The putter is the club you use most often in a round, and every putt shows whether it really suits you. In this guide you will learn which head type and balance match your stroke, how to work out the right length and how to test a putter before you decide.
Choosing a putter in five steps
It pays to work through the choice in this order:
- Identify your stroke – do you putt straight back and straight through, or in an arc?
- Pick the balance that suits your stroke: face-balanced or toe hang.
- Choose a head type – blade, mid-mallet or mallet – depending on how much forgiveness and help with alignment you want.
- Set the length by your posture, not just your height.
- Fine-tune and test – compare the grip, face and head weight of 2–3 putters directly on the green.
Head types: blade, mid-mallet and mallet
A blade is the traditional narrow, compact head. It usually has more toe hang, so it suits an arcing stroke best. On strikes away from the centre of the face it is less forgiving than larger heads.
A mallet has a large, deep head with its weight placed further back from the face and out towards the sides. This gives it a higher MOI (moment of inertia): on off-centre strikes the head twists less and the ball loses less direction and speed. The large head also has room for alignment lines and contrasting elements that help you aim. Mallets are often face-balanced, so they mainly suit a straight-back, straight-through stroke.
A mid-mallet sits between the two: it is larger and more stable than a blade but more compact than a full mallet. It is a sensible choice if a blade is not forgiving enough for you but a big mallet feels too bulky behind the ball at address.
The table summarises the typical characteristics; individual models may differ.
| Head type | Shape | Forgiveness (MOI) | Typical balance | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blade | narrow, compact, traditional | lower | mostly toe hang | players with an arcing stroke |
| Mid-mallet | medium size, deeper than a blade | medium | toe hang or face-balanced, depending on the neck | players with an arcing or a straight stroke, depending on the balance |
| Mallet | large, deep, prominent alignment aids | higher | often face-balanced | players with a straight stroke and anyone who wants help with alignment |
You can filter the putters in our range by head type (the “Head Shape” filter). Most major brands offer both blades and mallets, for example Scotty Cameron, Odyssey, PING, TaylorMade, Cleveland or Bettinardi.
Balance: face-balanced or toe hang
Balance determines how much the putter head tends to open and close during the stroke. It should match the way you putt:
- Straight back, straight through – the head travels along a straight line on the backstroke and the through-stroke, and the face stays square to the target line. This suits a face-balanced putter, which rotates less during the stroke.
- Arcing stroke – the head swings to the inside on the backstroke, the face opens slightly relative to the target line and closes again after impact. This suits a putter with toe hang.
The finger test
You can check a putter's balance in a few seconds. Rest the shaft horizontally on your finger at the point where the putter balances, and wait for the head to settle on its own:
- The face points up – the putter is face-balanced.
- The toe points diagonally or straight down – the putter has toe hang. The more the toe drops towards the ground, the better it suits a strong arc.
You can check your own stroke against a straight line. Lay a club or an alignment stick on the ground parallel to the target line and hit a few putts. If the head tracks along the line the whole time, your stroke is closer to straight; if it curves in towards your feet on the backstroke and after impact, you putt in an arc. A short video on your phone helps too.
The neck changes the balance
Toe hang is determined not only by the shape of the head but to a large extent also by the neck – the point where the shaft joins the head. Common neck styles include:
- Plumber's neck – a cranked neck that resembles a plumbing pipe, a classic on blade putters.
- Flow neck – a smoothly curved neck without a sharp bend.
- Slant neck – an angled neck, common on mid-mallets and mallets.
- Center shaft – the shaft enters the head close to its centre rather than at the heel.
The same head shape can therefore have a completely different balance depending on the neck. So don't assume that a mallet is always face-balanced and a blade always has toe hang – check the balance of the specific putter with the finger test.
Putter length by height and posture
Putters are usually 33–35 inches long (1″ = 2.54 cm). Your height gives you a first indication:
| Player height | Approximate putter length |
|---|---|
| up to 170 cm | approx. 33″ (84 cm) |
| 170–185 cm | approx. 34″ (86 cm) |
| over 185 cm | approx. 35″ (89 cm) |
Height is only a guide, though; what really matters is your posture and the length of your arms. With the right length you bend forward from the hips in a natural posture, your arms hang freely and your eyes are over the ball or slightly inside it, i.e. a little closer to your feet. A player with longer arms or a deeper forward bend usually needs a shorter putter, and a player with shorter arms or a more upright posture a longer one.
You can check your eye position with a simple test: take your address position over the ball, hold a second ball against the bridge of your nose and let it drop. It should land on the ball on the ground or just next to it, on your side.
Many golfers play a putter that is too long. You can tell because you hold it further down the grip, your elbows bend unnecessarily, or you stand too upright with your eyes well inside the ball. A putter can, however, be shortened in a club workshop or by a fitter, so you don't have to give up a model that otherwise suits you just because of its length.
