Equipment
Best Mallet Putters of 2019: The 11 best options for maximum stability and a smoother roll
If you’re still holding out on trying a mallet putter due to a bias against the larger silhouette, we urge you to take a step back and look at all the tour pros making the change. More and more mallets are making appearances in top players’ bags. Look closely enough, and you’ll find many of the medal winners in the 2019 Hot List.
So why do tour players and amateurs love the move to the mallet? Stability. More mass in the head means it’s heavier than your standard blade putter. The moment of inertia is higher, which means it’s going to torque less during the stroke. The less the putter torques, the more likely the clubface is coming into the ball square—and we all know what that means: more putts rolling dead-straight at the hole.
On the faces of these winning putters you’ll find a lot of the same technology you’ve seen in the blade putter category: fully milled faces for improved roll on off-center hits, and faces with inserts to give a soft sound and feel. Basically, if you’re worried that the bigger head is going to sound clunky, don’t. The face technology is sophisticated enough to make sure that doesn't happen.
The larger surface area on the top of the heads has been utilized to make improved alignment aids on many of the models on our list. From shapes, to colors, to lines, there are many different tools in place to help you line it up.
If you’ve been considering trying a mallet, there’s no time like right now.
Gold-medal winners:
Story: Odyssey believes most current putters feature too much weight too far from the hands. This can hurt control and consistency. All six Stroke Lab mallets in the line feature a shaft made mostly from graphite, with steel near the head and extra weight in the grip so the balance point is closer to your hands. The face insert’s combination of a polymer filled with steel “microhinges” yields soft feel and better roll.
Street Price: $250
Story: Like the smoky, matte-black look? It’s new this year, part of the subtle but effective upgrades to Odyssey’s high-end line of milled putters. The trademark diamond-shape milling pattern on the face reaches from heel to toe, extending the soft sound and improved topspin roll for all impacts. Also, the five new mallets offer the Stroke Lab shaft, which is made of graphite and has a counterbalanced grip for more control and consistency.
Street Price: $450
Story: Ping believes most golfers use a putter that’s ill-suited for their stroke—a 35-inch model isn’t always the appropriate length. That’s why a hidden mechanism inside the grip on these putters allows you to adjust the length from 32 to 36 inches. No need to get the shaft cut down and the putter regripped. Among the models in the Sigma 2 line is the Fetch (pictured). Not only is it stable, you can use it to grab your ball off the green or pick it out of the hole.
Street Price: $450
Story: Seeing the name Vault should prepare you for classic-looking milled putters. And these are, but there’s tech to back up the looks. The face features a precision-milling pattern to improve off-center strikes for consistent performance. Then, to match your length and balance preferences, the putters offer custom heel and toe sole weights (steel, tungsten or aluminum). Both the Piper and the Ketsch (pictured) can be matched to an arcing or straight stroke.
Street Price: $450
Story: These mini-mallets get your attention for their old-school finish, but they have forgiveness benefits, too. Take the Ardmore 3 (pictured). It’s narrow, but a section in the back has been removed. That leaves a gap the width of a golf ball to promote better alignment. It also allows more weight to be placed in the extreme heel and toe for extra stability on off-center hits. The grooves on the aluminum face insert angle downward to reduce backspin.
Street Price: $450
TaylorMade Spider X
Story: You’re probably used to seeing this putter in bright red. But the new copper and dark-blue options aren’t the biggest change. This new model features a deeper center of gravity to make it more stable in a more compact package. By using a carbon-composite center section, almost three-quarters of the head’s weight lies in the heel and toe. A thicker Surlyn face insert produces a softer feel, but it gets the same quick roll thanks to the face’s angled grooves.
Street Price: $450
Story: This traditional, milled-mallet line includes the same inlay face technology as the Cameron blades. A larger layer of vibration-damping material is between the aircraft-aluminum face piece and the stainless-steel milled body. Tour players asked for a plumbing neck, and that’s what Cameron delivered with the newest model, the Select Fastback 2 (pictured). The other two changes to this new model are a shorter face height and a thinner topline.
Street Price: $450
Silver-medal winners:
Story: This traditional, milled-mallet line includes the same inlay face technology as the Cameron blades. A larger layer of vibration-damping material is between the aircraft-aluminum face piece and the stainless-steel milled body. Tour players asked for a plumbing neck, and that’s what Cameron delivered with the newest model, the Select Fastback 2 (pictured). The other two changes to this new model are a shorter face height and a thinner topline.
Street Price: $450
Bloodline RG-1
Story: This putter can stand on its own—and that’s not a metaphor. Literally, this putter stands up without you holding onto it. So your dreams have come true: You can line up the putter as you’re looking down the line, and then step up to the putt without the head moving. It’s all possible because of the uniquely balanced carbon-fiber shaft, oversize grip and milled aluminum head. Available in heel- or center-shaft options.
Street Price: $500
Edel Torque Balanced
Story: This putter naturally hangs with the toe pointing up. It’s a weighting strategy that involves removing mass from the toe. With less weight, there’s less resistance to returning the clubface to square. This means you have more control over the stroke for greater consistency. The grip is cylindrical, with no taper, so it encourages precise alignment and the proper grip pressure—an underrated factor when attempting to make consistent, smooth strokes.
Street Price: $375
SeeMore M5X Private Reserve
Story: SeeMore putters are known for their alignment features. When you address the putt, and the shaft hides the familiar red dot, you know you’re set up properly. This milled stainless-steel mallet also has a center alignment line to add focus on the direction of the putterhead, instead of just squaring up your body. A milled aluminum face insert provides soft feel, and you can customize head weight, length, lie, grip and even headcover.
Street Price: $450