Let’s keep on the “selling putters” theme. You are probably looking at a rack full of putters. Maybe you’re thinking ‘what am I going to do with all of these?”. Maybe it’s “Ugh, I can’t give these things away…”. Perhaps a different strategy is in order. Putter fitting is not technical. It doesn’t take anything special – other than creating a little interest, a good eye, an understanding of the way a putting stroke works, some basic knowledge of putter design, a little creativity, and a desire to move a few putters. Let’s dissect, shall we?

Before we even get there, the first step is to actually be on the putting green with a player while he’s trying that new putter. I know, duh. But, I’m baffled by the number of “sales” attempts that are limited to either “use it in the shop”, or “take a couple down to the green to try them and let me know what you think.”. You make around $100 on a Tri-Hot 5K putter sale. This might take a half hour. Unless you are a top of the pyramid instructor, this is more than you probably make in a 30 minute lesson – which gets your full attention. Stop what you are doing, give this your full attention and go make a few $$. 

Create some interest.

See above with the Odyssey win story. Or, You may have some good stories from players at your club who just switched to a new model and are making everything. USE the free marketing!! Another option is a tour of your bag room. There are hundreds of putters in bags in there. Certainly if you go look in there, you’ll find 15 candidates who are in serious need of an upgrade. Send those players a private note offering a putter special specifically for them. I heard a pro tell a member about their Junior clinics trying to get him to bring his grand kids to them. The player asked what they taught in these Junior clinics. When the pro said putting, the member interrupted and said “can I come to that?” In 14 seconds, the pro had an Adult putting clinic on the calendar. Capitalize on your opportunities!!

A good eye.

Have the player start with his own putter. Hit 8-10 putts on a FLAT 10 foot putt. You WANT HIM TO MAKE PUTTS WHEN YOU ARE FITTING HIM WITH A PUTTER – you even want him to make putts with his own. You don’t need a good eye to see if he’s making putts – haha. So, what do I mean by that? Pay attention to what way the player predominately misses his putts. Chances are good that he hasn’t paid attention and doesn’t know his tendencies. The ground will influence how a ball rolls, so he may always miss left, but attribute it to the slope of the green (even if it doesn’t break that way). If a player generally misses in one direction – long, short, left, right, you have a great indicator that improvement is imminent. Noticing this requires a good eye.

Understand how a putting stroke works.

Take what you learned in step one and analyze his putting stroke. Are the misses caused by the stroke, the set up, the putter, or a combination of all three? It’s typically a combination of all three. In 30 minutes, you can typically correct a few stroke issues, and find the right putter for the new stroke. Have drills and teaching aids ready. This will help you sell you (lessons) as well as putters.

Knowledge of putter design.

At this point, I put a new putter in his hand. But, which one?? Unlike with irons or drivers, there is no universal starting point. Putting is highly visual. A player needs to like what he’s looking at. That inspires excitement to use the club, confidence that it will work for him, and a willingness to work at that part of the game. Explain this to the player as you talk about different head styles. I personally try to get away from the style he currently has – he needs a new putter, why would I give him a new version of the same? He needs a new putter because he’s not making putts – time for a change. It doesn’t have to be a radical change, but something halfway significant. 

Step one is understanding the different head styles. 

Mallet vs. Blade. Mallets tend to be more forgiving and have longer (and more elaborate) alignment aids. Blades have a classic look, but will lose distance on off center strikes, and are more difficult to aim. On tour, it’s about a 50/50 mix of mallets vs. blades.

Face balanced vs. Toe hang. The age old question… Conventional fitting tells us that face balanced putters are for straight back/ straight through strokes, while arc strokes need toe hang. News flash… The shorter your stroke, they are almost ALL straight back/ straight through, and the longer the stroke, they are almost all arc strokes. The best way to find this answer is trial and error. One thing is for sure – toe hang putters have more weight in the toe than face balanced putters. The extra weight in the toe will EITHER accentuate the face closing, OR make it harder to close. When you find the right amount of toe weight, you’ll know because the balls will roll on line. Try the 8 – 10 putts again like above and pay attention to the pattern. Fiddle with toe hang amounts until he hits it online every time. You should be able to find differing amounts of toe hang or face balanced putters on both mallets and blades.

A little creativity.

Your putters are merchandised in the shop. Retail is detail. MOVE them to a different location. Have them in front of the door as people walk in. Make it the first thing they see. You’ll be stunned when people say “WOW, you have a lot of putters. Got anything that will help me??”. (Step one is create interest, right?). I do putter fittings all the time and I bring 40 putters to the practice green. Headcovers off, displayed nicely. There is absolutely no reason you can’t do this too!! Yes, bring all of your putters to the practice green and display them. Spend a Saturday morning on the practice green with your putter inventory and your members. What a GREAT way to spend time with your members and maybe sell a few putters. Engage them. Ask them questions about their “oldie” what do they like about it? Explain the differences between the new technology and how it can help them. As you discuss this with one, you may have multiple members listening in, you will get a flurry of questions – once this happens, you’re on your way!!

A desire to sell putters.

The fastest way to shoot better scores is by improving _____________? the short game. 75% of that is putting. You are the best player at your club, and the best instructor. To help players get better the quickest, putting instruction is the answer. This desire to help players get better leads to a desire to sell putters. Combine instruction with putter sales and you will see both of these desires met. Consider a putting lesson with the purchase of a putter. Who knows where that could lead… lastly, we have tinkerers and practicers at every club. Practicers are often searchers. Searchers are often open to suggestions, and will willingly take suggestions from a knowledgeable source (you). If you see someone grinding away on the putting green. Go engage him. You never know…

Remember, if you keep doing the same things, you’re going to get the same results. If you keep putters in the back of the shop and never talk about them, you aren’t going to sell any. If you have a new collection of 4th of July shirts, how would you merchandise them? Put them in the front of the shop and tell everyone how great they are, right? Bingo, you sell some shirts. Try the same thing with putters. Couple that with some extra effort and instruction on your part, and you’ll move stuff in no time flat.

I hope this helps!! Happy Fitting.