Are Long Putters The Future of Putting?? | 2nd Swing Thoughts Ep. 35

This episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast focuses on long putters. In recent months, long putters have taken the golf world by storm. Whether it’s a slightly longer, counterbalanced long putter like the popular Odyssey Jailbird model that helped Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark win in 2023, or the Mezz.1 Max Broomstick style putter that helped other Tour pros solve putter woes, it seems long putters are serving as a solution for golfers struggling with putting.

0:00 Intro
2:26 First Impression of 2024 Products
5:54 Trend of Longer Putters
13:46 36-39 inch Putters
19:12 L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max / Broomstick Putters
26:44 Will this trend last?
38:14 Why should golfers try these styles?

In this episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, Drew Mahowald is joined by Larry Bobka, 2nd Swing master fitter and short game guru. Larry shares his thoughts on long putters, why they’re effective, and why golfers of all skill levels should try long putters.

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The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.

Hey golfers and welcome back to another episode of the second swing thoughts podcast uh today’s a great one we’ve got if you’re watching on the YouTube by the way we’ve got a bunch of these Putters here um in between Larry and myself and speaking of that’s our guest today is

Larry bobka uh back in the great state of Minnesota after a couple months down in Arizona at our Scottdale store so uh how first of all how when did you get back it’s been it’s been recent right I got back last Wednesday okay so and by Thursday night I had four blankets

Covering me because I was flipping cold well okay there’s definitely a difference but it’s it’s been warm here yes it’s been it’s been very nice I mean yesterday was 64 degre or something and Minnesota and February so it’s been okay actually there was a there were a few

Days that actually it was warmer here than it was in Arizona was gone how’d that make you feel when you’re Arizona uh maybe an extra Margarita I can’t I can’t I can’t lie Drew maybe an extra Margarita I figured okay yeah uh well good I know yeah I know a lot of golfers

You got to work with a lot of golfers down there and um yep we we love that Arizona store obviously it’s it’s if you haven’t been to it and you’re able to get a chance it’s a spectac down there to see how big and and how I guess

Extravagant that store is so yeah deal I was very fortunate I I worked with some people um some customers and putting from a 9-year-old kid that maybe has the best putting stroke I’ve ever seen wow um and all the way up to you know my great friend Tom perer we were working

Again on that um Kevin Streelman came and saw me a couple times there and and you know it’s it it’s interesting down there because you know it’s in season and you get so many people that are flying from Canada and Minnesota all these things and they might be Snowbird

Staying for a few months or they’re just on their golf trip and they you know they want they want the magic wand yeah the magic wand I want it I want it now and I want to shoot 65 tomorrow yeah yeah well we uh we do have some magic

Wands to talk about today um one thing I did want to first before we do that is just get because we haven’t talked to you since you know all the new products came out from the big Brands and you’ve been fitting down in in Scottdale so um

Kind of your first impression on some of the new stuff out there and if there’s maybe one or two products you really want to highlight that have been awesome I know you’ve been doing primarily putter stuff down there so um is there any of the you know whether it’s

Driver’s irons or it is a putter that that’s you’ve been really impressed by so far well yeah and I don’t want to you know act like a a ping advertisement you know now that we got the fitting thing there but uh the 10K the new 10K is amazing yeah

Uh it’s basically a driver in between the max in the LST with more forgiveness so I would say for in you know fitted for an 82y old guy fitted in 14y old kid uh very very good product um I would say the new smoke driver is very good um I happen to have

A new smoke driver ah there you go um that very happy I actually went from a rogue Triple Diamond to a smoke uh Max oh okay with a little bit less Loft um and very happy with the product very yeah um that’s really good the tailor made the tailor made line

Is the the best we’ve seen in a while from Taylor made from Taylor that’s what I’ve heard too um they’ve reled they’ve done a good good job of strengthening the face a little bit um so I know they’re they address the durability issues that they may have seen and I

Also like the look way better too and a little bit more speed too yeah yeah we’ve seen more speed and you know where the where the stealths tend to be a little bit right bias this this doesn’t seem to be as right bias so yeah yeah no

