Is balance important? You bet it is. It makes all of the difference in the way you play the game of golf. By balance I’m not referring to the golf club as a whole, but specifically the center of the
Is balance important?
You bet it is.
It makes all of the difference in the way you play the game of golf. By balance I’m not referring to the golf club as a whole, but specifically the center of the face on your clubheads.
First of all, the scoring club; the putter is the most critical. Here is how you can tell if yours is “balanced.”
Hold the club in your left hand, twix the thumb and index finger and just let it hang there with your hand opposite your eyes. Let the face of the putter point to the right. Now take the tip of the index finger of the right hand and TAP the face of the putter, starting from the heel of the putter … gradually moving it more toward the toe until you discover that the head stops twitching. That is the center of the face, or the balance point, and/or the sweet spot. The ball will roll true from there.
So put that spot behind the ball and give it a stroke. You might want to take one of those permanent marking pens and put a reminder dot on the top of your putter.
When you putt with a balanced putter you will discover a soft feel when you meet the ball and it will roll along the line you have decided upon.
But what if it’s not balanced? Well, you can sometimes correct or adjust this with lead tape. Ask your clubmaker about it, or stop by and I can help you.
If a putter should be balanced … what about the rest of the clubs in your bag? By all means they should all be center-face balanced, and that means all the way up to your driver.
This is not my opinion, but a truth and lesson from the Laws of Physics.
“Weight follows the Path of Least Resistance.”
Therefore, if the heel of the putter, iron, wood is heavier in the heel than the toe … the heavy part will preceed the light part when it meets the golf ball. It only takes a little tweak and that quiver will put a side spin on the ball and, guess where it’s going? Not to the place you were aiming, I’ll bet.
Something I learned from Bob Toski a few years ago when I sponsored him to give a clinic at Mililani Golf Course: “The ball will first begin on the path of the swing and then take the angle of the face at impact, for finish of the ball flight”. When a pitcher throws a “hook” up to the plate it starts out as a straight ball, but when it begins to decrease in velocity it honors the spin imparted upon it. Are you getting the picture?
The bottom line to this is … it does not matter how much you pay for a golf club, it matters if it is balanced or not.
I’ve known a lot of guys who have bought great clubs from discount stores, but believe me, they found them by a stroke of luck. Maybe five out of a hundred mass produced golf clubs are good, so don’t gamble if you haven’t learned how to determine the balance.
To determine the balance of your irons and woods is a little bit more complicated. I can help you when I return from the Orient by the end of the month.
Today’s Golf Tip: Golf is just a game. You get out of it what you put into it. So if you hit some bad shots, laugh it off, we all hitem’. Go on to the next. Even the PGA professionals miscue, so give it your best swing and enjoy the exercise!
