Hi Geoff,

I have an older Ping Anser 4 putter that is 34". According to the putter length calculations my length should be 29.75". If I cut this down and change the grip (I want to install a larger (would be heavier)), what should I do about the putter head weight. I am afraid the head would feel too light to control. I don't want lead tape all over it. Should this be a concern? I could drill bottom ports and pour lead in.

Thanks,

Gary

Dear Gary,

There is no real need to cut down a too-long putter unless either a) your hands are below the bottom of the handle material (grip material), or b) the top of the putter handle snags on your body or clothing. The fact that your hands settle LOW on the material is usually a good thing, as this is where the cancellation node of the shaft vibrations feels quiet and solid inside the hands.

But if you cut it down, you could either

a) add tape,
b) add sand or salt inside the shaft,
c) replace the head with a "belly putter" or "broomstick variant of your head (these are heavier), or
d) use back-weighting inserts in the top of the shaft a la Balance-Cerified.com to increase overall weight.

The hands don't know total weight from swingweight except to the extent there is a "lag" feeling of the putter head in the hands, as it's not really a matter of shaft flex as in a driver "kick point" since the forces at start and transition down and impact aren't that "forceful".

"Lag" feel in the hands is extra pressure felt against the sides of the palms and/or last three fingers wrapping around handle or other hand, and laterally with a shear action felt under the tips of the thumbs. I personally don't encourage a lot of "putterhead awareness" via this feel in the hands as this is mostly from suboptimal timing (too fast a movement, which is what generates most of the lag feel in the hands, other than just inertia at the start). But the feel of "lag" differs between the start of the backstroke and the start of the downstroke.

START OF BACKSTROKE: There is necessarily a little "lag" feel taking the putter back from static rest at address (caused by inertia, which goes up with swingweight and head mass but not total club weight). I teach golfers to make sure this takeaway feel in the hands is mostly a slight lateral shearing beneath the right thumb tip and side of right index knuckle beneath handle, but this right hand action is ALWAYS coordinated with the motion of the left shoulder (right-handers).

START OF DOWNSTROKE: A feeling of lag at the transition down from the top of the backstroke is not the best feel, as riding the putter-swinging-down-in-gravity patiently feeling "nothing changing" in the hands is best and a shoulder-in-motion awareness is next best, and a consistent shape of arms and hands and putter with unchanging grip pressure is next best, and a lag feel in the hands is last best.

Cheers!

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

I cut down my Odyssey 2 Ball Blade and Mallet putters to 33 Inches and noticed the tremendous decrease in swingweight. My first try was to put 60 (yes 60!!) grams behind the face in the 2 ball to make up the swingweight. While this works on my rug, I am not sure how this will affect the club's performance in real circumstances.

I was removing some worn jumbo Winn grips from my irons when I discovered that the wraps on the core look like the leather wraps of old. I used them to make a lighter, yet longer putter grip on my 2 Ball Blade. First, I unwrapped it from the rubber core. Then I put two sided tape on my putter shaft. Believe it or not, this is enough to keep the wrappings in place. Then, I used electrical tape to hold down the first wind of the wrapping and started winding down my shaft. Again I used electrical tape to hold the last wrap of the grip in place. The wrapping went about 3 inches below where the regular Odyssey grip ends (it just touches the top of the label on the shaft). This grip is really soft, comfortable, and allows me to choke up on my shorter putts while still being able to keep my right hand on the grip.

Is it Thinner??? Yes!!!

But, it feels great. I Grip it in my palms!
You do not feel comfortable gripping this thin Grip in your fingers!!
I use jumbo grips on my clubs, but this thin grip actually gives me more control (feel) over my putter.

My swing weight with this new Grip is D8 and only 33 1/4 inches long.
How does this sound to you?