46 Shares

Putters: Is a Blade or Mallet Putter Design Best For You?

Today’s discussion is about mallet vs blade putters. You’re already aware that about 40-50% of your golf shots are with the putter, but it is often the most overlooked club in your bag.

Have you ever seen a guy walk up to a putter display, pick up a club or two, swing it around a little, and then maybe practice a few putts before deciding on a purchase? It’s to our advantage to go deeper in search of a putter, not just buy off of a display we see at a local sporting shop.

Putters, along with most current golfing trends, have really gotten high-tech. Designs, shapes, styles, materials, shaft length, inserts; the list goes on.

This article will cover the two most common types of putters used today, their characteristics, and hopefully help you find the one that’s right for you. Having the correct putter can do wonders for your golf scores.

Resources:

BLADE PUTTERS

Blade putters are what I would describe as a “traditional style” putter. If you play a lot of golf, you probably see these putters more than any others. The blade putter has a slightly offset shaft and a generally rectangular shaped head.

There may be inserts and recesses for weight control and balance, along with various materials used for construction, but I think you get the idea. In very, very basic terms, think “putt-putt golf putter”.

Blade putters are best suited for golfers that have an arch in their putting stroke.

It’s difficult to see unless you really study the stoke or watch a video, but the club face will move in or out along an arch through the putting stroke. You can find a few quick videos on YouTube for a demonstration.

RESOURCE: Golf Practice Plan to Break 80

MALLET PUTTERS

The mallet putter is a result of science and technology. Recent gains in putter designs has helped professionals and weekend-warriors improve their scores.

Mallet putters come in a lot of different shapes, sizes and colors.

This putter head has a ball-striking leading edge, is usually “face balanced” and incorporates some variation of a wedge or square body trailing behind. Some are very basic in design; others look like drones on the end of a golf shaft!!

Mallet putters generally suite a golfer that is straight back and straight through the putting stroke.

RESOURCE: Golf Practice Plan to Break 90

This putter is easier to align, a huge factor in successful putting. If you initially struggled using a blade putter, the mallet may help your scores.

Mallet putters are showing up more and more in local golf bags and on the PGA tour as well.

Let’s take a look at a few of each style. You can read, research and price a few to help your decision making.

Of course these putters come in multiple variations and price ranges, but I hope to give you something here that will fit into your game and budget.

BEST BLADE PUTTER OPTIONS

In this section you’ll find 3 great options for buying a blade style putter. We matched each option to different budget levels.

Affordable Putter: Tommy Armour Tear Drop
Modest Budget: TaylorMade Big Red Daytona
High End Blade Putter: Odyssey O-Works Putter

Tommy Armour Blade Putter Quick Review

The first blade putter today is the New Tear Drop Blade Putter by Tommy Armour. This putter comes with a regular shaft flex and is made of steel.

It plays at a 35” length with a black head and red and white alignment markers. The grip is a mid-sized paddle made by Swing Tack.

This is an entry level priced putter, coming in around $30.

You can find out more like price and reviews on Amazon here.

TaylorMade Big Red Daytona Review

Next up, this TaylorMade Big Red Daytona Putter is available for right or left hand players in 34” and 35” lengths.

The raised high-contrast sight line is designed to make alignment easier. The Big Red is fitted with a Mid-Slim 2.0 SuperStroke grip.

Based on your choice of options, the option is priced from $100 to $150.

More details are available at www.taylormadegolf.com or see pricing on Amazon here.

Odyssey O Works Blade Putter Review

My final blade choice for today is the Odyssey 0-Works Putter.

The Odyssey is also available for right and left handers in 33”-35” lengths and incorporates their “micro hinge insert technology” for improved gains in topspin and roll.

The Odyssey can be fitted with the Superstroke Pistol GT Tour or the Superstoke Slim 2.0 grip. This putter company is touted as #1 across the major tours.

Depending on your choice of options, expect to spend between $180 and $350.

Click to see pricing and reviews on Amazon here.

RESOURCE: Best Putting Training Plan to Follow

BEST MALLET PUTTER SELECTIONS

In this section you’ll find the best mallet putters by budget:

Pinemeadow PGX Mallet Putter
Cleveland Golf 2135 Satin Elevado
TaylorMade 2018 Spider Mallet Putter

Pinemeadow’s Best Mallet Putter – The PGX

I’m starting off my mallet putter reviews with the entry-level Pinemeadow Golf Men’s PGX.

This putter length is 34” and comes with a fitted PGX headcover. The Pinemeadow weighs 40g more than a traditional putter, which is considered “tour-weighted” for faster greens found on most of the better golf courses.

This PGX is white in color to give a stark contrast to green putting surfaces. Coming in at just under $40, maybe here’s an option to try a mallet putter for the first time.

Check out pricing on Amazon as of today

Cleveland Golf 2135 Elevado Mallet Putter

My next mallet choice is the Cleveland Golf 2135 Satin Elevado Counter Balanced putter.

Cleveland is a household name in the golfing industry, and this putter has some nice features. The face incorporates optimized milling for superb ball contact, a polymer TPU insert for quiet putts with a softer feel.

This putter is also fitted with Cleveland’s counter balanced, over-sized grip for a smooth stroke. It’s available in lengths of 35” and 38”.

Players have enjoyed this putter since being introduced in 2016. Priced around $180, this choice should provide satisfaction for years to come.

Click here to see pricing and reviews on Amazon

TaylorMade Spider Putter

The final mallet review is the TaylorMade 2018 Spider Golf putter.

This choice has been seen in the golf bags of Dustin Johnson and Jason Day just to name a few.

Featured here is the new model for 2018, and this version has received rave reviews.

Here are just a few of the many options available:

Left and right handed
Black, Red and Diamond Tour Models
Sightline or no sightline
Arc Red, Arc Silver, or Tour Platinum Models

Other popular features are the soft surlyn “Pure Ball” insert for a softer feel and a face-balanced mallet with a 360g head weight. If you’re interested, give it a test-drive before shelling out $200 to $400 dollars.

Click here to see specs and pricing on Amazon

Final Words on Mallet vs Blade Putters

Hopefully I’ve given you some information to help with a new putter selection. Earlier I mentioned your putter being the most overlooked club in golf bags today.

If you’ve been fitted for a set of clubs, consider being fitted for a putter and test out a few of today’s options. You may find the perfect putter at your pro shop or local retail golf store.

Also price a few options on-line; it may possibly save you a few dollars to spend on other golf accessories.

If you have never been fitted for clubs, I would suggest a putter fitting before any other choice. It could really shave some strokes off your scores.

Check out fitting options by searching on-line or visiting your local golf store. A golf pro can also evaluate your putting stroke to help determine if a blade or mallet putter is best suited for you.

Golf Practice Plans (Follow these Programs)

Golf Video Courses

Don’t miss out on these amazing training programs. They’ll help lower your golf scores.

Or hop onto our email newsletter and get the free weekly golf tips we send out to our community plus updates and other announcements you don’t want to miss!

Pin44

Share2