The SeeMore Putter Company makes a triumphant return to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am this year, hoping to extend its Monterey Bay winning streak after D.A. Points won last year's tournament while wielding a SeeMore FGP putter.
As part of our ongoing coverage from Pebble Beach, we caught up with SeeMore tour representative, instructor and jack-of-all-putter-trades Ted Gallina to find out what's new, and what's next, from the SeeMore Putter Company.
For starters, Ted shared some new tweaks to existing favorites for 2012. For example, the Si Series putters are rolling out a new sole design, as well as a new insert that, unlike its predecessor, is completely flush with the face. The mFGP2 mallet is also getting a refresh, with the addition of two milled alignment lines along the flange to frame the ball and accentuate SeeMore's RifleScope alignment feature.
Throughout the four days of the 2012 PGA Merchandise Show, SPi platinum instructors certified over 75 instructors across the United States as well as from 20 different countries. These PGA instructors took the initiative to improve their putting instruction by becoming a SPi Certified Instructor. These certified instructors now have a platform or a base to begin teaching putting.
Why did they become certified instructors? “During a round of golf, putting accounts for 40% of strokes, but research shows that only 6% of yearly lessons are focused on putting,” says Ted Gallina, PGA Teaching Professional and SeeMore’s Director of the SPi Program. “The main goal of any instructor is to help the student to enjoy the game more through improvement. Putting improvement is one of the fastest ways to improve one’s game. And improved technique and having a reliable system for putting is crucial in achieving the goal.SeeMore created the SeeMore Putter Institute (SPi) for this instructor,” continued Gallina, who has been an active PGA member for over 12 years.
Gallina and Pat O’Brien, SeeMore’s Global Teaching Ambassador and putting instructor to PGA Tour players who have earned over $30 million using the SeeMore putter and the SeeMore putting system, developed the SPi concept and system jointly over the last 5 years. “SeeMore is now ready and geared up to roll this great resource out to any golf instructor interested in teaching more putting lessons,” stated Gallina.
“SeeMore has been working on the roll out of the SPi idea for several years now, and in fact had a soft launch of the program during 2011 with a global team of instructors, where we really ironed this out to be a program that first and foremost worked for the needs of the hundreds of teaching instructors whotold us they had a real void when it came to putting instruction,” stated Jim Grundberg, SeeMore’s CEO. “It is based on the teachings of our key global teaching and tour instructors, and the input of many of the tour players they work with, who have used SeeMore putters and the SeeMore system for years to improve putting performance in practice and in play on all tours.”
Becoming SPi Certified will help golf teachers formulate a complete teaching plan to help their existing students and recruit new students to become great putters using the SeeMore system that has won 2 Major Championships and set numerous putting records on the PGA Tour. It is a complete game plan, which will give any golf instructor a new level of confidence in the proper teaching and fitting involved in putting instruction. Becoming certified to teach the system initially consists of online training and personal coaching. For more interest, contact Ted@SeeMore.com
RST Technology
SeeMore’s patented RST, known by a visible gun sight on the top line, allows the golfer to set up the putter perfectly each and every time in relation to the intended target line. This is accomplished by lining up the black bottom portion of the shaft between two white lines and covering a signature red dot on the heel of the top line. The process is like locking radar onto a target. The two parallel white sight lines frame the shaft and serve as an indicator that the golfer is in perfect position to make a consistent and reliable stroke.
SeeMore Facts
SeeMore originally became recognized when Payne Stewart won the 1999 U.S. Open playing a SeeMore putter in the greatest final round putting performance in US Open History. The brand was re-launched in 2007, and immediately regained worldwide prominence as Zach Johnson used a SeeMore FGP to win the 2007 Masters. In 2011 D.A. Points used a SeeMore putter to win the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Also in 2011 to two Nationwide tour players used a SeeMore putter to secure a 2012 PGA Tour card. Russell Knox won the Chiquita Classic and Kyle Reifers received the 1st place check from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational. SeeMore’s website at www.seemore.com and www.seemoreputtersblog.com has many new features about SeeMore’s remarkable legacy, technology, and tour success. SeeMore putters are custom made in Franklin, TN.
