The putter - a question of feeling

The tee shot is successful, the course has been successfully completed, and so far the result is impressive. But now the ball is on the green and must be sunk. The putter has to be used, and with the next few strokes, the good result can turn into the opposite. Nothing is more annoying than when the "2-putt", i.e. the hole completion with standard two strokes on the green, suddenly becomes a 3- or 4-putt. But there are things you can do to prevent it from happening.

"If the farmer can't swim, it's because of the swimming trunks," a former friend of mine liked to say. This means that mistakes are not the fault of the player, but of the poor material, which is too cheap. This may be true for putting when a certain and very high level of play has been reached. But for beginners or players with a medium handicap, it is not so important whether the putter costs several or just under a hundred euros, whether the most modern technology and materials were used in its development and manufacture. It's more important to achieve a good feel with the putter - and in golf in particular, that's more a matter of the head than the material.

With a grumble in the stomach area

Like every stroke, the putt starts with the grip on the club in the bag. And here the question arises: Do I like to hold the putter in my hand or does it cause a rumbling in the stomach area? Of course, this also depends on how well the putting went on the last rounds, but honestly, you can already tell when you buy it whether you have made the right choice. That's why here, too - as with the purchase of a driver, for example - nothing beats trying it out in the store.

And even there, several points come together that can influence the game, whether you want to admit it or not: Do I like the shape of the club head? Do I get along well with the markings on it? Does the grip fit well in my hand or is it too thick or too thin? And finally: do I like the color scheme? This point in particular seems completely unimportant at first. But if the back of your head is always saying, "What an ugly club!", then you certainly can't concentrate fully on the stroke.

"Fabulously inexpensive" is not a selling point

So you shouldn't buy the club online just because the offer is so tempting and you absolutely want to play a certain brand. There is no way around going to the store and looking at different putter models, holding them in your hand and trying them out. The putter has to suit you, it has to please you, it has to be fun. And if the salesperson eloquently recommends the expensive brand-name device that is currently being offered at a "fabulously low price," the price may be an argument, but it is really of secondary importance for success on the course.

Therefore: if the cheapest no-name putter, with which at first sight really no state is to be made, lies best in the hand and gives the best feeling: Take it with you. Should it no longer suffice at some point, you can replace it with a clear conscience. But by then, you've probably played more 2-putts than your flight partner, who's struggling with his expensive brand-name device and ruining the holes he's played well up to that point.

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