Finding the Perfect Putter

It's a truism to say that you drive for show, but putt for dough. Whether you can perform a tour-worthy 28 putts a round, or putt way over par, the putter is your most used club. We will help you choose the right putter for your game, with guidelines on weighting, feel and alignment so you can choose a design that suits your style - and your purse.

Mallets v Blades

Putters fall into the categories of blade, 'heel-and-toe' and mallet. Purists claim that even a cheap and cheerful blade forces a more consistent stroke, but many golfers - both pros and amateurs - now favour the larger sweet spot and high MOI (moment of inertia), which creates the resistance to twisting that you find on mallets.

Blade
Heel and Toe
Mallet

They help us all to hole more putts with less-than-perfect strikes, as the deeper body also physically pulls the centre of gravity back from the face, encouraging golfers to develop an upward stroke for path-hugging topspin, and reducing the destructive 'bounce and skid' that can characterise the early stages of a putt.

Mallets really are all the rage as their deep bodies offer the most scope for the bold alignment features that have transformed the market. We used to be satisfied with tiny notches, dots or small arrows to point us in the right direction, but today's graphics include colourful stripes, long perpendicular sight lines, and even golf-ball sized circles that encourage us to line up the ball with the hole itself.

The Feel Factor and Insert Technology

Feel is vital when buying a putter, with a whole range of distinctive face inserts offering a slightly different sound and feel at impact. Heavier weights, such as tungsten and brass, are recommended for slower greens, whilst lighter alternatives such as aluminium reduce the total weight, which is of benefit on slicker surfaces. Many of the latest putters favour the soft feel of copper, aluminium or synthetic inserts, which offer a more controlled strike on today's manicured greens. Meanwhile, their lightness enhances a putter's perimeter weighting for extra stability.

The quest for perfection has brought us some amazingly exotic inserts, including gold-plate, platinum, and even 12-carat industrial diamond! As well as the more usual tungsten, nickel, copper and aluminium, of course. All are naturally reflected in the price, but generally you do get what you pay for.

Expensive putters tend to feature more accurately engineered weighting, more precisely milled (i.e. flatter) faces, and of course more sumptuous headcovers to protect that precious insert. Computerised milling of head from solid blocks of metal, especially, offers a high-precision alternative to forgings and castings, whose feel can be compromised when the hosel is welded to the head. Look out also for other features ranging from perfect face balancing (for golfers with 'square to square' strokes), premium grips (like the excellent Winn range) and belly or broomhandle shaft options for those seeking a more mechanical action.

Putter Shafts

The other thing to consider is the shaft length. Most will opt for a standard putter length, but long putters can benefit some golfers. Broomhandle and belly-putters, pioneered by 2002 European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance among others during the late 1980s and early 1990s, are tucked under the chin or into the belly. They are swung in a pendulum fashion, and crucially make demands on a different set of small muscles and nerves - and have revived the careers of several Tour players who have suffered from the yips.

3 Tips On The Golf Back Swing

The backswing initiates the entire golf swing. A good back swing will allow us a consistent timing and be able to return the club face to the ball consistently. Here are 3 tips that will allow you to develop a smooth backswing.

Tip #1: Allow your forearm muscles to relax and your arms to hang loosely down. The arms should be straight and not bent at the elbows. There should be just enough muscle to keep your arms firm and yet not to the point where you feel tension in your arms.

Tip #2: Have a starter motion. This can be a small movement of your hands toward the left before moving the hands to the right and starting the back swing, taking the club face away from the ball.

Tip #3: Keep the "V" triangle shape formed by the left and right forearm intact as you bring the shaft of the club to the 8 o'clock position. From there, allow your wrist to cock naturally as you swing the club to the top.

You will also feel your weight shifting from the center to the right inner portion of your right foot. Keep your right knee flexed as it prevents the body from bobbing up and down.

A good timing sequence can go like this, a small movement of hands to the left, then count 1, hand starts to move right, count 2, hand swings and places golf club at the top of the swing, count 3, weight shift and transition of weight from right to left.

Common Short Game Errors

The short game can be the most tedious part of golf. It requires the greatest amount of accuracy and precision. The drive can be a good hit as long as it lands a decent distance anywhere on the fairway. On the other hand, a chip is only good if it lands within a five foot radius of the pin. A putt is usually only good if it goes in the hole, or on a far putt, stops within a one foot radius of the pin. Gain more precision on your short game by avoiding these common mistakes made by beginner golfers:

1.) The bunker: hitting the ball; not the sand

The shot out of the bunker is different than any other shot on the golf course. With every other shot, the club should strike the ball. Many beginners attempt to hit the ball out of the sand the way that the ball would be hit from the fairway. This is wrong. To hit the ball out of the sand, the club head should hit the sand behind the ball, and continue to pass through the sand, under the ball. In this shot, the club displaces the sand, which forces the ball to fly out.

2.) Chipping: wrists behind club face at contact

Many beginner golfers have the tendency to make contact with the ball with their wrists behind the clubface, in an attempt to "scoop" the ball, and help it into the air. In a correct chip, the wrists should be cocked on the downswing. They should travel ahead of the clubface. At contact, the hands should be ahead of the clubface. The club should strike down on the ball, hitting the ball first, and then the ground.

3.) Chipping: not accelerating the club on the downswing

A lot of times golfers will hesitate on the downswing of their chip shots, trying not to send the ball flying past the green. Usually, a deceleration of the clubface on the downswing will cause the ball to be chunked. The ball will fall very short of the green. In order to correctly chip the ball, have confidence in your swing. Remember to accelerate the clubface all the way through impact, and into the follow through.

4.) Putting: breaking the wrists

There are so many variations of putting that it is impossible to say that only one way is right. One common error though, is when golfers "break their wrists" while putting. In this case, instead of the putter making square contact with the ball, the putter strikes the ball at an angle. The ball will not travel where it was aimed. It is therefore crucial to keep your wrists locked while putting.