Should you be using a blade or mallet putter?
What’s the difference between these two types of putters and which will suit your game better?
The putter is a crucial piece of equipment in golfers’ bags – it may even be the most critical of them all. So you need to decide if you should be using a blade or mallet putter?
Sure, hitting a three-hundred-yard drive down the fairway feels good, but putting is what separates the pros from the amateurs in the world of golf.
Putting is more of an art than any other type of golf shot, so choosing the right tool for the job is more important than ever.
In this buying guide, I’ll cover the key differences between mallets and blades and discuss whether you should be using a blade or mallet putter.
What is a blade putter?
Blade style putters are the most traditional type of putters used in golf. They gets their name from their straight blade-like appearance. Compared to its mallet putter counterpart, their design is far simpler and therefore they are far lighter in weight.
Players who have an arc-type putting stroke tend to favour blade putters.
However, blade putters are less forgiving because of their smaller head and lack in alignment options for the same reason. Although if you’re confident in your putting stroke and don’t need larger alignment aids, a blade putter is a fantastic choice.
Pros:
- Helpful for arc stroke putters
- Suitable for people that want precision-based performance
- Work well on fast greens
Cons:
- Not as forgiving as a mallet putter
What is a mallet putter?
The mallet style putter has benefitted from technological advancements throughout the years. You will see all sorts of head shapes and sizes when shopping for them – such as squares, circles and even fangs!
As the heads are larger then blade putters’ heads, this means they are heavier, but not overly so. In fact, some can even be the same weight as blade putters.
The main reason why people prefer mallet putters is because of their forgiveness. Remember, putting is an art, which means the margin for error with these clubs is far greater than that big booming drive off the tee.
Mallet putters’ larger sweet spot offers players a greater chance of making good contact with the ball.
Therefore mallet putters will benefit golfers who struggle with alignment and striking the ball in the centre of the clubhead.
Pros:
- Very forgiving
- Available in many different designs
- Great for the straight back straight through stroke
Cons:
- Not great for an arc style stroke
So should you be using a blade or mallet putter? Whichever option you go for, I’ve listed our favourite putters on the following pages. Just hit the buttons below to navigate to your preferred choice of putter!
What are the best blade putters?
Best blade putters: TaylorMade TP Hydro Blast Soto 1 Golf Putter
The Hydro Blast Collection of putters from TaylorMade brings the past into the future of putting. The putters feature a new White Pure Roll™ insert, moveable weight system, and new 303 machined milled head.
Pros:
- Classy, premium looks
- Solid and stable feel
- Solid alignment aids
Cons:
- Sun glare from certain angles
Best blade putters: Ping Anser PLD Milled Black Matte Golf Putter
The PING PLD Milled Anser Golf Putter Matte Black putter features a highly appealing stealth finish and is an ideal choice for the golfer that has a slight arc in their stroke. The proprietory graphite shaft also benefits from a stealth finish which compliments the head superbly and gives the putter a superbly balanced feel. The classic Anser shape needs no introduction as it is undoubtedly the most copied putter design of all time. This putter is an ideal choice for golfers that have a slight arc in their stroke.
Pros:
- Consistent and easy to align
- Suits those wanting a firmer feel
- Lovely feel
Cons:
- No alignment lines
Buy Now
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Scottsdale Golf£349.00View Deal
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American Golf£349.00View Deal
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DICK'S Sporting Goods$449.00View Deal
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PGA TOUR Superstore$449.99View Deal
Best blade putters: Odyssey White Hot OG #1 Golf Putter
White Hot is the most iconic, most played, and most decorated putter insert of all time. This classic name is synonymous with legendary performance and the unique design properties that Tour players and golfers love. It’s set a standard in insert technology for nearly 20 years and golfers all around the world agree that there’s nothing quite like it. That got Odyssey thinking, if something is still so overwhelmingly popular, why not bring it back? That’s right, Odyssey have engineered the original formulation into White Hot OG, and the performance speaks for itself.
Pros:
- Iconic face insert with plenty of models to choose from
- Surprisingly forgiving for a blade putter
- Generous sweet spot
Cons:
- Insert could be too soft for some
Best blade putters: Scotty Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 Golf Putter
This iconic putter has been refined and re-engineered to be as close as possible to Tour specification. Precision milled in the USA from a solid block of stainless steel without any face insert to give you that amazing pure feel associated with Scotty Cameron putters.
Pros:
- Stunning, premium looks
- Solid feed with excellent feedback
- Nicely balanced weighting
Cons:
- Reputation affords premium prices
Buy Now
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GlobalGolf$339.99View Deal
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Scottsdale Golf£429.00View Deal
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American Golf£429.00View Deal
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PGA TOUR Superstore$449.99View Deal
Best blade putters: Odyssey Tour Chicago Golf Putter
The Odyssey Toulon range of putters have been around for a few years now and they represent this most famous of putter company’s most premium side. 2022 sees the release of a completely new collection of these beautiful putters with eight stunning options to choose from with each one offering something slightly different that makes them an ideal choice for a certain style of stroke.
Pros:
- Premium, elegant finish
- Soft feel off the face
- Stroke lab shaft for more consistency
Cons:
- Some may want more stability
Best blade putters: Sik Pro C-Series Golf Putter
The SIK Pro C-Series Armlock Golf Putter is their signature traditional ander design presented in the increasing popular Armlock style. The Armlock Method is being embraced by more and more tour players as they revel in the benefits that this choice of method brings. Golfers who choose this method can expect to see improved club face control in their putting stroke which results in far fewer pulls and pushes and more holed putts. Any golfer that prefers a classic look, with beautiful clean lines, will naturally gravitate towards this stunning design. SIK undertake huge amounts of R&D when designing a new model of putter, and every design feature is created to fulfil a specific purpose and to this end they have orientated their JMX/SIK grip to be parallel to the putter face for maximum contact points and helps to increase stability of the putting stroke.
Pros:
- Very easy to judge speed
- Wide choice of shafts and hosels
- Very consistent launch and subsequent roll
Cons:
- Doesn’t look as premium as it costs
Best blade putters: Cobra King Vintage 60 Golf Putter
The KING Vintage Sport-60 is a traditionally shaped blade putter that has a flow neck hosel and offers a 60-degree toe hang, ideal for golfers that have a putting stroke with a stronger arc. It has been constructed with from 304 stainless steel and features a single sightline for enhanced alignment. The Sport-60 has twin 20g sole weights that can be adjusted to +5g or -10g (custom weights sold seperately) giving the golfer huge scope to perfectly tune the head weight to their stroke.
Pros:
- Embedded Arccos sensor tracks performance
- SIK’s Descending Loft Technology on the face
- Affordable price
Cons:
- Some may want a more premium look
Buy Now
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American Golf£149.00View Deal
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Golf Gear Direct
£199.00£179.10View Deal -
GlobalGolf$199.99View Deal
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PGA TOUR Superstore$249.99View Deal
Ben Outhwaite
Ben is National Club Golfer's Marketing Editor and the latest addition to our golf equipment review team.
He specialises in testing golf bags, beginner golf club sets, apparel and golf accessories. He also collates our buying guides so you know which are the latest and greatest bits of golf equipment on the market.
Ben picked up his first golf club when he was five years old – which was in fact a left-handed set of clubs!
He is a member at Rudding Park Golf Club and has a handicap of fifteen.