E Q U I P M E N T
Putter fitting revolution PutterFit is set to revolutionise the time-consuming process of putter-fitting and make it an economic proposition for PGA Professionals, writes Adrian Milledge.
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results have more than a degree of veracity. In my case, equipping me with the most suitable putter took no more than 15 minutes. The exercise involved placing a ball on the device and making a minimum of just five strokes per putter. The information, which is fed via Bluetooth to a tablet, laptop or PC, is sufficient for the retailer to guide the golfer towards a style and length of putter best suited to their own putting stroke. “The process is based on three key measurements,” explained Kearney who advises HoleMorePutts™ on the technical aspects of putting. “One is the face angle – is the face open or closed at impact? The second is strike – where on the face the ball leaves the putter.
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The retailer can preload the PutterFit with the database of the putters he or she has in stock
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he benefits of club-fitting for the golfer and professional are welldocumented. For the former, a set of fitted clubs will, hopefully, result in improved scores. If so, as well having a happy customer, the PGA Pro generates income from the sale. In the case of a set of clubs or top of the range driver this can be a nice little earner. Custom-fitting putters, by contrast, is a different issue. That’s because the process involves just one club and can be time-devouring, not least because there are more than 1,000 putters available. All of which makes it an uneconomic proposition. Thanks to a revolutionary new product from the makers of HoleMorePutts™ that is no longer the case. Aptly-named PutterFit, the device is a natural progression from the Irish-based company’s initial putting training aid, HoleMorePutts™. Designed specifically for the golf retailer, PutterFit is the new high-tech way for them to increase putter sales and help customers select the putter most suited to their putting stroke. Moreover, it does so quickly. “Initial tests have indicated the time taken to get the right match is considerably reduced due the speed at which the PutterFit unit feeds back information to the retailer,” said Robert Slade-Baker, HoleMorePutts™ product and marketing director. “The whole idea around PutterFit was to do something that was quick because, from a financial standpoint, a pro can’t spend as much time with a customer as they would with drivers and irons – the margins are simply not there. So they need something that is quick, easy and effective.” Having put the device to the test under the expert eyes of David Kearney, an Advanced PGA Professional and swing tutor, at Carton House near Dublin, the test
The third is club face rotation – the amount of face rotation on the path. “What we’re trying to do is to get the golfer to start the ball on line. Starting the ball online is the first thing. That’s a 10 minute conversation in the pro shop that ensures the golfer is at least 80 per cent likely to start the ball on line. We’re not teaching anything – by default the implement the golfer is using gives a really good chance of starting the ball on line.” Fifteen putts and three varieties of putters later, the verdict was that a shorter
(34 inches) centre-shafted mallet-style putter would suit me best. Had my experience been with a view to buying a new putter, would the pro have had something suitable in stock because, with 1,200 models in the PutterFit database, the choice is vast. But, as well as determining which putter is most suitable for the customer, this is where the device scores. “The retailer can preload the PutterFit with the database of the putters he or she has in stock,” explained Slade-Baker. “The machine will only make a recommendation of what is in the shop. It won’t recommend something the pro doesn’t have. The pro has control. So the sales message to the customer is: ‘I’m finding you the most suitable putter I have.’ “We’ve seen time and again golfers using the wrong style of putter, wrong length or perhaps the wrong sized grip but just a few minutes spent going through the process with PutterFit can completely change a golfer’s approach to getting the right putter. “What’s more, the retailer makes a sale, all in a fraction of the time it used to take because the stats fed back by PutterFit provides the consumer with confidence, in the same way that traditional launch monitors do when fitting for woods and irons.” www.holemoreputts.com
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