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Should putter sit flat on ground?

Author

William Rodriguez

Published Jan 06, 2026

Perfect Fit

You know your putter fits you when the sole of the club lies flat on the ground when your eyes are over the ball at setup. You're ready to roll the ball off the sweet spot— just as the putter was designed!

Does a putter have to be flat?

Not all putters are designed to be either face or balanced. Many putters fall somewhere in between, with some degree of toe hang.

What happens if putter is too flat?

"A lie angle that is too flat will cause a player to reach for the ball and his hands will move out from under the shoulders," Pelz told Golf World in 2010. "That leaves the putter swinging around the body instead of along the proper path.

Should my putter be upright?

Discover the best lie angle

A 90-degree lie angle would have the clubhead parallel to the ground with the shaft pointing straight up, a setup that is against the Rules of Golf. Still, your putter will be the most upright club in your bag, and most putters shipped from the factory have a lie angle around 70 degrees.

What happens if a putter is too upright?

When a right-handed player has a putter built with a lie angle that is too upright for the player's setup and stroke, the toe of the club tends to come up, and putts tend to miss to the left.

34 related questions found

How much loft should a putter have?

Traditionally, the standard loft on putters is three to four degrees however out on Tour there is something called 'effective loft' which is the goal of delivering the putter with three or four degrees of loft at impact.

Does a putter have to be angled?

By definition, the loft of a putter must not be greater than 10 degrees. Putters are permitted to have negative loft. However, a negative loft exceeding a magnitude of 15 degrees would not be considered “traditional and customary in form and make”.

Does putter length affect lie angle?

Putter length has a direct impact on the lie angle at the time of addressing the golf ball. The lie angle of all your golf clubs, not just the putter, must be proper. Otherwise, trajectory suffers big time (it goes offline). When not flat or square during address, the loft of the putter pushes the ball off the mark.

How do you bend a putter to lie?

To adjust lie angle bend up to make more upright and down to make flatter. The shaft should move in a plane parallel to the front of the machine. See illustration 8. To adjust the loft angle, bend back (up) to add loft to putter and bend forward (down) to de-loft putter.

Why is my putter face closed at impact?

The normal ball position would be one ball width left in the stance. If the balls tend to go left, a ball position slightly more right will support a more open putter face at impact. Accordingly, if the balls tend to go to the right a ball position slightly more left will support a more closed face at impact.

Is a chipping stroke like a putting stroke?

By definition, a chip shot is a short-game stroke where the ball rolls more than it carries. The stroke is directly related to putting, and actually looks a lot like a putting stroke when executed properly. Because, like putting, the chipping stroke is short, it's also very low maintenance and forgiving.

What is putter lie?

Lie angle is the angle in which the shaft intersects the head relative to the ground. Most off-the-rack putters come standard at approximately 70 degrees.

Is 35 putter too long?

In general, I would say yes, a 35 inch putter is too long for most golfers. Based on the sizing chart from above, unless you're over six feet tall or have shorter arms, 35 inches might be ruining your chances of sinking putts.

Do I need a 34 or 35 inch putter?

Bottom line, most people are using putters that are too long for them. Very few men will need a 35-inch putter and very few women will need a 34-inch putter. Even if you're on the taller side—over 6 feet for men and over 5 feet 8 inches for women—it still doesn't mean you'll need a longer putter.

What length putter does Jordan Spieth use?

The putter Spieth used to hole the deciding putt was a 35-inch Scotty Cameron 009 prototype — a TOUR-only model he has been using since he was 15. "The 009 was my favorite putter [as a junior golfer]" Spieth said at the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show.

Can a putter be over 80 degrees?

Golf Broomstick putters to just about any lie angle, but we typically don't see them go any flatter than 77 degrees. The maximum lie angle allowed by the rules of golf is 80 degrees.

Why do putters have offset?

The purpose of an offset putter is either to keep a player's hands in front of the club head during the putting stroke or to accommodate his dominant eye. There are several ways to offset the club head. In some putters, the hosel (the part of the club head into which the shaft fits) is bent.

What is mallet putter?

Mallet putters are typically defined by their large heads that are designed in a variety of shapes and sizes. The most common mallet putter head shapes are square, semi-circle or what is referred to as the half-moon shape. The traditional mallet putter has a square or rounded back.

How do I check my putter loft and lie?

If you want to locate the loft, the best place to look is the putter manufacturer's official website, where you can usually find all of the pertinent specs, from the static loft and lie angle to standard head weight.

Can you adjust loft on putter?

Besides you should not be looking at the static loft of your putter, but rather the dynamic loft you create at impact. A forward press, or hands forward at address, changes the static loft by delofting your putterface. In the same way your ball position will add loft when it is forward in your stance.

Is a heavier putter better for fast greens?

Heavier putters work well on fast greens because you only need a short back stroke to get the ball moving. But the lighter putter also works because it just feels more nimble in your hands like a magic wand.

What putter is left eye dominant?

Left eye dominant players usually prefer putters with offsets like the Scotty Cameron Newports. Putter offsets help players create a consistent setup. Sometimes players press the shaft forward or lean the shaft back at setup but it actually appears straight up and down from the player's point of view.

Why Can TI chip golf balls?

If you can't chip, it probably comes down to one of four reasons: practice, acceleration, weight and stance. If you never practice your chipping then you will struggle, and trying to chip with the ball dead centre in your stance will also cause problems.