Long putts right-handed and short ones left-handed (or vice versa)

[Vertical]

I have struggled all my golfing life with short putts. Lags are decent, my distance is good. Recently started carrying two putters. One is my usual right-handed putter for long putts (I swing right-handed) and a second left-handed putter on the short ones. The improvement is remarkable. Anyone else have the same experience? 

[Rob Person]

16 minutes ago, Vertical said:

I have struggled all my golfing life with short putts. Lags are decent, my distance is good. Recently started carrying two putters. One is my usual right-handed putter for long putts (I swing right-handed) and a second left-handed putter on the short ones. The improvement is remarkable. Anyone else have the same experience? 

What distances are you considering as SHORT putts?

To answer your question,  I'm a natural left handed person, but do alot of studd right-handed,  including golf.  However, when I first started playing,  I had a left handed putter. I am pretty decent at it too. Sometimes I would putt lefty, other times righty.

I would say a better solution is to determine WHY there is a deficiency in your shorter putts. 

What kind of putter is it?

[Vertical]

6 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

What distances are you considering as SHORT putts?

To answer your question,  I'm a natural left handed person, but do alot of studd right-handed,  including golf.  However, when I first started playing,  I had a left handed putter. I am pretty decent at it too. Sometimes I would putt lefty, other times righty.

I would say a better solution is to determine WHY there is a deficiency in your shorter putts. 

What kind of putter is it?

 

7 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

What distances are you considering as SHORT putts?

To answer your question,  I'm a natural left handed person, but do alot of studd right-handed,  including golf.  However, when I first started playing,  I had a left handed putter. I am pretty decent at it too. Sometimes I would putt lefty, other times righty.

I would say a better solution is to determine WHY there is a deficiency in your shorter putts. 

What kind of putter is it?

I’m using the left-handed putter from roughly 8’ and in. My line is better from that distance. I believe it may be because I’m left-eye dominant. However, my distance control is better right-handed. I also play squash and my backhand is far better than my forehand (I play right-handed). Putters are exactly the same mallets. 

[PrayingForPar]

Many people putt left hand low for long putts and right hand low for longer putts (I am one of them).

If you take time to putt one handed with each hand, it will show you which hand is causing your line issues and can influence the grip, for some it's the left and others the right. This would make sense for the left handed putting, as it would have the opposite hand being dominate. That is also why you see some guys go to claw to remove the influence of a specific hand.

Just a theory.

Edited Saturday at 12:37 AM by PrayingForPar

[Josh Parker]

53 minutes ago, Vertical said:

I have struggled all my golfing life with short putts. Lags are decent, my distance is good. Recently started carrying two putters. One is my usual right-handed putter for long putts (I swing right-handed) and a second left-handed putter on the short ones. The improvement is remarkable. Anyone else have the same experience? 

I have never considered having 2 putters in the bag. I have putted right handed for a year or so and did well with it.  

Did you have the extra spot in the bag or have to get rid of something?

I agree with @PrayingForPar that putting one handed can help figure out what the issue may be.  

[Donn lost in San Diego]

I putt cross-handed.  With a face balanced putter.  And a big fat grip.  What I learned on the shorter putts is the fat grip reduces the freedom of the hand/wrist to twist.  I grip a little harder, and concentrate mostly on not letting hand rotate/twist at all.

My theory why short putts are harder to make straight than are the long ones:  the amount of energy moving forward compared to the amount twisting sideways is the key.  The amount of energy accidentally expended in going off at an angle, or twisting, is pretty constant regardless of the putt length.  But the amount of energy going forward goes up with length.  So the twist tendency is  fighting more resistance on a long putt where you are exerting a lot of energy going straight forward, compared to less resistance to the twist on a short putt.  In other words, it is easier to deflect a foot to the side a car going 30 mph than a car going 80 mph.  It is easier to slide a short putt 2 mm off line than it is to slide a 30 footer offline.  It is simply momentum and inertia.

[Vertical]

14 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

I have never considered having 2 putters in the bag. I have putted right handed for a year or so and did well with it.  

Did you have the extra spot in the bag or have to get rid of something?

I agree with @PrayingForPar that putting one handed can help figure out what the issue may be.  

I had 13 clubs in my bag. So, had room for the second putter. 

[Josh Parker]

2 minutes ago, Vertical said:

I had 13 clubs in my bag. So, had room for the second putter. 

If it works, I say go for it!

[Rob Person]

Have you tried different hand techniques like mentioned above?

[cnosil]

You are allowed 14 clubs; you need to figure out which combination you need to shoot the lowest score.  You have decided that 2 putters is what helps you accomplish that.   Adam Scott carried two putters at the PGA Championship in 2018 so it isn't unheard of.    

[Vertical]

8 minutes ago, cnosil said:

You are allowed 14 clubs; you need to figure out which combination you need to shoot the lowest score.  You have decided that 2 putters is what helps you accomplish that.   Adam Scott carried two putters at the PGA Championship in 2018 so it isn't unheard of.    

Forgot about Scott. Good call

[cnosil]

14 minutes ago, Vertical said:

Forgot about Scott. Good call

Notah Begay had a double sided putter and would switch right/left handed depending on break.  

[Vertical]

13 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Notah Begay had a double sided putter and would switch right/left handed depending on break.  

I was thinking about that. I have room in the bag…so not a problem to carry two. Has anyone hit this two-way? 

[ShimmyCocoBop]

I bought a Switch (Two Way)  Putter a few years ago and putted right-to-left putts right handed and left-to-right putts left handed.  That way, all putts seemed like "hook" putts.

The system worked pretty well.  I made my first birdie putt (8') from the leftie side in my first round. I still keep an old Bullseye Heavy Blade putter around in case I want to try it again.  There is a Bell putter on eBay (regular length) that can be used this way too.

I'm using a 45" LAB Mezz putter now.  

If the amount of money spent on putters translated to how well I putted, I would one-putt every green.  

 

 

 

[Donn lost in San Diego]

I thought about 2 putters long ago, 1 for short putts and 1 for long.  Maybe face balanced & cross handed for long, and a different way for keeping the short ones from wristing off line.

[Vertical]

9 hours ago, ShimmyCocoBop said:

I bought a Switch (Two Way)  Putter a few years ago and putted right-to-left putts right handed and left-to-right putts left handed.  That way, all putts seemed like "hook" putts.

The system worked pretty well.  I made my first birdie putt (8') from the leftie side in my first round. I still keep an old Bullseye Heavy Blade putter around in case I want to try it again.  There is a Bell putter on eBay (regular length) that can be used this way too.

I'm using a 45" LAB Mezz putter now.  

If the amount of money spent on putters translated to how well I putted, I would one-putt every green.  

 

 

 

me too. I’ve bought so many putters that worked for short periods of time. Then, just when you think you’ve turned the corner…you haven’t turned sh*t