A lineup of Odyssey putters. (via Odyssey Golf)

1. Head style

Companies are making more putters than ever, often with subtle balance variations between them, so if you find one that catches your eye the chances are good that it comes in a version that matches your needs. But is there an inherent advantage of using a mallet or a more traditional blade?

“I definitely think that beginners should start with a mallet,” said Scotty Cameron, Titleist’s master craftsman for putters. “Before, all mallets were face-balanced, and now you can go either way. If you want to go square-to square, we’ve got face-balanced. If you want to go arced, we’ve got that too. Whatever you’re into, we’ve got something that will fit you.”

Sean Toulon, Odyssey’s general manager, agrees and adds that he would recommend a model that has a high moment of inertia.

“Bad putters are going (to mis-hit) it around the face,” he said. “Today, we can make blades with an MOI around 4,000 or 4,500, but a lot of the big mallets have MOIs over 6,000.”

The higher a putter’s MOI, the less apt it will be to twist on off-center hits and the more forgiving it will be.

Heel-toe-weighted blade putters tend to emphasize feel and control. They have a classic look that many accomplished golfers love and traditionally had less MOI than mallets, but in recent years many blades have come to market with extra perimeter weighting that boosts their MOI and forgiveness.

The bottom line when it comes to putters is that if you work with a fitter or a PGA of America pro, it has never been easier to find a club that will accentuate the good things about your putting stroke, compensate for your shortcomings and please your eye.  Gwk

(Note: This story appears in the April 2019 issue of Golfweek.)