Unless you are especially eagle eyed you won’t have noticed a change in Rory McIlroy’s putter length for the start of 2020. The Northern Irishman had a brief fling with a 35-inch putter at the Farmers Insurance Open before reverting to 34 at the Genesis Invitational a week later. “I just felt a little bit more comfortable and was seeing my lines a little bit better,” he said.
So why did he change to a longer length in the first place?
“Sometimes with the 34 my right arm can get a little high and my right shoulder can roll over,” McIlroy explained. “But with a 35, a little longer, it puts my shoulder and my right elbow into a better position, more on plane with the shaft.
“So it looked really good on video and it felt good, but once I got out there, just that inch difference in the putter, it moves your eye line and you stop seeing your lines the way you usually do, and I especially struggled on right-to-left putts because when it’s a longer putter and the ball is above your feet, you feel like the putter is up in your belt.”
So why is putter length important?
A key element of putting is setup and getting your eyeline correct over the ball. Good posture and eyeline will help you see a straight line to the hole, not only helping alignment but also meaning you don’t manipulate your stroke to start the ball online.
