Vertical Hinging and Putter Recomendations
 

I'm thinking about changing my putting stroke from angled to vertical hinging...I'm currently using a Ping Anser putter. Does anybody recommend a particular putter that works best with vertical hinging. I would like to stay with Ping but will listen to any feedback regarding other putters.

Thanks,

DG

Cover Or Trace?
 

Would that be Vertical (10-10-B) or Dual Vertical (10-10-E)?

In other words, do you intend to cover the Plane Line with the Clubhead? Or, do you intend to Trace it ('point at' it)?

:)

If you're wanting to fix your putting habits forever I would look into Edel putters, you'd be amazed at the statistics of getting putter fit will do for you.

Putters
 

DG,
I have really come to love the Maltby putters because of the high MOI; that they have and they work well with all 3 hinge actions in a desired putting stroke. I also played ping putters but Maltby's are better tried and tested (under pressure of meaningful golf events as well as in the lab). Hope this helps
V/R
Step:salut:

Bo's Aboard!
 

Welcome aboard, Bo. And thanks for this first post. Keep'em comin'!

:salut:

I would think that a face balanced putter (your choice) would be the best for vertical hinging.

Pat

face balanced
 

I would totally agree, in addition to other variables. I'm presently writing an article on the subject for Fore Georgia Magazine. They need the article for the February edition. I'll post a link to the website when they send it to me, if anyone's interested.

Ted Fort, Master Golf Instructor / Author
 

Fore Georgia is the official publication of the Georgia Section of the PGA of America. To be selected to write for your peers is an honor reserved for a select few. To be selected again is rare stuff indeed.

Congratulations, Ted!

:salut:

Gracias Yoda, I am loving the information on this forum.

My experience with VH and putting
 

DG,

After watching the alignment golf dvd's and the putting section, I decided to experiment with the vertical hinge and putting. There was something about a clubface that was essentially staying perpendicular to the target line that seemed like a "no-brainer". I tried it with face-balanced, medium toe-hang, and 8802 style putters. They all could work, but they each will provide a different "feel" (though face-balanced seems like a logical choice).

My experience on the practice putting green was really quite good and pretty encouraging (for a mediocre putter like myself). I spent a few hours over a weeks worth of practice time before taking it to the course, and the on-course results were.......... HORRIBLE! I felt like I was steering an 18-wheeler when it came to putts that now had some "consequence". It really was amazing how "un-natural" it felt under a little pressure.

But, it was a nice exercise/experiment and it made me appreciate my angled hinge that much more. :)

My 2 pennies,

CG

Jack Nicklaus during his prime. That would be his entire career. He seem to hold the putter clubface high and facing the hole at the end of the stroke.
Would that be vertical hinging?

I would say that Jack was a "hitter" with his putting stroke and used angle hinging, the putter face was across his plane line. But I would like others to chime in on this one.
Not many horizontal hinges out there with the good putter these days but maybe I'm missing a few. Angle hinging to me makes the most sense but I'm searching right now too!
Vertical hinging is a manipulation of the putter head and to me not very reliable.
Just the ramblings of a dressed up caddy with his brains beat out.

In a putting stroke angled and vertical hinge become nearly identical.
Practice along a 2x4 and keep the heel of the putter against and at 90 degree angle to the 2x4.

I tried to go from a Ping Anser to a face balanced putter a few years ago. That was a big failure. I like to putt with forward press. A face balanced putter will then flip open in the back swing and flip closed in the follow thru. So I had big problems keeping the club face stable through impact. But it depends on your stroke. If you simply let the putter hand down from your hands and swing it from there it probably works OK. Also, you get a bigger sweet spot and perhaps a nice gear effect when the COG is far behind the club face.

A Ping Anser type of putter is very different. It has a more neutral weight distribution and is also much lighter overall, so you can basically use it as an extension of your hands.

Someone ought to make a 360* balanced putter - one that didn't have any face angle bias at all but left everything to the player's hands. A putter where the moi center, the cog center and the sweet spot were all in the same point. Then the clubface would obey your hands without resistance regardless of your stroke.

BerntR
Remember the Sergio Garcia practice putter? it was a shaft with a brass ball on the end that was the size of a golf ball.
Heck, I may even have one in my basement.

No I haven't seen that one. A brass ball as the club head?

I just looked one up on ebay. It is called the Putterball.
I cannot imagine they are produced any longer, but one good thing about them was the ability to practice a lot of forward shaft lean.