Putting Without A Putter
Hitting a bad drive or a poor approach shot or missing a short putt can get to golfers sometimes, even those with low golf handicaps. Occasionally, golfers take their frustrations out on a club. Putters for whatever reason seem to bear the brunt of golfer frustration. Most players taking golf lessons from me know of someone who’s thrown his putter in the water or otherwise damaged it during the course of play.
It’s not just weekend golfers who wreak havoc on their putters, either. Professionals do it, too. Woody Austin, winner of the 2004 Buick Championship, got so frustrated with his game once that he bent the shaft of his putter on his head after missing a crucial putt. He’s not the only pro who’s done it, either. That raises the question: What do you do when you don’t have a putter to putt with?
The Rule
The rule on clubs is straightforward. If a club is damaged during the course of play, you can replace it. For example, if something happens to a club during the course of normal play—the clubhead falls off, the shaft gets bent while hitting—you can replace the club. Tiger Woods sent a PGA official to the trunk of his Buick during the 2004 Deutsche Bank Tournament to get him another sand wedge after damaging his on some rocks while swinging.
However, if you damage your club through some action other than during the normal course of play, like smashing it on a rock or bending it over your knee, you’re stuck. You can’t replace it. You have to discontinue using it and play without a replacement. In other words, if you intentionally damage your putter, you have to pay the price. Now the question becomes: what do you putt with to finish the round?
You have several options when it comes to using another club. Let’s look at three of them:
A Wedge
One option is a wedge. The advantage to using a wedge is that the shaft lengths of a putter and a wedge are similar. The length allows you to not only take your normal putting stance, but also set up with your eyes directly over the ball. Setting up with your eyes directly over the ball, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips, is essential to good putting.
The disadvantage with using a wedge is that your have to strike the middle of the ball with the thin leading edge of the blade. That’s not easy. It takes a great deal of precision and confidence to hit a golf ball with the leading edge of a club. It may not be something you want to try if you’re already angry or upset over your play. It might just make things worse instead of better, costing your strokes.
A Driver
Some players with low golf handicaps use a driver. The advantage of using a driver to putt with is that it is second only to the putter when it comes to having the least amount of loft. A driver has a face loft of 5 to 10.5 degrees, while the putter has a loft of about 1 degree. The large face also makes it easier to make good contact with the ball.
The driver’s disadvantage is the length of its shaft. It’s hard setting up directly over the ball with a club that has such a long shaft. To get comfortable, you’ll need to stand farther away from the ball. Your eyes won’t be directly over the ball. Also, the ball tends to pop of the driver’s face because of the mass of the clubface.
Using A Hybrid
A third option is a hybrid. It doesn’t quite have the driver’s low degree of loft, but the shaft is a much shorter. That enables you to get a little closer to the target line with your eyes. But the ball pops off a hybrid’s clubface just like it does with the driver. So you need to be careful when using this club. Some players use a hybrid to hit shots just off the green. Why not try it as a putter, if your putter becomes incapacitated?
Any of these three clubs can work. You might want to spend some time practicing with them though. That way you’ll at least have some feel for the clubs as a putter should you ever need to use them. However, if you’re really serious about lowering your golf handicap, you’ll work on keeping your frustrations in check and saving your putter. It’s the best way to improve.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.