Golfers regularly test the weight distribution of a putter by holding the shaft parallel to the ground. If the face points evenly to the sky, they often consider the putter to be, “face balanced.” The benefits of this weighting are a myth! This test would only be beneficial if someone played golf with the shaft at a 90 degree angle, meaning the shaft would be straight up in the air.
70 degrees is the most common lie angle for a putter at setup, which is the standard lie angle of every SeeMore putter. Since this is how golfers set up to the putter, the most effective way to measure the balancing of a putter is to show how it will naturally act in the impact position.
A number of center-shafted and straight-shafted SeeMore Putters are face balanced at impact. The FGP Original is the foundational model which features this benefit.
In December, I was on a putting green waiting to meet with the owner of a prominent facility in Manhattan. Of course, I decided to use my spare time to practice my putting with a FGP Original. A middle-aged, German gentleman was hitting putts with his wife watching on the side. They didn’t speak English and I don’t know any German, but the benefits of SeeMore break language barriers!
The wife saw the grip on my putter and said, “SeeMore” in her German accent. I made a putt, smiled and gave a “thumbs up.” I then pointed to the SeeMore while saying, “best putter” and I showed them the RifleScope Technology. They were laughing in amazement of how easy our system was to understand, even though I couldn’t communicate with them in words.
To close the deal, I showed them the “Face Balanced at Impact” trick. I stuck a golf tee in the tip of the hole at the top of the putter grip. I then held the FGP in the air with the tee, and took another tee to push the shaft to approximately a 70 degree angle, simulating a golfer’s impact position. The putter face of the FGP was still square to the target. I then simulated poor putting strokes by holding the tee at the top of the grip and starting with poor backswings, both inside and outside of a natural path. No matter what, the weighting of the FGP putter NATURALLY wanted to be square at impact.
Many of the high Moment of Inertia (M.O.I.) designs which claim to be “face balanced” when holding the club parallel to the ground, will fall open while conducting the face balanced at impact test. To see with your own eyes, make sure to watch Myth of Face Balanced Putters.
By the way, the German couple headed to the counter with the new FGP within three minutes of making eye contact with me. When considering which putter designs make the most sense for you, make sure to remember benefits of face balanced at impact.
As we turn the corner into a new year, belly putter mania shows no signs of abating. Indeed, many golfers remain anxious to bag a belly, inspired by the remarkable success of the belly putter in the later half of the PGA Tour's most recent season.
Among the major players in the surging belly putter market is the SeeMore Putter Company, led by the m1 ($350), a signature SeeMore model that could be considered the crown jewel of the company's belly putter portfolio.
Does the original SeeMore m1 get lost in translation to the belly putter format, or is it a smooth transition? Following is PutterZone.com's SeeMore m1 belly putter review.
Every golfer strives for consistency. Putting is the area of the game where many golfers are the most inconsistent. With belly putters winning multiple PGA Tour events in 2011, more players at all levels are interested in anchoring their putters. The belly putter is now often believed to be the answer to putting woes because it eliminates factors by helping the golfer establish consistent:
Posture
Loft on the putter-face
Release of the putter-head through impact
To see and learn more about the benefits of belly putter, watch this video below.
The belly putter may be right for you if your hands get extremely involved in your stroke or if you have a tendency to decelerate.
Considerations Before You Switch
Note that the players who are having success on the PGA Tour are able to practice with their new technique much more than the majority of avid golfers. Also, many successful belly putter users have committed to using it long-term. It’s not an instant “cure all” as it requires practice just like any other method in putting. Before switching to a belly putter, make sure to take your standard putter and implement a system for putting by practicing establishing consistent:
Eye position
Ball position
Forearm position
Grip
Alignment
If you commit to a system for putting, practice it and you still aren’t putting well, a belly putter may be a welcomed change. Utilizing the patented RifleScope Technology RST, a SeeMore Putter provides a system for feedback and will allow you to develop consistent setup and alignment in both a standard length and a belly putter. To witness the benefits, watch this video. RST Benefits in SeeMore’s Belly and Standard Length Putters
Determining The Length Of Your Belly Putter
You need three things to determine the correct length of a belly putter:
Standard length putter
Yard stick
Access to a mirror
This video on how to fit a belly putter will help you determine the proper length by following the steps mentioned below.How to Fit a Belly Putter
Steps:
Take a yard stick and measure the length of your standard length putter in inches. Measure by keeping the yard stick parallel to the shaft and allowing the ruler to touch the ground next to the base of the club-head.
