Written by Michael VanDerLaan and John VanDerLaan
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Putting is the greatest determining factor of any player’s score. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, you can expect putting to take up about 40% of your strokes.
I have tested just about every putter on the market and I work daily with high handicappers and beginners. Below you will find the results of that testing and our list of the best putters for high handicappers that will help you bring your scores down and your enjoyment up.
Best Overall
LAB Golf DF3 Zero Torque Putter
most forgiving
taylormade spider Tour tp
Best Budget Option
Lazrus Premium Black Golf Putter
The Complete List
Best Putters For High Handicappers: Reviews And Recommendations
Best Overall: LAB Golf DF3 Putter
The LAB Golf DF3 Putter is probably the most technologically advanced putter on the market today. The lie angle balance (L.A.B.) is truly revolutionary.
The idea behind the technology, is to have the face of the putter remain square throughout the putting stroke, eliminating the need to manipulate the putter to successfully start your golf ball on your intended line.
The technology flat out works. You can read my complete review after more than 50 rounds with the DF3 by clicking here.
My very first 18 hole round with the DF3 resulted in only 27 putts and score of 72!
That was over a year ago and I have been using the LAB DF3 ever since.
Pros
Cons
I was very sceptical of the LAB Golf DF3 putter when I first received it, but after in depth testing, I was completely sold on the technology and I have the data to prove that it is far superior to other putters that I have tested.
The bottom line - if you want the most consistent putter, that will make the most putts for you in a round of golf, the LAB DF3 is for you.
Most Forgiving: TaylorMade Spider Tour TP
The Spider is one of the flagship model putters from Taylormade and is an incredibly popular putter in both the professional and amateur games. Countless players trust the combination of alignment aid and forgiveness that the putter head offers.
We have used this mallet putter on and off over the last few years, and have found that it performs extremely well on smooth greens and on slower, bumpy greens.
The reason for this is because the Spider rolls the ball so well. The ball starts end over end, rather than skidding, like some putters do. If the biggest complaint about a putter is that it rolls the ball too well, it's safe to say it is a fantastic option!
Pros
Cons
The Taylormade Spider does not disappoint, period. You will love how consistent it is on both well struck putts and mishits. The pure roll insert on the face helps the ball come off smooth, making it incredibly easy to hit putts on line with consistent ball speed.
When I had my high handicap students test this putter, one of the comments that I heard a lot was that the incredible forgiveness and stability of this putter made them very confident over the ball.
That is why you will see it in the bags of some of the best putters in the world on the PGA Tour.
The bottom line - if you want the most forgiving, consistent putter, the Taylormade Spider is for you. It produced the best roll out of all the putters we tested.
Best Alignment: Odyssey Eleven 2-Ball Tour Lined
The Odyssey 11 Two Ball is an ideal putter for high handicappers who struggle with alignment on the greens. This solid, one piece putter head features a main red flange line the runs perpendicular to the face along with 2 blue lines and a white stripe that all add extra visual aids.
What we love most about the this mallet is the forgiveness. Due to the bulk that Odyssey added to the head of the putter, the Moment of Inertia reading is off the charts. Essentially, if you hit a ball off the heel or toe, you still have a really good chance at hitting your start line with good speed, which equates to excellent distance control.
Pros
Cons
When it comes to high handicap players, all of the main struggles with putting tend to stem from poor contact. With the Odyssey 11 Two Ball, not only will you have an easier time lining up to your putts, you will also see amazing consistency even on off center hits!
Some people may not love the aesthetic of this putter, but several features related to overall performance make it a great choice for high handicappers.
Best High End: Scotty Cameron 2022 Phantom X 5.5 Putter
If you have watched Justin Thomas play golf over the years, this putter should be familiar to you. Justin has had a borderline Hall of Fame career already, and the majority of it has been with a Scotty Cameron Titleist Phantom X 5.5 in his bag.
Scotty Cameron is well known as the peak of putter craftsmanship and cutting edge technology. This putter lives up to that standard. Made with top quality stainless steel, with changeable weights to help you fit the putter to your game, as well as a beautifully defined flange line and exceptional perimeter weighting, the Phantom X 5.5 is a high performance putter that is sure to please even the players who prefer a blade!
Pros
Cons
Scotty Cameron putters have it all. The reputation, the quality, the innovation. But they also have the price tag to go with it. While there is no better putter brand than Scotty Cameron, and the Phantom X 5.5 is about as close to perfect as a putter can get, it is price prohibitive for a lot of people. It is for this reason that it is not our favorite.
RELATED: Kirkland Putter vs Scotty Cameron
Best Tech: Performance Golf SQ Putter
The SQ Putter from Performance Golf is a completely new putter design that features Straight Stroke Technology, which creates a straight back and straight through putting stroke.
