Last part on putters.  Last week I touched on Toe Hang.  Toe Hang is probably the single most important spec that you can fit for when doing a putter fitting.  To recap, Toe hang is measured when you balance the shaft on your finger about 6-8″ from the head (shaft is horizontal).  When you do this, the head will naturally balance itself.  A face balanced head will have the face settle perfectly horizontally.  Putters will have a range from 0 degrees (in a face balanced head) to 90 degrees (head straight down in a Wilson 8802, Spalding Cash-In, etc.).  While we don’t see many at 90 degrees any more, they are out there.  The number of degrees is relatively unimportant, but recognizing (a.) what the player is currently using, and (b.) which putters have more or less toe hang than another is vitally important.  You can check this by eye as you progress through a fitting.

So, now that you understand WHAT toe hang is, what does it do?  How does it work?  Why should I bother paying attention to it?  The answer lies in the individual.  Each player will have a different putting stroke.  Each player will have some degree of face rotation through that stroke.  It is either induced by body motion or by hand action.  The effect can require a different result.

Toe hang will enhance or hinder face rotation.  Think of it this way…  If a bedroom door is open and wind comes through an open window, the door will shut.  Now suppose there is a bag of laundry hanging on the door knob.  When the wind hits it, it will take more force to get the door moving, but once it starts, it will accelerate more rapidly and the door will slam shut.  In this case, the hinges on the door are the shaft and the amount of weight on the door handle is the amount of rotation in a players stroke.  Toe hang is essentially the amount of counter-balance we can put in this scenario to make the door close just right.  We are trying to get the right amount of weight in the right place so the door closes normally.  More wind, we may need less weight.  Sticky hinges, we may need more weight.  You get the picture?

Last week, I simplified the discussion on Toe Hang.  I said if you player misses to the right you need more hang, if he misses left, he needs less.  This is a great starting point, but not the final answer. Here’s my progression (of putter models). I use the #7 double bend putter to start with any player who is currently putting with a face balanced putter.  If they have something with toe hang, I try to find something close, but generally settle on the #1.  In either case, I have options with more or less toe hang. Keep in mind that just because a player has something with or without toe hang, it doesn’t mean it correct for them – it’s simply a starting point with new technology.  

On the Face Balanced side, with the #7, I can go to the #7s , then the Nano, then into more hanging options if I need to.  If I need to go the other way…  I have a player who has a face balanced putter already, but can’t get it or keep it online, I can go to the Ten or the Eleven.  I start with the Ten first because it has a super high MOI (resists twisting), and will be the most stable since the weights are the deepest in the head.  If They try that and I think they can handle a bit more release I will move the the eleven (weight is more forward in the head).  

On the Toe hang side, with the #1, I also have options.  If I need less, I can move into the Double Wide, or the Rossie.  If I need more, I can work my way down to the Tri Hot 5K #3.  

Here is a must do.  In your pre-fit interview, we ask WHY are you looking for a new putter?  What is happening with your putting?  The reason for going through this process is the make the player a better putter, not necessarily just sell them a new putter and move on.  Find out WHY they take so many putts to get around a golf course.  In doing so, you will uncover a LOT of players who are GOOD putters from long range (hit a 30 footer to 2 feet), but AWFUL on the simple short putts.  Most players, regardless of ability decelerate on the short putts.  Most players don’t understand that they CAN accelerate the putter on a 2 foot putt.  Most putters are fearful of the short putts and focus on the results – typically the negative results of missing the putt.  They think “If I miss this putt I’m going to make a double bogey”.  Or “I have to make this to win my match”.  “If I hit this too hard, I’ll have more coming back”.  Defensive putting WILL produce bad strokes and worse results.  In the players that I watch putt short putts in fitting sessions, MOST players miss more than their fair share of gimme’s.  Someday, someone will do a putting clinic on putting inside of 5 feet and will be VERY successful.  The moral of this story is this: Don’t just have the player hit some 10 footers and call it a day.  Look at short putts too.  If you have a player who has the claw grip, they have it for a reason.  Look at ALL aspects of their putting.  If you have players who can’t make ALL their 2 and 3 footers, they should probably be using the Ten.  The stability will help them!!

The reason I love fitting putters is because there is more art than science.  With the full swing, you look at the Trackman and the data tells you where to go next and what to do.  With putters, you could be convinced that a player needs more toe hang because he is missing to the right and yet, the more you give him, the more right he misses.  Your mind needs to recover and recognize that this player simply can’t get the toe closed and he needs LESS toe hang, despite the direction of the miss.  Embrace the challenge of Old-school fitting!!  Remember, we are trying to make players better putters, not sell more putters.  If done right, you CAN do both!!

Hope this helps. Until next time – happy fitting!!