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Putter precision tests - Now with irons!

Mon, Feb 13 2023 12:09 AM (211 replies)
  • gdubbombsit4bird
    73 Posts
    Mon, Sep 9 2013 8:33 PM

    the starter putter is really bad?...I beg to differ...starter putter is all I use...(not the EZ swing one)..made legend with it...I don't know..he way I see it is like this...WGT has got everybody snowed with this putter precision nonsense..what do you need precision in putting for?....the ball never leaves the ground...you're not putting any spin on the ball...I n my mind precision aspect is valid when getting the ball airborne...shots requiring spin and stuff like that...when you're just rolling the ball 2 things are what matters...reading the greens...and deciding how hard or soft you wanna hit your putt...no precision needed is how I've always looked at it....and I think the 30..60..150 is cool w/ me...all the hi level putters have too many incriments I think...10..20..30..etc..anyway...that's my 2 cents...late...gdub

  • MainzMan
    9,586 Posts
    Sat, Sep 14 2013 10:58 PM

    gdubbombsit4bird:

    the starter putter is really bad?...I beg to differ...starter putter is all I use...(not the EZ swing one)..made legend with it...I don't know..he way I see it is like this...WGT has got everybody snowed with this putter precision nonsense.

    One of our CC members, now sadly retired, was one of the very best at WGT and he used a starter putter for most of his time here.  He did switch to something better eventually as he felt he wasn't getting enough accuracy on longer putts.  It was less of an issue for him as his approach shots were usually so close.

     

    gdubbombsit4bird:

    what do you need precision in putting for?....the ball never leaves the ground

    It might not leave the ground but we do live in a 3 dimensional world you know.  That means there's also left and right.

    The thing with precision and putters is you do need it, especially for longer putts.  If we assume a putter with zero dots precision has a 2 degree margin of error either left or right (this is purely a guess) then on a 10 foot putt the ball could travel 0.35 feet off line, enough to miss the hole.  A 5 foot putt will only go half as far off line so should just go in given the hole is 4 1/4 inches wide.

    If we assume the top putters with 4 dots of precision are only twice as precise that still has the 10 foot putt going in the hole.

    Precision rules.  Forgiveness is nice but precision will kick it's butt every time.

     

  • MainzMan
    9,586 Posts
    Sat, Sep 14 2013 11:04 PM

    I forgot to say, brilliant work bhoese.  Great of you to take the time to do this.

  • neilecramer
    106 Posts
    Sat, Sep 14 2013 11:41 PM

    gdubbombsit4bird:

    the starter putter is really bad?...I beg to differ...starter putter is all I use..

    If the starter is all you use, how do you know it isn't the worst putter in the game?

    The OP used something not unlike the scientific method to test WGT putters. The results are pretty conclusive: the starter putter is far inferior to the other 2 putters tested. If you go back and reread his methodology and study the shot groupings - it's not hard to see it. Your putting stats are pretty good, but they'd be better with a high end putter . How much better? Maybe it's time to rent one and find out. ;)

     

  • neilecramer
    106 Posts
    Sun, Sep 15 2013 12:06 AM

    MainzMan:

    I forgot to say, brilliant work bhoese.  Great of you to take the time to do this.

    Indeed. Many thanks bhoese!

    When I get to Level 77 I'll have to try out the Nike. The Versa is great when I ding it and not so great when I don't. What I think would be interesting is to see is how forgiving some of these putters are on slight mis-dings. Anecdotal evidence says the 2 dot forgiveness Rossa outclasses the 3.5 dot Versa, but it wouldn't surprise if rigorous testing showed the opposite.

    Anyways, thanks again! tip hat

     

  • bhoese
    679 Posts
    Sun, Sep 15 2013 12:13 AM

    I've refined the process a bit.  I discovered that Cabo #6 is available in practice mode as BO3 #3, and its tabeltop-flat green is ideal as a test bed.  I've also found that it's possible to set up putts that are within one ball width of each other at the starting point by using background objects and the putting grid as reference points.  Finally, I bought a Putter Pal in order to get my power as exact as possible.  I used the L77 Nike again. Only dinged putts were saved.

    L77 Nike

    In the pic, you can see that I'm starting from 21 feet behind the hole and 2 feet to the right.  My target is straight down the vertical grid line.  I used 15 feet of power (75% of the 20-foot scale) because it will be easy to mark on 20, 25, and 30-foot meters.  

    This grouping is a bit tighter L-R than the Bethpage #10 test.  It could be due to the flatter surface, more consistent power inputs, or just plain luck.  (note there are only 19 balls in this test because I can't count).

    I will re-test the starter and Daytona putters soon.  But first, I wanted to find out if I need to be concerned about wind.

    Wind will definitely be a factor.  

    There are only 10 putts in this sample.  I had a full 20 done and was in the process of overlaying the grid when my ancient Paint Shop Pro program crashed.  I recovered this from my last save point.  The last 10 putts weren't remarkably different, so I didn't bother to do them again.  As you can see, the wind slowed the top group a tad and pushed the bottom group a little to the right.  So that's something I'll try to control for in the future.

    I plan on adding more putters to the mix.  I will test forgiveness on small and moderate off-dings on this hole.  I will also find other holes to try downhill putts with moderate break and big-breaking sidehill putts to see if I can tease out what this "balance" thing is all about.

    I have tried to find a suitable hole to test irons.  The problem is the camera angles.  I need to have every shot finish with the same camera in order for it to work with this process.  Also, replays are useless because whenever I use one, my mulligan feature stops working for the rest of the game.

  • bhoese
    679 Posts
    Sun, Sep 15 2013 12:17 AM

    You're welcome!  There's plenty more to come, I'll try to test for whatever I can within the limits of this method.  I won't guarantee fast results, however!

  • alosso
    21,028 Posts
    Sun, Sep 15 2013 12:59 AM

    Wow!

    *crowd starting an applause rocket*

  • HAMINH
    119 Posts
    Sun, Sep 15 2013 2:01 AM

    bhoese:

    You're welcome!  There's plenty more to come, I'll try to test for whatever I can within the limits of this method.  I won't guarantee fast results, however!

    Nice job sir. I used starter putter all my time here. I found my putting was far worse than last year. Balls lipped out happened much more than in the past. Making breaks for long putts are far worse accuracy than in the past. Don't know why but started thinking about WGT maybe putt something like the more VEM if miss ding in putting (especially in RGs)  & about putter precisions few months ago. The more precision putters maybe the better one for long putt & making breaks putting ??? I ll try other top putters & maybe chose new one. Hope it will works well.

  • alcaucin
    9,041 Posts
    Sun, Sep 15 2013 4:56 AM

    I see that even dinged down the line there are balls that are wide enough to miss the hole on either side....v annoying when that happens on that putt, always thought it was just me..

    And v interesting to actually SEE for once that wind DOES affect the roll !!

    Nice work Bh.

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