Geoff...
As a follow-up to my recent email,I had a local club builder create a new putter for me. I putt with a very erect stance...so I thus, had a putter made that is 79 degrees upright. Only used it once so far, but I think that I'm going to like it a lot.

I'm curious...since the rules of golf would seem to be created so as not to give the golfer an "unfair" advantage (i.e. Sam Sneed's banned croquet putting style...thus making a rule that putter lie be no more upright than 79.5 degrees),wouldn't it follow that putter manufacturers build, at least as an option, putters that would be as close to that limit as possible? Before I decided to have a putter made, I looked at most every putter in the city and couldn't find anything that was close to the upright limit. It would seem logical to me that if 90 degrees is considered an advantage, wouldn't it follow that, as close to that advantage as possible be best? I realize that to putt well it is best to have your eyes directly over the ball, and I do. Am I the only one in the world that prefers a more erect stance when putting?

Dear Paul,

In general it is true that the human body prefers to move in accordance with the forces of gravity, as this is the most relaxed and "natural" pattern of motion on earth (so to speak). So when the design of the putter forces the golfer to adopt a setup posture that has the arms angled out from the legs towards the ball, the golfer has to hold and maintain this postural relationship during the stroke movement against the suggestion of gravity that would have the putter and arms all relax and fall back towards the feet and legs. That is, the putter and arms "naturally" should hang straight down to start, and from the top of the backstroke the putter and arms should fall straight down back towards the starting vertical position of address. This is what gravity wants to happen.

Some teachers (rarely, but wisely in this context) advise golfers to position the top of their neck horizontal to the ground to arrange the cervical spine like the top bar of a swing set. The idea is to allow the arms to hang straight down from the shoulders naturally, to move the shoulder frame in a vertical plane back to the top of the backstroke, and then allow the putter to fall naturally straight beneath the neck from side to side along the line of the putt. This action, with standard putter designs, would result in a toe-down, heel-up orientation of the putter. A putter with a 90-degree lie would indeed be preferable.

The usual advice to align the putter handle's edge in the palm along the lifeline and then cast the wrists along the thumb line down so that the lifeline and putter align with the bones of the forearm does not fit too well with the above postural setup and stroke. In that case, if the line of the shaft is the same as the straight-hanging forearms, the lie of the putterhead to the shaft results in the toe-down, heel-up orientation. Instead, if the golfer were to hang his arms straight beneath the shoulder sockets but NOT angle the wrists down to align the shaft with the forearms, but retain the "natural" angle of lifeline to forearms, AND if the putter were designed to have that same angle off vertical for its lie, then the hanging of the arms would result in a putter soled flat at address. There would also be a bit of out-of-gravity's-pattern in that the putterhead is a little lifted out there out of the vertical, but the tendency of the putter to drift back in towards the feet is easily handle by modest, constant grip pressure throughtout the stroke that involves solely the hands and wrists muscles and not really too much of the rest of the arms-torso assemblage. The difference is between the putterhead swinging or swiping side-to-side directly below the base of the neck with toe-down and heel-up, versus the putterhead swinging or swiping side-to-side directly beneath the position of the eyes in the head or thereabouts with the sole of the putter staying flat to the surface.

Because of this, I usually advise golfers that -- regardless of the lie of the putter they are using -- the setup posture ought to START with soling the putter flat on the surface and then bringing the body up to the putter's handle without disturbing the putter soling when adopting the grip and stance. This does not mean the arms will have to be held up and out from the thighs to accommodate the putter handle of a flatly soled putter, but it does mean that the angle of the wrists to the forearm line in the same plane as the two forearm bones will have to mirror the lie angle of the putter at address to keep the putter flat on the surface. If not the wrists angle, then the forearms would need to angle slightly out of vertical out towards the ball, so that the angle of the forearms away from vertical, or the wrists angle away from vertical, or both combined in relation to the vertical line from shoulder sockets to elbows, matched the putter lie angle. Then, during the stroke, this angle ought to be maintained back and thru.

It would be better if the putter lie and your setup resulted in the wrists matching the line of the forearms. But that can't happen if the arms hang the putter vertically at the ground beneath the shoulders, with a straight line from shoulder socket to wrists of the upper arms and forearms. The natural development of the torso-limbs arrangement that transpire in the constant influence of gravity results in the elbow hanging straight below the shoulder socket like a short log hanging from one end tied to the shoulder socket. The normal muscular development of the upper and forearms results in a constant angle at the elbow when the arms as a whole hang "naturally" by the sides of the thighs so that the forearm is slightly angled forward of the vertical line. At the end of the upper arm and the forearm, the slightly heavy hands hang off the end of the forearm straight down towards the ground. The line of the hands hanging is not the same, usually, as that of the forearm, so the SAME angle at the elbow is repeated at the wrists -- the upper arms and hands hang naturally in the vertical line, but the forearms angle a little out of vertical at the elbows -- like a "Z" that has been stretched by tugging each end nearly but not quite entirely flat.

