When it comes to putters, users are truly spoilt for choice, with a variety of models available on the market. It can be difficult to work out where to start, but one aspect that is important to note is that a mallet style putter will tend to be larger and more forgiving than a blade-style putter.
Why is it, you may ask? Well, the weight in a mallet putter is often found in the club face but, because of its design, weight can then be redistributed to other parts of the head to stabilize and create balance for your stroke. Mallet designs are also the most forgiving putters because they tend to have a larger sweet spot, whilst the extra weight in the head helps to diminish twisting throughout the strike.
One final point to note is that, if you struggle with alignment, a mallet putter can really help with that and, below, we taken the best mallets from our putter reviews and created this handy guide for you! Additionally, we would also recommend checking out our specific guides on the best women's putters and best putters for beginners too.
WATCH: Joel Tadman runs through the best putters you can buy this year
The Quick List
There is much to like about this mallet from Cobra. It's forgiving, stylish looking and the Descending Loft Technology face design ensures a consistent roll even if you get your hands a little ahead or behind the ball at impact.
Providing a solid, stable feel, it's unlikely that you'll find a better putter at this incredible price point. Although the feel is slightly firmer, the alignment help and forgiveness make this a great value-for-money putter.
The Mizuno M.Craft OMOI 03 putter is a premium specialist model that offers very good adjustability for those who prefer a heavier putter.
This performs on all lengths of putt whilst also providing a more refined look and solid feel. It’s no wonder Tour players have started to put these in play.
The DF3 is a pleasure to use as its face really does square up through impact, making it easy to recommend to every ability of player.
One of the most iconic putters in golf has had a reboot. The new and improved TaylorMade Spider Tour offers maximum forgiveness, a soft feel off the face and new alignment markings on the crown which make it very easy to line up.
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Providing a premium look with excellent alignment aids, the Ketsch G Putter from Ping provides great stability and would make a welcome addition to any golfer's bag!
The Bettinardi INOVAI 6.5 is a premium build, highly forgiving mallet that would be a nice addition to the bag of a wide range of golfers of varying skill levels. It's a well-balanced putter that delivers a consistent roll and soft feel from anywhere on the green.
Scotty Cameron have done a lot of work to the Phantom 9, with a new alignment system and incredible forgiveness on off-centre strikes putting this up there with the brand's best.
The trusted shape of the TM22 putter is given premium treatment. The clever use of milling lines has created visual differences for alignments in a mallet design.
The Rossie S putter delivers on looks, performance, forgiveness and you even get a cool window underneath the head displaying the technology going on behind the brand's ground-breaking A.I. designed face insert.
Don't be put off by the 'gimmicky' shape. This versatile Cleveland putter offers a responsive feel and good forgiveness, and it will pick your ball out of the hole for you after knocking it in!
With the EV5, Evnroll gives golfers the opportunity to choose the visual cues and hosel design that works for them. It also has excellent stability and feel.
One of the most impressive mallet head putters of 2023. Its unique finish and milled face provide the performance and the looks of a premium putter.
Best Mallet Putters
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Best Value Mallet Putters
There are some great value mallet putters from the main manufacturers that bring all the benefits of perimeter weighting and the latest face technology to a variety of putter head shapes such as these:
Cobra King Vintage Cuda Putter
The Vintage Cuda features a new soft PEBAX face insert that is crafted from a lightweight and responsive thermo-plastic elastomer. In testing, it produced a softer feel in comparison to the firmer aluminium face insert in Cobra's more premium 3D Printed putters.
Along with the face insert, the Cuda features Descending Loft Technology (DLT), which uses four descending lofts (4°, 3°, 2°, 1°) to maintain a consistent loft through impact regardless of your angle of attack or ball position in your stance. Certainly, in testing, the forgiveness was excellent, whilst the putter was responsive enough that we could feel a mis-hit from outside the sweet spot.
One aspect that we really liked about the Cuda is that it features interchangeable weights that allow you to personalize your putter to find your desired feel and control. The weights offered include 5g, 10g, 15g, 20g, 25g, and these can be purchased separately to match your preferred head weight.
- Read our full Cobra King Vantage Cuda Putter Review
Wilson Infinite Bucktown Putter
Wilson are known for producing some of the best budget putters on the market and, with the Infinite Bucktown, it's set to slide into that category with ease. Beginning with the looks, the fang-shape frames the ball nicely, with the sole of the putter sitting very low to the ground, flush to the grass.
Interestingly, when it comes to the three short white lines on the top of the putter, the middle of the three lines is slightly thicker, which helps center the ball on the face at address. Overall, for the price point, the Bucktown is impressive, especially with the two-tone PVD anti-glare finish, which creates a visually-appealing look that adds to the premium feel.
