Much has been said about how some putter models have performed inconsistently year-to-year in MGS’ putter tests — probably due to the fact that the dimensions of those models as-sold have not been consistent.

Testing putters as-received seems to be most right to me. However, it is now clear that test results from any putter have little practical value to golfers if the putter they can buy doesn’t dimensionally match the one tested.

The fact that MGS measures and publishes the key dimensions on every putter it tests, at least gives us numbers that we can compare with those of the club we are about to buy.

I would like to see MGS begin a campaign to spotlight the fact that putter models from some manufacturers perform more consistently than those from other manufactures — like MGS is doing with golf balls.

While this page is just about putters, it would surprise me if the performance consistency issue does not extend to every club in the bag.

It would be interesting to see how the Odyssey triple track compares to the previous but very similar model O-Works 2-ball. Are the lines what sets it apart, or are there design changes that make it such a better putter. Put some tape on top of the three lines and see if it gets similar results. Similarly put some tape on the previous model and draw three lines. Does it miraculously become a performer compared to the field?

If I’ve decided to go with the Odyssey Triple Track because of your positive review, do you still think I should do a putter fitting? Or, what if I’m a “slight” arc putter, would you recommend going with the Sik Flo, or is Odyssey Triple Track still the better choice?

i would ask “how much of this is random dumb luck?” But we’ll never know because you won’t put the Odyssey 3748282u or whatever it’s called back in next year’s test.

Why? Nobody knows. But there’s a continued absence in the measurement of year to year improvement of golf equipment.

This year’s edition makes me much more happy that I went with the Odyssey Triple Track 2-Ball Mallet!!

I’m a 23 HDCP trending in a good direction 🙂 and I putt 38 per round on average, not bad I think, if I could pitch and chip a bit better. The big thing the article does point out is the lack of putter fittings. I’m the only person I know who’s had one; and that’s a dozen people 9 HDCP up to 30 HDCP.

Fitting worked for me at Club Champion I’d argue. I have a very straight putting stroke. Nearly perfect on line, angles and loft almost perfect as well. I had a cheap old blade putter 35″. The fitting took me in a totally new direction with a mallet, also the fitter pointed out to me that I needed a 34″.

I cannot say I’ve noticed a big change as it’s been 2 rounds but the so-called “adjustment period” hasn’t been an issue. I’m just as confident with my new putter. I think in the long term it’ll help me make more putts.

Interesting results with high variability in strokes gained, notably in the Odyssey Triple-Track putters. Would be interesting to see some statistical analysis on the data to see if there were any trends in the data on what made putters perform better or worse. Was MOI, length, weight, loft, grip, alignment aid, etc. a factor in performance? Did none of it matter?

The only company that appears to have performance consistency in strokes gained in this test was Wilson. All their putters were 34″ and were on the lighter side relative to the other putters. Their loft, lie, and toe hang were all variable.

I have a suspicion that none of those factors really mattered. Successful putting is a combination of confidence, feel, and stroke. Does having your putter fit help? Yes, but skill is still the most important element. I’ve began paying attention to what tour players are using, especially some of the newer entrants and amateurs that maybe don’t have big club deals yet. Frequently, the only new club in the bag is the driver and maybe 3-wood. Daniel Berger still uses TM irons from 2011.

As always I would like to see MGS do more comparisons to older club models from the past year or two. I have a feeling they get pressure from manufacturers to not do this as it would probably show how little things change year over year. I’m not saying things don’t improve but I don’t think golf technology changes much year over year.

I also think it would be interesting to see if MGS could get some Maltby clubs in the mix. Maltby clubs are high quality and a fraction of the price of traditional OEM brands. Maybe MGS is getting pressure not to test them from big OEMs but I would like to see how they stack up. I don’t know that they would win anything but it would give golfers a true budget option for NEW clubs. It would be really neat to see how a new Maltby driver with a Maltby shaft for $170 compares to new $500 drivers. Comparing Maltby to the big OEMs would be the ultimate test for diminishing returns and if there is anything behind the marketing.