So the best of all possible worlds has a putter design that, when the putter sole is flat on the surface and the golfer hangs his arms and hands naturally from the shoulders and then steps up to the putter handle, the lifeline of whichever palm first fits onto the putter "naturally" conforms along the edge of the putter handle; the palms are centered on the sweetspot down on the handle; the torso bend is sufficient but not exaggerated, and the straight-out-of-the-face gaze combined with a comfortable neck bend "naturally" has the golfer's line of sight hitting the sweetspot of the putter head out from his feet. Making a straight-back and straight-thru shoulder stroke with this setup posture does involve a little grip pressure management to keep the putterhead "out there" contrary to what gravity prefers, but this works with and not against the Rules of Golf for lie angles.

So far as I can tell, the normal human angle in a relaxed arm hang at the elbows and wrists is over 10 degrees, so the Rules are not the problem. The problem is getting the putter to match the golfer's body.

If the golfer first sets the putter handle down the lifeline and then casts the wrists out and down so the lifeline matches the forearm bones and the forearms and shaft make one line, and THEN puts this putter down to the surface, whether the sole gets flat or not on the surface will depend on how high on the handle the golfer centered his palms, the length of the putter, and the lie. The USUAL deal is that the lie is too flat, the putter too long, and the golfer just positions his hands where the manufacturer suggests (middle of grip material), and THEN lowers the putter to the surface. This -- for the normal adult male -- almost always results in the UPPER ARM not hanging straight down from the shoulder sockets, but angled back away from the ball. Here are some typical pictures of this setup:



Stephen Ames



Aaron Baddley



Sergio Garcia

In all of these, the line vertically down from the shoulder socket does not include the upper arm, but has this line closer to the tilt angle of the back as a whole -- elbows tucked up near sides. Keeping the elbows back off vertical like that requires tension in the pecs, shoulders, and upper arms, and hence requires conscious or unconscious monitoring of the tension during the stroke so that inadvertant relaxation or tightening doesn't spoil the stroke.

Dave Pelz exacerbates this problem a little by telling golfers to position the "hands" directly beneath the shoulder sockets in order to make a straight stroke. This is in fact not correct, as doing this with standard-length putters usually results in the elbows going back up to the side. Pelz himself does not really do this himself, but hangs the elbows below the shoulders with the hands slightly out front of this line.



Dave Pelz and Perfy -- note that Perfy's "upper and forearm" is dead straight but Pelz's upper arm is straight and the hands are a little out front. This can be seen better here:



Dave Pelz putting

In contrast, these golfers below have a more natural hanging posture of the arms beneath the shoulders:



Cameron Beckman



Ernie Els



Brad Faxon



Jim Furyk



Phil Mickelson



Don Pooley



Loren Roberts

These golfers all have the upper arm relaxed, which goes along with relaxed pecs and shoulders and no catastrophe waiting to happen by the setup posture changing midstroke.

I'm not saying that golfers with the elbows tucked up out of vertical are not able to perform well with this setup posture; but I am saying this setup is not the best and that these golfers could putt substantially better with a more natural setup.

Putter manufacturers finess this problem, They aim to make "standard" putters for off-the-shelf sales that can be used to good effect by the largest possible big group of golfers. This "market demographics" approach to putter design looks for an ergonomics design of length and lie that will fit close to the largest possible group of the golfers in the putter market, at least with prevailing putting styles. Part of the manufacturers solution to this marketing problem is to design non-flat soles so that the sole has an arc or bulge on the heel-to-toe line. This allows the same putter to be used by many different golfers with different natural or artificial lie angles in their postures -- toe-up / heel-down or toe-down / heel-up be darned to heck. Occasionally, a manufacturer of a long putter will submit a design with the sole altered so that even if the lie angle of the shaft into the putterhead is 10+ degrees off vertical, in fact the club is designed to sole flat hanging 90 degrees. The USGA deems these sole designs illegal, as the definition of lie relates to the putter when it is naturally soled. Frankly, these putter soles designs are a "game-improvement" gimmick only in the sense that it reduces the adverse effect of using improper putting technique -- it is not something the master putter wants on the bottom of his putter.

The good putter design has no bulge right beneath the sweetspot of the putter, but has a substantially wide flat area from sweetspot out towards toe and heel, even if at the extreme at the toe or heel there is some arcing up from flat, as with the heel of the old Bullseye putter. This is a different sort of design feature than the anything-goes bulge along the sole, one designed to avoid heel stubs mostly from tilted-plane or gating stroke movements with arcing paths in which the heel of the putter may conflict with the surface at an inopportune moment in the stroke.

