Debunking the Myth of Putter MOI

Edel Golf Podcast

In this installment of the Edel Golf Podcast, we debunk yet another myth when it comes to putting. This week, we’re discussing MOI, or moment of inertia. This term gets tossed around a lot when we talk about the forgiveness and stability of drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, and irons.

In recent years, it’s also become frequent parlance in the world of putters. On the surface, the concept of “having equal mass on both ends of the playing field... makes sense…”

However, when it comes to putting, MOI and stability are “a bit of a false narrative.” Sure, the concept of having equally distributed mass in different parts of the putter head provides stability. However, if the MOI changes where the center of the face is, then what value does it have in regard “to stabilizing the putter face if it’s offline because of itself?” Practically, “it’s like killing a cow for the milk…”

It’s for that reason that all this talk of MOI isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The reason why the big MOI putters made by mass manufacturers are so popular is because they actually aim you left and cause you essentially “block” the putt down the line. In short, you get the feeling that everything is square even though it’s not.

This gets back to what we’re about at Edel Golf. That’s helping people understand, through scientifically based reason, why they struggle and what the solution is to help them play better golf. And that’s reflected in our fitting processes and club manufacturing.

There’s no question that, “at times we (Edel Golf) suffer from being different…. But that doesn't make us wrong.” At the end of the day, our methods allow golfers to “take their hands off the handlebars and just peddle.” Sure, it takes some getting used to, but that’s only because most golfers are playing with equipment that’s not best suited for their game, or they’ve been fed so much misinformation that anything else seems foreign – even though it might be right.

For a more in-depth look at the relationship between putters and MOI, take a few minutes and listen to the podcast above.

Thanks for listening and we can’t wait to sit down at the workbench together on our next episode.