I’ve used a standard length, 34″, putter for most of my golfing life. As a youth I preferred the Ping Anser look and feel. As I advanced into my collegiate days it was an Odyssey putter with a similar design to the Anser club head. Most recently it’s been the Odyssey Two-Ball or SeeMore in the bag.
About a year ago I had the pleasure of sampling a SeeMore Belly Putter. I figured if everyone’s doing it, it’s likely for a good reason so I should give it a shot. I made a point to get the same clubhead design on my belly putter that I was using with my traditional length SeeMore putter, trying to reduce the variables. In general, I really liked the feel of the belly putter with the heavier weight and free swinging motion I could make when anchored properly.
In light of the USGA’s decision to remove the anchored putting stroke from the game of golf, effective January 1, 2016, I intentionally didn’t let myself fall in love with the feel of the belly putter. Sure, I liked the weight of the putter and how my golf ball rolled off the putter face, but why learn a technique that I’ll be forced to change in only a few short years? So I stuck with my traditional length Odyssey Two-Ball and only used the belly putter for practice every now and then.
Last week, I had a “golfing moment”. I had the opportunity to visit with Steve Boccieri of Boccieri Golf on The Back Nine Radio Show. Boccieri is best known for his work with the Heavy Putter or recently the Secret Grip. But it may be Steve’s latest innovation that he’s best remembered for 50 years from now.
Enter the EL Series of Putters made by Boccieri Golf. The EL stands for “Extended Length” and features the innovation of Counter Balancing which you may have heard about recently with Justin Rose winning the United States Open using a Counter Balanced Putter from Taylor-Made. While the major manufacturers may claim to have first introduced the concept of Counter Balancing, Steve Boccieri’s been doing it for over a decade.
By strategically placing weight in varying places throughout the golf club, most notably near the grip, Boccieri is able to move the balance point of the golf club closer to the golfer’s core muscles (bigger muscles). In doing so, the golfer is better able to manage the putter head and make more consistent contact.
Always looking to improve, I put the Boccieri EL Series Putter in play this week and can personally attest to the benefit of the technology. The EL Putter felt very similar, actually better, than the belly putter and I found myself able to consistently swing the putter just as I had with the belly model. I also found myself able to manage putts of varying distance with much more ease by merely moving my hands up and down the grip. For longer putts, I could slide my grip just a inch or so towards the top of the club and put forth the same effort or shoulder movement and produce a consistent roll. For shorter putts I would slide my grip down the club. My lag putting is going to be far better as a result of having the EL Series Putter in the bag.
More information about the EL Series Putter I put into play:
This high MOI mallet design incorporates the tour proven patented weighting technology in a new MID-WEIGHT category. The H1-M is face balanced and has a center shaft orientation. A unique parabola channel with a long site line aids in alignment. The putter is constructed of Stainless Steel and has a CNC milled face and is offered in a Black PVD or Bronze Black Nickel finish. Each MID-WEIGHT uses a proprietary shaft with a 200 gram weight inserted in the butt end of the shaft; this creates the necessary weight to give the golfer more control of the stroke and also produces a balance point 75% higher than conventional putters that eliminates the wristy action in the stroke. Heavy Putter uses a newly developed Winn Mid-size grip with a V17 Super Soft compound with a cord base material which produces an extremely tacky but firm feel, preferred by better golfers.
Would you like to learn more about the benefits of Counter Balancing your putter? If so, Go HERE and visit the Boccieri Golf Website.
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