Should you be using a blade or a mallet putter? While you probably have a preference (and a strong opinion to match), we wondered what the on-course data actually reveals.
Is one objectively better than the other?
Naturally, we turned to our friends at Shot Scope to ask what their mountains of real-world data showed and they came back with some eye-opening findings.
Statistically, it appears one style does have an advantage and one brand is leading the way – more on that below (spoiler alert: your wallet might not like what the data says).
Know your putters
Blade putters – The traditionalist’s choice with a smaller head profile and typically some form of toe hang. Think classic PING Anser or Scotty Cameron Newport designs.
Mallet putters – The modern choice with a larger head profile. They offer various weight setups and are typically more forgiving. Think Odyssey 2-Ball or TaylorMade Spider.
Lie angle balanced (or zero-torque or Square 2 Square) putters – The new kids on the block currently taking the game by storm. Still technically mallets (mostly), but they just hit different. Think almost all of L.A.B. Golf’s lineup.
Before looking at what models the best putters in the Shot Scope performance tracking database are using, let’s examine what’s happening with the average golfer.
What putters do typical 15-handicappers use and what style actually helps them make more putts?
Most popular putters – 15 handicap
Here are the stats for the average golfer using these models:
15 handicap blade vs mallet performance
| Putter Type | 6ft and in Make % | Avg Lag Putt Proximity (ft) | Avg 3-Putts per Round |
| Blade | 75% | 7.3 | 2.6 |
| Mallet | 82% | 7.7 | 2.3 |
Lag putts = putts from 20ft+
Overall, the data suggests that mallets have an advantage. Sorry, blade purists. Sometimes science is a harsh mistress.
What the data tells us
For the average golfer, you’re significantly more likely to hole your putt inside six feer (where it really counts) with a mallet and you’re less likely to suffer the dreaded three-putt.
You may argue that a seven-percent difference in make percentage isn’t much but let’s be real: we’ve all had those rounds where “if only that one putt had dropped.” That seemingly insignificant seven percent translates to mallet users holing one more putt inside six feet per round compared to their blade-wielding counterparts. One putt can be the difference between a new personal best and another story about the one that got away.
Average proximity to the hole on lag putts is actually better with blades. But this advantage is then nullified by blade users being less likely to hole the crucial second putt from shorter distance. It’s like leading your foursome in greens in regulation but still losing every nassau bet. Your ball-striking deserves better than what your short stick delivers.
Of course, there will be exceptions to the data (you’re probably not one of them) but the statistics suggest mallets make more sense for most golfers.
What about the best putters?
So we know what the average golfer uses and how they perform but what about the putting wizards in the Shot Scope database? For more insights, we looked at the top 10 percent of golfers based on Shot Scope putting stats.
To determine the best performance-tracking putters, Shot Scope looked at make percentage inside six feet, average lag putt proximity and number of three-putts per round.
Here are the benchmark stats for the top 10 percent of putters:
| 6ft and in Make% | Avg Lag Putt Proximity (ft) | Avg 3-Putts per Round |
| 93% | 3.6 | 0.7 |
Those numbers are enough to make most of us weep into our scorecards. And here are the models used by these putting maestros:
- L.A.B. Golf DF3
- Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird
- L.A.B. Golf MEZZ 1 Max
- Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2
- Odyssey 2 Ball
The initial takeaway? Maybe the guys at L.A.B. Golf are onto something after all (and that “weird-looking” putter your buddy got might not be so crazy).
Except for the Scotty, all of the other models are some form of mallet, which is fascinating given how impressive those stats are. The data is speaking loud and clear, folks.
I don’t know about you but I suddenly feel a new putter purchase coming on. It’s almost Father’s Day, right?
Want data like this for your game?
Do you want insight like this into your own putting performance as well as over 100 tour-level statistics, including Strokes Gained and Handicap Benchmarking?
If the answer is yes (and why wouldn’t it be?), check out Shot Scope performance tracking products.
The best part? No subscription fees and lifetime free updates. Pay once and get smarter about your game forever.
Get the most out of your game with Shot Scope. Your handicap (and your playing partners’ wallets) will thank you.
Bob Cecchini
3 weeks ago
It appears to me that another conclusion could be that the best putters use mallets rather than mallets are the better putters.