Blade putters offer a clean, compact, traditional aesthetic and are preferred by some golfers, especially those with a slight arc to their stroke, since blade putters tend to have a bit of toe hang that helps the putter face to close at the moment of impact.
But, at the same time, blade putters may not be for everyone, so we rounded up some of the more common questions from the web to answer them here. See if your question is answered here and if not get in touch with us.
A blade putter is a putter with a compact, thin head and a slim, narrow profile. Most traditional putters have a blade profile.
Blade putters tend to be better for players that have an arcing stroke, one that opens and closes slightly through the stroke. The toe hang of most blade putters naturally allows the putter to open with the stroke and close at the critical moment of impact. Some players also argue that blade putters offer better touch and more sensitive feedback as well.
Anyone who appreciates the classic aesthetic of traditional putters can appreciate a blade putter, but really, they usually perform best in the hands of golfers that have a slight arc to their stroke. Players with a straighter, more front-to-back stroke gravitate towards mallet putters.
There are still pros that play with blade putters (such as Harry Hall, Tiger Woods, and Hideki Matsuyama), but many are increasingly preferring the stability and performance of modern mallet putters.
While blade putters can offer excellent feedback and tend to close naturally for players who have an arcing swing, many mallet putters are more forgiving and offer excellent consistency. Mallet putters can also produce tight dispersion on the green.
The main downside of blade putters is that they can be particularly unforgiving of mishits that are off center. Not only are off-center mishits more likely to deviate from the intended course, but the energy transfer is far less efficient on off-center hits, causing errant putts to lose speed much more quickly.
Also, if your stroke lacks a natural arc, playing with a blade putter will cause you to fight the club’s natural rotation. This itself can cause inconsistencies that translate into the ball losing momentum early, or to a lower degree of accuracy.
Potentially, but that really depends on your level of skill, whether or not you have a slight arc to your stroke, and how heavily you rely on alignment aids.
As has been stated, those with more straight strokes tend to prefer mallet putters, and mallet putters are more forgiving regardless.
But, it is also the case that many mallet putters have a variety of alignment aids. Many blade putters have only one alignment aid, if they have any at all. Some golfers, especially those who are highly reliant on their visual senses, prefer mallet putters for this reason as well.
Not to paint with broad strokes here, but high handicappers may generally be better served by mallet putters because they are more forgiving of mishits and can offer greater stability as well.
No, blade putters are generally not more forgiving than mallet putters. While blade putters can serve some golfers admirably, if your main concern is forgiveness, a mallet putter is likely a better option for you.
That’s hard to answer because a blade putter can be good for a beginner that has an arcing stroke. However, as a general rule, the forgiveness of a mallet putter is more amenable to most beginners.
A face-balanced mallet putter is the best way to keep your face square with the ball, especially if you have a straight front-to-back stroke. A zero-torque putter shaft is also a good option in this case.
However, if you have an arcing stroke, a blade putter may naturally square at the point of impact.
While it is true that blade putters tend to be lighter than mallet putters, it is not the case that a heavier putter or a lighter putter is necessarily better than the other. They simply offer different performance attributes.
Heavier putters tend to be more stable, especially for shorter putts. On the flipside, lighter putters tend to provide better touch, feedback and control. Really, which is better for you depends on your skills, abilities, and preferences.
Don’t See Your Question Here? Get in Touch with the BGT Pros
Not sure if a blade putter or a mallet putter is best for you? Looking for more information on zero-torque putter shafts before you make any decisions about upgrading your equipment?
Get in touch with our professionals, let us know what you are looking for and we will make personalized recommendations to help ensure you are playing with clubs that are as well tailored to your abilities as possible.
As a golfer, you may come across a very unique situation; you read the putt, execute the putt, and everything looks and feels right. The ball even starts off straight on the path you visualized.
But then, it slowly starts to push off to the right.
It’s not specifically that you did anything wrong; it’s more that your putter may be balanced in such a way that you needed to execute a motion you wouldn’t naturally, and therefore didn’t, make.
It could just be that your putter didn’t square perfectly right at impact, pushing the ball off slightly to the right.
It also brings up the matter of putter balance. Two of the most common types of putter balanced are putters that exhibit toe hang and face balanced putters.
Neither is a universal solution to the many issues of putting accuracy, but understanding the natural arc of your stroke can help you choose a putter that’s better suited for you.
What Is Toe Hang?
