Learn Where the "Sweet Spot" is on Your Golf Putter
You know, when you look at your putter head you are usually looking at it from an over the top view, you are looking down upon it. Here you are looking from behind. As we look at it notice that there is a lot of weight out here, that is the toe, there is also a lot of weight over here behind the shaft, that is the heel. The white line is for alignment and it normally insinuates where the sweet spot on the putter is.
What is the Sweet Spot?
The question is what is the sweet spot? The sweet spot, looking at it from face on now, is pretty much in the center o the putter and that is where the greatest amount of mass is centered when it runs into the ball, assuming you hit that sweet spot.
How to Find the Sweet Spot
The next question is how do you find the sweet spot? One of the simplest ways is to run your finger across the putter. When you bounce your finger and the putter bounces straight back and through, now watch, look at the vibration, look at the vibration, when I find the sweet spot the vibration is gone.
Why You Need the Sweet Spot
The advantage of hitting the sweet spot is three fold. Number one, the ball comes off the face more often the same way. Number two, it comes off the face with more energy and number three, it produces the purest of spins. In putting we are looking for is basically over spin. If you hit a 20 foot putt and you hit it a half an inch from the sweet spot towards the toe the combined distance and direction miss would be almost three and a half feet. If you had that same 20 footer and you hit it a half an inch towards the heel the combined distance of the miss would be almost three feet.
Toe Shots and Heel Shots
You say why would it be different if I hit the heel versus the toe and the answer is there is more weight towards the heel because that is where the shaft goes into the club. The neat thing is if you hit the sweet spot you do not care about that other information because you are not going to lose distance and directional control. What you are going to gain is consistency, better spin and better overall putting. Find the sweet spot, practice hitting the sweet spot and then enjoy the results that are attributed to that sweet spot.