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FOCUS ON PUTTING Dear friends, We all know “The driver leads the way, but the putter closes the deal.” In this issue of SMASH!, we will discuss putters and how some parameters can affect your putts. To discuss all the parameters, possibly it will take more than a newsletter. We will look at effects of Loft and Rise angle with some high speed videos in this issue. Enjoy! Effects of Loft and Rise angle You have just three putted your third green of the round and your putter is about to take flight towards the woods. Has this happened to you before? Most of us have been in this situation. First putt is short, 2^nd putt is over and only the 3^rd putt finds the hole. You just can’t seem to roll the ball consistently. When your ball comes to rest on the green it actually embeds itself slightly in the surface. Therefore, it is reasonable a putter requires a bit of loft to launch the ball out of its 'nest' but then we are interested in forward roll as soon as possible too. Too little loft and the ball will skid along and be easily diverted off line by any indentation. Too much and the ball will bounce along the patch. Both result in poor putting and a lot of frustration.
In physics, the force vector applied to the ball determines launch angle and ball spin: - The effective loft at impact determines launch angle (appr. 80%) - The difference between loft and rise determines ball spin (effective loft > rise = backspin, effective loft < rise = topspin)
	So what is dynamic loft and rise angle? Dynamic loft is defined as the loft at impact during the course of the swing compared to the original specifications. This can be due to the shaft angle at impact. The dynamic loft is mostly determining the launch angle of the ball. On faster greens (stimp 10-11) a dynamic loft of 2-3°is adequate, which means neutral shaft angle or slightly delofting a 3° loft putter. On fast greens less launch is needed (1-2°), on slow greens more launch is correct (3-4°). Like any other clubs, the putter’s loft actually imparts backspin to the ball:
Rise angle is the path of your putter’s head when it impacts the ball. As loft introduces backspin, the rise angle should be higher than dynamic loft to impart topspin to the ball. Early roll is more important on fast greens compared to slower green and the preferred rise angle is 3-4 degrees upwards. Rise angle impact topspin to the ball.
Here’s some high speed video to show the effect of loft and rise angle. Example 1: Putting with neutral hands but loft higher than rise angle Example 2: Added putter loft - low rise angle Example 3: Delofted putter face - rise angle higher than effective loft
Hands-on: The Edel Putter Fitting System The Edel fitting methodology is all about aiming your putter. That might sound strange - who can't aim their putter? Try this. Attach a laser to a target hole and aim the laser at the center of a ball eight feet away. Player steps up to the ball and aims his putter at the hole. When "ready" the fitter removes the ball. The laser bounces off of a small mirror on the player's putter and reflects to a black backdrop behind the hole. Not many aimed his putter inside the hole. The fitting continues to build a "new" putter from hundreds of components out of the Edel putter fitting cart. Test putters are customized for shape, offset, weight and a host of other variables. The number and placement of sight lines is also tested. Industry research concluded that the majority of players aim their putter seven degrees left of the hole. Edel fitting methodology juggles with millions of variables on the putter to eliminate this error. It is simply amazing to see the effect of such changes on a player's ability to "see" the line. We are at a point where putter "fitting" is cut to length, set loft and lie and allow a player to pick a design that he is comfortable with - fitting a putter by his ability to aim it straight is a completely new way of thinking. Why didn't anybody think of that before?
Akang datang (coming soon) Next issue we will continue with putters and how SAM PuttLab can be used to optimise your putter to give you the best launch… We still know “The driver leads the way, but the putter closes the deal.”
Let us hear from you Please help with a response. We'll answer any questions promptly by email. It would be very helpful to understand reader reaction. Our goal is to help the most players drop the most strokes and have more fun in the game. In our opinion, the Edel - Aim Point approach has the best potential to help serious players make a big dent in their "putts per greens in regulation", the second most important statistic in scoring - right after "greens in regulation" on the PGA Tour. We are sure some of you may find that you already aim well with your own putter. A SAM Putt Lab analysis will definitely let you gain more insight about what your stroke does to spoil that solid aim. Satisfaction guaranteed. Thanks for reading.
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