So, how did it perform? Well, off the face, it had a solid, stable feel but, where it may divide opinion, is in the acoustics, which were noticeable when the ball came off the face. However, there seems to be plenty of help at hand and the balance is really good for a putter at this price point.
- Read our full Wilson Infinite Bucktown Putter Review
Mizuno M.Craft OMOI 03 Putter
The OMOI 03 putter from Mizuno is the only mallet in their OMOI range, with OMOI a Japanese adjective for ‘heavy’, so it's no surprise that this putter is 383 grams! In terms of the standard Mizuno M.Craft putter, Mizuno found that most users made their putters heavier by using the bigger weights from the supplied adjustable kit, so they took that on board to make a heavier putter.
Importantly, you can still adjust the weight on the M.Craft OMOI 03, as it comes with two 3g and 13g weights that can be used to replace the standard 8g weights in the sole, giving a variance range of 20g. That is a big difference, especially when you're trying to hone in your feel on the greens.
Visually, the mallet is quite compact and the blade length is quite short. Personally, we thought the blue finish was very cool, but there is also Black Ion and Double Nickel finishes as well if the blue isn't to your taste. In our view, the face balanced design creates a very stable, forgiving putter for those golfers who can get a little lively with their hands.
- Read our full Mizuno M.Craft OMOI 03 Putter Review
TaylorMade TP Hydro Blast Bandon 3 Putter
The Bandon 3 mallet from TaylorMade has a short neck hosel, which provides a little more toe hang than the plumbers neck found on the Bandon 1. We found that it sits completely flush to the ground, which was nice and, while the alignment assistance on offer from the short black sight line is somewhat limited, on the plus side the winged shape helped us present it squarely to the ball.
In testing, we felt it had a similar feel to a blade putter but in a mallet form, which makes it a highly versatile club that may suit a wider range of players. What's more, the feel off the face was solid and it offered up a surprisingly firm and loud sound at impact given the deep grooves on the face insert.
Aesthetically, we felt that the sandstone finish on the head looked fantastic and, for something that looks so raw, it still manages to look elegant and premium. The one slight drawback is that it does reflect the sun more than we’d have liked.
- Read our full TaylorMade TP Hydro Blast Bandon 3 Putter Review
Best High MOI Mallet Putters
High MOI mallet putters have driven the shape of this sector for many years as the larger head size allows weight to be placed deep in the corners to maximise the resistance to twisting on off-centre hits. The latest designs take this to the next level, with multi-material heads that manage the weight distribution more effectively, yet still keep the putter light and easy to use. Here are our favourites.
L.A.B. Golf DF3 Putter
Not only is the L.A.B. Golf DF3 mallet forgiving and stable, but also “fully automatic”. You may wonder what this means? Well, it's designed to feel as if it’s guiding itself on the correct path on the way back and through. That can be attributed to "Lie Angle Balance" technology, which creates true zero-torque putters, which stay square by themselves.
It’s a center-shafted, flat-bottom model in which the shaft connects right behind the front flange and directly into an oddly shaped ring that’s hollow in the middle. This look may divide opinion, but you can get this in a stock or custom model. With the latter, you can choose from standard-length or counterbalanced models in eight different colors, with a wide range of grip and upgraded shaft options.
Importantly, our testing backed up the brand's claims, as it felt like the DF3 actually had a mind of its own. Throughout the testing, we held the putter lightly, aimed, start the backstroke, and let gravity take over. The head looks huge, especially for those who typically use blades but, despite the size, the head was not a visual distraction in any way. In fact, we were extremely impressed with how easy it was to control putt speed. Putts within three feet felt like near-automatic, which really enhanced our confidence.
- Read our full L.A.B. Golf DF3 Putter Review
TaylorMade Spider Tour Putter
The TaylorMade Spider is an iconic design that is now one of the most recognisable putters out there. From leading Tour pros to Sunday hackers, Spider putters are popular with golfers of all skill levels and, over the years, TaylorMade has made lots of little tweaks and added plenty of wrinkles to its ever expanding range.
To begin with, the Spider Tour putter comes into its own on off-center strikes, as it helps to maintain the direction and control of the putt. It's worth mentioning that there are four head shapes available - Tour, Tour X, Tour V and Tour Z, but all four provide a high-MOI performance, as well as stability, consistency and forgiveness in abundance.
The two areas that stood out for us were the soft feel and the high forgiveness, with our tester incredibly impressed by the performance on offer. The soft feel comes from the white TPU Pure Roll insert, which also provides a nice symmetry with the white True Path Alignment aid on the top of the crown.
- Read our full TaylorMade Spider Tour Putter Review
Ping 2024 Ketsch G Putter
When it comes to the best Ping putters on the market, there is a huge variation of models and types, with one of the newer ones being the Ketsch G Putter, a forgiving mallet that is designed to inspire confidence when addressed down behind the ball.
