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Toe-Balanced Putter

By , About.com Guide

Definition: "Toe-balanced" is a term applied to putters that describes properties of the clubhead, and a putter that is toe-balanced will be favored by golfers with a particular type of putting stroke.

A toe-balanced putter might also be called a toe-down putter or toe-weighted putter.

To determine if a putter is toe-balanced, balance the shaft of the putter on your index finger. Now look at the clubface: Is the clubface angled toward the ground, the toe hanging downward? If so, the putter is toe-balanced. (If the face of the putter is parallel to the ground, then the putter is called face-balanced.)

Putters that are toe-balanced have clubhead properties (such as the shaft's entry point and the center-of-gravity location) such that they open more on the backstroke and close more on the through-stroke in the putting motion.

Toe-balanced putters are preferred by golfers who use an inside-to-inside putting stroke, also called an arcing stroke or a swinging gate stroke.

Golfers who use a straight-back-and-through putting stroke will be better suited by a face-balanced putter.

How much the toe of a toe-balanced putter points downward when the shaft is balanced on one's finger is referred to as "toe hang" (or sometimes "toe droop").

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Also Known As: Toe-Down Putter, Toe-Weighted Putter
Examples:
"You have an arcing putting stroke, so make sure when you buy a new putter you get a toe-balanced model."

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