Skidding - Putting - Length of Putt

[cwdlaw223]

Does the length of putt determine how much a putt skids or is it always about 12-18 inches?

If I have a downhill 3 foot putt on a fast green would the putt skid for the first 12-18 inches or less?

[Richie3Jack]

I think the length of the putt does play a role in the amount of skid. Hit a 200 foot putt and the ball is going to get more airborne, probably spin a lot more and thus skid more. Compare that with a 5 footer which will have less skid.

Plus, the amount of skid depends on the:

1. Stroke
2. putter loft
3. putter weighting
4. putter face

I believe the main factor with skid is the dynamic loft of the putter and the amount the golfer hits up on the ball.

I know when I got my putter fitted to reduce the skid, the clubmaker said that he had seen a difference in putters that have grooves on them.






3JACK

[jamo]

Dec 1, 2010 19:42:20 GMT -5 Richie3Jack said:

I know when I got my putter fitted to reduce the skid, the clubmaker said that he had seen a difference in putters that have grooves on them.






3JACK

While I don't particularly like their putters, the "dew test" the Rife has on the infomercials is very telling. I've done that myself and there is truly a difference between normal putters and those with grooves (like Rife, Taylor Made, Yes!, Nike).

[Richie3Jack]

I haven't seen the 'dew test.' I know that Yes! putters claim they don't have any skid. But that's because their measuring of skid is different from the industry standards. The Yes! putters by industry standards do have skid....all of them do because they have loft on the putter. But the groove face technology does work.

Geoff Mangum will point out that there's never been a study showing that less skid will mean more putts made. I agree with his point in a sense because you need to be able to read greens correctly and aim decent enough. However, I also agree with Mangum that speed/touch is the #1 priority in putting. Personally, if your putter has a lot of skid I just don't see how one can consistently have a good speed/touch on their putts.

So I think it's important, probably moreso than Geoff Mangum feels, but less so than the average golfer and clubmaker feel.




3JACK

[iacas]

Dec 1, 2010 23:13:44 GMT -5 jamo said:

While I don't particularly like their putters, the "dew test" the Rife has on the infomercials is very telling. I've done that myself and there is truly a difference between normal putters and those with grooves (like Rife, Taylor Made, Yes!, Nike).

A guy who was really high up in an equipment company's marketing department told me this one time...

Given enough time (and we're not even talking a week here, really) they can find a combination of speed, ball, loft, forward shaft lean, etc. that will make any putter look better than the others, especially if they can limit the "others" to four or fewer competing models.

In other words, he said, these independent testing labs are told how to test the putters and the results are guaranteed. They don't test putters the way most people use them or the way they're supposed to be used, they test them the way that the company paying for the test tells them to, and they already know that they've got the configuration which will show their putters produce great roll.

It's just marketing. Putt with the putter you like best.

[bacc]

Dec 2, 2010 9:24:05 GMT -5 iacas said:

Dec 1, 2010 23:13:44 GMT -5 jamo said:

While I don't particularly like their putters, the "dew test" the Rife has on the infomercials is very telling. I've done that myself and there is truly a difference between normal putters and those with grooves (like Rife, Taylor Made, Yes!, Nike).

A guy who was really high up in an equipment company's marketing department told me this one time...

Given enough time (and we're not even talking a week here, really) they can find a combination of speed, ball, loft, forward shaft lean, etc. that will make any putter look better than the others, especially if they can limit the "others" to four or fewer competing models.

In other words, he said, these independent testing labs are told how to test the putters and the results are guaranteed. They don't test putters the way most people use them or the way they're supposed to be used, they test them the way that the company paying for the test tells them to, and they already know that they've got the configuration which will show their putters produce great roll.

It's just marketing. Putt with the putter you like best.

Getting a properly fit putter is very helpful. Most "big name" putters are too long, too upright, have too much loft, and have a few degrees of backwards shaft lean built in.