Which putter is best for your putting stroke?

Do you see your putting stroke as a straight line or a gentle arc?

You may be using the wrong kind of putter for your stroke, stance and setup preferences. Read the greenseekergolf.com guide to putting strokes.

There are generally two schools of thought with regard to putting... those that see the stroke as a straight back and through action and those who see the putting stroke as an arc which gently curves inwards as you swing the club back and then back out again on the forward stroke, curving back in again once the ball has been struck.

Arc stroke

Stan Utley, PGA Teaching Pro and Tour Player is a firm advocate of the arc putting method. This methos is basically built around the shaft plane (the angle at which the shaft sits in relation to the ground at address). Imagine, or even grab a putter and try for yourself. Swing the club back along this inclined plane of the putter shaft - the result will be a gently arcing stroke back and through on both sides of the bottom of the swing arc. The putter face appears to open to the golfer as he swings back and then it rotates to square on the forward swing and then closes on the through swing.

So what putter should you use with this kind of arc shaped stroke?

You will be best using a putter that encourages a rotation of the club face around the shaft plane - one that when balanced on the palm of your hand will hang with the toe of the club pointing down.

Straight back and through

This is the putting stroke where the golfer feels as if he is taking the club straight back along a line which is parallel to the target putting line and then straight through again on the forward swing. The club face remains at right angles to this stroke line i.e. pointing at the intended target line throughout the swing.

Generally speaking this kind of stroke is encouraged by a putter that does not tend to rotate through the swing and that would be a face balanced putter. A face balanced putter will lay with the club face pointing straight up at the sky if you balance the shaft in the palm of your hand.

Who teaches this kind of stroke - well Dave Pelz talks extensively in his book, see our book review section, and generally encourages a straight line method.

Is there a right or wrong method

No, but one of them is likely to result in a better and more consistent action for you.

So experiment - check your own putter out and think about how you perceive the stroke itself - what feels right?

You should try out a face balanced putter if you use one that hangs toe down and you think you are more of a straight line putter. Likewise if you feel the swing should be an arc then try out different styles of putter - you may find that one with more or less balance toward the toe hanging down is better for your stroke.

Hopefully you will find this article helpful in explaining the key differences in major putter types of course there are many other subtle differences such as material, size, length of shaft and position of shaft - see our putter guide for more information.