Putter fitting on eBay: length, lie and loft before you buy

Most putters are bought on looks, and most are sold off the rack at one length. A used putter can be a great buy, but only if three numbers fit you: length, lie and loft. Get those right, then match the head's balance and the grip to your stroke.

1. Length: the measurement that matters most

Putter teacher Todd Sones told GOLF.com that roughly 70 percent of putters in a golf shop are 35 inches, a standard that traces back to the height of a staff bag's front pocket rather than to golfers' bodies. Golf Monthly says putters usually come in 33, 34 and 35 inches, with other lengths as custom options. A putter that is too long jams your elbows, pushes you away from the ball or stands you up too tall; the goal is to set up with your eyes over the ball. Ping's engineers told GOLF.com that in their testing, players who could adjust length to a comfortable posture improved distance control.

• Find your number first: take your putting posture, let your arms hang naturally, and have someone measure from the floor to where the top of the grip sits in your hands. A fitter can do this in minutes.
• Ask the seller to measure the putter with the sole flat on the floor, from the floor at the heel to the end of the grip, and to photograph the tape.
• Do not trust the title alone. Putters get cut down, extended and regripped.
• Small changes are possible. A club builder can shorten a putter, though shortening or lengthening changes how heavy the head feels, which is where adjustable sole weights help.

Adjustable-length putters solve the problem for a used buyer. Ping's Sigma 2 used a wrench at the grip end to move the length between 32 and 36 inches, about a quarter inch per turn. GOLF.com also suggests an adjustable-length shaft for anyone who is not ready to commit to one length.

2. Lie angle: does the sole sit flat?

Lie is the angle between the shaft and the ground with the putter soled. The rules require the shaft of a putter to lean at least 10 degrees from vertical, and within that limit the right number depends on how you stand. A GOLF.com mailbag sums it up: if you stand close to the ball with a straighter stroke, a more upright lie usually suits you; if you stand farther away with more arc, a flatter one. A wrong lie leads to off-center strikes and a putter that drags the turf, and it changes where the face points.

A seller cannot easily measure lie at home. Instead, ask whether the putter has been bent or customized, and look at a photo of it soled on a flat floor from behind the ball. If the toe or heel is clearly in the air at the seller's address position, that tells you something, but your own posture is what counts.

3. Loft: a few degrees that change the roll

Golf Monthly says most putters have 3 to 4 degrees of loft at address, and a fitter quoted by GOLF.com puts the usual range at 2 to 4. Too much loft and the ball skids and bounces before it rolls; too little and you drive it into the turf. Players who press their hands forward need more static loft, and the longer or shorter you play the putter changes the loft you deliver. Fitters care about loft at impact, which is why a fitting on a launch monitor beats guessing.

Can a used putter be bent to fit?

Often, yes, for one-piece steel heads. GOLF.com reported a Scotty Cameron tour rep describing minor loft bends and lie tweaks as a routine check on Scottie Scheffler's stainless steel putter, and Scotty Cameron himself once straightened the bent neck of Tiger Woods's putter with a loft and lie gauge and bending tools in a parking garage. Most fitting shops will check and bend lie angles for a small fee, so a steel blade such as a Newport 2, which GOLF.com describes as a stainless steel body with a stainless insert, is a reasonable candidate for a small adjustment.

Be more careful with multi-material and insert heads. The Odyssey Eleven uses a thermoplastic urethane sole plate, Spider putters are multi-material, the Odyssey White Hot OG pairs a milled head with the White Hot insert, and the Ping 2021 Anser 2 has a Pebax face insert. We could not confirm a general rule for which of these can be bent and how far, so ask the manufacturer or a club builder before you buy one counting on a bend. If it cannot be adjusted, the specs it has are the specs you get.

Toe hang, neck style and grip

Balance the shaft on one finger near the head. If the face points to the sky, the putter is face-balanced; if the toe droops, it has toe hang. GOLF.com's fitters match these to stroke type: face-balanced heads, mostly mallets, suit straighter strokes with little face rotation; toe hang, mostly blades, suits a stroke with more arc. Golf Monthly adds that plumber's neck or L-neck putters suit strong arcs, double-bend shafts suit minimal arcs, and slant or flow necks sit between. The Spider X added single-bend and flow-neck options, and Odyssey sells the Eleven with several hosels, so the exact neck in the listing matters more than the model name.

• Grip size: larger grips can reduce grip pressure and quiet the hands; smaller grips give more feel and release.
• Grip shape: a fitter told GOLF.com that rounder grips can slow the release for players who pull putts, while flatter or squarer shapes can help players who push them.
• Grips are cheap to replace, so do not pass on a putter that fits because of the grip. But check the size if you plan to keep it.

What to ask the seller for

• Measured length, floor to the end of the grip, with a photo of the tape.
• Whether it has been cut, extended, bent or reshafted, and by whom.
• A photo of it soled on a flat floor from behind, and one from face-on.
• Close-ups of the face and any insert. Golf Monthly notes that insert faces wear and soft polymer inserts mark over time.
• Close-ups of the neck, sole, weights and any stampings or serial number.
• Which grip is fitted, and whether any headcover is original.

If you are shopping for a Scotty Cameron, read our guide to spotting counterfeit golf clubs before you bid. Scottys are the most copied putters on the market, and the stampings, sight line, weights and serial number are where fakes give themselves away.