Fitting a Belly Putter

Fitting a Belly Putter

 



 


  To effectively use the belly putter you must select one that is fitted
to  your physique. It must have the correct length and lie angle to allow  you
to take a comfortable stance and get your eyes just over the inside  edge of the
ball. Below and on the following pages are some simple steps for fitting
yourself for a belly putter.


What You'll Need


For this do-it-yourself belly putter fitting, you'll need the help of a
  friend, plus a small mirror, your current putter, a ruler and a  protractor or
goniometer.


What To Do


1. Lay a mirror on the ground and use its center to represent the ball.


2. Measure the length of your current putter (mine is 33 inches).


3. Holding your putter and the ruler, bend your elbows slightly, and set
  them against either side of your rib cage (left photo above).


4.  Bow forward from the hips and take a comfortable putting stance with
  your knees slightly flexed and your forearms in line with the putter  shaft
(right photo above). When you are in the correct posture, your  hands should
hang under your shoulders.


5. Maintain your posture and adjust distance from the mirror so your eyes
appear in the middle.


6. Once you have the correct stance, slide the ruler up into your belly  and
note how many inches must be added to your putter to get the correct belly
putter length.


7. Have your friend place the protractor or  goniometer level on the ground
and measure the correct lie angle for  your belly putter. For most players the
lie on the belly putter will be  between 68 and 74 degrees.


You will most likely need to order a  putter built to the above length and
lie, or have one modified.  Additionally, make sure the head weight is at or
near 400 grams. Avoid  putter heads with a great deal of offset or double bend
offset for your  belly putter.


Most players choose straight-in shaft configuration and either center-shafted
or a shaft that intersects the head closer to the heel. I recommend a
toe-balanced putter head over a face-balanced  head as the belly putter produces
more of an arc stroke path rather than a straight line stroke path.

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