Very happy I mean it it’s everybody that’s come in is like hey I want I want to try you know let me try 10K let me try the you know the QI let me try let me try the smoke yep and let’s see let’s see what let’s see what plays out best

So sure um yeah I think it’ll be a great year for all those those product lines that’s going to be it’s going to be a big year so yeah absolutely um and then you know on the on the iron side um I would say for somebody who is you know

The players distance kind of player the new AI smoke is really is really good um you gotta like the blueprint you know me I’m a blade guy so blueprint T is is you know I put it down and looked at it and went man if I didn’t have my own golf

Clubs I’d be playing that right so um yeah no really really really good uh really happy with those um you know the new the new tailor made Iron is good also um but you know especially down in Arizona we fit a lot of ping the HL

Stuff sure yeah yeah yeah you know mauno mauno High mauno HL down there so I mean it’s a thing now because clubs have gotten so strong lofted and so low spin that if you don’t have the speed you need to hit it in the air so lot of good

Lot of good options sure yeah there’s a ton of new stuff uh it’s been I know I’ve been talking to the Fitters here in Minnesota and it’s they’re really excited about a lot of it so yeah absolutely now I want let’s go back to the to the magic wands that you

Mentioned so uh today primarily is going to be focused on this trend that has emerged of um longer than standard length Putters long longer and longest yeah yeah there we go so um if you’re watching on YouTube we’ve got the all of these you know they’re what probably 38

To 39 and then up to 45 in Putters here um and it is a trend it’s that’s emerged here so um I guess first of all why do you think this has even started to emerge as a trend like what what is sparring this this fad of longer length

Putters that started on tour obviously but now it’s becoming very popular just with any go well you know you hate to say it in in a bad way to somebody’s ability to putt but sometimes it’s you know what’s the last resort yeah you know I’m struggling with it I’m

Struggling with a shorter putter you know I’m playing well I’m hitting the ball good and I’m not getting anything out of it you know why not take it Advantage I mean look at somebody like Bernhard Langer who has putted six eight different ways from short holding on to doing to how he

Putts now and has been very successful um so I think you’re doing it diservice to yourself if you’re struggling putting and don’t try one of these alternative methods why why wouldn’t you you know hey it’s you know as I’ve said before my great friend Phil Rogers used to say I

Mean it’s a scorecard it’s not a postcard right there’s no pictures on it there’s no pictures there’s no style points it’s all about putting those little numbers in the box right so I think it’s well worth trying you know hey and we all physical aim you know I

Have a bad back does it is it easier to stand taller to absolutely you know I don’t practice nearly as much as I used to yeah so is that one of the reasons they are working is it is it is part of it for a lot of golfers just having back

Issues or is there cuz I know there’s also the counterbalancing stuff to them as well so you know I what aspects are making them work better than a shorter length I think I think there’s a couple reasons I think you you’ve got first of all you you’ve struggled with the way

You putt it you know you got a house full of Putters yeah what do I do where do I go now what do I want to do you know it’s kind of and you know Kevin Streelman came in to me with a bunch of Putters and said hey I’m trying this I’m

Trying that what do I do you know you have to find out what the best method for you is what’s going to be the most consistent you know that’s why you know we use quintech because we want to get numbers we want to get numbers that’ll

Help you roll the ball better well if I’ve got a short putter in my hand and I don’t care if I’m putting conventional I’m putting cro if I can’t make that ball roll consistently let’s take a look at something else now on the other side of

It is okay okay now I buy this 39 38 in putter it’s bigger it’s heavier it looks well I got to get comfortable with it so I start practicing more yeah it’s amazing how practice how practice helps but if you’re frustrated with a short Putter and you’re going to practice and

You’re going to see some results and you’re going to see some success then you’re going to keep doing the same thing over and over again why wouldn’t you and and see what happens right and I think there’s also probably a confidence you know aspect too that you’re referring to where like I’m one

Of those players I have I I putting it’s gotten better in the last year or two but it’s I have the the arh membership where I can see my stats and see my Strokes gained relative to other players at my level right and putting is is the

