***If you’re looking for the most recent reviews for 2023 gear, we will be updating this page in the summer after we’ve had a chance to review them!
If you’re in a hurry and just want to find the Best Putter for Beginners and High Handicappers in 2022, then we recommend the Odyssey Triple Track Marxman.
“Drive for show, putt for dough.” While we feel driving the ball isn’t just for show, there’s no argument from almost everyone that improving your putting is the easiest and quickest to shave strokes off your score and lower your handicap.
The question is, which one do I get? Putters without question, when compared to any other club, have the most options available on the market.
In this article, we’re going to be reviewing the following putters:
- TaylorMade Spider X
- Odyssey Triple Track Marxman
- Ping Heppler Ketsch
- Evnroll ER6 iRoll
- Titleist Scotty Cameron Futura 7M
To see our other top clubs for beginners and high handicappers in 2020, check out this article: Best Golf Clubs for Beginners and High Handicappers in 2020!
So in your goal to find the best putter for beginners and high handicappers, we created this guide to help you get some basic information and to keep certain things in mind when choosing the best one for you.
Beginners Guide To Putters
*PLEASE READ THIS FIRST*
We’re going to go into some nitty gritty details about putter design but there’s a couple things we want to make very clear.
Putting is highly personal. Please take our recommendations with a grain of salt, so find one that your comfortable with and gives you confidence
Number 2, in our opinion, the primary goal of putting is to get a true end over end roll on the ball and this happens by transferring the maximum amount of energy at impact with a square face. How you accomplish can be done in a variety of ways but you want to able to do it consistently and under pressure.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get into it!
Head Type
Putters heads can be broken down into 2 broad types; blades and mallets.
Blade
Mallet
As general rule (please keep this in mind and don’t bite our heads off), if you can make solid contact most of the time, then a traditional blade putter should work just fine. They’re simple and get the job done.
Now for those of us that struggle making consistent contact, then a mallet probably makes more sense. Reason being, they have much more forgiveness built into them that allows more energy to be transferred to the ball on less than perfect contact.
Did you know at one point back in 2018 that 9 out of the top 10 players on the PGA Tour were using some sort of mallet putter?!
Toe Hang
A technical term that refers to how the putter face is aligned when it is hanging naturally. More simply it is a function of where the weight is placed in the putter head.
If the most of the weight is placed in the toe of the putter (full toe hang) the putter face will be perpendicular to the ground. If the weight is evenly distributed in the putter head (face balanced), then the the putter face will be parallel to the ground.
Now the toe hang will vary somewhere between these 2 points; a full toe hang and face balanced.
In a nutshell the amount of toe hang, will affect how the face is angled at impact which is a result of how you swing.
I know this is a lot but to keep things simple, a beginner golfer shouldn’t be too concerned about this. As we mentioned above, the the primary goal of putting is to get a true end over end roll on the ball and whatever amount of toe hang does this for you, use it!
Offset
This term refers to how the shaft is positioned and aligned to the putter head. Offset affects how the golfer aims the putter and how the face lines up at impact.
Now the way this occurs can vary from the type of hosel and the bend in the shaft but for simplicity sake it usually falls into 1 of 3 categories:
No Offset
In this type of alignment, the shaft is directly lined up with the putter face
Partial Offset
With this alignment, the shaft is roughly partially in front of the putter face
Full Offset
On this alignment, the shaft is completely in front of the putter face
Offset can also affect whether or not a putter face is square at impact depending on how you swing. Just like toe hang, for beginners your goal is to find the offset for your stroke that helps you get good consistent contact that gets the ball rolling end over end.
Face Material
There are 2 broad categories when it comes to putter face material; ones with some sort of insert and ones made from one solid piece.
Solid Face
Insert Face
Inserts, like the name implies, have some sort of material inserted into the face to provide a softer overall feel. The one piece putters are normally formed from a single block of steel and the face is made of the same material as the body.
Now the faces on these one piece putters may have a different texture on the face (grooved or milled) and each one produces a unique type of feel at impact.
Length
Prior to the R&A and USGA banning the ability to anchor a putter against your body in 2016, there were a good amount of long putters being played, but today the vast majority are the standard length. If you do decide to use a long putter, please make sure you’re following the current rule on how to use them.
The length of a putter has have a significant effect on the weight and overall feel of the putter. That’s one reason why you see putters with adjustable weights in order to change the swing feel of the club.
Grip
Putter grips basically come in 3 basic varieties with regard to their circumference; skinny, normal, and fat.
The skinny grips can allow for more hand movement through the stroke while the fat grips can limit it.
A unique thing with putters are that there are multiple grip options available in a variety of textures, styles, and shapes in order to feel comfortable and stable in your hands.
What To Consider When Choosing The Best Putter for Beginners and High Handicappers
Before we dive into the importance of the mental aspect in selecting the best putter for you, we feel that beginners and high handicappers should definitely lean towards a mallet putter for one main reason, higher MOI.
Moment of Inertia (MOI)
Let’s make this super simple; the higher the MOI in a putter head, the greater chance a golfer has to sinking a putt.
So what exactly is MOI? Okay you asked for it….*WARNING NERD ALERT*
According to Brett Lindsey, VP of Technical Services at GolfWorks, “Moment of Inertia itself can be defined as a measurement of an object’s resistance to twisting. The higher the MOI of an object, the more resistant (or harder) it is to get to rotate about its center. The lower the MOI of an object, the less resistant (or easier) it is to get in motion. The art of putting requires us to strike the golf ball with a particular type of mass (putter head), and we want that mass to transfer the energy directly to the object we are trying to target (in this case, a golf ball). Because we cannot hit the object perfectly every time (not very often at all really), energy is lost, along with a distance and directional control. More often than not, the golfer will strike the putt off-center. The putter head will twist, which not only causes loss of the energy going forward, but will also cause directional problems as well. The loss of distance and directional control is what causes us to be unsuccessful on the green.”
