It’s tempting to buy custom golf clubs online, consisting of a shaft and club head chosen specifically according to your goals and abilities. In fact, it is often a good idea, provided you work with a fitter.
Now, let’s talk about something that doesn’t get as much attention as it should: putter shafts and custom fit, as well as what’s available.
Look at the advances that have been made in drivers and driver shafts. Drivers have gone from being made of wood, to titanium alloys, to carbon, and the modern market still bears everything here and in between.
Driver shafts are another story. Time was when all golfers out there were playing with steel shafts. Next thing you know, almost everyone out there swinging a driver has it outfitted with an information-age technology multi-piece composite graphite shaft.
This is far from a bad thing, in fact it is a good thing. As the sport evolves, so does a manufacturer’s ability to learn from current trends and materials to produce alternatives that are better.
Shift now to putters, and we have a different paradigm.
The vast majority of putter heads are still made from what they have always been made from – some combination of steel, aluminum, titanium or brass, depending on which alloy a golfer prefers.
In shafts, the story is the same. Say, 50 years ago, golfers were playing almost exclusively with steel putter shafts. That remains the case today.
Why, when the success of a golfer is dominantly predicated on the short game would this be the case?
Why, when this is the case, would we also recognize the pivotal importance of putting to shave strokes?
It’s a quandary that some companies, like Breakthrough Golf Technology, are trying to solve.
Granted, there is nothing wrong with steel putter shafts. Golfers want and need a putter shaft that is stiff, has low torque, and which is extremely predictable.
Flex is not a desirable trait in a putter, even though it sometimes is in a driver shaft. This is because of the nature of the stroke. Some golfers need driver shafts to load and release energy. All golfers need a putter shaft that does exactly what they want it to, every single time, with as little twist and bend as possible.
Consistency is also desirable in putter heads for exactly the same reason.
This is why steel has been the putter shaft material of choice for so long, and why effectively all putters are still made of alloy materials.
But in the modern market, there are actually composite putters shafts that are stiffer and more consistent than even the best steel shafts. The thing is, you need to be able to find them.
And that’s where getting custom golf clubs, online or otherwise, comes into the picture. Whatever stock shaft a putter comes with, that might be right for other golfers, may not be right for you – and that’s why, if you’re not happy with your game, you need to go back to the drawing board.
It just may be the fact that custom composite putter shafts may help you improve your game.
All the same, steel may still be a good bed for you. You just need to work with fitters that will help you come up with a custom pairing.
Bottom Line: Before You Get Custom Golf Clubs Online, Work with a Fitter
Make no assumptions here. Both times and technology have changed considerably. Before you get your next putter (or re-outfit your current putter with a new shaft) work with a fitter to find what works best for you.
