PGA Show has two good putting helpers

The 2007 PGA Merchandise Show has dozens of putting booths, and I found two good ones, both designed to eliminate the hands and get you to use your shoulders.

The P3 Perfect Pendulum is basically a training aid. It’s a two-handled gizmo, with the two handles about half a foot apart from both sides of the putter shaft. You can use it with your own putter, or with no putter. By holding the two handles that are so far apart, it forces you to use your shoulders in the putting arc.

It costs about $30.

The Heavy Putter is hilarious, but it just might work. It’s just like the name implies – heavy. It feels like you’re holding a lead-filled tire iron filled with rebar. The damn thing weights about 500 grams.

The idea is to take the small muscles out of play – those fidgeting hands and wrists – and force you, again, to use the shoulders. Even if it doesn’t help you putt, it will add muscles to your thin, weak arms.

It has a higher point of balance, interchangeable weight tips and extreme heel-and-toe weighting. It worked for me, briefly, and it worked for Troy Matteson, who vaulted from 110th in putting on the PGA Tour to No. 8.