Worst one of the you know it’s driving it’s approach play it’s short game it’s putting or the four that it’s measured every time in most of my rounds then of course when you extrapolated over you know a large number of rounds putting is always the worst category and so that’s

Where I feel like I can make up the most stats I just ordered one of the jailbirds um the jailbird AI the cruiser one for 2024 yeah um I’ve tried it a bunch in the store I’ve tested it out it feels great I love the look of the kind

Of the striped Club head but yeah there’s that feel element of an extra heavier Club head with the counterbalance in the shaft it’s to me it feels like it’s more stable in the putting stroke so there’s and and that again it goes back to my confidence I

Know I I have a lot more confidence on putting stroke from thousand inside 15t that it’s going to be a solid stroke right yeah you know like I got a great story about the lab Putter and Lucas you know and if you want to go through some

Of this first I know you want to be structured I’m very unstructured when come when it comes to discussing things you know we’ll just but yeah it’s confidence you know and if I believe this design is going to help me get it in I mean why think about it back in the

Day I mean before you were ever born and were playing Pimon woods and Bot golf balls well now all of a sudden metal woods come out well then all of a sudden oversized metal woods come out with big birth and then all of a sudden titanium

Comes out all of a sudden the club head gets bigger bigger and bigger well people put now they put a 10K down and go man I I can hit this all over the face and still hit a fairway okay well that’s confidence it’s the same thing

With this if I’ve got something in my hand that’s going to help me swing the putter better it’s going to help you know one of my one of the things that I really feel that most poor Putters do is they over accelerate okay they tend to take the

Putter back shorter and hit it like this okay the Tour player is going to take the putter back he’s going to swing it and there’s going to be there’s going to be more back swing and less follow through the putter is actually moving constant okay most people think that

Well if I do this and I don’t take a long follow through I’m decelerating absolutely not I mean over acceleration of a putter is one of the worst things you can have because you’ve been on the Quint Tech before if I over accelerate well one time I do it this one one time

I do it this way one time I do it that one one time I do the way the putters delivered is more inconsistent absolutely it’s totally more inconsistent well these are longer heavier it’s going to help you swing the putter I mean that’s the whole thing I

Mean you know I’m sure I’ve said this multiple times on on videos and whatever I mean to me putting’s like playing cornhole mhm I got I got the bean bag and I’m just trying to toss it to the corner there yeah I’m not thinking about anything other than the distance that

I’m to cring this from here to there I’m not thinking about arm speed I’m not thinking about anything not thinking about alignment I got a beer in one hand and I got I’m tossing with the other and you’re tossing it pretty good well that’s what putting is okay and if and

If one of these allows me to do that you you’re so far ahead of the game yeah because ultimately all I really have to do is line the putter up on the correct line get my body in a comfortable position and roll the ball the right speed okay if I can do those

Three things then you’re going to be a pretty darn good putter yeah okay and you at this point you’re it’s it doesn’t matter what the tool is the putter is if if it works you know so CU we have it’s almost like two categories of long Putters that have sort of emerged here

Right so we’ve got sort of the you know I don’t want to call them midlength but you know like 36 to to 38 39 in um with kind of a longer grip counterbalanced and then typically a mallet style Club head right um is one one category there of these longer

Putters um and actually I know we’ve got a couple models here we’ve got um a jailbird model we’ve got the ping Tom Cat here got another special one that you’ve brought with us as well I’ll let you share as much as you want to share about that we have we have an lb

Prototype yeah we have an lb prototype so with those models specifically you know what is the driving factor that makes them so effective you know because those are they’re not the you know split grip long 45 incher but they’re longer than a standard 34 35 in these are the old ones

That when you used to be able to Anchor it in your belly yes okay so which I did for a while add so if you added a couple inches to some of these Putters it would be a belly putter right where people felt very confident because it was

Anchored in their belly and they could swing the putter it’s kind of the same feeling that I want some I want some length above you know above my hands so I feel like there’s just that I I can just move the putter smoothly through the impact area you know one of the

Things that I’ve seen especially when I saw in Arizona was people were grabbing these longer Putters that maybe they’re putting with 34 35 now they grab the 39 well they got the ball way too far away I mean the whole idea is actually to get

