How to choose the right putter for you

As the most used club in your bag, it is crucial to have a putter that you love and that suits your stroke. However, walk around any pro shop or golf retailer and the multitude of options available can be a bit overwhelming. Where do you start? Let’s take a look into some of the areas that differentiate these putters and clarify which of the best putters available today might be suitable for you.

Head shape

One of the first things to consider when choosing a putter is head shape. The sizes and shapes of a putter can vary greatly but can basically be split up into two categories – blade or mallet. A blade putter is generally much shorter in depth from the face to the back and is considered a more traditional choice which provides less forgiveness but more feedback to the golfer. Players such as Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth favor the blade-style putter. 

Mallet putters, as you might deduce from the name, generally have a larger footprint than their blade counterparts and are much deeper from front to back. They come in numerous shapes and sizes, from semi-circle to square and just about everything in between. The design of a mallet putter provides a couple of performance benefits. Firstly, because of the extra depth, mass can be pulled away from the face and be distributed further back and often wider, which provides more stability on off-center strikes generally making mallets some of the most forgiving putters. Another benefit of the mallet is that the added surface area provides more opportunities and variety for adding alignment aids. Many of the best mallet putters feature long and multiple alignment lines which many find helpful.