Measure a Putter
If you play golf, you know that you use your putter more than any other club; it's vital that you find the one that suits you best. While comfort and effectiveness ultimately determine which putter you select, understanding standard specifications and general measurement guidelines can help make the selection process easier. Follow these steps to accurately measure a putter.
Contents
Steps
- Familiarize yourself with putter specifications. Putter specs differ from other clubs. Putters can be longer than other clubs, which are limited to a maximum length of 48 inches (1.22 m), but they cannot be less than 18 inches (.46 m). Certain lengths are good starting points in selecting a putter. For men, a length of 35 inches (.89 m) is considered standard. For women, 34 inches (.86 m) is typical. This is a sliding scale, however, based on your height and putting style. Extended putters often exceed 40 inches (1.02 m) in length.
- Determine what type of putter you have. Many kinds of putters are available. For measuring purposes, they can be categorized into two groups: heel-shafted and center-shafted. A heel-shafted putter is a club whose shaft intersects the club head at the club head's heel. The standard blade putter is the most common heel-shafted putter. A center-shafted putter is a putter whose shaft joins the club head directly at its midpoint. Heavy, belly and long putters are examples of center-shafted putters.
- Take careful measurements. Slightly different steps are taken to measure center- and heel-shafted putters.
- Lay the club down with the club face up.
- Extend the tape measure from the top of the club grip to sole of the club head. The sole of the club head is the point where the head impacts the ground.
- Note the measurement. This is the exact length of the putter.
Heel-shafted Putter
- Lay the club down with the club face up.
- Extend the tape measure from the point where the club is soled on a plane parallel to the shaft. Be sure the distance between the tape measure and the shaft of the club remains the same as you measure.
- Extend the tape measure beyond the length of the club. Put a straight edge across the top of the club's shaft. Make sure the straight edge is long enough to intersect the tape measure.
- Note the point where the straight edge meets the tape measure. This is the exact length of the putter.
- Measure the putter grips. Putter grips must meet precise specifications. These include:
- Minimum length: 7 inches (17.8 cm)
- Maximum diameter: 1.75 (4.4 cm)
- Expand measurement parameters for extended putters. Extended putters can have two grips. They must meet the standards of conventional putters in addition to the following criteria:
- The top grip must be at least 5 inches (12.7 cm) long.
- The grips must be separated by at least 1.5 inches (3.8 cm).
Things You'll Need
- Your putter
- Tape measure
- Straight edge
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