The ball close MH to reduce the Arc of to reduce the arc and reduce the face rotation you know where you can just naturally do that you know most of these Putters tend to be face balance yep okay mine’s not face balance because I still think there’s players that need some

Face rotation okay we talked earlier before we started you know Lamont man’s working on a prototype uh Liam from Embrace Putters he and I designed a putter which we’re GNA you know it’ll be for sale on second swing go.com soon um but we went in there and

Designed a Putter and and you know this is the weight this is the look this is what we want for somebody that to build confidence this is what I want the putter to look like this is how I want it to feel this is how I want it to

Sound y um so that was really cool part about being in Arizona is being and work being able to work with Lamont and Liam directly you know two of our great handmade sticks guys experts in their craft and then just kind of new fad sort of working together to build something

There yeah we took a selfie of it one day you know Perfect Two Old two old two old fat guys and a skinny guy that’s pretty much that’s pretty much what the picture was but they’re into it you know they’re they’re down there they’re playing people are coming in people are

Walking in the store walking back to see Lamont going I want to putt back well this is an opportunity yeah you know somebody like Ricky hey I wasn’t you know always used U you know always used an answer style putter MH you know used a Scotty Cameron for years and and was

Struggling well okay well you’re hitting the ball better we’re not getting let’s try something well all of a sudden sometimes you know it’s like the cartoon the light bulb comes on above your head and it’s like hey this is going to work yeah and then Money Talks you start

Winning you start winning wind Clark’s another one well you start winning the confidence starts growing and now you start going now you just start it just starts breeding confidence you know that you you’re not you’re not scared to go on the putting green you’re excited to

Get on the putting green because I get to go make birdies now yeah I feel like I can make it from anywhere right yeah I mean last year alone with that jailbird and that was kind of the the the model that popularized this style but there’s

A lot of others out there like this but yeah Ricky Fowler came back back and won Windam Clark won a couple times and a major last year keeg and Bradley same deal um and there’s think about Fred Freddy coupl Freddy Couples has puted that way for years with his bet nardy

Putter you know there’s a putter that’s got some that’s got some tow hang to it but he’s put because he was he was a belly putting guy and then couldn’t do it anymore so he lengthen it and you know he’s putted well Victor Victor H yeah I mean so this is

Not necessarily new yeah it’s popularized now because it’s the golf business nothing’s really new it just kind of comes around um so but it’s popularized there’s some success there’s some people looking at going hey if I’m going to spend some money why should I just buy the same old putter again yeah

If something’s not working let’s try something new right if I’m going to like you said put the money into and if you can honestly see that you know and if we can honestly give some someone some information that hey this is going to putt better than what you currently have

You’re rolling the ball better you have a major opportunity to make putts yeah yeah so so there’s and then the other one is this MZ One Max right from Lab y um and now that’s the kind of the popular one but there’s a couple others out there but that’s the one that’s sort

Of the most popular and it’s kind of that um broomstick style is what it’s been dubbed as so now that’s the one that Lucas Glover went to there’s a few other names you know Adam Scott will zalatoris guys that have gone to that similar thing where they guys that maybe

Struggled putting a little bit or were looking for an answer and this just kind of provided it for them Lucas glver won right away last year no pun intended that’s a good point I didn’t even think of that looking for an answer looking for an answer um Lucas won right away with it

Last year he did and and I’ll tell you a great story so you know he he came here to play 3M so we met up we met up and we walked the Tuesday practice round together now you know I helped Lucas for you know about 3 years with a shorter

Putter kind of get back to putting good yeah um felt like he kind of plateaued on that and he was starting to go down a little bit with a short said won the John Deere a few years ago and yeah won John Deere putting short um played

Really well gotten into a first Tour Championship in 10 years so you know started y kind of started getting his career back on track you know and trying to get his putting as solid as his ball strike yeah so but he just felt like that he kind of plateaued and he started

To go back the other way and he just so he just he had tried Adam Scott’s putter somewhere and he just called the guys up at lab and said hey I want a putter just like Adam Scott you know we’re about the same height went home had two weeks off

