Week 10: Choosing the right putter

text size

Photo courtesy of Rival Marketing

It doesn't matter if the ball goes 300 yards or three feet; it still counts as one stroke on your scorecard. While some golfers agonize over what driver to use, they will often spend very little time considering their putter. But a putter that compliments your stroke on the green can help you lower your score instantly. Here are a few things to consider when searching for a new putter.

Length of the club

Related

Video: Inside the trailers
More: Product introduction
More: Health, fitness archive

A traditional length putter does well for most golfers. It will allow you to keep your eyes in line with your putt. Standard putters are usually 34-36 inches in length. If you are tall, you may want something a bit longer so you don't have to hunch over the ball. The key is being able to keep your wrists still. If you tend to get nervous on the greens and use your hands too much, you can experiment with a belly putter. By anchoring the tip of the longer club to your stomach, you can help reduce the movement of the club, and the blade of your putter will stay in a straighter line.

Loft

Putters come with varying degrees of loft, which keeps the ball from bouncing when you hit it. How much loft you need is determined by where your hands are when you strike the ball. At your local pro shop, hold a putter as though you were about to putt. The pro can then adjust it to make sure that the blade is sitting on the ground properly. Just one degree of adjustment can make a huge difference for you.

Materials

A more expensive putter will be made of titanium, stainless steel, brass or maybe a combination of metals. The more solid the head of the putter is, the easier the ball will move over the green. This will allow you to take a gentler stroke on longer putts.

Weight

There are essentially three main types of heads for putters. A blade putter has the head's weight mostly in the heel of the blade. When used properly, they are the most accurate of the three, but they often require a pro's touch. Mallet putters have a larger sweet spot on the clubface. This is great for beginners. The ball will move more freely but not as accurately as a blade putter. The peripheral weighted blade is the largest and most forgiving of all the clubs. It can make misfires not seem like errant shots, but what you gain in forgiveness, you lose in feel around the greens.

Having the right putter can remove several strokes from your scorecard. But chronic knee pain is sure to put them right back on. If knee pain is preventing you from performing at your best, you might be suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Various treatments for OA do exist, such as ORTHOVISC®, which provides up to six months of knee pain relief. Made from ultra-pure natural hyaluronan, which is found in healthy joints, ORTHOVISC® is injected into the knee joint where it acts to replace your natural joint fluid, to help cushion, protect, and lubricate your knee.

ORTHOVISC® is a proud sponsor of PGATOUR.com. Talk to your doctor to see if ORTHOVISC® is right for you. Or visit our Web site at www.orthovisc.com for more information on how to maintain your knee health to help you keep playing the game you love.

Follow us on Twitter for up-to-date information on maintaining joint health and the prevention/treatment of knee pain due to sports-related injuries or the early symptoms of osteoarthritis.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

ORTHOVISC® is indicated in the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conservative nonpharmacologic therapy and to simple analgesics, e.g., acetaminophen. In clinical studies, the most commonly reported adverse events were arthralgia, back pain and headache. Other side effects include local injection site adverse events.

ORTHOVISC® is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to hyaluronate formulation or known hypersensitivity (allergy) to gram positive bacterial proteins. ORTHOVISC should not be injected in patients with infections or skin diseases in the areas of the injection site or joint. Strict aseptic technique should be used. The effectiveness of more than 1 course has not been established.

This is a paid placement by DePuy Mitek, Inc. The opinions expressed above are those of DePuy Mitek, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the PGA TOUR.