A putter is said to have “toe hang” if, when it is balanced on a finger, the toe points downward. In other words, a putter with toe hang has more mass near the toe and the center of gravity is shifted towards the toe, rather than towards the heel.
Because of the distribution of mass, a putter that exhibits toe hang will open slightly on the backstroke and close as the face is brought forward. If your stroke has a natural arc, this effect will be magnified.
For this reason, putters with toe hang are often promoted for players that have more of a natural arc to their strokes, because the putter face will close naturally during the stroke without any additional effort from the golfer.
A closely related term here is “toe flow” which refers to the feeling of the toe releasing as the head of the putter rotates. Some golfers love the feeling and others fight it, because it feels like the putter face was too open at impact.
Either way, a putter with toe hang can potentially benefit golfers with more of an arc to their stroke because it helps naturally close the face of the putter.
But, for players with a more straight-to-back stroke, with less of an arc, sometimes a face balanced putter is a better choice.
Toe Hang vs. Face Balanced?
In contrast to putters with toe hang, a face balanced putter is a putter with a face that points upward when the putter is balanced on a finger. The mass distribution in the club head is such that toe hang is eliminated in a face balanced putter.
Because of this, face balanced putters are sometimes promoted for players with more straight-to-back putt strokes, with little to no arc, because the balance of the putter head will keep the face square through the stroke and at the moment of impact, with no additional action required from the golfer.
A face balanced putter also naturally resists twisting, which can make for a suitable pairing with a zero-torque putter shaft, since together, the club and shaft pairing helps to keep the face square, increasing consistency and accuracy.
Missing Putts Right: When Does a Face Balanced Putter Make Sense?
If you play with a putter that has a lot of toe hang, and the head rotates during the stroke more than the stroke can support, the face may be open at impact, causing the ball to push off to the right.
If your stroke has less natural arc, you play with a zero-torque shaft, and don’t hold the face off one way or the other, the precision of a face balanced putter, especially with a straight front-to-back stroke (or one that is nearly so) may be able to help prevent those putts that roll off right.
Of course, there is more than one factor here, but being aware of some of the conditions that can cause these errors can still be helpful.
Still Have Questions?
At the end of the day, it’s important to recognize that there is no perfect putting stroke, nor is it the case that one is better than the other. Arcing strokes and straight strokes can both deliver accurate putts. The goal isn’t to develop the ideal stroke; it’s to understand what your putter stroke looks like so you can match the putter and putter shaft to it in order to deliver the best results.
That being the case, if you’re still struggling with putting accuracy on the green and would like the assistance of an expert who may be able to help you identify what your stroke looks like, then suggest the ideal putter and shaft combo to better meet your natural abilities, get in touch with us directly and we will be more than happy to assist.
Have you been wondering if you’re playing with the right type of putter? You’re not the only one out there wondering the same thing, and considering how important putting is to the sport, it’s a reasonable question to ask. So, here it is: is a mallet or a blade putter better for you?
That really depends. Both can be effective styles, but perform differently due to the shape of the putter head as well as balance and weighting. Let’s take a closer look.
Who Should Play with a Mallet Putter?
First let’s look at mallet putters. These are larger putters, with a head shape that is often semi-circular or square, though some mallet putters have “wings” that extend behind the club face.
This different shape changes the way the weight is distributed around the putter head, with more of it distributed around the rear of the club or around the perimeter.
This weighting configuration can change the MOI, or moment of inertia, when the club strikes the ball. It has the potential to make a mallet putter slightly more forgiving when you don’t make perfect contact.
Many mallet putters have a number of visual alignment cues, such as high contrast shapes, lines, or alignment dots, that help golfers visualize the alignment of the putter head and the path of the stroke, to improve their accuracy and consistency.
These visual cues, paired with the fact that mallet putters often deliver a higher MOI which can make them slightly more forgiving in some situations, make them appealing to many newer golfers.
With that said, even skilled golfers sometimes prefer the forgiveness of mallet putters because it can offer the potential to tighten shot dispersion and result in more accurate and consistent putts. Mallet putters, because of their consistency and forgiveness, also excel for making longer putts where that forgiveness comes into focus.
Also, golfers that have a straight-through stroke or only a slight arc may also prefer a mallet putter because the face generally stays square, evening out inconsistencies.
On top of that, some mallet putters feature a modular or customizable design, with inserts or weights that can be added, removed, or even positioned around the clubhead to personalize the putter to a specific golfer’s putting bias.
