If you were to go back a few years in the golf world, this article would not need to be written. Pretty much everyone, professional and amateur alike, were using blade putters.
Today, mallet putters are becoming more and more popular with amateurs especially, but with professional golfers as well.
In fact, as more and more young golfers start out with mallet putters, they could become as popular in 20 years as blade putters were just 20 years ago.
As you read the rest of this article, we are going to compare blade vs mallet putters. In this comparison, we’ll talk about what they are, compare their features, and discuss the major benefits of each.
A Little Putter History
Golf has been around for a long time. In the late 19th century, golf began to expand in popularity and come to America and other countries around the world. At that time, every golfer used a blade putter. For over 100 years, it was almost unheard of to use anything but that same design.
In 1966, Karsten Solheim (Ping) designed the Anser putter, a club so successful and pivotal in golf that Ping held a 50-year anniversary party for the club. The first cavity back putter featured an offset hosel for a clear view of the face, a low center of gravity, and alignment lines to help a player setup their putt correctly.
With this new invention, blade putters became even more popular and this specific design dominated the golf world for decades.
It was not until the late 1980s that a mallet putter was even given consideration, and even then they were an afterthought. Nick Price, a 3-time major champion, used a Ram Zebra mallet putter on tour. Mallet putters were considered too heavy, too large, and lacking the feel that golfers need when putting.
Fast forward to today and mallet putters are probably more popular with amateurs and it is really close to a 50/50 split on tour.
A few things made that happen. An increase in technology that has allowed for better feel and distance control in mallet putters. And a few years ago, mallet putters with toe hang weighting hit the market.
When that happened, the market opened to every golfer no matter your swing type, and the forgiveness and alignment aids that mallet putters provide have continued to gain in popularity.
Blade Vs Mallet Putter Comparison
What Is A Blade Putter?
A blade putter is the traditional putter that your grandfather uses and that his grandfather used before him. When you think of the average putter, a blade probably comes to mind because it has been around since the beginning of golf. A blade has a straight club head and minimal or non-existent back cavity area.
What Is A Mallet Putter?
Mallet putters are defined by their large club heads and the variety of designs used. They can be round, square, half-moon shaped, or really anything else that is large and full. The larger clubhead size allows the weight of the club to be distributed over a large surface area which makes the club very forgiving while the size adds to the clubs MOI. The larger clubhead and mass located in the back cavity area also allows for more alignment and visual aids.
What Is A Mid Mallet Putter?
The term “mid mallet” referes to a putter that is not the shape of a blade but is only approaching the size and weight of a traditional mallet putter. Basically, a mid mallet putter is exactly what the name implies, it is a putter that is between the size and shape of a mallet and blade putter.
Face Balance Vs Toe Hang
The goal of any putter is to get the face square with the target line at the moment of impact. Some golfers do that with a straight forward/straight back putting stroke while others do it with more of an arc to their swing.
If your swing is straight, you want a face balance putter and if your swing has more of an arc to it then you want some toe hang.
To know what your putter is, simply place your finger on the shaft close to the head and balance the golf club on that finger. If the club face is pointing toward the sky, you have a face balance putter. If the toe of the club is drooping at all, you have a toe hang putter.
Benefits of Each
Blade Putters
Maybe the most important feature of a blade putter is consistency. Most golfers got their start with a blade and it is all they have known. To switch to something, especially something as drastically different as a mallet putter, is difficult especially with a club this important to your overall game. The classic design is classic for a reason.
On top of that, the feel and distance control that a blade provides is hard to discount. It is kind of like the difference between a game improvement iron and a players distance iron. You want something that is easier to hit and to align, but feel is an important aspect of the game as well.
On top of that, it can be more difficult to control the distance of mallet putter so that longer putts are usually better with a blade.
Mallet Putters
MOI is very important in golf because even a slight angle to the left or the right can send a golf shot way off line. With a putter, if the club head moves even a little at impact, you are probably going to miss your putt. Mallet putters take that worry away from you so that you can focus on everything else that goes in to making a putt.
On top of the MOI, most mallet putters have a huge sweet spot and really good alignment aids. The mere size along of mallet putter heads make these 2 things true.
With softer inserts and precision milling, mallet putters have these advantages and pretty good feel and distance control as well. They continue to grow in popularity because the weaknesses of the past are being corrected and their strengths (MOI, sweet spot size, and alignment) are still much better than what you can find with a blade.
Our Favorites: Blades Vs Mallet Putters
Blade Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Double Wide
A great price, a lot of forgiveness, easy alignment, and the white hot insert combine to make this our choice for best blade putter.
Click here to read a more in depth review.
Mallet Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Marxman
There is not much not to like about this putter. The alignment is easy, the MOI is high, and the sweet spot is pretty much the entire face of the putter.
Click here to read a more in depth review on why we think this is the top mallet putter in 2020.
Final Thoughts on Blade Vs Mallet Putters
I hope you enjoyed the article and learned a little more about blade vs mallet putters. There is still a debate about which is best, and even some of the assumptions that golfers make about each putter are being questioned.
The truth is, find what you are most comfortable with and what helps you sink the most putts. MOI and feel are important things, but balls hitting the bottom of the cup is what really matters, and it is up to you to find the putter that best suits your game.
If you learned something, comment below and let us know. If you have something to teach us, tell us more about the blade vs mallet putter debate or just let us know which one you like and why. Most of all, keep sharing our articles so that we can help as many golfers and future golfers as possible.