Certainly, out of the box, it ticked all the boxes for us, as the traditional grip, PEBAX face insert, alignment lines on the crown and deep footprint combine to produce something which the majority of golfers will absolutely adore. Even the plain, traditional design of the head cover is very appealing too and, in terms of the visuals we can’t fault this putter at all.
In testing, and when struck out the middle, the benefit of the insert was visible and the feel off the face was very soft when compared with other models. One slight negative is that, although it had a ball retriever on the bottom of the putter, it is slightly redundant as the large head of the Ketsch means it is too big to fit in the hole. Aside from that, the looks and forgiveness make this a very viable option in the mallet putter department.
- Read our full Ping 2024 Ketsch G Putter Review
Bettinardi Inovai 6.5 Putter
The 6.5 had previously only been a limited-run putter until it was added to the 2024 INOVAI range. The hexagonal shape and fangs are designed to optimize the putter’s MOI (Moment of Inertia) thanks to triangular vents that save weight, which is then distributed to the perimeter to help provide stability and forgiveness.
The head itself is comprised of two parts; a 303 Stainless Steel front piece and a 6061 Military Grade Aluminium back piece. The Midnight Armor and Titan Grey color scheme, combined with the blend of different metals, offers a nice visual contrast whilst also providing important performance benefits. In testing, it performed very well and sat nice and square at address. What's more, it was very stable through the stroke.
Overall, the confidence-inspiring looks at address and soft feel with a muted sound at impact makes this one of the most forgiving putters on the market and, we would even go as far as to say, it is one of the best putters for high-handicap golfers.
- Read our full Bettinardi Inovai 6.5 Putter Review
Scotty Cameron 2024 Phantom 9 Putter
The 9 shape is a mid-sized, angular mallet putter with two cavities and a dual line alignment system, meaning this is a pretty drastic departure from what we’ve seen before among the best Scotty Cameron putters. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing whatsoever!
Before talking about the looks, we will talk about the performance, with the balance of speed and softness striking all the right notes for us. The feel was slightly firmer than others, but the roll on the green was smooth and the clubhead felt incredibly stable throughout.
Moving back to the aesthetics and, when behind the ball, the two lines positioned close together work as a track system to help see where the club face is pointing. Also, because of the compact size, it doesn't look too big, with the stand-out aspects being the grip and the feel. The new Full Contact grip is a paddle-style grip with a flat front section for your thumbs and parallel sides, and instantly felt very comfortable, whilst the shaping will be spot on, or very close, for most golfers.
- Read our full Scotty Cameron 2024 Phantom 9 Putter Review
Wilson Staff Model TM22 Putter
The TM22 boasts some excellent features which make it one of the most forgiving putters on the market. It looks fantastic too, with Wilson surpassing themselves here by employing a clever use of milling lines to create visual differences for alignments.
Constructed of a 304 block of stainless steel, it looks fantastic at the address position and frames the ball nicely against the club face, thanks to the fangs and different milling patterns you'll notice on the club. These alignment lines improve the overall aesthetic of this putter, while it's also great for those who have a small arc in their swing because of the slight overhang the club's hosel boasts.
In testing, all of this meant we could really feel the premium feedback it delivers, even when the shot was slightly off center. Not shown above is the premium leather pistol handle that also comes with the club, which has some smart contouring around the upper part of the handle that will complement whatever grip style you employ.
- Read our full Wilson Staff Model TM22 Putter Review
Best Compact Mallet Putters
Odyssey Ai-One Rossie S Putter
With their Ai-One and Ai-One Milled line of putters for 2024, Odyssey has used a super computer to create what it is calling “the most advanced insert in golf”. To explain, the back of the insert is made out of aluminium, whilst Odyssey added a White Hot Urethane to the striking surface for their iconic White Hot feel that has proved so popular with golfers down the years.
In testing, we really loved the feel off the face, particularly when used with a softer golf ball. Admittedly, it was a little firm, but with a slightly lower compression golf ball, we couldn’t get enough of the buttery contact and how responsive the feel was.
The Rossie design is not as big and bulky as some mallets on this list, but there is enough depth at the back of the head to provide confidence at address. All of the putters in both the Ai-One and Ai-One Milled ranges really have that ‘wow factor' you associate with the best Odyssey putters, and the navy PVD finish gives them a very premium look.
- Read our full Odyssey Ai-One Rossie S Putter Review
Cleveland HB Soft 2 Retreve Putter
Cleveland HB Soft 2 Retreve Putter and its fantastic leather head cover
The Retreve is Cleveland’s first putter with the ability to pick the ball out of the hole, so it should certainly appeal to any golfer who has difficulty bending. Although Cleveland hasn’t produced a putter like this before, we think the HB SOFT 2 family of putters look a lot more premium than their price suggests.
