Written by Michael VanDerLaan
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We have tested all of the best budget putters on the market today and reviewed them below so that you can make an informed decision and find a new putter to help improve your putting stroke and lower your scores.
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Best Overall
Odyssey White Hot OG Putter
Cheapest Taylormade
Taylormade TP Black Palisades
Best Under $100
GOSPORTS GS1 TOUR PUTTER
The Best Affordable Putters At A Glance
Budget Putters Reviews And Recommendations
Best Overall: Odyssey Golf White Hot OG Putter
The Odyssey White Hot OG putter very well could be the quintessential putter of the generation. There was an era where the PING Anser putters and their variations dominated the landscape, and with some slight modifications the White Hot OG series has supplanted it as perhaps the best-selling amongst consumers and the most-used amongst professionals since its inception in 2000.
White Hot OG putters, despite retailing now for perhaps the best price-point amongst top name-brand putters at around $199.99 off the rack, are very straightforward but absolutely cannot be considered a no-frills option. The highlight is their White Hot face insert. After experimenting with a few modifications of their breakthrough urethane face insert over the years, they have found the most success with their original or “OG'' formula that has been a hit since its introduction. This face insert provides a firm feel to the touch but deforms under impact to provide some of the best sound, feel, and consistency on the market.
What We Like
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For sheer, straightforward performance, you are going to get a putter identical to what many, many professionals have used to win at the highest level for a price that is less than half what you would pay for the top blade putters. In fact, Jon Rahm won the 2023 Masters using the mid-mallet “Rossie” version of the White Hot OG. There are really no compromises in the performance of this putter, and Odyssey has figured out a way to put major-championship-caliber equipment into the consumer’s hands for a price that makes it a no-brainer.
Best For Beginners: Performance Golf SQ Putter
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What impresses me about the Performance Golf SQ putter is the technology. The Straighter Stroke Technology promotes a straight back and straight through putting stroke, all while keeping the face square through the stroke.
The SQ features a 72 degree upright lie that promotes less arc in the stroke, aiding in the square to square technology.
Throw in the patented double pistol grip, which is flat on the top and bottom of the grip, allowing you to feel when the clubface is square to the target, and you have an incredible amount of tech that will help you make more putts.
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Performance Golf is well known for developing golf clubs and training aids to help the average golfer and they have hit it out of the park with the SQ putter.
At just $189, this putter is very affordable and I believe it will help you make more putts. It is the best budget putter for high handicap golfers that we have tested.
Click here to see my in depth review of the Performance Golf SQ Putter and why it is a recommended club for beginners.
Best Affordable Taylormade: Taylormade TP Black Palisades
Taylormade does not make cheap putters, but they do make some affordable ones. We tested all of the Taylormade putters that were under $200 and the TP Black Palisades was the best of the bunch.
I love the classic wing shape and the single line alignment aid inspires confidence over the ball.
The perimeter weighting makes it very stable, encouraging a straight back, straight through putting stroke.
The aluminum anodized head has a great finish that reduces glare and is easy on the eyes.
The TP Black Palisades features the same Pure Roll Insert as the much more expensive Spider Putters, producing consistent ball speed, making distance control a priority.
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TaylorMade hit a massive home run with their original Spider and the success on TOUR popularized an entire new genre of space-age putter designs. What you’re getting with this putter is a maximum-MOI design with top-class aesthetics for a legacy price.
Best Under $150: Wilson Infinite Buckingham Putter
The Wilson Infinite Buckingham Putter representing the same ideals of showcasing a classic, well-known golf brand that isn’t afraid to compete on value while trickling down the benefits of technology developed for the top TOUR players.
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The Infinite Buckingham is going to compete for the attention of golfers who like a max-MOI full mallet putter head. This putter gives us the same technology in head shape that you’d get from a Taylormade Spider or 2-Ball type of design but without being a copycat.
The double-winged design provides maximum stability while they differentiate themselves with a triple alignment aid, both of which you’d see in some of the most expensive putters on the market. This is topped off with their double milled face and you check all the boxes you need to compare putters with any other brand.
Best Blade Under $100: GoSports GS1 Tour Golf Putter
GoSports GS1 Tour golf putter is basically a clone of some of the highest end putters on the market, minus the marketing costs, brand awareness, and using more affordable materials and construction methods. It might seem a step down but for decades cast stainless steel Anser-shaped putter heads absolutely dominated the market before Titleist and Bettinardi brought 100% milled putters to the forefront, and many great putters used them for their entire careers.
This GS1 from GoSports is going to give you not just that reliable blade head shape but despite being a budget putter made from cast stainless steel, it still delivers a milled face which is a very high-end touch and matches up well with mid-market putters that cost 3-4x as much. Along with that you’ll get their version of a classic pistol grip or for a slight up-charge a SuperStroke style “fat” putter grip clone.
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At the end of the day, this putter looks the part, and you’re not going to have to chip in to pay any PGA TOUR pro’s endorsement bill. That combined with cheaper materials and manufacturing practices makes for a putter that can give you a fantastic entry into the market at a price you almost won’t even notice.
