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OUR JOB IS YOUR GAME
If you are in the market for a blade putter in 2019, this test is for you.
At MyGolfSpy our job is to provide independent, unbiased, and objective testing of products to help you make more confident purchasing decisions. We do this by employing consistent testing methodologies and advanced golf analytics inside our 100% independent test facility. You are then able to leverage the industry’s richest set of head-to-head data to help unlock your full potential. Our testing yields unparalleled data which equals unparalleled insight for the golfer.
For 2019, stop buying golf equipment you like and start buying equipment you want to keep. Don’t spend a dollar unless it improves on what’s already in the bag.
Most Wanted: TaylorMade TP Collection Juno
Putter Buying Considerations
LENGTH
The length of your putter can affect both your ability to control distance and direction. Typical stock putters are either 34″ or 35″ in length; however, many golfers will better fit into a shorter length putter. You want to choose a putter that will allow you to have a relaxed set-up based on how you address the ball.
LOFT
Loft may affect the distance of your putt more than the direction, and speed control is extremely important in putting. If you have too much, or too little loft, your ball may either hop or dig into the ground, making distance control inconsistent. We always recommend getting fitted for a putter. A fitting specialist can help determine the proper loft for your putter.
BLADE vs. MALLET
Choosing a blade or a mallet should come down to both personal preference and your natural putting stroke tempo. According to PING, if you tend to have a quicker tempo putting stroke, a lighter, blade style putter might suit your game. Conversely, if your stroke is smoother and slower, a heavier, mallet-style putter might be your fit.
TOE HANG
As much as your tempo plays a factor into the right putter, so does the amount of arc in your stroke. If you tend to have a large amount of opening and closing of the face, you’ll want to consider a heel shafted putter that allows for rotation – if you balance the putter on your two index fingers, the putter head should hang with the toe closer to 6 o’clock. On the other extreme, a face-balanced putter will have the face pointing to the sky when you balance it. This style putter is generally well suited for golfers who have more of a straight back straight through stroke.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT - Odyssey Stroke Lab #3
Multi-Material Shafts: The name of the game in golf is consistency, and the Odyssey Stroke Lab putter shafts are designed to give you just that. Offering multi-material construction that leverages graphite for the majority of its length, the Stroke Lab Shaft improves weight distribution to promote a more consistent putting stroke.
Odyssey testing showed golfers were more consistent in a number of factors like backswing length, face angle, velocity, and more. In 2019 Most Wanted testing, the Odyssey Stroke Lab #3 was a standout from 10-feet; the most critical distance we test. Bottom line, if you're looking to improve your stroke consistency, don't leave Stroke Lab Putters on the rack when you're testing putters for yourself.
FIELD NOTES
During each test, we look for trends that provide us insight into where the market as a whole is moving, as well as what noteworthy changes manufacturers have made to improve year-over-year performance. We also solicit feedback from our testers. We want to understand what they liked, what they didn’t like, and why. While we do collect and share noteworthy portions of this subjective feedback, it does not factor in our rankings.
TRENDS AND TWEAKS
- Of the 28 models tested – 15 blade putters featured a slight arc toe hang(45°), eight were strong toe hang (90°), four were face-balanced (0°), and one putter is torque-balanced (toe-up).
- Modern technology has spread to the putter space. 85% of the putters in the top 10 feature face technology designed to produce more consistent results. Those technologies include Odyssey Stroke Lab Putters (graphite-steel shafts), EVNROLL (variable groove technology), and PING Sigma 2 (adjustable shafts). The traditional milled face, no-tech, putters were the minority in this year’s blade test.
- The traditional pistol grip was also rather uncommon to see on a putter in this year’s test. Almost every manufacturer offered some sort of mid-sized to over-sized grip in some shape. Whether it be the P2 Aware Tour grips on the MLA Defender and Tour Classic putters or the new EVNROLL Gravity Grip – each putter had a unique twist on a grip to help stabilize the hands and square up the face. Even Bettinardi putters with their classic cord pistol grip were mid-sized at the smallest. Gone are the days of the ultra-thin pistol grip.
Matching Your Putter to Your Tempo
According to PING, golfers with slower tempos, often better fit into heavier, mallet style putters. On the flip side, quick tempo golfers (think Brandt Snedeker), would likely benefit from a lighter, blade style putter.