So, ideally, the arms would really hang straight in the vertical all the way. If they do, then a lie angle of 90 gegrees would be good, but illegal. Since the arms usually don't hang straight all the way, then the lie of the putter needs to conform to a setup in which the forearm angle out of the elbow, the wrist angle out of the forearm, or both combined somehow, matches the handle of a putter that has its sole flat to the surface -- that is, lie angle of putter matches forearm-wrist-hamd angle out of vertical. Then it's down to constant grip pressure to manage the putterhead in the stroke so that gravity doesn't send the putter back at the feet off line. To me, it is hang the arms naturally to take hold of a flatly soled putter, adopt a modest steady grip pressure, then move the shoulder socket straight down the line of the elbows at the balls of the feet, and forget the hands and forearms and wrists altogether.

Cheers!

Geoff Mangum
Putting Theorist and Instructor

Geoff Mangum's PuttingZone
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instruction.

Over 740,000 visits and growing strong ...

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Hi Geoff
The best lie of a putter has intrigued me ever since you mentioned in December 24th, 2000 under the title of "Drop Putters and Reality Balancing" that your preference then was for a putter that was 14 degrees off vertical. In other words a putter with a 76 degree lie angle.
So what is the best lie angle? I believe that the answer rests with the ideal posture required to execute a pendulum-type stroke.
Firstly, Harold Swash in his video tape Championship Putting states "ideally your arms would be directly beneath your shoulders. If you can stand there and let the blood tingle the tips of your fingers, you know that your arms are directly below your shoulders, and then you would be in a good position to be able to rock your shoulders, knowing that you can keep the blade square through the hitting area".
Secondly, Todd Sones refers to four set-up lines. In the Golf Tip magazine of July 2003 he states "The fourth line is drawn from the puttershaft through the inside edge of the forearms. The line is achieved by placing the grip of the putter more through the palms than in the fingers. By aligning the shaft and the forearms, a single lever is created, resulting in optimal control during the stroke".
Using a goniometer to measure the natural bend in my elbow when tipped forward at the hips with my hands hanging down in the manner suggested by Harold Swash, my findings were as follows. Left elbow 17 degrees, and right elbow 20 degrees. The difference is understandable as I am right-handed and the muscle development in my right arm increases the angle of the lower forearm to the upper forearm. Which angle should I then use to determine the best lie angle for a putter? You suggest and rightly so that for a right-handed player the left side should dominate the stroke. This being the case the best lie angle for my putter should be 73 degrees (90 degrees minus 17 degrees). With this lie angle the putter will be properly soled when the shaft of the putter is accordance with Todd Sones' fourth set-up line.
I would appreciate your input on your current thinking about lie angles and has this changed since December 2000? It is my belief that if a golfer looks aligned naturally over the ball, the consistency of stroke will be improved. I was amazed to see Laura Davies putting set-up at the latest women's British Open. She has her elbows angled back and a putter that is held almost vertical to the ground by lifting her wrists extensively. However, she is 20th in the putting stats of women's golf so I guess you can putt in many different ways.
Kind regards
Neville Walker
Perth, OZ

Dear Neville,

I am delighted to see you using a ganiometer! I wish I had one, so I guess you have set me on a quest!

Where the hands end up above the ground and where the ball SHOULD end up out from your feet determine the lie angle and the length of the putter.

The elbow angle alone doesn't determine the hands position in space, as part of that is how tall you are and your body proportions (e.g., shoulder width and arm length).

How far out from the feet the ball SHOULD be located depends upon your head posture and your gaze, with the main objective being to get the straight-out gaze aimed at the sweetspot of the putter by a consciously chosen neck-head angle at address. Using a "flat head" with the plane of the face parallel to the surface, and the neck at 90 degrees to that, as usually suggested by Harold Swash, the distance from feet out to ball is determined by the individual's distance from shoulder sockets to pupils of eyes. Normally, this is in the 8-10 inches range -- about one putter grip's length or two putter heads.

These two locations in space -- hands (centers of palms) and ball -- specify the right triangle that accounts for length and lie of the putter that best fits that individual golfer with a good stroke setup.

It is only in the case where the controlling arm's elbow angle fortuitously aims a line right where the ball SHOULD be as determined by your gaze and head posture that the elbow angle alone sets the putter lie.

Since the "flat head" and straight gaze correlates with the LEAST distance out from the stance to the ball, there is sometimes an issue for specific golfers of the elbow angle not aiming quite that far out. That's when Todd Sones' point needs to be sacrificed for the greater good.

