At MyGolfSpy, we’re repeatedly refining our testing methodologies to supply golfers with essentially the most complete, unbiased information doable. Whereas there’s at all times room for enchancment, with a lot of the golf equipment within the bag, we’re usually pleased with the place we’re. Putters have lengthy been an exception. It’s not like our testing hasn’t recognized some inarguable standouts through the years however we’ve lengthy appeared for alternatives to do extra.
As our putter testing has developed, we’ve tried completely different approaches. We’ve built-in Strokes Gained and three-putt avoidance into our methodologies however alternatives to gather significant information past make-or-miss have proved elusive.
When the final putt of any given take a look at has dropped, we will inform you which putters excelled at a given distance and which of them outperformed the sector however we didn’t at all times have nice solutions as to why.
Was it attributable to alignment, impression consistency, launch route or one thing else fully?
We needed to present you extra particulars and higher solutions.
That’s the place PuttView is available in.
Getting acquainted
We’ve had conversations with the PuttView group at previous PGA Reveals about how their expertise may enhance our placing exams. When these conversations began to get critical, I discovered a neighborhood spot the place I might take a look at one among their smaller placing greens.
Along with being one these “I want that!” moments, the expertise genuinely modified the best way we thought of what could possibly be doable in putter testing. PuttView might present suggestions, visualization instruments and a method to measure placing efficiency properly past what we had been doing.
With a brand new MyGolfSpy facility within the works, a recent alternative to rethink putter testing and to take it to the following degree, PuttView was the apparent selection.
A sketch involves life
Like many different concepts, the structure of our PuttView inexperienced began with a tough (actually tough) sketch on a serviette. We envisioned a state-of-the-art placing inexperienced that might enable us to create a extra strong putter take a look at. That meant integrating slopes, breaks and sufficient house to check every little thing from quick knee-knockers to longer lag putts that may make or break your spherical.
PuttView labored with us each step of the best way to design a {custom} inexperienced that might function the showpiece of our new take a look at facility and elevate our putter testing.
The ultimate design took form as a 30×20(ish)-foot inexperienced that includes exact slopes and breaks, making certain we might replicate a lot of what golfers expertise on the golf course.
Engineering a {custom} inexperienced
Constructing a inexperienced of this scale isn’t so simple as unfurling a roll of flip and slicing out a couple of holes. Each inch of the inexperienced was meticulously deliberate, from the bottom development to the ultimate calibration.
As soon as the design of the inexperienced is finalized, the set up of a PuttView placing inexperienced begins on the manufacturing unit the place a collection of CNC-milled foam panels are reduce to precise specs. Gap areas are marked and every little thing is labeled for meeting.
“When every little thing confirmed up at HQ, it was like Indiana Jones,” says Phillip Bishop, MyGolfSpy’s Director of Testing. “All the things is in large picket crates like these historical artifacts. All the things is reduce and coded the place 1 goes right here and a pair of goes there. They mainly plot it out and put it collectively like a jigsaw puzzle.”
As soon as assembled, the panels fashioned the inspiration of the inexperienced, full with the pre-engineered slopes that dictate how putts break and roll. The subsequent step was turf set up. The placing floor was laid down and secured with further materials positioned across the perimeter to create a practical fringe space.
Holes, whereas pre-marked on the panels, are reduce on-site to make sure excellent alignment with the system’s monitoring software program.
A footnote to all of this: Whereas our PuttView inexperienced was initially designed with seven complete cup areas (5 bodily and two digital), we use solely the bodily ones throughout the testing course of. We’ll doubtless leverage the digital choices sooner or later however for Most Needed testing we wish to keep away from something that would complicate the method.
Set up and associated tweaks
PuttView’s Stuart Smith oversaw the set up of the panels and turf from begin to end, making certain each bit was positioned appropriately, securing the turf, establishing the overhead projectors and monitoring cameras and slicing the holes.
As soon as the bodily construct was full, PuttView Co-Founder and Managing Director Christoph Pregizer took over, putting in and calibrating the software program essential to energy the PuttView system.
For essentially the most half, set up was a breeze (it’s straightforward for me to say that; I wasn’t at HQ whereas it was taking place). So what was the largest hurdle?
Lighting.
It’s at all times one thing, proper?
As a result of our placing inexperienced is considerably bigger than most PuttView installations, we have to management the lighting over a big space – and that features any undesirable ambient gentle leaking in from our doorways and home windows. The PuttView system leverages cameras to trace the golf ball and any inconsistencies in lighting can create issues with ball recognition.
The very last thing we would like is one thing to intervene with the system’s capability to learn putts, forcing our testers to repeat the identical putt time and again.
“There are certain issues that you can run into depending on the size of your putting green,” explains Bishop. “Since it is camera-based and the camera is being utilized to track the golf ball, there are cases where the camera may be blocked by the person putting.”
With that, we anticipated we’d must make some changes and, as we’ve examined and re-tested the brand new PuttView testing protocols in preparation for Most Needed testing, we discovered further tweaks had been crucial. The PuttView group has gone above and past to assist us recalibrate, get every little thing dialed in and replace the software program as we go.
Constructing a greater putter take a look at with PuttView
Along with the information implications, PuttView makes our putter exams considerably extra dynamic. On the golf course, each putt is completely different: distance, slope, break, velocity. Whereas we’ve at all times examined putters from a number of distances, we weren’t in a position to combine different elements of placing that golfers expertise on the course.
With our custom-developed randomized testing protocol, we’re in a position to replicate on-course placing extra precisely. Each putter is examined below similar circumstances. Each tester hits the identical variety of putts from uphill, downhill, left- and right-breaking and straight—however the precise areas are randomized. The hope is to stop golfers from getting grooved in from one location, making the outcomes extra reflective of precise placing efficiency.
However the greatest leap ahead is information.
With our PuttView system we now simply measure:
Proximity to the outlet on each putt.
Left or proper miss bias.
Dispersion patterns that present how persistently a putter leaves golfers with makeable second putts.
Launch route and velocity, serving to us determine which putters present essentially the most constant launch circumstances (sure, putters have launch circumstances).
A brand new Strokes Gained placing handicap metric that simplifies putter efficiency in a manner each golfer can perceive.
Past that, the flexibleness of the system is a game-changer.
“We’ve got it preconfigured for Most Wanted testing,” says Bishop, “but we have the flexibility to essentially recode any other putter tests we might want to run. That means we’re not locked into a single testing model—we can adapt, refine and continue improving how we evaluate putters.”
What comes subsequent?
Our first full take a look at utilizing the PuttView system is underway. We’re planning three Most Needed putter exams in 2025 and we’re assured they’ll be essentially the most complete we’ve ever carried out. The extra insights we’re getting from PuttView go far past what we’ve been in a position to measure prior to now.
However we’re not stopping there.
As PuttView continues so as to add integrations with different techniques (Foresight GC Quad launch screens, for instance), we’ll search for further alternatives to enhance the testing course of.
One factor is for certain: putter testing simply obtained a complete lot higher.
For years, placing has been considered as an artwork—feel-based, unpredictable and, to an extent, tough to quantify. With our new PuttView lab, we will concentrate on the science of placing. And meaning golfers will get the data-driven insights they should make smarter choices in regards to the most-used membership of their bag.
We’re not fully positive the place this may take putter testing however we’re sure that is just the start.
The put up Rolling With PuttView: Inside The Construct, Set up And The Future Of Our Chopping-Edge Placing Lab appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