Best Under $50 : Wilson Harmonized M1
Wilson is the rare brand that competes in the best value putter market, but still has a significant presence amongst touring professionals. They don’t often do full-bag deals, but many “free agent” PGA Tour pros have enjoyed rotating Wilson Staff clubs into their bags in recent years. While not the same tier as their “Staff” clubs, these Wilson Harmonized putters are uniquely suited to offer a blend of high-end performance with a small financial footprint.
The WIlson Harmonized M1 is their version of the Anser or Newport blade. With this model you’re going to see the common theme of mimicking the design of the top putters in the world but doing so with a casting process instead of 100% milled design. Wilson complements this nicely however with a soft face insert and 3-piece jumbo grip to deliver as more than just a cost-saving model.
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Wilson has come a long way from some titans of the game (i.e. Snead, Palmer) playing their clubs, but they still hold their own in the market and fill a unique niche, which just so happens to be a niche that might be exactly what a lot of golfers are looking for. You get a step up in branding, name recognition, and trust in quality from some of the purely value brands, but also a couple of steps down in pricing from the Taylormades and Odysseys of the world. This putter represents a very happy medium and shows up with some quality bells-and-whistles in the grip and soft face insert for bottom-barrel price.
Cheapest Putter: Pinemeadow Golf PGX SL Putter
When it comes to the best cheap putters, the Pinemeadow PGX SL takes a page from the playbook of the GoSports putter above, and has made themselves ostensibly a clone of one of the most successful putter designs to ever hit the market. This time they are mimicking the style of the Odyssey 2-Ball putters and attempting to deliver as much of that experience as possible to the consumer at a fraction of the price.
The signature elements that are being employed by this model are the “2-ball” alignment aid which has been one of the most successful innovations in alignment markings in this generation and the polymer face insert in an attempt to provide their version of the “White Hot” technology from Odyssey. In addition to that the overall mallet design is very spacious while not looking too much like something that just landed from outer space.
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Ultimately, you cannot go wrong with this design. One area to take into consideration, however, is that face inserts are not all created equal, and while the concept is the same as Odyssey’s White Hot putter lines, this insert cannot truly replicate the 2-layer urethane design that has been patented by Odyssey, for this price. It is however still a big bonus in this price range and overall if you ever wanted to try a 2-ball or mallet putter this design is going to let you do that without having to hesitate about whether it’s the perfect choice or not.
How To Find The Best Putter For Your Golf Game
Golfer Putting On A Beautiful Green With A LAB DF3 Putter
Most players who have a favorite putter arrived there in one of two ways. They either semi-randomly picked up a putter when they were young, learned how to use it, and have stuck to the same style or perhaps even the exact same putter for decades. The other way is through seemingly endless trial-and-error, with some golfers trying out new styles every few rounds.
There can be some method to this madness (although some need to admit it’s just madness), as there are certain tendencies that match certain golfers. Ultimately, the best way to shortcut the years of trial-and-error (and subsequent second guessing) is to get fitted professionally. Many players overlook putter fitting when thinking about club fitting, when in fact it can have arguably the biggest upside and is a relatively straightforward process for the club that we use the most.
If a putter fitting isn’t in the cards, or if you want to know what to expect when going for a professional fitting, here’s a few tendencies to look out for and variables that can be fitted:
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Putter Length
Perhaps first and foremost, the putter length (and accordingly lie angle) ideally will be suited to your most comfortable, balanced putting stance and putting stroke ― and not vice-versa.
Putter length will influence your putting grip style as well as many of the other factors to consider, including face loft, putting arc, and the type of grip you use.
Typical length putters are between 33' and 36", excluding arm lock putters and broomstick putters which are a longer length putters.
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Face Loft
The best putters get the ball rolling quickly without hopping off the club face. Both a club face with too much loft OR too little loft will both result in a bouncing ball or a choppy start to the roll. First learn to make a consistent stroke, and then fine tune your putter loft and/or ball position to create the best roll possible soon after contact.
Putting Arc Style
Players who have a slight arc or consider themselves “straight back straight through” are going to match up with putters that are face balanced, like the LAB Oz putters. These golfers generally also stand with their eyes directly over the ball more often, although there are all kinds of successful combinations.
Putters who putt with more arc are going to often stand slightly farther away from the ball, with their eyes inside the line SLIGHTLY, and a putter with more toe hang or heel-shafting is going to help guide their putting stroke in most cases.
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Putter Head Shapes and Weight
These two almost go hand-in-hand, with larger style heads like the mallet weighing more and blade style heads weighing less. Weight is the #1 parameter in tempo and the easiest way to change your putting stroke tempo is by making a weight adjustment, and it’s the norm to see fast-tempo putters preferring blade putters and players who take a slower, longer stroke preferring larger, mallets.
Mallets putters tend to provide larger heads and more forgiveness, like the LAB Golf DF 2.1, which makes them the best choice for all skill levels.
There are also mid mallet putters, which are slightly smaller in size.
Blade putters tend to be smaller with more toe hang and are the best choice for better players with more arc in their putting stroke.
