Okay, so I’ve been messing around with my putting lately, trying to find something that just clicks, you know? I kept seeing Patrick Cantlay sinking these clutch putts, and I got curious about his putter. So, I started down this rabbit hole of figuring out what he uses and if it could possibly help my game (spoiler: it’s a journey, not a magic wand!).
Digging into the Details
First, I spent way too much time just Googling. I looked at tons of pictures, read some forum posts, and tried to piece together what I could. No easy answers here, my friends. It’s not like he’s got a giant neon sign pointing to his putter specs.
Then, I watched a bunch of slow-motion videos of his putting stroke. It really did get me thinking about the face balance, I started to noticed how smooth his stroke is, and how the putter head stays really square to the path. That got me thinking about my own putter, which definitely doesn’t do that all the time.
Experiment Time!
So, inspired by what I observed, I headed to the practice green. First, I messed with my grip, trying to mimic that relaxed, but solid. No dice, my grip style didn’t quite match his. Next, I focused on keeping the putter face super square, both on the backstroke and the follow-through. I was pushing and pulling putts all over the place. It was frustrating, to say the least.
I did a test, I grabbed a few different putters I had lying around. One was a blade, one was a mallet, and one was something in between. I tried to replicate that smooth, square-to-square stroke with each one.
- The blade: Felt okay, but I definitely had to work to keep it stable.
- The mallet: More stable, but almost too stable. I felt like I lost some feel.
- The in-between one: This felt the best. It had some stability, but I could still feel the putter head and control the face.
The Long Road Ahead
Honestly, I haven’t cracked the code yet. I’m not magically putting like Cantlay now. But I’ve learned a few things:
I realized I needed to think about my putter’s style and weight. And most importantly, I need to practice. A lot. Just watching someone else’s stroke isn’t going to magically fix mine. It’s going to take time, experimentation, and probably a few more frustrating practice sessions. But hey, that’s golf, right?
So, my “Cantlay putter” journey continues. I’ll keep you posted on my progress… or lack thereof! Maybe one day I’ll figure out the secret, but for now, it’s back to the grind.