Sones speaks of a "single lever" -- but that is illusory. A lever typically has only one direction of action -- in line with the two lines of the joined parts. That is, the lever can "close" from the single line of the two parts (180 degree alignment) to some more acute relationship, and "open" back the opposite way. In the context of a putter shaft and a forearm, the "closing" of the angle between the two parts is a rising of the shaft in the direction of the golfer's face, making a more acute angle to the forearm than 180 degrees. This "levering" is not really a motion in the stroke but a setting of posture at the outset that remains constant during the stroke movement. There is no "levering" even if the shaft-forearm relationship is not a straight line. So this is an misguided use of the term "lever" by Sones that confuses the matter.

The way to get the naturally hanging hands in sync with the straight gaze and head posture / bend is to first hang the arms naturally at address, and also let the hands hangs as they will without a specific alignment to the forearms, and then hold a putter or a stick (putter handle, shaft, no putter head would be good). Do not set the point of the stick to the ground, but hover it naturally in your hands slightly above the surface. Note the spot on the ground the stick aims at. Then turn your attention to where your head bend and straight gaze aims on the ground. If a "flat head" will successfully merge the two spots on the ground into one, then that's your ticket -- naturally hanging arms and hands with no specific effort to make the shaft match the forearm line used with a flat head and straight gaze. If not, and the stick aims out further away from the feet than the flat-head straight gaze, then lifting the forehead a little to redirect the gaze works well, or in the alternative, you could angle the wrists a little 'thumbs down" more than the hands naturally hang to bring the putter head back closer into sync with the gaze.

You should find that angling the wrists at the outset so that the putter shaft matches the forearm brings the stick's point closer to your feet, and this may come in closer than the closest (flat-head) gaze-aim spot on the ground. That's the point where you have to give up on the shaft-forearm alignment. Even if you have to deliberately angle the wrists "thumb up" more to the forearms in order to get the putter out to the closest gaze spot, that is preferable to insisting on the shaft-forearm alignment when that requires a gaze or head bend back in towards the feet off the minimal vertical line. In addition, angling the wrists a little "thumbs up" adds a little pressure of the putter handle into the back of the thumb pad and onto the insides of the lowest fingers wrapped beneath the grip. This pressure pattern is fairly easily learned and maintained, so this wrist angle is not really a problem during the stroke.

The ideal situation is that the golfer's size and proportions are such that the naturally hanging hands yields a shaft-forearm angle that is aligned on the 180 degree line, and this aims the end of the putter shaft right at the same spot the flat-head straight gaze aims the eyesight, or even a little further out from the feet. If the stick aims out past the flat-head straight-gaze spot, then this is accommodated by slightly raising the forehead up out of flat or horizontal to the surface, redirecting the straight gaze also a little further away from the feet.

In any case, the end result is stick and straight-out gaze meet in the same spot on the ground, and that's where the sweetspot belongs.

If you hold your putter while standing with erect posture and lift the arms up in front of you until the line from shoulders out to hands is horizontal, and then aim your straight-out gaze at the sweetspot of the putter and then "lock-in" this postural arrangement and return the putter head to the ground carrying the head and gaze with the bending of the torso, the end result will be that the end of the putter aims at the same spot the eyes aim at with a straight gaze. If when you lift the putter up you do so with the shaft aligned with the forearms, so much the better. If it just so happens that when the shaft and forearms are aligned, the stick aims at the same spot a flat-head straight gaze aims the eyes, perfect!

Unfortunately, there is sufficient variation in sizes and proportions that the elbow angle alone is not the only factor to take into account. Usually, for many people, alignment of the shaft and forearm is natural because of the way the hands hang off the forearms. If that works with a straight gaze and a head bend between a flat head and something with the forehead higher, great -- you're in business. A head bent in toward the feet off vertical is, technically, not a problem, but my experience has been that it challenges the inner ear balance system too much for good targeting, and so is not advisable.

I hope this clears up matters and satisfies your question.

Cheers!

Geoff Mangum
Putting Theorist and Instructor
Geoff Mangum's PuttingZone
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instruction.

Over 745,000 visits and growing strong ...

518 Woodlawn Ave
Greensboro NC 27401
336.230.0612 home

Hi Geoff
I would like to revisit this topic. The standard lie angle of most putters varies between 71 and 72 degrees. Do you know how manufacturers arrived at this standard? I was reviewing the Schenectady putter that William Travis used many years ago and this apparently was 35 inches in length and 80 degrees upright. At some stage manufacturers must have concluded that 71-72 degrees was the best fit for most golfers and that 35-36 inches was the best length. I read in Putter Promotions that the length was to accommodate the bag, not the player. (www.putterpromotions.com)
According to a recent issue of the Golf Digest featuring Phil Mickelson the trend these days is for shorter putters (34 or 33 inches) that allow for better arm extension. Cutting a putter down is not a problem, but bending a putter to a more upright lie angle is difficult as few club fitters (and certainly no club pros) seem to have proper putter bending equipment. There is also a problem if the shaft goes straight in like the Scotty Cameron Red X2. It can't be bent without chinking the shaft. Am I to presume that Scotty Cameron has decided that the lie angle of the putter should be the same irrespective of its length? I have emailed him, but I don't suppose I will receive a reply. I would have thought that the shorter the putter the more upright its lie angle should be.
I would appreciate any information that you may have on how the putter lie angle evolved.
Kind regards
Neville walker
Perth
Oz

