Wilson Blackjack Balata Putter

13/11/11 22:44 Filed in: Game Improvement| Putting| equipment

Last week, as I went out for my weekly round, I loaded my bag with my clubs for the day. I like to use a different mix of clubs everytime I play, just to keep it interesting.
On this day I grabbed an old Wilson Blackjack balata-faced putter to use. I've had some great rounds with the soft, balata-faced putters and I've had some horrible rounds, too, so I never really know what I'm going to get.
Early in the round, it looked bad, as I was leaving every putt short, and it looked like it was shaping up to be a long day. Naturally, I started striking the ball harder to make up for my lack of distance on the greens.
Soon, I began to get in a rhythm, knocking down 6 foot putt after 6 foot putt. I realized that the stronger, firmer stroke I was taking to compensate for the soft balata face, coupled with a little extra care in reading the breaks and lining up the putts was creating putts that were tracking more aggressively toward the hole.

Testing my theory, I spent the last half of the round committing to my chosen line and taking firm , carefully lined-up runs at the hole, and knocking down several more testy five to six footers.
I had the felling that if I was taking these same strokes with a metal faced putter the ball would be approaching the hole too quickly and rolling way past on misses. So here is what I concluded: The balata faced putters allow you to remain aggressive in your putting without blowing past the hole on misses. These stringer, more deliberate strokes tend to give your putts more momentum along the line you've chosen and, assuming you've chosen your line correctly, result in more successful putts!
Now I'm looking forward to this week's round as my quest to break 80 continues.
My Breakin' 80 golf blog details my quest to break 80 on the golf course and gives me an outlet for any other deep thoughts I might have on the great game of golf. Be sure to visit myeBay golf club storefor great deals on used golf clubs the I can no longer find a place for in my garage or myAmazon.com GolfShop for shiny new gear!
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