And he went into his indoor putting green at home and taught himself how to a long putt that’s it that’s it wow that’s what he did and then he won like twice in was it did he win twice in a row is that what it was last he twice in

A row well he he putted really well in the practice round in the proam at uh 3M okay and missed the cut and I was I was as shocked as anybody going I talked to him afterwards he goes no he goes I roll it great he goes you know some weeks it

Goes in some weeks it doesn’t sure and then you know what two weeks later he wins twice in a row okay but it it’s not surprising but he also tried to figure out too that you know now that it’s not anchored to me it’s a little bit of a it’s a little bit

Of a two-handed stroke now yeah when it was anchored you could hold it here and then you’re just kind of working this way well now there needs to be a little bit of movement you know in the ability that it’s hard to hold it and if you try

To hold it and then do this it doesn’t work too well so he kind of figured out a little secret and I won’t tell the secret um but he found a little secret for him that helped him roll the ball better and he really B really rolled the

Ball beautifully because uh so but again it was all about speed I mean one of the things we always worked on was speed you know I remember one time years ago at the Bears Club and he’s like you know hey I think what you’re telling me is

Not right blah blah blah this and that you know typical player instructor bantering that nobody hears about you know and I’m like your speed’s bad no it’s not I left out a few words in there no it’s not I said yes it is I said do me a favor walk Pace off 17

Feet hit three putts first one went about 4 feet past the second one went about 3 feet short the next one one went in the hole he looked at me and he goes God I hate when you’re blank and right but this style has made his speed

Better if you watch him play the other side of it too he’s practice he’s yeah you got not that he’s never practiced I mean we would spend sometimes five or eight hours on the putting green at the Bears Club working right so it’s not like it’s not like he wasn’t work but

Now it’s it’s working hard better role and confidence because he’s seeing some results yeah and you have to put the time in regardless I mean even absolutely somebody listening to this or watching this that’s you know it doesn’t matter what their handicap is but if they’re trying to improve their putting

And this is potentially an option you’re still going to have to put in the work to get used to the model get used to the feel and as I tell everybody I mean it’s 40 it’s about 40% of your game yeah some people it’s even a little more it

Deserves at least 40% of your practice standing on the Range beating drivers and hitting seven irons you’re far better off hitting a bunch of wedges and then going to the putting green for two or three hours yeah and practicing so yeah you know it it

Deserves it so any style that you do had you know comes with comes with that caveat that oh I got to I got to practice a little bit yeah yeah but it’s uh it’s fascinating cuz even like here you know he’s just pumped about these Putters right and I know I mean I’ve

Even talking to some of the the team here yeah a lot of people are throwing them in the bag this year trying them out myself included um I’m pumped to see how it improves because I I feel like it’s almost as if you read a six s foot

8 foot putt correctly seems like I mean there to me I’m not missing that putt right if I read it correctly right uh so I don’t know I I’m not that’s if you’re if you’re listening to this watching this you’ve kind of seen maybe a little bit about these Putters but don’t know

The extent or haven’t tried one I am endorsing it and I am suggesting that you try one well I think the best thing to do is if if you’re around one of our stores is to come in and work with a putter fitter there and and try it and

See see if it really is for you okay I I’ll I’ll I’ll go to the other side of Kevin Streelman came in with some of this stuff yeah and actually wasn’t was worse than what he was doing with a short putter okay yeah that’s a PGA Tour

Player the other thing is gave him a few things to work on came back he’s like oh my gosh I’m rolling it better than I have in a long time well I just I just turned Kevin Streelman back into Kevin stelman there you go I mean it’s simple

As that you know um but but if I’m standing there and if you know you know you know my favorite place to play is chasa so you know you’re out there at chasa Town course you had a beautiful drive on the first hole you

Get it over the hill you hit a wedge to 15 feet you shouldn’t be dreading going up there going I’m going to hit I got to hit a 15 footer now that breaks a little bit left or right and if I hit it a little hard it’s I

Mean the game’s hard enough okay but if I have one of these where it’s like oh I’m just going to stand up there line it up swing this Putter and see what happens yep you’re you’re like I said earlier you’re way ahead of the game why

