Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2022 - 11

Right Tool for the Job
Get putter fit for better hits and proper
speed for rolling it to the hole.
* BY JOSEPH OBERLE *
T
he multi-talented Larry Bobka, a 2nd Swing master clubfi tter,
routinely recommends a professional fi tting for any new
golf clubs you buy-and the same goes when purchasing a putter.
" You hit at least 40 percent of your shots with a putter, " Bobka
says. " So that would be a good reason to get one. "
Just like crunching swings analysis numbers for irons, hybrids
and drivers, Bobka analyzes your putting stroke in front of
a monitor to match client to putter. Except, in this case, it's a
Quintic Ball Roll System.
" Over six years of using a Quintic, anybody who's ever been
considered a great putter-the Brad Faxons of the world, tour
players-their numbers fi t into the parameters we consider to
be elite putting: proper launch, overspin and sidespin. Anyone
coming in to see me will get those numbers. "
Bobka explains that high launch angle is important for longer
clubs, but just 2 percent launch is the goal for putters.
Additionally, a player should create 20 RPMs of overspin on an
8-foot putt (a tour player reaches 40 to 50, even 60, RPMs). And,
ideally, the Quintic will measure less than 10 percent sidespin on
your stroke.
" You will create sidespin on a putt, " Bobka says. " It's not a perfect
world; the putter comes in from an angle. If you could have
zero sidespin every time, it would be the great, but then you'd
have already retired from the PGA Tour. "
If analytics applied to such a small swing seems like overkill,
Bobka explains that it's still a swing.
Larry's List
Scotty Cameron Newport
The best rendition of the
classic Answer, but Scotty
took it to the next level by
milling the putter.
Bettinardi
Mallet Putter
Bettinardi uses multi-material with concern for
feel, but also giving the player a higher MOI.
Ping Answer
The benchmark for putter designs
since 1969. All similar putters are
based upon that design.
Now available
at 2nd Swing:
clubmaker Larry
Bobka's new putter
design called the
BOBKA.
" There's no room for error when you're hitting a four- or fi vefoot
putt, " he says. " You've got to strike it solid. It must come off
that putter with the right spin and launch so you can hit at the
right speed to get it to the hole. "
Bobka has golfers bring in their current putter for reference at
fi ttings and has a conversation about their putting stroke. Then,
it's over to the putter rack.
" You've got to pick something that looks good to you, " Bobka
says. " You won't want to look at something that you don't feel
you can line up, or it looks to you like a Volkswagen on a stick. "
Bobka says the three most important aspects of putting are
" speed, speed and speed, " and fi nding the correct launch angle
on the Quintic helps determine that. If the launch is too high, the
ball may not get to the hole; too little and it might roll right past.
Modern club technology features materials you might fi nd
on a spacecraft and putter heads that resemble them. But newer
putters' higher moment of inertia (MOI) perform better on offcenter
hits. Ultimately, form and feel inform putter results, but
they're non-starters without the right equipment.
" It's like trying to eat soup with a fork, " Bobka says. " I might
get a little broth; I might get a noodle. But it's not a very effi cient
way to eat soup. A putter that's not fi t is the same. "
Larry Bobka is a master clubfi tter at 2nd Swing in Minnetonka. He
has 45 years as a clubfi tter, clubmaker and short game instructor.
mngolf.org
Spring 2022 MINNESOTAGOLFER
11
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2022

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