It also features Face- Down Face Balance, which ensures a square face at impact, and the ball starts on your intended line. Couple that with the patented Dual Pistol Grip and you have a whole lot of technology that can help high handicap golfers make more putts.
Pros
Cons
Performance Golf is known for innovative products that help the average golfer improve their scores and enjoy the game more. The SQ Putter is further evidence of that. I would suggest that you purchase one and try it for yourself. If you don't like it, there is a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so you have nothing to lose.
Click here to see our in depth testing and review of the SQ Putter.
Classic Blade: Odyssey Golf White Hot OG Putter
The Odyssey White Hot series has been a staple at the top of putter rankings for decades. We simply could not put together a list of the top putters without including this installment of that family that features the original characteristics of the putter with some newer tech added in.
The insert in the face of the White Hot OG gives this putter a soft feel, while the precision milling around the edges combined with enhanced weight distribution provide an out of this world feel. This is a putter that competes with any other blade, oftentimes at a fraction of the price.
Pros
Cons
There is a reason that countless professional golfers trust Odyssey, and it's not because they are getting paid to do it. The White Hot OG takes Odyssey right back to the roots that built their reputation, and is one of the most reliable putters out there right now.
Pure Feel: EvnRoll ER2 Putter
Evnroll putters have become known in the last few years for just how consistent they are and how good they feel. The ER2 model is their blade that is designed for the traditionalists of the game.
Evnroll gets its name from what they call Sweetface Technology, which essentially means that they have tried to make the sweet spot as big as possible. Essentially, any putt that is struck on the grooves of the putter face will feel solid, meaning more putts roll the same way!
RELATED: Evnroll vs Scotty Cameron Putters: Head To Head Comparison
Pros
Cons
While not the most forgiving putter in the world, the Evnroll ER2 will provide you with a bigger sweet spot that feels fantastic and will help you immensely with both speed control and consistency. We have found over hours of testing that the ER2 is by far the best feeling blade putter on the market for high handicappers.
Best Looking Blade: Cleveland Golf Huntington Beach Soft #4 Putter
Here is a club that combines the traditions of a true blade putter with some of the more modern characteristics. The Cleveland HB Soft is a simple, well built putter with no bells and whistles. Cleveland Golf has a history of high quality, reliable equipment and this putter is no different.
One of our favorite things on this putter is the variable milling on the face that helps create a more consistent roll no matter how you strike the putt. Even for more severe toe and heel strikes, you will notice that the ball comes off relatively the same!
Pros
Cons
Cleveland Golf has rolled out a line of simple, aesthetically pleasing, solid feeling putters that you can rely on time after time.
Best Budget: Lazrus Premium Black Golf Putter
RELATED: Best Cheap Putters - Expert Reviews
Just like their premium irons, Lazrus Golf has produced a putter that tops the charts for anyone shopping on a budget.
We love the contrast offered by the black coloration of this putter that provides solid feel, effective alignment aid, and lots of forgiveness. Other than the blue accents, there is not much about this putter we don't love!
Pros
Cons
For those whose goal is to balance cost, performance, feel, and quality, the Premium Black Putter from Lazrus is the perfect place to start. There are no fancy features or a long history of success, but this family owned American company does not cut corners when it comes to quality and design. If you are looking for a cheap putter that is great for high handicappers, this is your best bet. Maybe even use your savings on lessons to help you play better golf!
Putter Buying Guide For High Handicappers
Below are all of the features and characteristics you are going to want to consider when looking for a new putter. These are based both on personal preference and personal fit, so don’t be afraid to mix and match as you are testing out putters.
Type Of Putter
This refers to the club head shape. The two major types are mallet and blade putters, although there are others that roughly fall into one of these categories. Understanding what type of putter is best for you is a great way to start putting better.
RELATED: Best Putting Drills To Make You A Better Putter
Mallet
Mallet putters tend to be more forgiving and are the ones with more substance to them. Everything from Brian Harmon’s spaceship of a putter to the more subtle Taylormade Spyder to some of the pronged options are all considered to be mallets.
A mallet putter typically provides 2 main benefits:
- More weight in the back and edges of the putter head creates more forgiveness and a higher moment of inertia. This means there is a lower priority on hitting the center of the club face perfectly every time.
- With an extended back flange, it is usually easier to align mallets properly. This is a great bonus for your consistency.
These advantages typically make mallet putters a good choice for high handicap golfers. Having said that, there are golfers who simply prefer the look and feel of a blade. For those people, there are other unique advantages.
RELATED: Bettinardi vs Scotty Cameron Putters: Which Is Better And Why
Blade
Blade putters are a more traditional approach to the shortest club in the golf bag. These are the putters with little to no flange on the back side of the club head and they have toe hang. Most famous among them is them in terms of golf history is the bullseye putter. Contrary to popular belief, this was a putter made by Titleist, not Ping.