Why wouldn’t I do that why wouldn’t I why wouldn’t I try something alternative to make the game easier exactly now the other question I have and I I’m curious on your opinion on it because you know you I I would say I would call you kind of a

A traditionalist is that is that is that fair in ter in terms of the way like the the design Dy Dy in the wool traditionalist oh yes well like the designs of clubs that you like and are in your bag are pretty traditional right absolutely but do you think this trend

Will stick around do you think it’ll last do you think or maybe will it be more of a fad that kind of Fades after maybe this year or next year because you’ve seen it kind of you’ve seen both the ways and some in golf like we’ve seen equipment Trends emerge and then

Fall back so I’m curious well yeah because this will be let’s see let me let me try to let me try to figure this out I’m really good at bad at math but this will be 50 years in the golf business for me so yes I’ve seen a

Couple things come and go I’ve seen some Trends come and go um I think this is one that’ll that’ll hang on for a while because I think there is you know from a standpoint of hey if I got a longer Putter and I can stand out there and

Practice a little bit longer and trust it does it help me swing the putter better yes does it does it help me with over accelerating yes so yes is there there’s real reasons you know most most things in golf that have stuck around for a long time is because the club performed yeah

You know their performance-based sure you know hey you know yeah traditionalist an iron’s an iron it’s got to look like this it’s got to look like that this is how I’m going to play golf with it but you know when somebody comes in my bay and goes hey I’m just

Struggling hitting a seven iron solid I just want to be more consistent am I going to grab you know a ping g430 or a Callaway iron that’s more forgiving whatever absolutely because they they want to play golf and they’re not going to practice you know I just have a hard

Time looking at things that don’t look like yeah they were when I played in colge and that’s your preference but yeah and that’s my preference and are there times you know I was telling I was telling Aaron Roth one of our other great Fitters you know that I was

Hitting balls and I’m like you know I was hitting six irons and all of a sudden the five iron five iron’s getting a little flatter than it used to be you know it used to kind of peek out a little bit I’m like man am I getting am

I getting to the point where maybe I need to do something with this you know you know maybe change a sha we’re not changing the head just yet might have to put something that kicks a little bit but why not you know yeah why not why

Not try to make it a little bit easier you know um so I I think this trend you know and I think what hurted a little bit what what hurt longer style Putters like was the anchoring band yeah you know everybody kind of just backed away

From it like oh you can’t do this you can’t well okay so we all got to go back to short Putters well then you had guys like web Simpson figure out well you know what I’m going to go to I’m going to go to the arm loock which is the only

Style they allow me to do and I’m going to figure out how I can arm loock Putt and still make a living on tour so I I think it you know I think it was just a little bit of that that you know that Backdraft of the of the USGA saying oh I

Can’t do you know you concern that if something like this came out that the USGA would right take action but now everybody’s kind of going okay well you know there’s still guys on the champions tour there’s still guys on the PGA tour putting this way maybe I should putt

This way yeah um you know and I have an opinion on the anchoring ban I won’t I won’t give it because I mean well I think it was I think it was poor I think it was detrimental I think it was very detrimental to the average

Golfer yeah yeah I will say though I will say this when I was I was 16 years old played the best round of my life with a belly putter yeah it was it made everything yeah it was it was great it was awesome I will say I lost control on

The long putts but that’s beside the point I give I give you I give you a real quick story I never putted long till 2006 was going through a divorce so was probably staying out a little bit too late on Friday nights and having a few too many cocktails and I

Went in I went to see Scotty he said Scotty he said I need a I need a long putter he was he was doing the future at the time one with the ring in the back they said Scotty you need a long putter he goes what do you mean you need a long

That was kind of one of the first models that you could actually get the long style he’s like you’re one of the best Putters I’ve ever seen I said yeah but I’m getting a little nervy and you know I need something to lean on on Saturday

Mornings and so he he built me one Friday Friday afternoon went and played our Skins game at the club hit three putts on it three putts on the putting green went out there and shot 68 and one of the guys goes how long you been working with that I go uh since before

We teed off about three minutes before we teed off and but again it’s confidence you know it’s just like was I did I concentrate more yeah cuz I didn’t want to sit there and stick the thing in the ground so I putted I putted that way

