How to Choose the Perfect Putter


Photo by Richard Stott
Take a moment and pause. Close your eyes, breath deeply, and envision being on the 18th green. You have played a marvelous round of golf and are facing a 50 foot two putt for your best round of golf ever. It’s sunny, you and your playing partners are loose and having fun. As you read the putt, you feel confident with where it is going. All of a sudden, your putting stroke gets a little too loose. You don’t know where the head is, what is happening. Your arc has turned into an infinity symbol. Your first putt makes it 45 feet, leaving you a testy five footer. Your confidence shaken, you lip out the next putt and leave the green dejected.
But why? Well, it is simple: you weren’t confident under pressure with your putter. You remembered back to an article that told you that you might be an arc putter or a straight-back, straight-through putter and in the heat of the moment, you forgot and tried to do both. The result: nothing good at all. But that’s ok! You’re here and we are going to get your putting figured out so that you can crush your lowest round ever!
The one part of golf that is the easiest to fix, and the place where potentially a third of your score comes from, is putting. Putting is also amongst the most frustrating parts of golf, as one day it can be there, and the next you are wishing you had bought a completely different putter. Finding the perfect putter can be daunting, as they come in a variety of price points, shaft lengths, lofts, acronyms, and so much more. Here are the three easy steps to finding the category of putter that fits your game.
1. What kind of stroke do you make?
The first test for figuring out the perfect putter for your game is determining the style of putting stroke that you favor. The three most common are: 1. The Arc: This type of stroke sees the toe of the putter open to the target line in the backstroke, coming inside the target line, rotating back to square, and then closing to the target after impact. You have to be on your game to be able to find the sweet spot with this putting stroke. While the heel of the putter doesn't rotate as much, the toe certainly does! This is the chosen putting stroke of Tiger Woods. 2. Straight Back-Straight Through: The takeaway for this putting stroke is that you are trying to keep the face of the putter square to your start line all the way through the stroke. This ensures that there is no twisting of the clubface throughout the stroke. 3. The Hybrid: This putting stroke opens up the toe to the target line, but then at impact and through impact, you keep the putter face square to the target line.
Due to the differences in these types of strokes, putters are designed in different ways to accommodate these strokes. Putting with an arc stroke and a face-balanced putter is more difficult than if you find a putter that has toe-hang weighting that easily allows the player to open and close the face.
2. Weighting of the putter face
Speaking of the weighting, let’s talk a little about what that means. There are two general types of putter weighting. They are toe-hang and face-balanced. A toe-hang putter’s weighting is going to significantly increase the ease in putting with an arc stroke. It allows the golfer to more easily open and close the face of the putter throughout the stroke. While a face-balanced putter could still achieve the goal of getting square at impact, it is less controllable as a variable.
Meanwhile, a face-balanced putter would be great for golfers who utilize the straight-back, straight-through stroke, as the putter’s balanced face would easily keep the face more square during the stroke, where a toe-hang putter would tend to have less control as it wants to open and close. This could result in horribly pulled or pushed putts. Understanding your putting stroke is vital to choosing the right putter in the right weighting.
3. Gripping and shaft length
Finally, you want to consider the length of the putter and the type of grip that you want installed on the shaft. Finding a putter that is the right length for your setup is fairly easy. Set up to a putt and drop a ball from in between your eyes. If it hits the middle of the clubface or the ball you set up to, you have the right positioning. Standard putter shaft lengths are 33”-35”, but can be customized if you are taller.
Gripping the putter is influential as well. If you have a light grip, the head of the putter will feel heavier and allow you to be more in tune with where the head is throughout your stroke. A wider grip, like the SuperStroke, gives putters more options and allows their grip pressure to lessen. A heavier grip will allow you to feel like you can move the head of the putter more freely. This is all just preferential, so get out there and test some with different grips and head weights.
Photo by Kindel Media
Putter Styles
There are three main styles of putter, each of which has its own list of pros and cons.
1. Blade
Blade putters are generally great for feeling the ball during contact and force the golfer to be in complete control of their putting game. They give you very little assistance in mishits and you have to be on top of your distance control. They are definitely best for “feel” putters. My favorite blade putter is the most recognized blade putter in the last 25 years: The Scotty Cameron Newport.
2. Mallet
A Mallet putter gives you a little more mass to your putter head and allows you to have some assistance in lag putting because of that weight. That extra mass will not only help keep the putter following the path of your stroke better, but it will also instill a little more confidence in amateur putters. Mallet putters tend to provide more forgiveness than blade-style putters do. My favorite here is the Odyssey O Works Black #7, or as I like to call it, the Hammerhead.
3. High MOI (Moment of Inertia) Putters
Finally, High MOI putters are a distinct style of mallet putter that are helping PGA Tour pros and amateurs alike stay confident in their putting stroke. The extra mass keeps the putter following the plane of your stroke with ease and the extra head size allows for markings of various designs to help with alignment and to square up the putter to the golf ball on all putts. These are great styles of putters for the full range of golfers, but especially for the beginner. My favorite in this category is any Spider putter from TaylorMade, but in particular, the MySpiderX putter which you can fully customize for yourself! These putters are very forgiving and will keep your putts rolling whether you hit the center of the face or you mishit it slightly.
Photo by Courtney Cook
Find What Makes You Comfortable
Putting is all personal preference. Whatever your stroke is, and whatever style of putter you like, putting is mostly subjective in terms of what makes you feel comfortable. Get out to your local course, sporting goods store, or any place where you can hit putts of all lengths if possible. The most important thing with putting is that you have confidence when you pull that putter out of your bag. For me, that breaks down to four things after I have already selected the right putter for my stroke.
1. The look of your putter’s headcover
I know, believe me, this seems a little trivial. I used to have a standard TaylorMade putter cover on my putter. That yellow cover wasn’t bad, but my putting got so much better when I got my Ice Blue Beast Mode putter cover, complete with an angry polar bear. Every time I take that putter cover off my putter, I know it is time to make sure my ball gets to the hole and has a chance to go in! It’s all pseudo-psychological, but get a cool putter cover that excites you to be pulling the putter out to go drain a birdie putt!
2. The putter grip
It used to be that there was really only one style of putter grip: the pistol grip. Now, you have all the versions of thicker putter grips, longer grips to lock into your leading arm, you name it, it exists. Find the grip that works for you. For me, I hate that my putter doesn’t have a thicker grip like a SuperStroke grip on it. My hand just aren’t comfortable on the putter and I feel like I death grip it. So find something that you are comfortable gripping every time!
3. The putter head
Again, you are looking down at the head of your putter for at least 18-30 strokes per round. Find the markings and colors that inspire confidence in your setup and that you can trust. Do you like the shape of the Spider but love the Two Ball? Well, Odyssey solved that dilemma for you with the new ten-track two ball! Taylormade will let you customize a SpiderX putter, giving you complete control over the putter design!
4. Stick with a putter grip
Right-hand low? Offhand low? Pencil? Claw? Snail?!?! Arm-lock? There are so many different theories to which works and why, but the most important is that you find the putting grip that instills confidence in you as a golfer. I prefer the traditional dominant hand low grip, but I have tinkered with others. Find what is most comfortable and most repeatable for you and stick with it!
FAQs
I’m a beginner. Should I use a mallet or MOI putter instead of copying my favorite player’s putter (I.e: Tiger’s Scotty)? While I won’t completely dash your dreams of copying the putter style of Tiger or your favorite golfer, I will strongly encourage you to choose a High MOI putter if you are just starting golf. The good news is that some of the best pros on Tour are using these as well, so you may end up choosing the same putter as your favorite golfer anyway! These putters are a little heavier and keep the putter moving on the plane you want it to move. So my advice is to stick with one of these putters until you get more advanced in the game, then switch if you feel you need to make a switch.
I am 6’2” tall, what length putter should I use? A general rule of thumb is that any golfer over 5’10” should use a 35” putter minimum. As a 6’4” golfer myself, I am going to move to a 36” putter to be able to stand taller and be more upright in my putting stroke to free up the movement of my shoulders. I currently feel too hunched over and the stroke is not consistent.
Here are the generally referenced guidelines to choosing the best putter length for you:
- 5’2” or shorter: around 32 inches
- 5’2”-5’5”: 33 inches approximately
- 5’5”-5’10” 34 inches approximately
- 5’10” or taller: 35”+
Why does it matter what kind of putter I use? They are all the same, aren’t they? In case you made it this far without reading the article, no they are not all the same. Scroll back through the list above to understand why you should pick certain putters. Now, as to why it matters, again, scroll back up, but it matters because you are going to make up so many strokes on the green if you feel comfortable over the ball. The knee-knocking three-footers will seem much easier if you know the clubhead is following your putting swing. Lag putts will get closer if you have a putter you are confident in. It just gets better. And think about it: your best rounds are probably the rounds where you don’t lose as many balls, and where you definitely don’t use your putter as often!
How much should I spend on a putter? What a loaded question! The answer is that you should spend whatever amount you need on a putter that fits your game and instills confidence. Expensive putters may have extra technology in them to enhance your putts, but there is little difference in the tech from the $175 price range to the $400 price range. So do your homework and figure out what makes you feel the best over the ball!
What is the deal with face inserts? Insert putters are a trend right now and allow for putters to have a softer feel while also allowing companies to add grooves to help keep the ball rolling and to reduce skidding. These are a preferential thing based on how you like the sound and feel of putters with these inserts.
What are you waiting for?
Imagine, a few weeks later, after talking to your Curated Golf expert, purchasing a putter, and opening it after delivery, you find yourself with another tough two putt to seal your best round of the year. 45 feet, double breaker, pin close to the edge of the green with water and a shaved front edge just begging you to hit your putt too hard. You read it, get a good feel, and now, with your new putter, you feel like Tiger Woods on the 72nd hole of the 2008 U.S. Open. This putt is going one place, and one place only: the bottom of the cup. You roll the rock, watch it duck to the left first, then back to the right, finally straightening out in the last few feet before hitting the back of the hole and falling in for birdie! If you are ready for this to be you, chat with me or one of my fellow Golf experts here on Curated for free advice on finding the right putter for your game.