NOTES FROM THE TESTING POOL
- The PING Sigma 2 Anser was subjectively the highest rated putter in the test with an average rating of 8.3 across Looks, Feel, and Alignment. Testers praised the Sigma 2 Series as a whole for its extremely soft feel.
- Rated among the highest for looks were the TaylorMade TP Copper Collection Juno, Odyssey Stroke Lab #3, Scotty Cameron Newport, and PING Sigma 2 ZB2.
- The PING Sigma 2 Anser, Bettinardi Studio Stock 2, and the Scotty Cameron Newport Squareback rating among the highest for feel. A number of testers liked the feel of the milled face design on not only the Studio Stock 2 but also the entire line of Bettinardi Studio Stock putters in the test.
- The highest rated putter for alignment among the test group was the Scotty Cameron Newport Squareback. Testers noted the ease of which to align the putter, as well as how square it set up at address.
- It was a rare occurrence for a putter to be highly rated for one metric and poorly for another, putters generally scored well as a whole or poorly as a whole.
- An interesting exception was the TaylorMade TP Collection Juno which ranked highly for looks but was near the bottom in alignment and middle of the pack overall.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT - PING SIGMA 2 SERIES PUTTERS
Adjustable Shafts: The second iteration of the PING Sigma 2 series putters, the Sigma 2 offers a unique feature that allows the golfer to adjust the length of the shaft with the twist of a torque wrench. The adjustable shaft can help take the guesswork out of fitting a putter for length.
Additionally, the Sigma 2 features a soft feel insert that dampens vibration and improves feel across the entirety of the face. All the Sigma 2 models were popular and well received among the test group for looks and feel.
2019 Most Wanted PUTTER DATA
2019 Most Wanted Blade Ranking
| Club | 5' % Rank | 10' % Rank | 20' % Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TaylorMade TP Copper Collection Juno Check Price | 33% | 42% | 29% |
 | PING Sigma 2 ZB Check Price | 35% | 38% | 27% |
 | Cleveland TFI 2135 - 1.0 Check Price | 27% | 42% | 29% |
 | Ping Sigma 2 Kushin C Check Price | 32% | 35% | 29% |
 | Bettinardi SS28 Slotback Check Price | 29% | 35% | 29% |
 | Odyssey Stroke Lab #3 Check Price | 15% | 45% | 29% |
 | Bettinardi Queen B #5 Check Price | 30% | 35% | 25% |
 | Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide Check Price | 29% | 31% | 33% |
 | Sentio Sierra 101-F Check Price | 35% | 31% | 25% |
 | EVNROLL ER1TS Check Price | 15% | 38% | 33% |
 | EVNROLL ER 2.2 Check Price | 15% | 38% | 33% |
 | PING Sigma 2 Anser Check Price | 20% | 38% | 29% |
 | Sentio Sierra 101-M Check Price | 26% | 35% | 27% |
 | MLA Target Defender II Check Price | 16% | 38% | 31% |
 | Wilson Staff Infinite Windy City Check Price | 31% | 28% | 29% |
 | Bettinardi Queen B #6 Check Price | 37% | 24% | 27% |
 | Wilson Staff Infinite West Loop Check Price | 31% | 24% | 33% |
 | Cleveland Huntington Beach 8.5 Check Price | 28% | 28% | 29% |
 | Scotty Cameron Newport Squareback Check Price | 32% | 24% | 31% |
 | Argolf Arthur 2.0 Check Price | 24% | 31% | 25% |
 | MLA Tour Classic Check Price | 28% | 24% | 31% |
 | Scotty Cameron Newport Check Price | 17% | 31% | 31% |
 | Bettinardi Studio Stock 2 Check Price | 23% | 24% | 35% |
 | Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin - 8.0 Check Price | 27% | 21% | 25% |
 | Tommy Amour Infusion Roslin Check Price | 14% | 24% | 29% |
 | Tour Edge Eden Check Price | 30% | 14% | 27% |
 | Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 1 Check Price | 15% | 21% | 27% |
 | Edel E-5 Check Price | 7% | 24% | 31% |
EXPERT TIP - WHICH WAY DO YOU MISS?
Matching a putter to your natural stroke type is essential if you want to make more putts. If you tend to miss it to the right, your putter might have too much toe hang, or the arc is "too strong." Conversely, if you consistently pull putts, or miss it to the left, your putter may not have enough toe hang.