For quite some time yeah you know if it worked like that quickly yeah and then and then have since gone back to yeah you know to a shorter putter but yeah I I think there’s all times in our life as golfers that you know it’s time to mix

It up give it something else a try I don’t think it I don’t think it hurts to mix it up at all to sit there and go you know what hey I got a club in my bag that’s not working yeah I mean what do we got there we got seven

Six Alternatives I think that’s part of the reason this is going to stick around is also just all these manufacturers now you know big or small are recognizing the demand for this stuff and providing all these options so there’s more out there even back when there was long

Putters um you know or belly Putters or even arm lock there was nearly there wasn’t as many options for those those Styles as there is right I mean right now everything every manufacturer has something something that you can order in that 36 37 38 in and there’s also

Obviously the 43 44 45 in too that um there was just never that plethora of options before and I think you’re also you’re you’re also looking at designing something where hey I got to have the right head weight I think I think you’ve got you know because partially from

Feedback on the tour I I know when I started doing my prototype you know if you look as usual there’s a bunch of lead tape on the bottom because a golf club’s not a golf club unless it’s got lead tape on it um Larry bobka special Larry bobka special

But you find the feel that works so you know when I was down in Arizona I got this done and I took it out and I I hit it a lot on a putting green and then had it in the store then took it to a few

Other fitters in there and had them hit it had a few other really good players down there and it’s like yeah this feels right yeah so I think that’s the other side of this is it’s not as trendy as like oh my gosh I got a head I got to

Put a 309 in shaft in it and let’s see how it works because if the head’s only about 350 it’s not heavy enough it’s going to the Putter’s going to want to wander yeah the the the construction of these is going through the right process of making sure it’s validated and it

Works and it’s not just oh let me find a design add a longer shaft to it and go it’s right well I think the other thing about this too is you know you’ve got a longer grip you know hey some days you might want to

Feel a little bit more over it some days you might want to feel a little bit farther away from it sure I mean I don’t think it you know I you know somebody asked me one time I had a I had a player come in a very good player in this this

Area in Minnesota good Amer player and he said he said you know there’s some days I putt conventional and some days I putt cross-handed and some sometimes I interlock and sometimes and even through a round he goes I might change my putting grip through a round I

Go not breaking any rules right right right all you’re trying to do is make more pots I got I got a couple friends that are much a lower caliber player yeah than this person probably but they do the same thing it’s like oh this on

Six feet I go cross-and long putts I go traditional it’s a feel thing well and think about it too I mean I you know when I was down in Florida and helping our Golf out Mark calavi was using our our Putters and he played he played the tournament he played the chub tournament

With two Putters really it’s 40% of your Strokes he goes well I felt more comfortable with the Mallet outside 20 feet but I felt more comfortable inside 20 feet with the blade there you go nobody says you only have to carry one putter that’s true right why maybe maybe players will

Go long Putter and short putter maybe you know I have seen I have seen people carry long long Putters and short Putters yeah maybe that’s an option like you said 40% of The Strokes yeah I mean not crazy I I don’t think it’s crazy and

I think the more and more I mean if you look at it now the more and more we talk about Club fitting we talk about you know getting your bag set up where we’ve got you know your yardage gaps are correct and you’re playing a go you’re playing a uh

Clubs in your bag for your golf course that maybe I got more forc carries so maybe I’m going to play more lofted Fairway Woods where somebody else might play longer irons because oh I play a windy why not do it with the putter you know it it’s it’s kind of breaking the

Tradition of you know and you’re talking to a traditionalist who’s talking about Breaking Traditions right but the tradition is to shoot the lowest score yeah you know right yeah I mean hey I I’ll be honest you know my last go my last goal in golf is to shoot my age and

I want to do it my 60s and I would love I’d love I’d love to do it I’d love to do it this year turning turning 64 soon yeah so I would love to shoot 64 this year you could do it you could do it CH you could score

Low at chasa oh yeah oh yeah um I’ve gotten close there I bet you have honestly I’ve gotten close heard Tales of your short game yeah um so short game is off the tea now Drew that’s the problem right um so kind of wrapping this all up I know we’ve we’ve kind of

