Inside Brooks Koepka’s Chase to Find a Putting Fix

The five-time major champion is gaining strokes in every category this season, except with the putter. He'll have a new one in his bag this week, though.

Brooks Koepka added a new putter to his bag ahead of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. | James Lang-Imagn Images

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. 

So, as Brooks Koepka looks to re-enter the winner’s circle, he made another change with the putter. 

Now, he has a Scotty Cameron Fastback 1.5 in his bag. Previously, he had been using TaylorMade Spider models.

In the final round of the Myrtle Beach Classic, the 36-year-old snapped his Spider Tour X, losing nearly three strokes on the greens over the weekend (he finished T11).  

“Just going back to basics, I think, is a huge thing,” Koepka said Wednesday at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. “Trying to make sure you're lined up, your grip is correct, your putter is aimed where you think it’s aimed. Just little different things. 

“Switched putters again this week for something I feel like released on its own, something I’ve been trying to—been fighting a little bit, and I feel like it definitely releases a little bit.”

The five-time major champion, who has one top 10 and five top 25s in 10 starts this year, is gaining strokes in every category this season (he’s third on Tour in approach), except with the putter. On the greens, he’s losing 0.471 strokes, 141st on Tour. Earlier this season, Koepka changed his hand position on the putting surface.

Koepka's tee-to-green game is sharp, but the greens have proved to be an adventure. | James Lang-Imagn Images

“I feel like I’m in complete control of my golf ball—shape, spin, trajectory, everything seems to be right where I need it to be,” Koepka said. “It’s just a matter of rolling those putts in.”

So when he’s home, he spends hours trying to rectify his putting ailment. 

“I have a little warehouse at home,” he said. “There’s a putting studio in there. I was in there from—I drop my son off at school in the morning and then was in that putting studio until I had to pick him up from school. So I was in there for quite a while working on some different things, trying some different putters.”

How did Koepka land on the Fastback? 

“I think it’s one I’ve had,” he said. “I might have—I was just with Blake [Smth], my agent, and [caddie] Ricky [Elliott], and they said I might have used in Singapore maybe last year, two years ago. I’ve used it before. 

“Yeah, it’s something that just feels good in my hands. I feel like I’ve struggled with the toe release a little bit, kind of fighting that, kind of holding it off, and this putter seems to have a little bit more toe hang, to get kind of scientific with it or more in depth on it. It’s got a bit more toe hang than what I have been using all year, kind of similar to the blade. I know the [center of gravity] up closer to the front of the face, which is kind of what I’m looking for.”

However, when the putter isn’t cooperating, Koepka feels he has to make up for it with other parts of his game. And that doesn’t always work out well.

“I think I look back at last week, which I’m very kind of annoyed with because I kind of let the last couple holes get away from me just from maybe a little bit of anger or annoyance, maybe more of an annoyance thing, of not making any putts and feeling like you've got to go at flags,” said Koepka, who finished T55 at Aronimink. “I had no business going at that flag on 17. Aiming right at it was stupid.”

Why being back on the PGA Tour has its equipment benefits

And one of the benefits of being back on the PGA Tour, after playing on LIV the past few years, is that he can make more in-tournament equipment tweaks. 

“Access to equipment trucks, grip changes, things like that, sometimes I wasn’t privy to over the last four, five years,” he said. “During majors was kind of the only time you saw it. So to be back out here and have the opportunity to, if you need to make a slight change in something, it's a whole lot easier, or you damage a club during play, to get a replacement, a shaft change, whatever it might be. 

“Just more access to everything, I think, has been a huge advantage. I’m not going to do too much of that. I know I keep changing the putter pretty much every week now, but as far as the rest of the equipment that I have, I’m very satisfied with it. I’m very, very pleased with it.”

Now, with a new flatstick, Koepka hopes it propels an upward trajectory for him. Or else, he’ll keep trying new things until something works.  

“Hopefully, I can just find some momentum with it and really kind of start building the groundwork and work my way up from there,” he said.