Golf manufacturers tend to throw around a lot of terms. With respect to putters, some of these are “zero torque”, “swing balancing” and “face balancing”.
But, with respect to balance, what do these terms mean, exactly? This short post will take a closer look at both swing and face balanced putters, as well as how they can potentially help golfers.
What Is a Swing Balanced Putter?
Zero torque generally refers to a putter designed so that the face resists rotating around the shaft axis during the stroke. Swing balancing is another.
A swing balanced putter is one that has mass positioned strategically so that the shaft does not twist in unwanted fashion during the swing, helping to ensure that the face squares at impact.
This is critical because if the face does not square at the moment of impact, there will be unwanted shot dispersion that will invariably get magnified the longer the putt is.
Manufacturers like Breakthrough Golf Technologies have accomplished swing balancing by using Principal Axis Technology, positioning weight high in the toe and low in the heels of their putters, stabilizing the putter and helping to ensure that it stays square with your swing path.
Putters that are swing balanced align to you, rather than requiring you to align to them.
What About a Face Balanced Putter?
Now we have reached another term common in the world of putting, which is “face balanced”.
Many blade putters exhibit toe hang, which means that when the putter is balanced on a finger, the toe will point towards the ground.
In a face balanced putter, this will not happen. Face balanced putters are so engineered that when they are balanced on a finger, the putter face will point straight up, with no toe or heel hang.
The conventional wisdom is that face balanced putters are supposed to offer excellent stability, especially with golfers that have straight swings with no arc.
While there may be some truth to this, it is also true that a putter is swung, not balanced, when it is used. No putt stroke is perfectly straight front-to-back, so even a face balanced putter, though it may offer excellent stability, is not the cure all for problems with putting accuracy.
How Can These Make a Difference?
A face balanced putter is designed to offer good balance at address. In theory, with a perfectly straight swing, the putter would remain square at impact. This can potentially be beneficial for players with little to no arc in their swing.
A swing-balanced putter is better, and designed not just to meet how a golfer looks at address, but to respond dynamically through the swing, balancing the putter so that the head squares at impact, and conforming to the putter’s swing rather than requiring the putter to make adjustments to his or her equipment.
Shop Advanced, Balanced, Zero-Torque Putter and Shaft Combos at Breakthrough Golf
Ready to elevate your experience on the green with some of the most advanced putters currently on the market? Shop zero-torque, swing-balanced putters online at Breakthrough Golf Technologies and if you have any questions about the technology they use or the specifications of their putters and shafts, get in touch with them directly.