Loft, head weight and counterbalance
A putter has loft too, usually 2–4°. This small amount of loft lifts the ball slightly at the start, out of the tiny depression it sits in on the green, so that it rolls smoothly across the grass. If your hands are ahead of the ball at impact, you reduce the effective loft; if they are behind the ball, you increase it. That is another reason to test a putter with your own stroke.
Head weight is mainly a matter of feel. For some players a heavier head helps produce a calm, smooth stroke, while others judge speed better with a lighter head. On some models you can adjust the weight with interchangeable weights in the sole.
Counterbalance putters have a heavier grip or a weight in the butt end of the shaft and are usually longer. You hold them further down, so the end of the grip extends above your hands. The extra weight near your hands moves the club's balance point upwards and quietens the wrists. A putter like this can therefore suit players who tend to putt with their wrists.
Face: insert or milled metal
The face mainly affects feel and sound at impact:
- An insert face made of a softer material gives a soft, muted feel and usually a quieter sound.
- A milled metal face gives crisper, more pronounced feedback; the sound tends to be clearer.
Neither option is better – what matters is what suits you. The ball also affects the feel at impact, so compare putters using the ball you play with.
Putter grips
Under the Rules, the putter is the only club allowed a grip with a flat front side; all other clubs must have a grip that is essentially circular in cross-section. The flat side helps you place your thumbs the same way every time and keep the face square to the target. The basic choice is between two types:
- Pistol – a traditional, slimmer grip, shaped at the top to fit into your palm. It gives your hands more freedom and feel.
- Oversize – a much thicker grip. It restricts wrist action and calms the hands, so it suits players whose wrists get involved in the putting stroke.
Changing the grip also changes the weight in your hands: with a heavier grip the head feels lighter. For an overview of grip sizes and types and how to replace a grip, see our guide to golf grips.
What the Rules allow
The Rules of Golf prohibit anchoring the club against your body during the stroke (Rule 10.1b). So you must not rest the putter, or the hand holding it, against your stomach, chest or chin. It is also prohibited to brace a forearm against your body and so create a fixed point around which the club swings. Resting the grip against your forearm (the arm-lock style), on the other hand, is allowed.
A long putter is therefore allowed provided you do not create a prohibited anchor during the stroke. Merely touching the body or clothing without anchoring is not a breach.
How to test a putter
The test on the green is what counts. Compare 2–3 types, for example a blade and a mallet, or the same head shape with a different balance, and run the same test with each:
- Accuracy from 1–2 m. Putt from several sides of the hole. Note how many balls drop and whether you keep missing on the same side.
- Distance from 10 m. Hit several balls and watch how close to the hole they stop and how far apart they finish.
- Alignment. Set up to the ball and judge whether the alignment line on the head helps you or distracts you.
- Feel. Test with your own ball and notice how the face, grip and head weight feel to you.
You can also practise alignment and short putts at home on a putting mat, which you will find among our training aids. Check your feel for distance on a real green, though. If you would rather base your choice of clubs on measurements than on guesswork, a club fitting is the way to do it.
It is worth taking your time over choosing a putter: every putt you save shows up directly in your score, and therefore in your handicap.
Frequently asked questions
What length of putter do I need?
As a rough guide: up to 170 cm tall, approx. 33″; 170–185 cm, approx. 34″; over 185 cm, approx. 35″. Then adjust for your posture: in a natural forward bend your arms should hang freely and your eyes should be over the ball or slightly inside it.
Blade or mallet putter?
If you putt in an arc and like a compact head, try a blade with toe hang. If your stroke is closer to straight or you want more forgiveness and help with alignment, try a face-balanced mallet. Let the test on the green decide, not the looks.
Which putter grip should I choose?
A slimmer pistol grip gives your hands more feel; a thicker oversize grip restricts wrist action. The putter is the only club allowed a grip with a flat front side.
Are long putters allowed?
Yes. Rule 10.1b concerns anchoring during the stroke, not putter length. You may use a long putter without prohibited anchoring; holding the grip against the forearm in the arm-lock style is allowed.
Can a putter be shortened?
Yes. A putter is shortened at the grip end: the grip is removed, the shaft is cut down and a grip is fitted, usually a new one. Afterwards the head feels slightly lighter, because the club's weight distribution changes.
Summary
- Start by identifying your stroke: a face-balanced putter suits a straight-back, straight-through stroke, while a putter with toe hang suits an arc.
- A blade is compact and traditional, a mallet has a higher MOI and helps more with alignment, and a mid-mallet is the compromise.
- Check the balance with the finger test – besides the head shape, the neck changes it too.
- Length is usually 33–35″; what counts is a posture that puts your eyes over the ball or slightly inside it.
- Choose the grip, face and head weight by feel; the putter must not be anchored against your body.
- Before you buy, compare 2–3 putters: from 1–2 m for accuracy, from 10 m for distance.
Once you are clear on type and length, choose from our range of putters and, if needed, add a new grip.
You’ll find more topics in the overview of our golf guides.