Bought the Er2 about a year ago and I am very happy with it. I couldn’t find the link above but I thought there was a “how we test” link. My recollection was that putts had to be putted out from a certain distance, therefore it matters but how much a person misses long or short. Wasn’t sure if it was indoors or outdoors. The reason I bring it up relates to the counterbalance grip.

I know it is mentioned above, but I think counter balanced putters (or heavier grips at least) can make a big difference to the golfer. My original fitting put me in the heavy (120 gram) grip. Did great in the fitting, great on the SAM lab, great on a repeated indoor put, and great on short putts. But in the real world I struggled to ever judge distances. I made a lot more 10 footers, but my lag putting was all over the place. Put the 60 gram grip on instead and instantly my speed control improved (370 gram head at 34 inch length). My short putts are not quite as automatic anymore though.

I think if someone is buying, its definitely something to consider. And if you bought a putter that is not working out, consider looking into swapping the grip to change the weighting before returning. Maybe heavier/lighter could give you the change your looking for.

Also I was confused on the comment about toe hang before. If you are missing to the right, wouldn’t you want a putter with less toe hang? I would thing the toe hangs more as it gets heavier, the heavier the toe, the slower the face closes…..

Thanks for your testing, enjoyed as always

Please address this in the next podcast. How can Evnroll finish in the bottom 3rd of testing this year when it won just a few years ago. This is very concerning and puts into question your results. I love MGS but doesn’t this make you scratch your head?

Was there any communication with Odyssey considering the 2 Ball was so far out of spec in terms of loft? The 2 ball and Sik are among the lowest lofted putters in this test, while many high lofted (4+) putters finished near the bottom of the pack (Edel, 2 Ball blade, Rossie). Do you the results correlate loft and performance? Or is it random if you look at trends over the entire test pool?

Does anybody have a suggestion on where lefties should get fitted, I only ask because we don’t always have the full selection of putters like rh players do, and I do believe that getting fitted would be helpful.

Very surprised that the Evnroll product did so badly.

So the Wilson “L” finishes 3rd from last in 2019, but claims 2nd place in 2020? I appreciate and enjoy the testing that you guys do, but that fact leaves me feeling less than confident in the results.

For those asking about performance differences between the two ball blade and the two ball that won, the first thing I would say is that names notwithstanding, they’re as different as any other two mallets submitted by the same company.

The second, and likely more relevant, piece of the puzzle is that there is a more than 3° difference in measured loft between the two of them. Even if we tested a standard two ball against a standard two ball, we would expect to find performance differences attributable to the loft alone.

I love the face balanced Spider and only prefer to play with face balanced putters. I would love to see this type of review based different putter styles/balances/arcs. Comparing all Mallet putters to each other doesn’t work for performance standards since your top 10 may only have 3-4 variations that someone would prefer to play with based on their putter stroke and putting style.

Also, would like to see these putters ranked based on price as well. Prices can range from $149-$499. Why not rank the putters at $249 and under and $250-449?

How do the lower end priced putters compare to each other vs. the $300+ putters.

I have three putters that I rotate, but recently have had a lot better success with my Wilson Staff center shaft Infinite Southside. Wilson seems to have a great combination of price and performance. Less than half the cost of my Ping Sigma G Kraz-e mallet which I also like. The Wilson just has a great pure feel to it, long or short.

Buy used on eBay after the initial glow wears off; try improving your mental state and stop trying to buy your game.

How was the strokes gained data derived?
Surprising that Odyssey 2 ball went from top of group with regular model and then bottom of class. Especially when this feedback should apply to both “Testers loved the feel, alignment and roll.”

Why wasn’t the Tommy Armour mallet that’s won the last two years in the mix? I still see it at Golf Galaxy/Dicks.! Seems like a big oversight especially for comparison purposes.

