Center Shaft - Need an Explanation

VigilanteTrail · 2024-06-04T23:50:16+00:00

Down in San Antonio for a couple weeks & swung by their PGASS this afternoon to “browse”… I ended the long wandering visit of the entire store at the pu...

AdamMH

DC300 RE: #3 -- My long putts tend to be a bit of an arc as well even if my close range putts are very much SBST. The putter I'm using is balanced like a LAB and I occasionally find myself missing my start line by a hair on very long putts, say 30+ feet distance it becomes a little more noticeable.

I have a couple Stability shafts, but the only direct comparison I can make is with a 75g iron shaft which won't be very helpful. Maybe I should do a test next time I mill a new putter - maybe a heavy steel iron shaft against it?

DC300

AdamMH do you find the putter shaft to really be different? They are talking torque etc and I just can’t see a putter shaft having enough torque to ever actually move from the impact of a putt. Seems like the grip would be more likely to wiggle.

VigilanteTrail

KCee clubs work very well up until the point you purchase them. Find a way to use that putter without buying it!

😂 #FACTS

Par4QC

KCee the fact that clubs work very well up until the point you purchase them.

The mistake with trying putters in stores is that everyone hits a lot of balls. Don't hit balls!
Find a line on the floor...carpet seam, etc. and swing the putter as you normally would, with no ball. Try it only a few stokes. If you cannot swing the club straight back/straight through, on that line, every time....put it back.

When you find the putter you can hit that straight line with every time, buy it. No matter the cost. (ahem...Bob😄)

Then practice with it to get the feel/sound/speed of ball off it.

Face it...you(in general) were looking at putters because you suck at putting😅.
And there is no money made in that 400 yds. from tee to center of green. It is made from center of green to the cup.

jmo

KCee

Par4QC And there is no money made in that 400 yds. from tee to center of green. It is made from center of green to the cup.

According to stats putting is only worth only about 15% of your score. Pros can make up ground with it, but for amateurs the biggest gains are made with hitting it longer and straighter. Obviously if you're 3 jacking regularly then you can gain strokes, but not hitting OB or duffing shots gains you more.

Par4QC

KCee Well, imo, the person that came up with those stats is full of crap.

People just cannot putt well, in general. By that I mean they cannot go out, every round/every course, and have (let's say) under 35 putts. And they shoot(let's say) avg. of 85. They are simply a few strokes from breaking 80.
With the Pro average only hitting 70some% of FWs, that stat above proves me right...it's B.S.! 'Regular/everyday/public course' golfers will seldom(rarely) hit that many, even with daily practice. That practice would be better suited for putting/greens reading. If you avg. 35 putts/round, and can avg. 30, that 5 strokes lower is something you (probably) would never achieve with hitting FWs.

I see this 1st hand every time I play golf with someone. I take more strokes from tee-green almost every hole. BUT, they almost always 2-3 putt all 18 greens, seldom 1 putt....36+/- total putts, & I take under 30(mostly).

Chip & putt= $$. jmo

Typhoon

Par4QC I agree 100%. Average golfers are shitty putters. Played with a guy the other day, center shafted too BTW. God awful set up, Was decent from long range but inside 10 feet he was Stevie Wonder. Guy today i had for a playing lesson, first hole he has a 5 footer. I watch him line up…. That was awful, then hit a weak handsy stab putt. The only people I see with a smooth stroke are the other 2 pros here

Eguller

Par4QC

Agree even at the Pro level. Imagine if Lexi putted with the skill & touch of Nelly. 🤔 Even her
long game confidence would have improved. JMO.

johnnydoom

Par4QC BUT, they almost always 2-3 putt all 18 greens

That's me.

Giphy - robert deniro GIF

rsvman2

SBST is garbage, IMO. It involves manipulation, because the club naturally travels on an arc. The less you manipulate, the better.

All great putters either putted on an arc, or used a stabbing motion.

Eguller

rsvman2 SBST is garbage, IMO. It involves manipulation, because the club naturally travels on an arc. The less you manipulate, the better.

