Better Putting: Stability Shaft from BGT

In putting, it’s all about feel and makes. Sure, there have been new putter heads and new grips. Yet really nothing that really dramatically improved feel and consistency…until now.

Enter the Stability Shaft from Breakthrough Golf Technology. Headed by Barney Adams, a successful pioneer in all his golf equipment endeavors, this might be the answer to your putter essentially getting on steroids.

In the last five years, putter weights have significantly increased while the shafts have stayed the same, with essentially 30-year old technology. In any sport, it’s about tuning the system so the components work best together. And, in this case, it was about making the putter shaft light while increasing accuracy and feel.

Like other technology, probably not best to dismiss the features until you hear the story or better yet, have tried the technology in your putter. When getting ready to putt, most golfers are concerned about speed and line. Once you have planned out the variables, you hope the equipment will respond to your directions. And moreover, respond consistently from short to long putts. BGT claims resistance to slight bending and reduced torsional rotation provided by the Stability Shaft means that dispersion will be tighter within a tighter rollout range.

Before you determine it’s only a putter, how much can the shaft bend, and does the research at BGT says otherwise? The putter shaft does bend, and that results in the head being in a slightly different position in each stroke depending upon take away and stroke speed, as well as the transition.

The Stability shaft was measured with state-of-the-art measurement tools using a wide variety of putter brands, models, and styles, using both humans and putting robots. Some of the measures and variables were paths that were straight and those putting strokes with an arc. BGT looked at high handicap players all the way through tour players. The results were consistent in all putters and levels of golfers had some bend and flex variability in their current shaft. After replacing the original shaft with a BGT, the roll and result became more consistent and predictable.

All fine and provable in a lab, what about real performance? I took the plunge and had my favorite putter re-shafted with a Stability Shaft to see if the difference would translate to my putting. On long putts over 15 feet, the difference was clear, this felt more solid, and the ball was closer to the intended line. More amazingly, was the increased accuracy with putts in the four to eight-foot range probably due to the fact the putter face was more true to square at impact. I would describe the feel as “solid” even with a variety of golf balls. From short to long putts, this was noticeably better.

Once you find a putter you really like, and the specifications are correct for your type of putting stroke and set up, then the Stability Shaft from BGT is likely your next step up on putting performance.