sinking it from any distance. One of those mental things where when you pick it up all you say is "oohh, this is nice" then you make a nice putt because If it looks good in your hands & feels good in your hands, then you're gonna hit it good.

I'll say that If it's gotten to the point where you don't feel comfortable with your putter anymore, and all you can think about is seeing what would happen if you just went wild and switched to a left-handed broom stick putter, even though you're a righty that has been using a anser-style putter, then it might be time to switch things up. This game is too mental to not feel comfortable using arguably the most important club in your bag. And just because you need to switch doesn't mean you have to go buy brand new, there's plenty of used nice & near-new putters out there that can give you the change you need while not emptying the bank. Plus, you can always get that used putter re-finished, shafted, and gripped for less then a brand new putter as well, and it still be fit to exactly what works best for you.