That's what the research indicates. Watch closely at the pros. TV angle can be deceptive, but it really is
just a matter of how much arc. Try a bunch of putters and go with your gut feeling.....and what Rex suggested. 😉

Par4QC

rsvman2 because the club naturally travels on an arc

Nothing natural in golf imo. We are told over and over just how to swing a club, and it must be a certain way in order to get the most from it. Swings are 'manipulated', for every club.

Which will give a better chance of a straight line stroke......glancing the ball, as an arc will, or having the putter head follow the ball in a straight line?
If the arc is not timed just perfectly the ball will be off line. That is natural, I guess 🤔.

I've done the arc, and used the 'stab'(old school, eyes behind the ball) for years. Straight line is best. For me anyway.
And I never, EVER, have a ball that hops, unless it hit something I missed seeing on the green. Stabbing & arcing will cause jumps. I see it all the time.

Last thing is we should never compare players we know/see/play with/consort with on forums, to Pros. Pros have done this stuff since little kids, and they do it every day. 1000's of balls putted just in a season. Most of us will never putt that many in 10 years..........we do not practice it. Obviously.😉

Par4QC

Scottie leads the Tour in overall putting.
Just under 30/round.

The top 180 is just under 34/round.

But we complain when we take 36?? Ease up on yourselves fellas.

Typhoon

Par4QC We beat ourselves up over 36 putts because we miss so many greens in regulation. It should be a quick “up and down”…… but it’s not. I don’t know the PGA vs. amatuer up and down stat is but that’s be interesting.

I’ve said before TV coverage only shows made putts and close second shots leading people to think these guys are super human. If you go to an event and follow one group you’d see plenty of average shots and very few great ones. If TV covered my 9 holes yesterday they would have showed a pitch on 1 for tap in birdie, a just missed 15’ eagle putt on 4 and on the par 3 8th a tee shot to 10 feet but a missed putt. Someone would thing wow but the other shots were crap.

scotts33

The only putter design to be used SBST.

johnnydoom

scotts33 That was pretty interesting. It doesn't really address my weaknesses, but I loved his explanation and solution for keeping the putter online.

scotts33

johnnydoom I have a GP putter and over the years I think face-on or side saddle especially on slower greens makes sense. I think the reason you don't see them used on tour is the wacky appearance and slow to accept PGA types on fast greens then speed is paramount. Randy Haag San Franciso area and Olympic member has won many USGA senior events using side saddle.

johnnydoom

scotts33 I can see how it would be great for direction, especially on shorter putts. Unfortunately, I have hands of stone, poor green reading skills, and an unwillingness to practice. Starting the ball on (my intended) line is the only thing I do pretty well on the green. 😳

scotts33

johnnydoom Patrice Dionne explains in one of his videos and I also believe what he says in that one needs to make almost all 3-4 footers and more 8 to 10 footers to drop shots on score. Lag putting for me with a face-on putter is even easier than conventional as I am upright and facing hole looking with both eyes at the target. This is a huge advantage on putting especially lag putting as you are much like rolling the ball with your dominant arm right for righty's.

DC300

scotts33 I found my own way in that, similar to side saddle, I open my stance up a bit and took one of the big azz pistol shaped grips, rotated 90* so the flat part points at the target, the round in my palm and it literally feels like I’m rolling a ball. That way my left hand just goes for the ride and I’m pushing the club with the right, makes distance control exponentially better for me. The big grip in general helps, but I wound up blowing a grip on in the wrong orientation once and actually liked it better when I soled it, voila!

ode

scotts33 3-4 footers and more 8 to 10 footers to drop shots on score. Lag putting

I think this is key to shoot my best scores.....other than the general run of the mill solid course management/good decisions. I can have a great ball striking round and still get nothing to kick in. Still gotta make putts.

AdamMH

DC300 It was really different when compared the Graftech Lite I used originally, but the difference between the Stability and a plain steel shaft is fairly small, IMO, and I don't think it helps as much as they claim it does. To me it was a worthwhile purchase to get some at a 75$ closeout price, but I'm not convinced I'd pay retail for a new one today. Also worth noting is that I've only used it in blade-style heads weighing in around 335-345 grams.

Best thing if you think you want one would be to try a demo, if that's even possible 😅 I think there was a TXG/Club Champ video examining the performance of these shafts too...

scotts33

DC300 Hammy style! 😉

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