Best Putter For The Money(2024)Tested By Pros With Reviews

Written by Michael VanDerLaan 

*We may earn revenue from the products available on this site and participate in affiliate programs.

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.

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.

PXG started their company on the premise that they were going to make the best golf clubs that they could with modern technology, and spare no expense in the process, marketing themselves to those who wanted to fully invest in their performance on the course. So when they come up with a club that is extremely competitive with the rest of the market on price while still offering PXG engineering and build quality, it’s definitely worth paying attention to.

The PXG 0211 Clydesdale putter is an oversize blade design offering a heel-toe length and weight profile that aims to provide more stability and a bigger sweet spot without having to go to a “mallet” look. The club features PXG’s patented Pyramid Face milling pattern on a cast 303 stainless steel body with black finish. It accents the classic blade look from the playing position with an ultra-modern “runway reticle” alignment lines on the back flange of the club.

PXG entered the game to compete with and surpass the premium brands on the planet. The 0211 putters represent a venture into trying to make the highest-end putter they can at the mid-price point. Naturally this means a sacrifice of the 100% milled technique, but after that no real expense is spared and what we have is the most stable and forgiving blade putter anyone can come up with for about half the price of the top-of-the-line milled putters.

One of the telltale signs of an actual revolution in golf club design as opposed to the nearly countless gimmicks and experiments we see is the staying power of that club in top players’ bags. While some shapes come and go as fads and quickly fade into the background or odd player here and there, when TaylorMade introduced the first Spider putter in 2008 it quickly became popular, and when Jason Day switched to it, won 5 times in 2015, and then in 2016 posted by far the most statistically dominant putting season that we’ve ever been able to accurately measure, the legendary status of the Taylormade Spider was cemented.

The latest versions of the Spider GT keep very true to the functionality of the original Spider designs while hiding what’s “under the hood” with a very clean top plate with a singular sight line on it, calming down the look at address quite a bit from some of the more elaborate Spider designs. You still get all of the MOI and balancing advantages of their spacious mallet design with a lot less distractions.

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.

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.

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.

This 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.

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.

Wilson is the rare brand that competes in the value/budget 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 insert and 3-piece jumbo grip to deliver as more than just a cost-saving model.

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 face insert for bottom-barrel price.

The “sister stick” to our Wilson M1 blade putter is the Wilson Harmonized M5 Jumbo. Again 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.

The M5 Jumbo 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 harmonized micro-injected polymer face and you check all the boxes you need to compete with anyone.

More than any other club, there is often value in buying a used putter. The designs don’t update as rapidly as the other clubs, and there is a very big market of high-quality clubs on the buy/sell carousel frequented by all of the club collectors and tinkerers in this game. In that space, the undisputed king is Scotty Cameron.

More collectable than any other putter, they hold their value more than any other putter, and there are always a few wives in every city waking up today and asking themselves how many of these things one man could possibly need! For the same reasons that they are coveted and collected, these putters represent a great buy on the second hand market because they are usually well taken care of, and are built to standards that can perform for decades. 

RELATED: Scotty Cameron Newport vs Newport 2

In the rare case you can find one of these putters on sale by an unsuspecting owner at a garage sale, flea market, or thrift store … it’s almost always a legendary steal. Otherwise, it may be hard to get your hands on one for much of a discount. Many of these putters actually go up in value as the years go on, however, and they can be handed down or used for decades if taken care of, so they are a great investment even when used. Remember … every golf club is a “used” golf club after it’s been hit one time! 

RELATED: EVNRoll vs Scotty

Earlier we mentioned that you just couldn’t make a fully-milled putter in the budget price range, and that putters featuring a milled face were a nice touch. The exception that proves the rule - and breaks all consumer logic without breaking the bank - is the Kirkland Signature KS1 putter. The Kirkland Signature (the Costco brand) has hit a home run with shoppers by guaranteeing that their brand will meet or exceed(!) the quality of the leading national brands.

Needless to say, when they decided to introduce a putter that - let’s face it - is a clone of a Scotty Cameron while boasting the same materials (stainless steel) and construction (milled) complete with a SuperStroke grip, weight ports, the whole nine yards … for less than half the price of a the best putters. Quite the frenzy ensued and the putter has been flying off of shelves ever since.

Bottom line is, as with most Kirkland Signature products, you’re getting a TON of putter for your money here. There really isn’t a comparable product on the market at this price point as far as the on-paper specs, as all 100% milled premium putters are going to start at least $100 more than this, generally. That said, it’s still a dubious claim to say it’s a 1-to-1 replacement for arguably the best putter brand on the planet. Scottys still have an edge in feel and forgiveness/performance, plus the artistic touches and subtle uniqueness that Scottys are known for.

The Kirkland is one of the best blade putters for the money. 

RELATED: Kirkland Putter vs Scotty Cameron

Cleveland has carved out a great niche in the hard goods market by making very high-quality clubs that maximize forgiveness and performance and still compete on value and price. One of their best putter offerings is the Cleveland Huntington Beach putter and the Soft 3 variety seen here delivers some fantastic touches to the popular line.

This putter is reminiscent of the classic Ping MyDay or Ping Zing, and also having the same head shape as some of the best putters available today. The putter is made from soft 304 stainless steel and features Cleveland’s proprietary face milling pattern to ensure a consistent roll. 

SOFT is an acronym that stands for Speed Optimized Face Technology which improves your speed control even on off center strikes.

Manufacturers can’t really make many excuses about copying the best designs on the planet, and Cleveland’s Huntington Beach putters don’t try to hide the SoCal vibe popularized by Titleist, but they back it up with features and performance to match.

For a putter that isn’t completely milled, you’re getting the full package here and a putter that can stay in the bag for a long time while saving up to a few hundred bucks over a premium alternative.

RELATED: Best Putters For High Handicappers