Putter Swingweight - Rules of Thumb.....

I have been doing some putter length mods the past few weeks. I am learning that this again one of those "who would know?" areas of which club is right for a player. The Tom Wishon "Common Sense Clubfitting" book (one of the best references on key factors on fitting) suggests that in general putter swingweights should be between about C8 and D7 depending on the way a person swings the putter with best results. My personal bias for all golf clubs is that a player needs to somehow "feel the club head" to get consistent results.


Talking just about conventional putters now, there is clearly a relationship between what the clubhead weight should be for a specific length of putter. If a putter is a shorter length like 32 or 33 inches, the head needs to weight more than for a putter of length of 34, 35, or 36 inches.


I did swingweights for some specific putters before cutting them to length. While some of them turned out to be in the C8 - D7 range, others were in the mid E swingweight range and one tonight was F5 - really heavy! This putter should never have built as long as it was.......it would be very difficult to swing consistently.


The fix for a putter that has too low a swingweight is pretty easy - put some tungsten powder down the shaft to adjust the weight feel. Not as easy to adjust a putter that is too swingweight heavy. One good option for that is Opti Vibe weights down the shaft to change the weight feel of the putter.


Overall though - It is a good idea when you purchase a putter to buy one that has adjustable weights on the head so you can "tune" the feel of the putter. But if not that..........ask the person selling you the putter if he can measure the swingweight of it for you. And do not afraid to trust that if it feels either too heavy or too light for you it probably is - even it if has the most beautiful putter head know to man. You should not compromise on getting the "flat stick" fitted right for you.............you use it more than any other club in your golf bag!


Tony