Putters with more toe hang typically match a stoke that has a lot of rotation, where putters with less to hang match more of a straight back-straight through stroke.
MORE BUYING TIPS
GET FIT
95% of amateur golfers haven’t been fit for a putter. Would it surprise you if 85% of PGA Industry Professionals (the guys fitting you for a putter) haven’t been fit as well? The bottom line is – you’re leaving strokes on the green if you’re playing the wrong equipment for your game. Don’t choose a putter just because it looks or feels good, get fit for a putter that works with YOUR stroke to start making more putts.
FACE TECHNOLOGY
The face of the putter is one of the most critical parts of the club; after all, it is the contact point with the ball. Every manufacturer has proprietary technology whether it’s EVNROLL’s variable grooves, PING’s TR face, or your traditional milled face, pay attention to what is on the face of the club.
GRIP STYLE
Pistol, counterbalance, and oversize – just some of the many styles of putter grips available. Feel is the trade-off here, a thicker grip that will stabilize the wrists may lose a little feel, whereas a more traditional pistol grip may give you more response but could cost you some control.
HOW WE TEST
Our Mission is to help you find the best putter for your game.
We are 100% independent and unbiased, and always put the #ConsumerFirst
ABOUT OUR TESTERS
Our pool of testers consists of 20 golfers with handicaps ranging from plus to the mid-teens. As a group, they span a broad range of putting stroke characteristics.
Over the course of several sessions, each golfer is required to putt and finish 18 holes with each putter. Putter groupings and order are randomized on a per tester basis.
LIMITING VARIABLES AND GATHERING RELIABLE DATA
To minimize variables, all testers hit Bridgestone Tour B-RX Golf Balls inside our dedicated Lab X testing facility located in Yorktown, VA.
While it doesn't affect the final results, subjective feedback on looks, feel and alignment is taken from each tester on every putter in the test.
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS
To arrive at our final results, we analyze the data for statistical significance. Top group percentages (the percentage of the time a putter finishes in the statistically significant top group across the testing pool) are leveled to account for performance at distances and weighted to favor 10' putts as our tests show it's where the greatest differences are found. The Most Wanted Winner is the putter that finished with the highest adjusted top group percentage.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
2019 Most Wanted Blade Spec Check
| Club | Loft* | Lie* | Length* | Swingweight* | Headweight | Toe Hang | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argolf Arthur 2.0 Check Price | 4 | 70.5 | 34 | E 8.3 | 370g | Strong |
| Bettinardi Queen B #5 Check Price | 3.2 | 69.8 | 34 | E 0.2 | 362g | Slight |
| Bettinardi Queen B #6 Check Price | 4 | 70.5 | 34 | E 2.1 | 362g | Straight |
| Bettinardi SS28 Slotback Check Price | 2.8 | 71.6 | 34 | E 0.2 | 358g | Straight |
| Bettinardi Studio Stock 2 Check Price | 3 | 70.5 | 35 | D 7.8 | 358g | Slight |
| Cleveland Huntington Beach 8.5 Check Price | 2.3 | 71.6 | 33.5 | D 9.6 | 360g | Slight |
| Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 1 Check Price | 2.7 | 71.3 | 33.625 | D 4.0 | 345g | Slight |
| Cleveland TFI 2135 - 1.0 Check Price | 3.2 | 71.9 | 33.875 | C 8.5 | 345g | Slight |
| Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin - 8.0 Check Price | 3.5 | 71.5 | 34.625 | F 9.4 | 405g | Straight |
| Edel E-5 Check Price | 3 | 68.7 | 33.25 | C 4.9 | 345g | Toe Up |
| EVNROLL ER1TS Check Price | 1 | 70 | 34.625 | D 5 | 355g | Straight |
| EVNROLL ER 2.2 Check Price | 1.8 | 69.3 | 33.625 | D 5.9 | 370g | Slight |
| MLA Target Defender II Check Price | 2.1 | 70.9 | 34 | E 1.7 | 350g | Slight |
| MLA Tour Classic Check Price | 3.3 | 71 | 34 | F 9.4 | 384g | Straight |
| Odyssey Stroke Lab #3 Check Price | 3.9 | 70 | 33.375 | D 0 | 360g | Strong |
| Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide Check Price | 3.3 | 69.4 | 33.5 | D 1.1 | 360g | Slight |
| PING Sigma 2 Anser Check Price | 3.1 | 70.7 | 34 | D 0.8 | 350g | Slight |