I have just checked my records. The Schenectady Putter was used by Walter (not William) J Travis in the 1904 British Amateur Championship. The club was patented in 1903 by Arthur F Knight.
Neville Walker
Perth
Oz

Dear Neville,

Below, I discuss the evolution of putter length and lie from 3 perspectives: 1) History, 2) Marketing, 3) Performance.

HISTORY

Historically, clubs have varied in lie from about 54-55 degrees for drivers at about 43-45 inches long to wedges at about 64 degrees lie and 35 inches long. Putters have usually been a little shorter than any other club in the set until the broomstick came around, so that means they have typically been 35 inches or under. the Rules of Golf bar putters being under 18 inches in length. Below I survey old putters from paintings and photographs, estimating the length and lie from measurements of the images and using some standard assumptions (e.g., grips are 10+ inches long, putter heads are around 4+ inches long). The guestimates are pretty rough.

Originally, putters were just another wooden headed, wooden shafted club like all the rest, and the lie was established by the shaping of the club head to which the shaft was attached with windings. This 1840s putter is typical:



McEwan Thornwood Putter

Old Tom Morris used a club like this that appears to me from a photograph (Chapman's The Rules of the Green (1997), p 29) to be around 30-33 inches in length held with the palms centered mid-thigh and the ball played out from the feet about three putter heads from tip of toe to heel of putter. Roughly, that puts the hands about 25 inches off the ground and the hosel meeting the ground about 13 inches out from the hands. That's a lie of about 63 degrees, and a length of about 32 inches. In comparison, a driver of the same era (Chapman book, photo on p 92) shows the hands centered between the waist and crotch and the hosel meeting the ground about seven clubheads from spot below hands to heel of driver. Roughly, the hands were about 35 inches high and the hosel met the ground about 32 inches out, suggesting a lie of about 48 degrees and a length of about 46-48 inches.

The well-known Charles Lee painting, "The Golfers," from 1841, reproduced in Michael Hobbs' Golf in Art (1996), p 35, shows a putter held between the waist and crotch above the toes with hands centered about 32 inches high with the toe-heel distance about 12 inches. That's roughly 69 degrees of lie and a length of about 34-35 inches.

In about 1880, a photo of Alec Tait shows him putting with a long-nosed putter common in the day. The hands hold the putter just above the knees perhaps 25 inches high and the hosel is out from the toes a good 14 inches or more. That's a lie of around 60 degrees, and a length of perhaps 32 inches (Olman & Olman, Encyclopedia of Golf Collectibles (1985), p 282).

Willie Park Jr. patented his "Wry Necked" putter in 1894, and this putter was pretty flat, probably under 70 degrees in lie (Olman & Olman, Encyclopedia of Golf Collectibles (1985), p 113).

In the 1890s, putters appeared with 90 degrees lie, such as the one made by the Simplex company (Olman & Olman, Encyclopedia of Golf Collectibles (1985), p 87). These clubs were outlawed, along with the Schenectady and other putter designs that too closely resembled croquet mallets.

In the 1900-1905 era, the BGI company (Bridgeport Gun Implement) in Connecticut made a putter with an adjustable lie (Olman & Olman, Encyclopedia of Golf Collectibles (1985), p 100).

Another painting, circa 1900, in Hobbs p 41, shows one of these old putters being held with the hands mid-thigh above the toes with palms centered about 25 inches high and about 10-12 inches out from toes to the hosel. That's a lie in the 64-68 degree range, and a length of about 32-34 inches.

The Mills putter circa 1905-1910 was a metal-face version of the long-nose wooden putter of days of old, with the typical very flat lie (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 43).

Putters apparently became fairly short around 1900-1915, as shown by this photo of Harold Hilton:


Harold Hilton, 1911 (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 55).

Hilton is holding the putter with hands about 24 inches high above the toes and the putter hosel is out about 10 inches. That is a lie of about 67 degrees and a total length of about 30-33 inches. The crouching, open stance was fairly typical of that day, as is shown in paintings as well (Hobbs, p 73, Allen C. Sealy painting of 1892 -- open stance, hands just above knees, putter hosel out about 10-12 inches from toes; and Hobbs p 116, the B. Turner painting of 1912 with the putter held just above the knees, the stance open, and the hosel about 9-10 inches out from the toes).