After determining the posture that you would like to implement with a belly putter, raise the standard length and stabilize it with the end of the grip in your belly. (An athletic posture that allows your eyes to be inside the club-head is recommended)
While keeping the yard-stick parallel to the shaft, measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of the club-head.
Example in the Video: (Club) 35 Inches + (Distance from the bottom of the club to the ground) 9 inches = 44 Inches
Stabilizing Your Belly Putter
A belly putter should be anchored inside, above or below the belly button. The golfer’s body should essentially be split in half to allow the putter to swing naturally. To see why, watch this video. Stabilizing a Belly Putter
SeeMore’s patented RST, known by a visible gun sight on the top line, allows the golfer to set up the putter perfectly each and every time in relation to the intended target line. This is accomplished by lining up the black bottom portion of the shaft between two white lines and covering a signature red dot on the heel of the top line. The process is like locking radar onto a target. The two parallel white sight lines frame the shaft and serve as an indicator that the golfer is in perfect position to make a consistent and reliable stroke.
SeeMore has also recently launched the SeeMore Putting system to golfers in the form of introducing the SeeMore Putter Institute (SPi), where golfers and instructors will be able to come together in person and online to share these fundamental ideas about how to improve putting performance, including the new discussion about belly putters.
SPi is a learning system based on the simple fundamentals of finding proper grip, alignment, stance, and posture that allow a natural, free, and simple putting stroke on each and every putt. It is based on the technology built into the SeeMore putter itself, and on the refined teachings of SeeMore Global Ambassador Pat O’Brien – putting instructor to Zach Johnson, and many other top PGA Tour and developing players. O’Brien has been teaching the SeeMore System around the world for more than 12 years, ever since he watched his good friend the late Payne Stewart benefit from the SeeMore putting system to win 1999 US Open and lead the tour in putting statistics that year.
On November 26th and 27th, the Midwest Section of the Golfweek Junior Tour held their first annual Tour Championship at the Hermitage Golf Course, just east of Nashville, Tennessee. The competitors played the General’s Retreat course, which was formerly the host of the LPGA Tour’s, Sara Lee Classic. Besides the spectacular golf course, another Golfweek perk was an open house for all contestants and their families at the SeeMore Putter Company’s Headquarters in Franklin.
With the majority of the contestants being from the midwest and Ontario, the opportunity to get fitted and see how we build our putters was a first-time experience. The main emphasis of the evening was to show the importance of developing a system for putting. Everyone needs a plan for success and a SeeMore putter is the needed tool to achieve that plan. SeeMore’s RifleScope Technology (RST) helps every player develop a repeatable setup and a consistent putting stroke.
Players and their families really appreciated that SeeMore doesn’t charge any extra to custom build each putter to a player’s specifications. SeeMore believes each and every golfer should receive the “tour treatment.”
A large portion of the field purchased putters at the Saturday night event and some competitors even put them into play the next day during the final round. One of the bold players who immediately put their new SeeMore to the test was Tyler Pearson from Richmond, Indiana. After improving his final round by five shots, Tyler capped off a fantastic season and was recognized as the 2011 Fall Season Points Leader (Boys 14-15). This honor will exempt Tyler into more first-class junior golf tournaments in 2012.
With strong fields and opportunities to receive AJGA exemptions, the Golfweek Junior Tour is quickly gaining momentum and respect. If you are interested in playing or supporting the Golfweek Junior Tour, please visit http://www.golfweekjuniortour.com/ or email Tour Director, Alex Martin at amartin@golfweekjuniortour.com.
Congratulations to Ty Tryon. Headed back to final stage of Q-School - Using his m5 ss Plat, he finished T14 at 2nd stage and on his way to PGA West - Nov.30th-Dec 5th. Play Well Ty!!!