RELATED: Scotty Cameron Newport vs Newport 2 Putters: What's The Difference?
But what are the advantages of a blade? Here are the major ones you should know:
- Less perimeter weighting allows for more feedback. Since there is less overall forgiveness, blade putters will allow you to feel your misses more precisely. This also allows you to make the proper adjustments to be more consistent.
- Because of their lack of forgiveness, blades are a double edged sword of teaching you to be more consistent, while also punishing you more on your bad putts. If you can learn to hit the center of the club face every time, you are more likely to be a great putter with a blade.
The best putters on tour trust both mallet and blade putters. Each one has its pros and cons, but the most important thing to discover is which works best for you!
RELATED: Blade vs Mallet Putter
Length Of Putter
The correct length of the putter you use typically depends on a few factors:
- Your height - it stands to reason that, on average, a taller person will need a longer putter while someone shorter will need a shorter putter.
- Putting setup - things like a wider stance and more bend at the hips will bring your hands closer to the ground and ultimately are suited better for a shorter putter versus a setup that is narrower and more upright.
- Putting style - this is discussed more below, but there are different styles of putting that require different lengths of putter.
Putting Style
While your biological makeup (height, proportions, arm and leg length) are a major determinant to the length of your putter, putting style can be just as influential.
Standard putters range from 33" to 35", but there are a number of putting styles that require specific types and length of putters. These include:
- The broomstick - while anchoring the putter has been banned for the last several years, some players still find success in the broomstick method. This is the one you see from Bernhard Langer and Adam Scott that involves holding the putter to your chest and using that as the focal point of your movement. Broomstick putters are typically around 50 inches long, far longer than the 32-36 inch traditional putters.
- Armlock - this is the putting style used by Will Zalatoris and Matt Kuchar, where the putter grip is anchored to your forearm. These putters are typically around 42 inches long and have more actual loft than a traditional putter. NOTE - anchoring the putter to your forearm BELOW THE ELBOW is legal in all forms of competition.
- Counterbalance - these putters look similar to armlock putters, except they are not designed to forward press the way that armlock putters are. Counterbalance simply means there is added weight in the butt end of the club, which changes how the putter weight feels and is designed to help you release the club. This putting style was a popular point of conversation around Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark at the 2023 US Open.
There are also a number of putting grip styles that may require changes to the putter that best fits you. You can check out our in depth analysis of the most popular putting grip styles if you are not sure which one you use.
Putter Grip
Putter grip refers to the actual piece of rubber on the club, rather than the putting grip styles we mentioned above. Again, depending on how you hold the club, there might be a specific putter grip that will work best for you.
We recommend you familiarize yourself with the best putter grips for your game, and try to match your putting grip style to the grip you put on the club.
RELATED: Best Counterbalanced Putters And Grips With Reviews
Aiming Aids
One of the major advantages of mallet putters, aiming aids are simply a characteristic of putters that helps you hit your start line more frequently. Most putters have some form of aiming aid - either a top line, a flange line, balls on the back flange, or some combination. The extended back flange of mallets allows for additional aiming aids, creating a more complete optical assistance for the player to get set up properly.
Feel
One feature of putters that is entirely based on personal preference is feel. This refers to everything from swing weight to the feel of the ball hitting the face to the way the putter feels in your hands.
The only way to really know what you are looking for is to test some putters out, and maybe even ask your local professional for the specs on the ones you like. You can then take those pieces of information and find a putter that matches your specs and also fits your preferences of looks and putting style.
One key to feel is practice and consistency. We find that hitting a few putts every day on our Perfect Practice Putting Mat helps to develop day to day feel.
Price
Jim Furyk is famous for shooting 58 with an off the rack putter that he bought for less than $100. That’s not to say this is the solution for everyone, but it makes some people wonder if expensive putters are worth it.
Finding a putter that fits your budget can be a challenge, but that is why we included some budget putters, as well as a number of putters that fall somewhere in the middle of the price spectrum. One great thing about buying a budget putter is that you can spend you savings on training aids like the Pelz Putting Tutor or the Eyeline Putting Mirror!
If you are looking for a putter you can trust, and you intend to use it for the long term, don’t be afraid to spend a little more. Your scores will thank you!
Final Thoughts
Putting is often the make or break piece of the game of golf that can either help you to love the game, or never want to play again. Finding a putter that you love and can rely on is the first step to making more putts and having more fun. Just ask Danielle Kang, who travels with her putter in a rifle case just in case the rest of her clubs are lost by an airline!
Our hope is that we have helped you find the right putter that you can rely on in every clutch situation down the road. We filtered through, tested, eliminated, and scrutinized some of the most talked about putters on the market in order to compile our list of the best putters for high handicappers, and we are confident that you will love one of them!
RELATED: Perfect Practice Putting Mat Review
