What To Expect From A Putter Fitting

Jeremy Ellwood found out what to expect from a putter fitting when he ran through the process with Richard Temple of Titleist, Scotty Cameron putters

In days gone by, you just walked into a pro shop, picked up a few putters that caught your eye, had a few putts with them and then simply selected the one that seemed to deliver the best results.

While many putters are still, indeed, purchased that way, there are one or two things that it’s more than a little wise to think about before investing, as I discovered on my recent Titleist Scotty Cameron putter fitting down in Portugal.

Titleist Scotty Cameron Futura X7 Review

2016 Scotty Cameron Studio Select Putters

Length is a critical factor, and a putter the wrong length for your build and style of stroke will almost certainly lead to inconsistency. I’ve been using a 33in model for a while, and while I feel comfortable with that, my fitter was concerned that I looked a little too hunched over the ball – something that had never really occurred to me.

After experimenting with a 34in shaft, he concluded that 33in was actually probably right after all, as my eyes drifted too far body side of the ball at address with the longer shaft, straying a little too far from the ‘just inside the ball’ eye position that many of the world’s best players adopt.

I also learned that one thing the best putters in the world have in common is a three-ball area through impact where the clubface is absolutely square to the target line, regardless of what goes on before and after that in the putting stroke.

How to choose the right putter for you

In the end, as you will see in the accompanying video, I reverted to the 33in shaft and tried to just stand a little taller to the ball, and that yielded some good results from both long range and short range with the Scotty Cameron Futura X7M model.

In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he went on to become a feature writer interviewing many of the biggest names in the game including Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy and Arnold Palmer.

A 5-handicap golfer, Neil is a club member who takes a keen interest in the health of the game at grassroots level. You’ll often now find him writing about club-related issues such as WHS, membership retention and how best to bridge the gap between the range and the course.