PutterZone – Best Putter Reviews
The belly putter craze just continues to pick up steam as it now graces the cover of one of the major golf magazines under the banner: The New Way to Make Them All.
The rise of the belly putter has been great not only for numerous professional and recreational golfers, but also for the putter industry.
Belly putters are flying out the door, fueling a sudden surge in putter purchasing that defies a dour economy. Heck, the belly putter phenomenon has even brought more folks to PutterZone.com. No complaints here.
To a large degree, this phenomenon is driven by the startlingly sudden success of the belly putter on the PGA Tour. By the end of the past summer golf season, it seemed that belly putters were winning every tournament in sight.
The rest of us, however, need to be careful to manage expectations. Which brings us back to the headline: The New Way to Make Them All.
Of course, we know that hyperbole is no stranger to the world of golf instruction. But even by that standard, this particular headline is over the top. It’s one thing for you to believe that you can make them all, but quite another for someone to promise it. Make them all?
The point here isn’t to wag our finger at at the headline writer (after all, magazine covers are in the business of selling magazines), but rather to simply add a note of caution to the craze. The belly putter is beginning to exude the aura of a “quick fix,” and the fact is that there are very few “quick fixes” when it comes to golf and putting. As with a traditional putter, succeeding with a belly putter requires acclimation and practice. A belly putter can feel alien when you first try it, and grooving your stroke can be challenging at first.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try a belly putter, but rather that you should manage your expectations amid the hype. Don’t approach the belly as “a new way to make them all,” but rather as possibly a “a new way to make more putts” with planning and practice.
So where to begin? For starters, as with all putters, you will want to pay attention to the fit of your belly putter. Check out our earlier pieces on finding your belly putter balance and determining your optimal belly putter length.
Next, you will want to seek some instructional advice, even if it’s via print or the web if you can’t afford a personal lesson. There are some key fundamentals when it comes to using a belly putter, and you will want to understand them before you put the club in your bag.
In fact, the aforementioned magazine story features some great instructional advice on using a belly putter. In other words, you may not make them all, but you might just lower your score!
