I’ve owned expensive putters and inexpensive ones over the years and I’ve had good moments with both. Putting feels personal and it’s easy to credit or blame the putter for a hot or cold stretch.
Our testing takes the subjective part out of it. With PuttView, we tracked nearly 50,000 putts across 79 blades, mallets and zero-torque putters in 2026. Every putter was tested under the same protocol, regardless of brand or price. That gives us a clear look at how each putter performs and it lets us answer a question golfers ask all the time: Does spending more get you a better putter?
We researched current retail prices for the putters in our test and compared them to the results. If you’re like me and always looking for a deal, you’ll be happy with what we found.
All prices listed are retail. You may find some of these putters on sale or pay more for custom options but this is what the data shows from a retail perspective.
Price didn’t predict performance
The best-performing blades and zero-torque putters cost less on average than the worst performers. In mallets, the top five cost only $17 more than the bottom five.
| Category | Avg. price, top 5 | Avg. price, bottom 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Blade | $320 | $509 |
| Mallet | $338 | $321 |
| Zero-torque | $305 | $344 |
Across the full test, there was no meaningful statistical link between price and performance. A higher price tag did not reliably mean better putting.
The best blades were among the least expensive
The Mizuno M.Craft Osaka won the blade test at $299.99. The PING Scottsdale Anser 4 and Anser 2D finished second and third at $259.99 each.
Premium blades mostly landed in the middle of the field or lower. Blades priced at $450 or more averaged a PuttView Handicap of −2.2, compared with −3.9 for blades under $300. The $599.99 Toulon Hollywood finished 14th of 24 and the Runner Pro Blade, which converts to roughly $740, tied for 19th.
If you prefer a blade, you don’t need to spend $500 to get one of the best performers in our test.
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Premium mallets performed but value options were close behind
Mallets were the one category where the most expensive putters finished on top. The Bettinardi BB 6.0 and BB 7.0 ($494.99 each) took first and second. The BB 6.0 was also the only blade or mallet in any of our tests to beat the zero-torque category average.
The putters right behind them cost half as much or even less. The Ben Hogan BHM02 and BHM03 ($249.99) and the Cleveland HB Soft 2 Black Retreve ($199.99) tied for third, just 0.6 strokes behind the winner. Further down, the $139.99 Wilson Infinite Bean outscored the $499.99 Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.
Zero-Torque putters offered the most value
Zero-torque putters led our 2026 testing overall. If all 79 putters were ranked together, the top 15 would all be zero-torque. Many of the best performers are also among the most affordable.
Three of the top four zero-torque putters cost $229 or less.
- Sub 70 011-SQ ($229): second place
- Vice VGP03 ZT ($199): third place
- Wilson ZT Lakeview ($199.99): fourth place, with the best short-putt score of any putter in our 2026 testing
The winner, the Odyssey Ai-Dual S2S #7, retails for $449.99 but has been on sale for around $350. Two of the most expensive zero-torque putters, the $650 Toulon Formula 90 and the $549 Scotty Cameron Fastback OC, finished 17th and last respectively.
A $200 zero-torque putter outperformed every blade and mallet in our testing.
Final thoughts
For a complete look at how all of our best putters of 2026 performed here are the results: Best Putters of 2026.
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