I just returned my Mizuno M Craft III in blue. I love the look of it, felt amazing, free weight kit, too. But my home course if a links style, with big slow greens. I swear to you I could feel the putter shaft flex on longer puts and I got mixed results. The flow neck and mass of the head is just not that stable.

I tried my friends Odyssey 7s and I could crank long putts all day. I’ll be ordering the Stroke Lab Triple Track version. I’ve been using that ball marking tool that draws three lines, and it really does help. On an old putter I even drew three sharpie lines, putted with it yesterday and was making closer puts than the Mizuno.

It’s not just that the triple lines help your alignment, but it also promotes better contant. If you hit the three lines of the club to the ball it’s just a purer stroke.

Ping App doesn’t work for people anymore. You need to have a Ping fitter account to access it now. It’s a shame

What’s the reason LAB Directed Force 2.1 wasn’t included? Unique grip, loyal customers who keep it in the bag forever, and custom or remote fitting options, seems like the perfect club to test for MGS.

I have the SC Select Fastback and think it’s great.

Wilson Staff did rather well ,for hundred dollar putters.
That’s huge

All Nonsense, Putter perfroms @5 & 20ft but @10 its shit., Putters which performed well n previous years and styles haven’t changed really at all ,suddenly perform horribly, there is too much HUMAN error n MGS testing

I find it a bit strange that the Scotty Cameron Fastback 1,5 is included but not the Flowback 5 or 5.5 as both of them are even more “mallet-shaped” with a more rounded and larger club head.

Is this because Titelist didn’t provide it or is there any other reason why it’s not included? I seems to me that Flowback would be the main option in the Scotty Range for a person looking for a mallet putter. To me Fastback is more of a “mid mallet”.

The chart is great. The most important putt for me is the 5 footer. If I get better at 5 foot and in, I could drop 2-3 stokes off my handicap. The tournaments I play in there are no gimmes so whenever I play I putt everything. Guys I play with will pick up 2 footers. OK for pace of play, but not for getting better. I’m a pretty fast player so I don’t stand over putts very long. I think that adds to tension.

No Toulon putters for a second year in a row??

Is it possible to sort the SG graph? It’s difficult to see the winners with the current format. For example, the greatest SG is at the bottom and the least SG is at the top, but the Cleveland Elevado is closer to teh bottom than the M-Craft and Wilson, which have a higher overall SG.

were testers fitted to a putter that fit their stroke/swing arc? I’m curious to try the triple track two ball but concerned b/c my swing arc isn’t straight back/thru.

ALEX 2 MINS AGO
The winning Putter loft is 1.3? The website stock spec is 3? Is there a correlation?
I asked because txg’s last video talks about model mallet moi is so high of the loft is high most players will create backskidding. Perhaps the lower loft in the mallet helped?

My wife cannot properly line up putts. We have tried everything on the market. We purchased this mallet a week ago and something clicked in her brain. She doesn’t use the triple track balls, but the alignment somehow was exactly what she needed. The difference is staggering.

Great job as always.
I enjoyed the subjective notes and fitting tips, too.

I’m a huge Odyssey homer. I’ve owned like 6 #7 models. I despise the tracks. First Odyssey I never wanted.
Your CONS were dead on.

Wish Bettinardi would have provide the crescent neck Inovai. I have that with the fat Lamkin grip, which goes against everything I believe in honestly for a putter, but that thing is automatic. Feels great because of the SS face, and looks great too. I have never felt a putter release as consistently and easy as that thing. 0-10 ft has improved dramatically.

So the winner’s USP is its main criticism. I’m confused.

I have markers. The 2 ball RX is getting a makeover.

Wow. Evnroll has lost it’s crown. I think MGS needs to figure out why it’s revolutionary technology isn’t helping anymore.

Just curious, why would you not include the tommy armour putter that won the last two years?