Late last summer after a friend challenged
me to find a substitute for his anchored putter -he didn't want to branded as a
cheater- so I went to work with my PuttLab to see how the putter swung when
anchored and if I could find a mechanical or design substitution that would
work in the same manner. Here is what I found.
Those who I interviewed and measured used an anchored putter to
solve one or both of two problems.
1. Those who flip the putter at impact. Flipping is most commonly
caused by a shoulder driven stroke. The shoulders rotate or turn on the
backswing, but quit on the forward swing. In an effort to keep the putter
moving, the right hand kicks in to finish the stroke. The lower hand
on the club working against the top hand and the putter flips.
2. The other problem comes for those I call the reverse rotators.
These players shut the putter or toe it in on the backswing. This is a common
problem for players who are mechanically positioned to swing the putter on an
arc, but try to keep the putter square to the target line on the backswing. Since
the path doesn't match target line in an arcing stroke the putter gets twisted
in the motion. To square the face at impact you have to "untwist".
Shut to open is the opposite rotation pattern as the body and so more difficult
to time.
We know from our research that we can influence the stroke and
rotation patterns of a player with putter design and weight. So we went to work
to answer this question. Could I find a combination of putter design and
weight, that when combined with the proper fit could influence the player in a
way that they could get a similar feel in the stroke the get when the putter is
attached? The answer is yes.
After a couple of months of experimentation and the preliminary results
are in I am really excited about the results. In this case I can't divulge what
we do to achieve the results, because it is a combination of fit - most
important-weight distribution, and design. Each one is a little different. Once
the fit and weighting are determined there is a period of instruction on how to
use the putter. The technique and putter build to replace the broom method different
than the technique and set up of the putter for the belly guys.
In conjunction with my home club the Plymouth Country Club, Plymouth,
Indiana we are offering the putter I have built.
Since the fit is a mandatory part of the putter it is included in
the price. Also included is a consulting contract with me. What the consulting
contract means is that I will walk you through the process of do's and don'ts
in using this putter and make myself available on a personal level for a period
of 6 months. If we get the chance to meet in person there will be no charge for
the visit. This allows me to help you go through the process of building the
stroke that works most efficiently with your new putter.
Those who frequent the site and have signed up for the online
courses know how we accomplish this online and I will let them comment on
whether the information is of benefit or not.
Cost of the putter from me is $175.00.
At this time I am not retro fitting other models. I can however
work with Byron Designs as Byron can and does build putters to my students
requirements and recommendations. The price of the Byron is depending on the
price from Byron and an up charge to finish the fit and build.
You can pm me for contact information or feel free to call me. My
office number 574-540-2309