A photo of JH Taylor holding his putter circa 1920 (Hobbs p 112) shows the length to be about 30 inches total, and the lie appears pretty upright. Although these putters were made with a fairly upright lie, apparently the style was to putt toe-up, as shown in photos circa 1910-1920 in Chapman, pp x and 123.

Sometimes, the player holds the putter far down the shaft, as is shown by Johnny Laidlaw (Ted Barrett, The Chronicles of Golf (2000), p 29) holding what appears to be about a 35-inch putter with his hands halfway down the shaft with palm centers only about 18 inches off the ground and the hosel out about 10 inches. The lie would be a very flat 60 degrees or so.

Harry Vardon in 1914 was using a very short putter with an upright lie, probably under 25 inches long (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 67).

The legendary Walter Travis is shown in a photo (Chapman p 240) apparently circa 1915 with his hands just above his knees and the putter about 8-10 inches out from toes to hosel, seemingly flat on the ground. That represents a lie in the 68 to 72 degree range and a total length of 30-32 inches.

Around 1910, a younger Walter Travis is shown photographed in an advertisement for the Haskell rubber core ball in his putting stance (Ted Barrett, The Chronicles of Golf (2000), p 15) holding his putter (not a Schenectady) just above the knees with the hosel 6-8 inches out from the toes (lie in the 72-76 degree range, length about 30-32 inches).

Here is the Schenectady putter head:



Here is Walter Travis holding the Schenectady putter aloft:




Gene Sarazen is shown in 1922 continuing this open-stance style with a putter that is not much over 25 inches long played with hands above the toes about 18-20 inches high and the hosel off the toe about 4-5 inches, for a lie between 74 and 79 degrees (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 95).

In the 1930s, Sarazen is photographed holding his putter with hands just above the knees about 24 inches high and the ball about 8 inches out from the toes for a lie of around 71-72 degrees and a length of about 30 inches (Will Grimsley, Golf: Its History, People and Events (1966), p 69).

In 1926 Bing Crosby is shown putting with the putter held mid-thigh about 26-28 inches up and the hosel out 8 or so inches from the toes, for a lie in the 73-74 range and a length of about 32-35 inches (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 113).

Later in 1929, a photo of Bobby Jones shows him square to the putt line with the putter about 10 inches out and his hands centered in mid thigh. That's a lie in the 70 degree range, and a length of about 33 to 35 inches. A photo of the "Calamity Jane" shows a flat lie (Olman & Olman, Encyclopedia of Golf Collectibles (1985), p 116).




Sam Snead in 1937 is shown holding a putter than is no longer than 32 inches and is middlish upright, probably in the 72-76 degree range (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 175).

Bobby Locke in the 1940s and 1950s used a putter held crotch-high above the toes about 30 inches and with the hosel out about 8-9 inches from the toes. That corresponds to a lie in the 72-74 degree range, and a length of about 35 inches.



Cary Middlecoff's putter in 1945 appears to be about 35 inches long with a flat lie (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 212).

Ben Hogan in 1948 at the US Open at Riviera appears to be using something similar to a Spalding Cash-In putter held about crotch-high and with the hosel out about 8 inches from his toes (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 230). That's roughly 75 degrees of lie and 32-35 inches in length.

This 1949 phot shows the crotch-high hands with the putter hosel fairly close to the feet. Since Hogan was short, I estimate his crotch height at about 30 inches. If the hosel is out 6-8 inches, the lie is in the 76-78 degree range.




In 1953 Hogan is shown holding a putter that is about 33 inches long with an upright lie perhaps 76 degrees (Will Grimsley, Golf: Its History, People and Events (1966), p 184).

Hogan at the 1959 US Open at Winged Foot used a Bullseye that appears to be 32 to 35 inches long with a lie in the 71-73 degree range (Will Grimsley, Golf: Its History, People and Events (1966), p 111).

At the 1959 Colonial, it looks like Hogan used a putter of the Bullseye or Cash-In sort that appears to be about 33 inches long (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 299).

Mickey Wright in the mid- to late-1950s used a Bullseye putter that was about 32-35 inches long, which appears to have a lie in the 71-74 degree range (Ted Barrett, The Chronicles of Golf (2000), p 140). Her putter in 1959 appears to be in the 32-35 inch range with a lie of about 74 degrees (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 316).

Billy Casper's putter in the 1960s appears to be about 35 inches long played with hands mid-thigh over the toes and the hosel out only 5-6 inches from the toes, for an upright-ish lie of 77-79 degrees (Ted Barrett, The Chronicles of Golf (2000), p 314).

Bob Rosburg in the 1960s held his putter with a baseball grip, right hand low, centered above his knees about 25 inches high, with the hosel out from the toes only 5-6 inches, for a lie in the 76-79 degrees range and a length of about 30-32 inches (Ted Barrett, The Chronicles of Golf (2000), p 314).

Jack Nicklaus' putters in the 1963 and 1965 Masters appear to be under 35 inches long, perhaps 33 inches (Will Grimsley, Golf: Its History, People and Events (1966), p 136, 142).

The putter Nicklaus used in the 1967 US Open at Baltusrol doesn't appear to be much over 30-32 inches long with a lie around 71-72 degrees (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 364).

Brian Barnes in 1967 appears to be using a putter that is 35 inches long with a lie 71-72 degrees (Ted Barrett, The Chronicles of Golf (2000), p 162).

Chi Chi Rodriquez appears to be using a 33 inch or so putter in the late 1960s (Will Grimsley, Golf: Its History, People and Events (1966), p 164).

Bruce Fleisher in 1968 appears to be using a Ping-style putter about 35 inches long with a lie around 71-73 degrees (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 374).

Frank Beard in the 1969 Ryder Cup used a Bullseye that appears to be 35 inches long with about a 71-73 degree lie (D. Steel & P. Ryde, eds., The Encyclopedia of Golf (1975), p 38).

In 1973 Johnny Miller won the US Open at Oakmont with a putter held mid-thigh (about 26 inches high) and played with the hosel 6 inches out from the toes, for an uprightish lie of about 76 degrees and a length of about 31-33 inches (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 412).

Hollis Stacy appears to use a 32 inch putter of the Bullseye type with a lie of about 72-74 degrees in 1978 (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 454).

Juli Inkster appears to use a 35-inch PING in 1981 (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 478).

Gary Player appears to be using a 32-34 inch putter with about 72-74 degrees lie in 1983 (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 489).

Seve Ballesteros seems to be using a 34-35 inch Ping Anser-type putter with a lie of about 71 degrees in the 1984 British Open (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 497).

Gary Koch in 1984 is shown using a 34-35 inch heel-shafted blade with a middlish lie in the 72-74 degree range (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 500).

Hal Sutton in the 1986 Memorial appears to use a 33-34 inch Ping (The 20th Century Golf Chronicle (1998), p 514).

This 1998 photo shows lee Janzen with his 33-inch putter and also shows him setting up so that the hosel is two putter head lengths out from his toes, roughly 8-9 inches. His hands appear to be positioned about 26 inches up above the toes, so that corresponds to a "standard" lie of about 71 degrees.



Here's Phil Mickelson this year at the 2004 Masters with his 33.5-inch heel-shafted blade modeled on Palmer's Wilson 8802:



This nearly brings us full-circle back to 1900-1920, with the putter held just above the knees, in this case probably 27 high, and the hosel played off the toes maybe 8 inches out, for a lie in the neighborhood of 74 derees. It looks like he has the toe up a bit in the photo.

Here's Mickleson using his 33.5-inch Futura putter, showing his hands just above the knees and the hosel out from the toes about 8 inches.




All the above suggests that putters were somewhat long up to around the 1890s and then became short into the 1920s and 1930s. Around the time of Bobby Jones, the putters started getting longer again, and have hovered around 30-35 inches since. They have been mostly 35 inches or thereabouts since the 1950s, which corresponds with the post-WWII industrial boom and television-marketing era in the US.

MARKETING

According to the anthropometry (measurments of human bodies) compiled by NASA for use in designing capsules or space craft cabins, the 40-year-old American male has a crotch height of between 31.3 inches (5th percentile), and 36.7 inches (95th percentile), with the 50th percentile at 34.0 inches. This goes with a total height or stature of 66.8 inches (5th), 70.8 inches (50th), and 74.8 inches (95th percentile). The range from 5th to 95th percentile comprises about 90 percent of the adult male American population (caucasian and black). The wrists typically hang to crotch height, and in bending to address a putt, the golfer lowers the wrists an additional 5-8 inches usually. This sets the wrists above the ground somewhere between 23 and 29 inches (average of 26 inches). The standard length from shoulders out to eye pupils is about 8-9 inches for this population, and the shoulders center above the balls of the feet for balance at address. Consequently, the hosel is not likely to be any closer to the toes than 6 inches and is more likely to be in the range of 8-9 inches out from the toes. If the assumed dimensions are 26 inches for hands and 9 inches for hosel out from toes, the lie would be 71 degrees (19 degrees off vertical) and the length would be 32-34 inches. To the extent the golfer does not like bending forward at address, the hands end up higher and the hosel a little closer to the toes, perhaps 28 inches and 8.5 inches, or a lie of 74 degrees (16 degrees off vertical -- more upright) and a length of 34-35 inches.

