See below for Richard Kempton's putter test, a number of our players/club fitters and instructors have very successfully used so as to find the right putter for their players.
Richard
Thought you might be interested in the results of the 3-putter test I did a few days ago (face-balanced, mid-hang and full hang).
I did two tests each with the Full Toe Hang and Mid Toe Hang putters, but only one with the Face Balanced Putter, because the scores with that club were so dramatically better right across the board that I didn’t feel it necessary to repeat it. It confirms what I’ve always suspected with my own putters, namely that I putt best with a Face Balanced putter and worst with a blade-type Full Toe Hang style type, but I hadn’t expected the results to be quite so varied as they turned out!!
Until now I had assumed that the differences would only show up in the face rotation figures, but the putter type affected pretty much everything – face rotation, loft, swing timings, tempo and impact scores. If I'm typical, the results suggest that a putter-type test is an essential part of the fitting process.
FYI the three putters were as follows:
- Face Balanced: Weight 534g, MOI 2,898 kgcm²
- Mid Toe Hang: Weight 535g, MOI 2,900 kgcm²
- Full Toe Hang: Weight 536g, MOI 2,894 kgcm²
All three putters are 34.5 inches long and fitted with the same make & model of grip – apart from the head type and head shape, they are about as close to being identical as it's possible to get (even the offsets are very similar). I also ensured that I set up with the same stance width, the same distance from the ball and with the ball in the same position relative to my left heel for each putt.
Richard Kempton
And now for Richard Kempton's ZENIO Putter Test reports: