Golf Putter Types
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Blade Putters
The putter most golfers are accustomed to is the blade. It’s a timeless profile that’s been used nearly as long as golf has been a sport. Blade putters in their more traditional format generally have more control and accuracy on longer putts and faster greens. However, this controllability benefit comes along with some drawbacks such as being slightly less forgiving on miss-hits than the newer, more modern putter type, the mallet. We’ll get more into this soon, but blade putters generally feature more toe hang weighting and are more ideal for moderate to maximum arc putting stroke types.
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Mallet Putters
Mallet putters feature a larger, heavier clubhead and generally have been chosen on tour due to their performance benefits. Mallets are well suited to golfers who need a forgiving club. A heavier clubhead weight paired with more dispersed perimeter weighting often allows for better results on miss-hit putts. Mallets are often slightly more, or completely face balanced, meaning they are more suited for golfers who have little to no arc, or a straight-back straight-through putting stroke.
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Toe Hang Putters
You might be wondering, “what is toe hang?” or, “how does toe hang affect my putting?” Toe Hang is the amount of weight distributed towards the toe of the clubhead, and how far that toe hangs towards the ground when testing the balance of that putter.
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Face Balanced Putters
Face Balance is the indication that the weight distribution within the clubhead is evenly dispersed to best suit a straight putting stroke. Face balanced putters are ideal for golfers who tend to struggle with consistent strikes, or hitting the ball in the same spot on the face, and rely on forgiveness throughout their round.
Best Shaft Length
If you’ve asked yourself, “which putter shaft length do I need?”, you’re in the right place. This is fairly straight forward, and can be summed up quite easily. Most putters today are offered in 33” – 35” length.
Generally speaking, if your height is roughly 5.5’ or shorter, you’ll be looking for 33” shafts. If you’re anywhere between 5.5’ and 6’ tall, a 34” putter shaft is well suited for you. If you are over 6’ tall you may want to search for 35” shafts.
While choosing a putter length based on height is a static measurement, there are two other important variables to look at when considering which length of putter fits you best. Make sure your eyeline is directly over the ball when in your address position and that the toe of the putter isn't too far off the ground. The ideal, most balanced shaft length for you will create the “triangle” between your shoulders and wrists that promotes a well-rounded posture, eye’s over ball, and a natural pendulum feeling stroke.
Best Putter Grips
The variety of putter grips available today is never-ending. They are offered in nearly every size and thickness to accommodate all golfers, and even come in wacky and fun patterns. Most stock, off-the-shelf putters are offered with a standard sized grip. Some putters today are now offered with midsize or oversize grips as well, which can save you a little coin in the long run.
Aftermarket jumbo grips, like what SuperStroke has to offer, are gaining popularity with golfers who wish to limit wrist movement impact on the golf ball, as well as golfers who have arthritis and wish to impose a lighter grip on the club. In some cases, a larger grip can indicate what the hands and wrists are doing throughout the stroke, allowing for more information and more informed putts on the green.
Grips are almost entirely a preference based decision. Certain grips will provide you with a better feel for the ball at impact, as well as fight against sweaty hands through their material compositions.
Alignment Technologies
Another preference based decision you will have to make is the alignment style that best suits your eye. Some golf manufacturers fall into to the alignment line standard, which is just a milled out line across the top of the club, often filled with a highly contrasting paint. Others, such as Odyssey, offer a 2-ball alignment style, which mimics a golf ball proportionally, to suit the eyes of some golfers who need extra aid in pin pointing aim, as well as placing the club back at the ideal spot at impact. Some companies like Scotty Cameron offer putters with a single or triple dot alignment option, or multiple lines. You can also purchase putters that have no alignment lines or dots at all.
At the end of the day, choosing the putter with the alignment style that best performs with your stroke is what it’s all about.
Face Types
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Milled Putters
The two main types of putter faces are milled and inserts. Milled putters are often constructed of a single block of stainless steel and the face features a slightly aggressive milled pattern to stop the golf ball from sliding across the surface, and improve the roll consistency. Milled faces often offer a truer feel as to what the ball is doing at impact, as well as how well you struck it. This enhanced feedback from the golf ball comes with some minor drawbacks. Milled face putters are often said to be less forgiving and not as “soft” feeling as putters with face inserts.
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Insert Putters
On the other hand face insert putters can be more forgiving, and easier to use than milled faces. Face inserts are generally engineered to promote topspin and soft feel. Inserts help to reduce or entirely eliminate backspin when struck correctly, allowing for a consistent and predictable roll every stroke. Face inserts are commonly made from urethane or surlyn. Two well-known, Tour-proven inserts popular among professionals are the White Hot OG face insert from Odyssey, and the PURE ROLL insert from TaylorMade.
1 comment
Thanks for the info, Nick! I’ve been using a mallet model for some time now, and this past year added a Super Stroke grip… really pleased with the results!