This information suggests that today's putter manufacturers are producing putters aimed at the fattest part of the market -- the average American male -- and further suggests the expectation is that the average golfer will use an average setup (i.e., not very good). Hence the "standard" 71 degree lie and 35 inch putters. The golfer can always grip down on a too-long putter, but cannot grip up on a too-short putter. Hence, manufacturers err to the too-long side. This usually encourages golfers to grip the putter too high up, with the result that the elbows poke out and the arms don't properly hang in a relaxed way AND the 71-degree lie is too flat so that the heel is up off the ground. This makes the golfer flatten the sole out by bending a little more at the waist and sliding the putterhead farther out, so now the gaze is all off. Lot's of golfers miss-perceive the hole with this setup and miss the putts, usually to the right. A correct setup and alignment strikes these ill-trained golfers as if the putterface is aimed way to the left.

If the golfers by chance uses a good arm-hang in his setup, then the hands end up at the very bottom of the grip material on a 35-inch putter and the lie is closer to correctly flattening the sole to the surface, without too much toe-up or heel-up.

The idea that the putter is 35 inches to accomodate the golf bag makes some sense. Typically, wedges are in the 35-36 inch range and are the shortest iron. The idea is to have the top of the bag not much lower than the shortest clubhead, so the tallest clubs don't stick too high up out of the bag and risk getting damaged. So to make the putter much shorter than that would mean redesigning bags or risk getting the putter jammed down inside.
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PERFORMANCE

Pros get fitted. With the demise of hand-made golf clubs and the rise of modern mass production and mass television-based marketing, the golfer got lost in the rush to profits. Only recently have the putter manufacturers started to acknowledge that even average golfers really need to be fit to their clubs, and only then basing the fitting upon good, sound postures and techniques.

This is what jeff Jackson at Swingweight.com says about putter fitting and lie:

Obviously putter length is a major factor in putter fitting.  A longer shaft is preferred by those who stand more erect when putting, while a shorter shaft is best for those who tend to bend over a great deal.  Do keep in mind that according to USGA Rules, a putter must be at least 18” in length; there is no length maximum however.  As a putter is made longer, its shaft will feel more flexible, so if an overlength putter is desired, a stiffer shaft may be required to maintain consistent feel.  At this point, the specification known as “lie” needs to be considered as well.  Lie is defined simply as the angle formed between the shaft and the ground when the putter is held in playing position.  A longer shafted putter will effectively become more upright, by approximately 1 degree per ˝”.  Putter lie will have a decided effect on how the golfer positions the club on the ground at address (and impact.)  Putter lie will have a limited direct effect on putt direction due to the low loft of a putter.  (The lower the loft, the less effect lie will have on ball direction.)  To check putter lie, the player takes the normal address position; if the sole center rests on the ground, the lie is correct.  If the toe is higher off the ground than the heel, the putter should be flatter; if the toe rests on the ground more than the heel, a more upright putter should be considered.  Lie, much like loft, may be adjusted a couple of degrees if the player is happy with the cosmetic look of the current putter. 

Swingwqeight.com, Putter Fitting Factors


If the average American male setup with eyes over the ball and gaze straight out of face and arms hanging naturally, he would probably want soemthing on the order of a putter with 76-77 degrees of lie and a 30-32 inch putter. If he setup with the eyes a little inside the ball, gaze straight, and arms hanging naturally, he would probably like his putter a little flatter at about 73 degrees and a little longer at 32-34 inches.

The main culprit seems to be that not very many golfer have a good handle on how far the ball should be played out from the stance. Manufacturers just make club for what the "sweestspot" of the market considers normal and easily acceptable and useable without much strain or knowledge. That's why I say if you buy a putter off the rack, you're asking for a case of "average-itis" in your putting game.

Here are some further resources of interest:

HISTORY

Golf Club History

David Nicholls, History of the Golf Club (1998)

Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

WOOD CLUB & MODERN CLUB COMPARISONS

Club Head Descriptions

Swingweight.com, Where are Standards

Swingweight.com, OEM Iron Specs

History of Camality Jane: Golf Links to the Past

Puttting: Golf Links to the Past

Clubmasters, Loft and Lie

MODERN CLUB SET SPECS

PING GOLF COMPANY - CLUB SPECIFICATIONS

Nicklaus Golf Equipment - 2003 Product Specifications

Thomas Golf, Pro-Line Womens Ti Driver

Callaway - Great Big Bertha II 380cc Driver

ANTHROPOMETRY / HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Ergoworld - Human Factors in Design

Ergoweb® - The place for Professional Ergonomics

Interesting Human Factors sites

Physical Development #2

NexGen Ergonomics - HumanCAD

NASA-3000-STD: Man-Systems Integration Standards (MSIS)

Human Anthropometric data

University of Paris, Anthropometric Data Bank

Fire Rescue, Female Firefighter Anthropometry

Cheers!

Geoff Mangum
Putting Theorist and Instructor
Geoff Mangum's PuttingZone
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