| Ping Sigma 2 Kushin C Check Price | 4.2 | 70.4 | 34 | D 6.9 | 360g | Straight |
 | PING Sigma 2 ZB Check Price | 3.4 | 70.6 | 34 | D 3.1 | 350g | Strong |
| Scotty Cameron Newport Check Price | 3.6 | 70.7 | 33.5 | D 4.5 | N/A | Strong |
| Scotty Cameron Newport Squareback Check Price | 3.2 | 70.5 | 33.375 | D 4.3 | N/A | Slight |
| Sentio Sierra 101-F Check Price | 0.9 | 70.7 | 33.75 | C 8.8 | 350g | Slight |
| Sentio Sierra 101-M Check Price | 2.4 | 71.5 | 33.75 | D 0.2 | 350g | Slight |
| TaylorMade TP Copper Collection Juno Check Price | 3.4 | 70.1 | 34 | D 8 | 346g | Slight |
| Tommy Amour Infusion Roslin Check Price | 3.7 | 69.5 | 33.625 | D 1.7 | 345g | Slight |
| Tour Edge Eden Check Price | 2.4 | 71.6 | 34.625 | F 2.5 | 350g | Slight |
| Wilson Staff Infinite West Loop Check Price | 3 | 71.1 | 33.625 | D 8.9 | 365g | Straight |
| Wilson Staff Infinite Windy City Check Price | 3.5 | 71.4 | 33.625 | C 8.3 | 365g | Slight |
* denotes measured value vs. manufacturer’s stated spec.
FAQ
Buying a Putter
Q: Should I get fit for a putter?
A: Without a doubt. Don’t just go to the putting corral at your local golf store and choose the putter that feels the best. Do your research, know the facts, and take your knowledge to your local golf course or store with the intention of being fit for the right putter for YOUR stroke.
Q: Can I fit myself for a putter?
A: To a degree, yes. PING developed an App that pairs with an attachable sleeve to your current putter shaft to determine your stroke type, lie, and loft to help you understand what to look for in your next putter.
Q: How do I find the right length putter for me?
A: A quick test would be to take a comfortable putting stance with a putter; if the putter is too short, it’s likely it will sit too upright, or the heel of the putter will be off the ground. On the flip side, if it’s too long, you’ll feel as though you’re crowding the ball and the putter on the ground and the toe will be pointing up slightly.
Q: What is the price range for a typical putter?
A: Most putters range in price from $50 into the thousands; however most putters average between $150 and $350. Ultimately, it’s about finding the best putter for YOUR game. Price may always be a factor, but don’t assume the best putters are the most expensive.
EXPERT TIP - DISTANCE STRUGGLES?
If you tend to struggle with short putts, you might want to try a heavier putter. On the other end, if you need help on long putts, you might want to try a lighter putter. Blade putters tend to be on the lighter side, whereas mallets are typically bigger and heavier.
Most Wanted
Q: How is the Most Wanted Winner determined?
A: To determine the Most Wanted Blade Putter, we run the data through three tests of statistical significance (5′, 10′, and 20′). Throughout our test, golfers 1-putted from 5′ roughly 75% of the time, 2-putted from 20′ 80% of the time, and were nearly 50-50 (1-putt vs. 2-putt) from 10′. 10′ factor more significantly in our ratings as that’s where the most significant differences in performance are found.
Q: How are the best putters for stroke type determined?
A: At the beginning of the test, each putter is classified by its toe hang/stroke type. The best within each designation are those that finished highest overall with respect to toe hang/stroke type.
Q: How much does subjective feedback like looks, sound, and feel factor into your rankings?
A: ZERO. Our rankings are based purely on total putt counts and quantifiable performance metrics. We include subjective notes only because readers have asked for more feedback directly from the testers.
Q: Will you publish an overall winner between the Blade and Mallet putter tests?
A: Yes, those results will be published in the coming weeks after the Most Wanted Mallet is announced.
HAC
4 years ago
I have a stroke where I need a putter with toe hang. If the testers are half people who want a face balanced putter and half people who want a putter with toe hang, won’t the presence of the face balanced putter people skew the results in a way that makes the results nonsense for me (same would be true if I needed a face balanced putter). Shouldn’t you divide testers and putters and come up with putter results for people who want a face balanced putter and people who want a putter with toe hang?