Putting is the most important part in the game of golf. After all, 30-40% of the scores in the game rely on how well you putt on the greens. Golfers have a wide range of putters to choose from their favorite sports equipment stores. For a beginner, this might not only be perplexing, but unnerving as well! The most popular addition to the wide line of putters in the shops is the section of heavy putters.
What are heavy putters?
Heavy putters are, as is clearly mentioned- heavy. They are 90% heavier than the traditional or conventional putters. Conventional putters weigh 250-350g, while heavy putters can be 400-500g. Famous brands such as Callaway, Odyssey, and Nike already have a separate niche that caters to heavy putters for people who have higher levels of satisfaction with them. Certain companies have white circular opaque structures on the putter head surface which prevent distraction and glare from the player. They also have specially designed alignment lines to help a golfer practice alignment and orientation of the ball to the putting cup.
Merits of heavy putters
It has always been believed that the perfect putting stroke resembles that of the simple pendulum where the swinging motion of the hands help to give the perfect stroke to the ball. This is enhanced in heavier putters as they have an added mass along the entire shaft of the putter and at the head too. Thus, the over-all heavier weight shifts the focus of the putting stroke motion on the large muscles. Small muscles of the wrists that can move and cause sudden deflection from the path of the putting stroke or the “yips”, hence get considerably reduced!
As the putter is heavier, the impact it makes with the ball is much more solid than found in traditional putters. As a result, the ball follows the line of putt fairly accurately and there is a better control on the distance that the ball covers. Heavy putters prevent jerks and sudden acceleration in the putting stroke which a player might end up doing with traditional putters. Heavy putters are a boon in case of short putts which really need the right nudge at the able to follow the line of putt.
The putter head resembles the broad head surfaces seen in mallet putters. While considering the appearance of the heavy putter, the heavy design decreases the attractiveness. However, golfers find the putting success to be more appealing than the physical beauty of the putter.
Disadvantages of heavy putters
Heavy putters are known to tire golfers considerably. Putting involves concentration. This factor gets affected as the added weight on the putter burdens the player to align the ball well and also comfortably hold as well as swing the putter. Carrying them along the greens is again a challenge owing to the heavy weight they have. Apart from that, heavy putters also affect the swiftness with which long putts can be addressed to. Someone has claimed that swinging with a heavy putter is like putting among molasses! Before purchasing a heavy putter, a player must therefore, feel it in his/her fingers and practice several putting strokes and then arrive at a decision!
