Putting · Tip
Set Your Putter Shaft Lean From the Face
Part of our putting programs for start line. Build a program with it
Every putter has a spot where its face sits truly square. Find it. Set the face against a straight edge. A putting gate or the side of your phone works. Adjust until the face sits flush. Now look at the shaft. That angle is the shaft lean you need. If the face looks too lofted, you're leaning it back. If it looks too flat, you're leaning it forward. For stance, start about shoulder width. Go wider for stability or a bit narrower if it helps you turn.
Step by step
- Put the face against a straight edge.
- Adjust until it sits flush.
- Use that shaft angle at address.
- Start with a shoulder-width stance.
- Adjust width for comfort.
Why it works
A putter is built with a certain loft, and that loft only works as designed when the shaft sits at the angle that makes the face square to the ground. Leaning the shaft more or less than that angle adds or removes loft at impact. Extra loft pops the ball up and causes uneven roll, while too little loft drives the ball into the turf. Setting the shaft from the face gives you a repeatable address position that matches how the putter was made.
Common mistakes
- You hold the face against a curved or uneven edge, so it never sits flush.Use a truly straight edge, such as a putting gate or the flat side of your phone, and press the face against it evenly.
- You find the shaft angle, then lose it by shifting your hands at address.Set the putter down first, then place your grip so the shaft keeps the same angle you found.
- You make the stance so wide or so narrow that you can't hold the angle through the stroke.Return to shoulder width and change it a little at a time until you feel stable and can still turn freely.
How you'll know it's working
- The ball starts on your chosen line and rolls end over end without hopping at the start.
- You feel the center of the face strike the ball, with no thin or dug-in contact.
- Your stance feels steady, and your head and lower body stay still through the stroke.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Do the straight-edge check on a flat table or floor and then copy the shaft angle at address with the putter resting on the green.
Harder: Repeat the setup on several putts in a row without checking the edge again, and see whether you hold the same shaft angle each time.
Common questions
How much shaft lean should I have on a putter?
It depends on the putter, so use the angle you find when the face sits flush against a straight edge. That angle keeps the loft as designed at address.
What stance width is best for putting?
Start about shoulder width. Go wider if you need more stability, or a little narrower if it helps you turn.
