How To Find Your Putters Sweet Spot

For precise putting you must strike the golf ball exactly on your putter's sweet spot. Do you where this exact spot is located?

Take a look at your putter. Is there an alignment mark on the top of the putter blade? Maybe your putter has an alignment mark on the flange projecting backward from the sole of the putter blade. This alignment mark is there to help you align your putt with your putt's target line. The sweet spot is on the putter blade is usually but not always exactly on line with the alignment mark.

What is the sweet spot?

When you strike a ball on the sweet spot of the putter, you are striking it on line at the putter's center of gravity (CG) imparting maximum force to the ball for that particular swing. If you miss the CG you lose a little of the force and your putt will be shorter. When you miss the CG your putter tends to twist a bit when you strike the ball. That slight twist will cause the ball to miss your intended target, It also imparts a slight clockwise or counterclockwise rotation on the ball causing it to curl slightly as it stops rolling,

That is why it is so important to strike the ball exactly on the putter's sweet spot?

Your putter may or may not have an alignment mark. Professional tour players often have their putter tested on a center-of-gravity meter at a club specialy shop. Here are a couple of other ways to find that spot but without the precision of a meter:

1. Plumb shaft. Hold the putter's blade between your thumb and forefinger, Let the shaft hang down naturally, Does the shaft hang vertically? Move your thumb and forefinger to so that the shaft hangs exactly vertically. Mark the putter blade's face at that point. That's the spot.
2. Sense and sound of ball striking putter blade. Hold the putter with the putter blade's face up. Now drop a golf ball on the face of the blade and listen to the sound of the bounce as the ball strikes the face. Try various spots on the blade and listen to the sound of the bounce. Note which spot on produces the clearest sounding bounce. That is the CG. At that spot the ball also bounces slightly higher as there is no twisting force due striking the ball off the sweet spot.

Even if your putter has an alignment mark, try those methods of finding the spot to confirm its location and ingrain into your mental putting map its exact location.

On the practice green, putt the ball striking it near the toe of the putter's face. Do you sense a dull feel and sound of the ball-strike? Do you sense the twisting force caused by striking the ball off the spot? Now stroke the ball close to the heel of the putter face and note the feel and sense you get. This is a good way to help you learn exactly what happens when your putter strike misses the sweet spot.

Now strike the ball exactly on the putter's sweet spot. The sense and feel should be now be perfect.

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