Personally, one of the best feelings on the golf course is draining a putt from downtown and your buddies going crazy to help celebrate your remarkable feat.
What’s even better than that is having consistency on the green throughout your round and being able to make putts hole after hole.
There’s a number of things that will help with your confidence on the green and one of those is having the right tool in the toolbox (golf bag).
We’ll point out some of the key features to look for on your search and then you’ll know how to choose a putter that is best suited for you.
Table of Contents
How to Choose a Putter that will work for you
What’s my Putting Style?
If you’ve spent any time on the course or watched tournaments on T.V., you’ve surely noticed that not everyone’s approach to the game is the same.
However, when it comes to putting, the majority of players’ strokes are either straight back or they have a stronger arc.
For my part, my putting stroke is straight back. To this day, during my practice putts and when addressing the ball my goal is to mirror the pendulum on grandfather clock.
For those of you with a straight back stroke you should look for a putter with a balanced face.
If you’re looking for a top of the line face balanced putter, Odyssey Golf has a lot of options for you to choose from.
For the beginner golfer who doesn’t want to break the bank on a face balanced putter, a good choice would be the Pinemeadow PGX.
Additionally, those with a stronger arc will take the club back a bit to the inside on their back stroke and square the face up upon impact.
If this sounds like you, then you’ll be looking for a toe hang putter.
Again, look into Odyssey Golf, PXG Golf and Cobra Golf.
If cost is a factor, Wilson golf has some good options for reasonably priced toe hang putters.
Looking to dial in that putting stroke or get some practice in while you’re in the office? Look into an alignment mirror.
Picking the Right Head Shape
After you’ve determined your putting stroke the next item on the checklist for choosing a putter is the head shape.
You might be asking yourself, what’s the big deal? I just want a cool looking putter to hit the ball in the hole.
Well, you’ve got a point but depending on your stroke you have a couple of options: Blade, Mallet or High MOI.
Let’s start by diving into the blade style of putter.
The blade is the OG of putters and has been around for a long time. Typically, this style of putter will be for those of you with the stronger arc stroke and you’ll want to look into a toe hang putter.
If you’re dialed in and able to hit that sweet spot on your putter consistently and want more of that classic putter look, grab yourself a blade and sink some putts.
With developments in putter technology and those of us who needed a little more forgiveness is our putter, the mallet style was born.
While they aren’t the most popular putter on the golf course anymore, they are still widely used and are mainly designed for the straight back putting stroke.
Nowadays, you’ll see a lot of players, even some professionals using a High MOI style of putter.
This style of putter is specifically designed to remain square at impact. This helps tremendously in keeping the ball on its intended line.
The high level of forgiveness produces consistent ball speed and assists in the event of a slight miss hit in your stroke.
When it comes to choosing the right putter most golfers will more than likely be most comfortable with the High MOI or Mallet style.
However, with that being said you need to choose the style the best suits you and what helps your game the most.
Choosing the Right Shaft Link
An often overlooked feature when people are choosing a putter is the shaft length.
A lot of people would recommend a proper fitting from a PGA professional to determine this. But if your anything like me, I personally do not have the time to set something like that up.
Luckily, you have a few options when it comes to testing this out on your own and we’ll go a over a few of those now.
The first alternative we’ll mention is also the easiest because it’s based on your height.
Additionally, there is an at home test you can try from the comfort of your own living room.
First you’ll need to grab two golf balls and your current putter.
Place one of the golf balls on the ground and address it as you would any other putt.
Once you are in position, take the second golf ball and drop it from your left eye.
If the released ball hits the one on the ground this could indicate that your putter length is already good to go.
However, if it’s final resting place is in the void between your feet and the other ball your putter may be too long.
Give these two options a try when trying to determine the proper length for your putter.
What Kind of Grip to Choose?
I’m going to try and break this down into two different parts regarding grip. First, being how hard you grip the club and second the actual grip you choose to put onto your putter.
Let’s go a little more in depth with your grip strength and the pressure you apply with your grip.
If you are the type that has a stronger grasp on the grip you’ll notice that the club head will feel relatively light.
If this is you, then you’ll need to ensure that the putter head does not rotate throughout your stroke.
The above statement is true for those that have a lighter grip on the club.
However, for those whose grip is light the club head will feel heavier.
You are going to need to find a grip that is right in the middle. Not to strong and not to light but you still want to feel the club grip in your hands.
Let’s make a quick mention of the different grips that are out there on the market.
Personally, I have been a big fan of and have seen greater improvements on the green since I put a SuperStroke putter grip on my flat stick.
It took a little getting used to at first but once I was able to adjust I haven’t looked back.
Check out some prices on putter grips here: Dick Sporting Goods | WorldWide Golf Shops
Choosing the Right Putter
When it comes to choosing the right putter, from my experience it will be a little trial and error until you find the one.
First, find out what your putting stroke is and begin to browse putters designed for your specific stroke.
Then you’ll want to find the correct head shape and shaft length.
Finally, determine your grip and the type of of grip you want.
With all of that in mind you should be able to add you a quality tool to your golf bag.
Browse Putters here: Dick Sporting Goods | WorldWide Golf Shops | Amazon
Conclusion
When it comes to shooting lower scores on the course, having the right putter in your bag is an absolute necessity.
Now having the right club isn’t going to be the end all be all when it comes to putting. But it will build a tremendous amount of confidence when you go to send the ball home.
Finding the right putter isn’t a one size fits all solution and it may take you a little time to get it all dialed in but you will get there.
Feel free to leave us a comment if you like what you read and let us know if you were able to apply some of the information when choosing your next putter.
