Smooth roll, yes, but now putters are making your stroke better, too.
We considered 25 Blade Putters; 14 made the list.
Handicapper: (L) Low | (M) Middle | (H) High
GOLD
Listed Alphabetically
Bettinardi
Queen B (2019)
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★
VERDICT
These blade putters are known for their one-piece, milled, soft carbon-steel construction, but they also feature a proprietary milling pattern in a honeycomb shape. This is designed to provide a firmer feel for golfers who are speed-conscious. Among the new shapes for 2019 is the #6, a heel-toe-weighted blade with a sole wide enough to be a mallet but with a slight amount of toe hang.
COMMENTS
(L) Silky-smooth energy off the face. The ball got off fast but never bounced.
(M) The blade size frames the ball well. The feel is well-balanced.
(H) All the lines and angles work together. The weighting and firm feel make distance control very easy.
Bettinardi
Studio Stock
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★½
VERDICT
For the first time, Bettinardi is using stainless steel in the Studio Stock line. The goal is to provide a crisper sound at impact. However, Bettinardi is still very sensitive to the feel, so the face features a milling pattern that is 20 percent deeper than in previous models. The result is a one-piece milled design with the type of soft feel that could appeal to golfers who use putters with polymer inserts.
COMMENTS
(L) The ball springs off the face. That throwback cord grip really helps the feel.
(M) Perfectly square setup; stays flush to the green.
(H) Light but commanding in my hands.
Edel
Torque Balanced
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★
VERDICT
The theory of “torque balanced” – or blade putters with a toe-up balance point – is to challenge the traditional ideas of toe-hang and face-balanced putters. Edel says those designs work against a natural putting stroke. By removing weight from the toe, these putters have less resistance to the way the toe opens or closes during the stroke. In other words, there’s less torque. The non-tapered grip encourages even pressure and better alignment.
COMMENTS
(L) It was just a smooth reverb all the way through, didn’t matter where you hit it.
(M) Roll was aggressive, hugging the line and consistent.
(H) A subtle but badass look.
Odyssey
O-Works Red/Black
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★½
VERDICT
With tour input, these putters combine two company franchises: the benefits of “microhinge” technology and the sound and feel of a soft elastomer insert. The former uses a stainless-steel layer with small protrusions that flex at impact to get rid of backspin, and the latter is Odyssey’s tour-preferred cushioned, resilient face insert. Put the two together, and you’ve got the right kind of soft with ground-hugging roll.
COMMENTS
(L) This insert feels like velvet. I like the compact blade shape.
(M) Lots of forgiveness with intuitive alignment.
(H) It’s like the insert is compressing for a second at impact.
Odyssey
Stroke Lab
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT
Graphite shafts in your woods? Of course. Graphite in irons? Sure. But you’ve probably never heard of graphite in a putter. Well, the Stroke Lab shaft is mostly graphite, with steel near the head, making it 40 grams lighter than standard. Odyssey counters that with a weight in the grip and a slightly heavier head to improve consistency in the stroke. That puts 44 percent more of the putter’s weight in the player’s hands versus typical steel-shaft putters.
COMMENTS
(L) The feedback was delicate; the roll was tight.
(M) It’s compact, but not too small. Really easy to frame the ball.
(H) So balanced it feels like a natural extension of my hands.
Odyssey
Toulon Design
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★½
VERDICT
The diamond-shape milling pattern on the 303 stainless-steel blade putters now extend across the face instead of just in the centre as with past models. The shapes created by the milling pattern, including tiny horizontal grooves, channel the vibrations of impact for a softer, lower-pitched sound, smooth feel and better roll. The three new blade models are available with Odyssey’s new Stroke Lab shafts for better stroke consistency.
COMMENTS
(L) It’s a good, heavy feel with strong feedback.
(M) Nothing tricked up, just an end-over-end roll.
(H) Firm in sound and feel at impact. Easy to deliver square every time.
Ping
Sigma 2
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT
If you haven’t been fit for a putter, you’re likely playing the wrong length. But not to worry: these blade putters adjusts to any length from 32 to 36 inches. And it does so almost invisibly through a neatly intuitive mechanism hidden in the grip. A cool trick, but it’s made better by the multiple-firmness, two-piece face insert made of a resilient polymer used in running shoes. The face’s varied groove pattern promotes consistent results off different parts of the face.