To begin with, the milling on the face combined with the luxurious Pistol Grips scream out premium product and that look is matched by the sound and feel when you strike a putt. Speaking of the feel, we were big fans of it and we felt the Retreve was a little firmer than other putters in the SOFT 2 family, possibly due to the ball shaped hole behind the face.
Nevertheless, it was a pleasing feel when we found the sweet spot and, personally, we think there is something to be said for not having to bend and pick the ball out of the hole.
- Read our full Cleveland HB Soft Milled14 Putter Review
Evnroll EV5 2023 Putter
To begin with, the Evnroll EV5 features in multiple customisation options. These include six hosel choices, various color combinations and three rear interchangeable chassis designs. Essentially, there should be something for everyone!
Regardless of how you build your EV5 putter, it will feature the unique groove technology engineered to deliver uniform performance across the entire hitting area. In testing, it delivered some excellent results and, thanks to six weight ports that are precisely positioned around the club, the EV5 is undoubtedly one of the most forgiving putters on the market.
- Read our full Evnroll EV5 2023 Putter Review
Bettinardi Queen B 11 Putter
The Bettinardi Queen B 11 Putter is one of the best looking putters money can buy, with its excellent bronze clubhead looking stunning behind the ball. Along with the bronze, there's also a Caramel Copper PVD finish that gives it a cool, rustic look that really makes it stand out from the competition.
Although its shelf appeal and elegance is a real seller, what we really loved is how Bettinardi have also thought ahead, particularly in putting a glare-resistant finish on the clubhead that really came in useful when we took it out on the course on a sunny day.
The putter is slightly toe-heavy so it is great for the golfer who struggles to close the face through impact, whilst the half-moon shape gives a very inviting feeling behind the ball. It also offers an excellent feel on impact, with Bettinardi paying a lot of attention to the putter's club face as the new mini honeycomb milling is eight percent smaller than that which you will find on some of the best Bettinardi golf putters.
- Read our full Bettinardi Queen B 11 Putter Review
How we test putters
When it comes to product testing, our reviews and buyers' guides are built upon a rigorous testing procedure as well as the knowledge and experience of the test team.
The putter section is headed up by David Usher, while other members of the Golf Monthly team regularly contribute to the putter tests as well, and all writers are able to efficiently test the vast majority of the biggest product releases and convey the pros and cons eloquently.
Getting into specifics, we test the putters outdoors on real greens with premium golf balls to get a thorough understanding of design features, feel, sound and looks. Ultimately, we aim to be as insightful and honest as possible in our reviews so it is important to acknowledge that no manufacturer can buy a good review. This is because our team tells it how it is.
How to choose a new putter
When trying to find one of the best mallet putters, there are several things to consider...
Price
In our guide to the best putters on the market right now, we featured 18 putters that range in price. This tells you a little bit about the range of putters there are out there today but this can also help you narrow your search down a bit further. Why is there so much difference in price? This comes down to factors like technology, craftsmanship and the brand.
Size
So you want a mallet putter right? Well it is up to you what size of mallet you want because some of the models above are large to aid MOI and forgiveness, whilst some others are more mid-mallet in shape and have smaller footprints.
Looks
The putter has to inspire confidence so you have to enjoy looking down on it that's for sure. Manufacturers are aware of this and so have designed a wide range of looks to choose from and therefore you just need to look at the designs you like the aesthetics of.
Feel
This is a really important factor to consider because on the market right now are a wide range of firm and soft feeling putters to choose from. One thing we do recommend is how fast or slow are the greens you play on? If you typically putt on slow greens, a firmer feeling face will suit you more whereas if you putt on ultra-fast greens a softer feel will work more efficiently and help you control distance.
Arc Strength
For some players, their stroke tends to be fairly straight back and through whereas some golfers tend to putt more in an arc. Finding out what kind of arc you have is vital to picking the right putter for your stroke.
FAQs
Are Mallet Putters Good?
Mallet putters are designed to be forgiving due to their large head shape and they come in a variety of shapes with good alignment options so are good for types of golfer.
Are Mallet Putters Better For High Handicappers?
Mallet putters are better for players who don't consistently hit the middle of the face with their putts. The larger size helps with alignment and forgiveness so that could be players of any handicap, but they will suit higher handicappers more.
How Do You Line Up A Mallet Putter?
If your mallet putters has an alignment line on the top, then place this behind the ball and aim at your target. Sometimes golf balls have lines on them that you can align with the design on the putter to provide a visual aid for your stroke. See our guide for How To Practise Putting.
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