Covered every really much everything it seems like with related to these these longer Putters but you know we talked about it a little bit already but if if someone’s listening to this and isn’t you know totally confident in what they have right now as for the putter in

Their bag I guess what would you say to them um referring to these new Styles in terms of trying them out what would you tell those players well you know of course come into a second swing or even call Us online and talk to one of our

Online Fitters and and sit there and explain hey this is what’s going on this is what this is what I’m hoping to accomplish I’m trying to get I mean there’s nothing better than people coming into the store and I have since I’ve went Arizona for two months I have

A load of putter fittings M that you know text messages going hey I’m thinking about going to one of these I need you to fit me into one of these perfect okay come in and see somebody and and get the reasoning why you should do it and also figure out that hey I’ve

Got a longer putter I I I need to get that putter more closer to my body you know I saw too many people down in Arizona with a longer Putter and it was farther away well it’s going to make your stroke worse so talk set up the

Right way yeah you got to talk to somebody who understands you know the mechanics of this and the mechanics of helping your stroke get better sure and you know definitely need to write Loft and lie mhm yep so um that’s incredibly important you know I I I cut mine at I

Cut mine at 39 U would in retrospect would I go maybe a touch shorter yeah maybe I would maybe I would I uh I think I might end up depending on the margaritas and tacos I might want to go a little shorter well I I might be uh trying to

Schedule a quick little session with you when I when my uh my jailbird gets gets here and we can maybe fine-tune that thing a little bit I’m excited for that yeah and I know we have uh I know we have in March we have a a Minnesota Men’s Golf Association

Uh deal coming up at at Minon I mean this is definitely a a great conversation thing to do maybe even do a little bit of a little bit of Q&A and and talk to some of these people because some of the players um about you know

How this can help how this can help you or how it can’t you know and and again this style you can you know you can putt conventionally you can putt cross-handed you can claw it you can do whatever you want but again it’s about the three things I talked about it’s

About setting the putter up on the correct line bodying a comfortable position and rolling the ball the right speed okay and rolling the right speed is trying to get away from this over acceleration yeah getting the putter to swing well if I’ve got something there that’s extremely heavy it’s going to

Want it’s going to help me swing that putter yeah it’s really yeah it’s really hard to over accelerate these Putters cuz they it’s going to feel really weird right exactly if you if you do that so yeah to me it’s you know it’s like anything whether you’re getting fit for

A drive or iron whatever you know and like I said it’s 40% of the game why don’t you come in and get fit for it and if you’re curious about the Styles come in and try the different ones you know come there and roll the ball a little

Bit see what you think see how it feels and you know make sure you got the right Loft and life for your for your putting stroke I like that that’s a that’s a great way to wrap it up 40% of your game is on the greens with a putter yep so

Why not use the the best one that can possibly be out there for your putting stroke so yeah um Larry thanks for swinging by and having the conversation um it’s pretty pretty fun Trend we got this year in 2024 long Putters uh I’m very excited to get started with mine so

Maybe we’ll have to film my little session with you I think we probably should but I think this I think this is going to be an exciting year for golf I think there’s a lot of great I think there’s a lot of great products out um

Along with this the drivers irons just a lot of a lot of really cool things going on and I think it’ be I think it’ll be a great year for golf you know be interesting from the tour standpoint there’s a lot to tour and live and you know Anthony Kim Anthony kimes Anthony

Kim makes his his return to golf this weekend so uh I think there’s a lot I think there’s a lot going on uh you know and again I I went from two months in Arizona where everybody’s just all about golf to coming back and oh my gosh we

Were so B we were so busy in minetonka on Saturday because people are all about golf all about golf They are all excited and um you can’t not be excited about it well yeah there you have it um it’s uh you got to go get fit get fit at second

Swing get with someone like Larry or any one of our experts we’ll get your putter dialed in you’ll make more putts and uh that 40% of your game will be a lot better so Larry thank you again for joining for this conversation again it’s going to be a really good year I think

Yep it’s going to be a great year and I’m so glad to be back in Minnesota