COMMENTS
(L) The big, square pistol grip is so stable, and the clean head is easy to align.
(M) You would never know this has an adjustable shaft.
(H) Tremendous roll with no skidding.
Ping
Vault 2.0
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT
That milling pattern on the face is about more than just feel. The overlapping grooves vary in depth across the face to create more consistent strikes by evening the energy transfer – whether it’s toe, heel or centre hit. The three choices for sole weights (steel, tungsten and aluminium) in each of the four classic blade shapes (Dale Anser, B60, ZB and Voss) better match each player’s feel and length preferences.
COMMENTS
(L) The alignment is simple, but it produces results.
(M) The ample mass behind the ball helped distance control.
(H) Consistent roll. It did exactly what I asked of it.
Piretti
Elite Series
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★
VERDICT
Piretti has been making its highly customised blade putters from its US studio for more than a decade. Notable features include slightly heavier heads (compared to most putters on the market) and lower lofts to better match today’s more closely mown greens. Made of 303 stainless steel with a deep-milled face, the Elite Series features interchangeable sole weights that allow you to tweak the overall weight from 355 to 375 grams.
COMMENTS
(L) Sleek, with a deeper back end that sits nicely on the ground.
(M) Stroked putt after putt with a consistent feel.
(H) Great feedback on off-centre hits, but no penalty.
TaylorMade
TP Black Copper Collection
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT
The grooves in the aluminium-alloy insert angle downward at 45 degrees to promote a forward, end-over-end roll. This combats the backspin created by the putterhead’s loft at impact. The two blade models – Juno and Soto [left] – have a distressed copper finish and are balanced with 10-gram weights in the heel and toe that can be adjusted by a clubfitter. The models offer different levels of toe hang to better match various putting strokes.
COMMENTS
(L) Perfect blend of what you want to hear at impact.
(M) The insert is pretty powerful and produces a green-hugging roll.
(H) The copper look is cool – futuristic, but timeless.
Titleist
Scotty Cameron Select
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT
Always carrying the air of jewellery, these milled stainless-steel blade putters are technological tools, too. Hidden is the vibration-damping layer (now up to 30 percent larger) between the wraparound face inlays and the body for a softer feel. Externally, the reshaped sole almost automatically rests square at address and through the stroke. New is the Squareback 1.5 model, which offers sharper lines, including a thinner topline and a soft aluminium face.
COMMENTS
(L) Regardless of distance, you get equal feedback. Consistent roll.
(M) The soft feel is dramatic.
(H) The simplicity leaves you always feeling dialled in.
SILVER
Listed Alphabetically
Cleveland
Huntington Beach Soft
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★½
VERDICT
The use of SOFT in the name doesn’t just reference feel; it also stands for “speed-optimised face technology”. With the variable-milled pattern, the grooves are more tightly etched in the centre, and then become wider towards the heel and toe. This makes putts roll similarly regardless of the impact location. The groove pattern also differs with each head style to better match its effect with the head’s stability on off-centre hits.
COMMENTS
(L) It feels light but packs the same punch every time, even off the toe.
(M) Accurate on short putts, and good speed control on long ones.
(H) A clean profile. The deep etching gives it bling.
Piretti
303 Series
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★
VERDICTIt’s hard not to get caught up in this putter’s classic look, but its craftsmanship and customisation make it more than a pretty face. Each head is milled from 303 stainless steel, and grooves are milled deep in the face to improve feel. Each putter can be customised for length (32½ to 37 inches), lie angle (67 to 74 degrees) and head weight (350 to 375 grams). There also are custom-sightline options and paint fills and eight grip colours.
COMMENTS
(L) The right kind of heavy – not overwhelming – and with a crisp pop.
(M) Reactive on long putts so you don’t have to work hard.
(H) Firm but with a soft release of energy at contact.
Seemore
M7X
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★½
VERDICT
Everything begins and ends with alignment. This centre-shaft blade has the familiar RifleScope system: golfers can tell if they’re square to the target if the putter’s shaft hides a red dot on the heel. The body is milled from stainless steel, and the face features a milled-aluminium insert that’s larger to create a softer feel across more of the face. Completing the alignment features is a distinctive blue centre line on the flange.
COMMENTS
(L) I felt in control with this insert.
(M) Amazing alignment: it gets your hands in the right position.
(H) The insert is seamless, and the milling pattern makes it easy to line up.