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Grip Size And Weight
While most focus on grip size stabilizing the small muscles in the stroke, it cannot be overlooked that most players feel the best performance when the head weight and the grip weight are adjusted in harmony with one another. With a few exceptions, larger grips almost always weigh more and usually if you fiddle around with head weight or grip size you’re going to want to update the other accordingly.
A more modern style of putter that changes the way the stroke flows is the counterbalanced putter. These one great for people who aren't very good at releasing the putter and want a little bit of assistance in creating passive hands.
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Face Inserts or Face Milling
The smooth-faced PING putters of the 1960s to early 1990s are almost completely bygone now, with players in the “Pro-V1 era” preferring something to grip their soft urethane-covered golf ball a little bit on contact. This has led to an explosion of options for the face of the putter, most notably precision face milling patterns and polymer face inserts. Ultimately these can give a variety of different feels off the face and affect roll and consistently and are worth trying out side-by-side.
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Aiming Aids / Sight Lines
One often overlooked aspect of a putter fitting and putting in general is that it is shocking how many players are not aimed where they think they are. This can be the most revolutionary change in a golfer’s performance, if properly corrected.
Nowadays there are also a bevy of different options here, and some players find they aim better or make better contact with a single dot, while other players like elaborate patterns or even something like Callaway’s 2-ball alignment lines. Any golf store would love to have you pick up a half dozen or so putters and see how they look from above while you check out your ability to aim them on a practice green, so why not take advantage!
Use some of our favorite putting drills to test which alignment aids work best with the way your eyes see the putter head!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a good golf putter cost?
The short answer is $150-$400+ for a new, name-brand putter. The caveat is that you have a much wider range of what is considered passable or even “good” when it comes to the putter.
If you skimp on your driver, you’re going to see a noticeable performance drop off and technology that just can’t compare on off-center hits. With the putter, you will see a guy in almost every golf group sinking putts with something they either bought at a garage sale or should have been in their own garage sale a decade ago.
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Do expensive putters actually help?
Expensive putters don't make a big difference in performance. The tough truth in golf is that, despite what marketing materials and the other industry experts might be pushing each year, by far the biggest factor is the “Indian and not the arrows.” When it comes to putters, a lot of the advantage with a high-end putter comes down to fine-tuning.
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That said, there are some huge strides that can be made if a golfer’s setup or aim is off, and some putters actually do help with that. Our advice is if you’re going to invest in an expensive putter, it is one of the best equipment investments that you can make, but that investment should go along with getting a professional lesson to dial in your setup, aim, and stroke to match your new toy. If this is done properly you can benefit for many years using the same club and fundamentals.
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Do more pros use blades or mallet putters?
There are typically more pros using mallet putters than blades, but this is a very new development in the golf equipment landscape. This tide has only turned slowly over the past 5 years, after many decades of dominance by blade putter users. As with many things, golfers are stubborn, and creatures of habit, but it seems that the benefits of the technology in mallets has finally proven itself enough to see more and more players making the transition.
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What is a cheaper alternative to a Scotty Cameron putter?
Almost any putter is a cheaper alternative to a Scotty Cameron putter! In the putter world you almost always “get what you pay for” and the vast majority of styles are near-copies of each other with some slight proprietary variations or using different materials or manufacturing techniques.
RELATED: Scotty Cameron Newport vs Newport 2
While virtually all brands offer a putter that attempts to be a cheaper version of the same styles that Scotty offers, definitely one option to look at are the KS1 putters from Kirkland Signature who make the most overt attempt to directly clone the great putter, including the materials and manufacturing process. If you want to go truly bottom-barrel you can take an old PING Anser 2 stainless steel putter, put two strips of lead tape all the way across the bottom, and re-grip it with a new (and slightly heavier) grip and voila! It’s as good as a Scotty.
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Does the brand of putter make a difference?
Since most putter manufacturers concentrate on one market - whether ultra premium, upper-middle class, value, or entry level - this question is more accurately asking: “does the quality of a putter make a difference?”
Ultimately we know that the golf ball has no idea what brand of club is hitting it. Changing to a more expensive brand is almost never going to revolutionize somebody’s scoring ability. That said, the brand can make a difference. The most notable difference is in the quality of materials and the method of construction. These make high-end putters last longer, become collectable, and possibly even heirlooms. There are performance advantages, as well, but these are typically slight, and more applicable to players who have already refined their stroke looking to eek out any edge they can.
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Final Thoughts
The putter is one of the spots in the bag that it makes the most sense to invest in big-time, but it’s also the club that you’re most likely to be able to get performance out of a cheaper, older club. This can make shopping for a putter a little bit tricky, and we see so many golfers at all levels go down the rabbit hole of changing putters almost every time they miss a putt.
Fortunately, you can get a TON of performance out of a mid-priced or even low-priced putter, and one of the biggest advantages of this is that you don’t have to be “married” to that putter and you can afford to experiment or change your mind down the road.
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Whether you just want an upgrade without breaking the bank, want to buy your first putter after starting with a hand-me-down, or want to add something new to the rotation, there’s some really great options and top-line features to be had when looking for the best putter that is affordable, so don’t be afraid to shop around, try a bunch of clubs, and go bargain-hunting the next time you’re in the market for a new putter!
