Is MOI Important In Putter Design?

Yes! Jeff Summitt Examines MOI Putter Design

Let’s face it, most golfers do their homework and seek out the most forgiving driver that can get their hands on. Yet this single club is used at most 14 times during the course of the round.  Surprisingly golfers do not follow the same logic and seek out the most forgiving putters that can play.  After all, the putter is the most used club in the bag and accounts for approximately 40% of all strokes a golfer takes.

One means of defining the forgiveness of a club is the Moment of Inertia (MOI for short) or the higher the value the greater the resistance to twisting on a mis-hit. Many golfers are already aware of the benefits of high MOI drivers. Even the USGA was concerned enough of the future technology to set a limit of 5900g-cm², although few drivers come close to approaching it. 

Head weight range on drivers is somewhat limited from one manufacturer to the next.  There are also design limits on volume (460cc), heel-to-toe and face-to-back dimensions (5” each).  These parameters have a direct outcome on the final MOI and the reason why a limit by the USGA is not a concern amongst club manufacturers. The same cannot be said of putters. 

No product is as diverse in the weight and in the physical dimension as the putter.  Just look around in the golf catalogs, on the internet or at your favorite golf store at the unconventional and even bizarre looking putters on the market.  Where drivers might only be 10-15g different from the lightest driver on the market to the heaviest, putters can range 200g!  The USGA now has limits on the physical dimensions a putter can be produced, although putters are no where near the allowable size as it might weigh too much or be so large and intimidating (or ridiculed by fellow golfers) that few customers would ever dare tote one in their bag.

The truth be known, golf is marketing driven-more so than pure technology-driven. Companies claim to have high MOI putters, but they don’t substantiate by providing actual numbers.  If they did, you might find out that several models by Hireko would be amongst the highest in the whole industry. The typical and most popular putters today are in the 4000-4500g-cm² range. Here is a quick glimpse of some of Hireko’s highest MOI putters:

Model                     MOI

                                g-cm²

Acer CB2                9070

Acer CB3                8563

IBella Tiara               7836

Acer CB4                7736

Acer CB5                7151

Acer CB6                6788

Unconventional…Yes!  Ultra-forgiving…You betcha!  Come see first hand how these putters can improve your score and at a fraction of the $199 putters on the market that are not even close to offering the forgiveness of these particular models.

Shop All Hireko Acer CB Putters Now!