To summarize the above, if a putter has a higher MOI, the more forgiveness you have on off center hits. If you have more forgiveness on off center hits, you won’t lose as much distance on your putts and the ball will stay closer to it’s target line.
One final note to drive home why a higher MOI is important for beginners and handicappers is this:
- Tour pro has a putter face impact area of about .06 inches
- 0-5 handicap has a putter face impact area of about .29 inches
- 18+ handicap has a putter fact impact area of about .88 inches
A high handicapper is 3x less likely to hit the sweet spot of the putter face than a single digit handicapper.
The Mental Side
Developing a consistent putting stroke takes a good amount of practice and skill but just as important is your confidence.
There’s even a condition called the “yips” which affects your ability to make short putts. The yips are the result of a lack of confidence that makes it very difficult to make a smooth putting stroke.
In fact, even some PGA Tour pros have gotten the yips!
To avoid getting the yips there are 2 things to focus on that will give you confidence; comfort and feel.
Comfort At Setup
Your personal comfort when standing over a putt is important. One question you should ask yourself when you’re standing over a putt is, do you feel like you’re lined up correctly? You should also feel like the putter sits comfortably behind the ball without having to make any awkward adjustments.
Feel
When we talk about feel, we’re talking about how the putter feels when you’re making a stroke. Does it feel to heavy or does it feel too light? Do you feel like you need to manipulate the putter head to get it back to square? How does it feel at impact, too soft or too firm?
Best Putters for Beginners and High Handicappers Reviewed
TaylorMade Spider X
The TaylorMade Spider X was designed with stability and forgiveness in mind.
While the shape is different than a traditional putter, it is helpful during alignment while the larger sweet spot and smooth swing of the club aid in speed. Putting can be difficult for beginners and high handicappers, but this putter has some features that help.
Pros
- Offers increased stability throughout the stroke.
- The sweet spot is huge and the putter is very forgiving.
- Adjustable weight so that your putter can change as your game changes.
- The combination of a light shaft and heavier head weight the putter well.
- The size and design of the head aid in alignment at setup.
Cons
- Some players may be thrown off by the nontraditional look.
- If you are looking for a lower profile putter, this is not the club for you.
- An expensive investment for a beginning player.
Odyssey Triple Track Marxman
The Callaway Odyssey name has become one of the most recognized brands in the golf world and for good reason.
The combination of the 3 lines on the top of this putter and the patented line technology on the ERC and Chrome soft golf balls offer some of the best putting alignment aids out there. If you are just learning to putt, this technology can help your accuracy from the very beginning and it acts almost like a training aid to be used during a live match.
Pros
- With the addition of the Callaway golf balls, this putter can help you align every shot just right.
- Shaft technology provides improved tempo and consistency.
- Weighted back improves the feel and ball striking at impact.
- The design is gaining in popularity and could become a standard for putters.
- Takes care of alignment so you can focus on the other aspects of your putting.
Cons
- If you use a ball other than a Callaway, you will not see the full benefits of the putter.
- Alignment methods like the one Callaway offers can greatly decrease game play speed for you and therefore your partners and the group behind you.
Ping Heppler Ketsch
The Ping Heppler brand offers many different designs with varying degrees of features.
The Heppler Ketsch is the mallet head version and can be seen in the bags of tour players and weekend golfers alike. The face technology gives a pure roll with true speed on almost every putt.
Pros
- Triangular design and good head size that gives confidence at setup.
- One of the truest rolls of any putter out there.
- A big sweet spot (almost the entire face) produces true speed across the entire face.
- Adjustable and counter weight adjustable versions are available.
Cons
- Too loud at impact, and the noise does not match the stroke.
- Copper color may be unappealing to some
Evnroll ER6 iRoll
The Evnroll ER6 putter features one of the sleekest designs and best face technologies out there.
No matter where on the face you hit your putt, the distance and speed will come out the same. The club head is milled aluminum that sounds and feels good at impact. The Evnroll name is gaining in popularity on tour and off.
Pros
- Even a mishit goes the distance and speed you are looking for.
- The club is designed for you to be over the ball at setup which helps beginners to see where the club should be placed.
- The mallet design is big enough to aid in alignment but small enough to give you the feel of a traditional putter.
Cons
- One of if not the most expensive putter on the list.
- Does not aid in alignment as much as the other putters which may make it not as useful for high handicappers and beginners.
Titleist Scotty Cameron Futura 7M
The name “Scotty Cameron” became synonymous with high quality putters many years ago.
A fixture in PGA Tour bags, the Titleist Scotty Cameron brand has been considered one of the top names in putting technology. The Future 7M is a little larger than many of its predecessors, but it has a great look at setup that gives you confidence standing over your shot, and the performance matches.
Pros
- The name “Scotty Cameron” is only found on high quality putters.
- Terrific control in a great looking package.
- It is stable and well-balanced throughout the stroke.
- It is weighted well for a consistent speed every time.
Cons
- The bigger size does not offer more forgiveness compared to smaller and less expensive Futura models.
- One of the higher priced putters on the list.
Our Choice
The Odyssey Triple Track Marxman is our choice for best putter for beginners and high handicappers. When you are just learning to putt, there are so many things to think about.
Your form, swing speed, reading the green, setup, backswing, follow through, etc. that if a putter can take one of those things off of your mind it can free you up to think about others. This Odyssey putter helps you to align your club perfectly so that the ball starts out exactly where you want it to. On top of that, the high MOI and design features will give you the potential to be a good putter in no time.