Another thing to note about mallet putters is that, in terms of auditory and sensory feedback, they tend to be a little softer and less “crisp” than blade putters, especially if they are weighted with inserts that sometimes have a tendency to absorb vibration and feedback.
Who Should Try a Blade Putter?
Now let’s take a closer look at blade putters. Blade putters are a more traditional putter profile, with a compact head, like a blade, hence the name. Most of the mass in a blade putter is situated directly behind the face of the club.
They are usually heel-to-toe weighted and have “toe hang” which means that the toe of the putter points slightly downward if you balance the shaft on a finger. In other words, the toe end of the blade putter’s head is usually ever so slightly heavier than the heel.
Importantly, toe hang encourages the putter to open slightly on the back stroke and close a little on the forward stroke, which helps square the putter when the golfer has a slight arc to his or her stroke.
Generally, blade putters offer a simpler design and cleaner aesthetic than mallet putters, and they’re usually not configurable with weights and inserts, making them less customizable.
Blade putters tend to be slightly less forgiving than mallet putters, but they offer precise, consistent feel and often better feedback than mallet putters, too. For these reasons, many golfers prefer them, especially those who have more of a pronounced arc to their stroke.
Also, while blade putters tend to be less forgiving, especially with less than perfect contact, with solid, center face contact they provide not only excellent feedback, but very consistent results. So while it can potentially take more practice to become proficient with a blade putter, the results can be worth it if you put in the time and practice.
Summarizing Blade vs. Mallet Putters
To recapitulate:
So, Which Is Better for You?
As is true in so many things in life, it really depends. Neither blade putters nor mallet putters are inherently or objectively better than the other. It’s all about what you prefer.
If you are a golfer with more of an arc to your stroke, and you prefer feedback over forgiveness, or if you prefer traditional aesthetics and equipment, a blade putter might be a better option for you.
On the flipside, if you prioritize forgiveness over feedback and you have a straighter stroke with less of an arc, then a mallet putter might suit you better than a blade putter.
Questions? Contact Us
Not sure whether a mallet putter or a blade putter is the better choice for you, but open to trying something new? Get in touch with us and let us know what your challenges on the green are, and we will make specific recommendations for putter and shaft combos that may be able to help you.
There was a time in the golf industry when most driver shafts were made of steel. After all, steel is very strong and very stable, consistent, tough, and cost-effective.
Even so, you probably don’t need us to tell you that steel driver shafts are an exceeding rarity in the modern sport. This begs the question of what happened to them?
Well, the short answer is carbon fiber came along and outdid the performance of steel in many ways. Here’s what you should know about the rise and fall of steel.
Why Steel Driver Shafts Are a Rarity Nowadays
To understand what happened to steel driver shafts, we actually have to rewind a little bit further back to find out why and when steel became the primary driver shaft material in the first place.
It didn’t start with steel. Back in the day, most golf driver shafts were actually made of hickory. Hickory is a strong and dense, yet flexible wood from which old golf shafts used to be made, and the craftsmanship of which was tied to traditional methods.
Hickory golf shafts were handmade, which produced and upheld a high level of quality. They were also relatively flexible compared to the steel that ultimately replaced them, which gave skilled golfers a lot of control over shot shape.
However, despite the considerable relative advantages of hickory driver shafts, they were not without their limitations. Since hickory is a natural material, it’s impossible to create a manufactured standard for quality. Variations in wood stock meant that craftsmen weren’t always working with the best available materials.
Also, being wood, hickory driver shafts were also prone to warping under adverse conditions, especially bad, wet weather. On top of that, even though hickory is strong, hickory shafts could still crack or break when mishandled.
That’s where steel came into the picture. It has a lot of advantages over hickory wood shafts. For one, since steel is a manufactured material, it could be made much more consistent than hickory, according to the grade and alloy used. Natural variation between pieces of hickory was one of the major problems steel solved.
Also, steel is denser and stronger than hickory. It is also considerably stiffer, which, to some golfers, only offered another relative advantage.
The greater consistency of steel also resulted in a more predictable flex, which gave skilled golfers improved repeatability and predictability from shaft to shaft. And, on top of that, steel was more economical to manufacture; steel shafts were and remain incredibly cost-effective compared to other materials (including modern composite shafts).
It wasn’t long before steel was officially adopted; by 1924, the USGA legalized the use of steel shafts and it wasn’t long before the market for steel driver shafts exploded. By the 1930s, steel driver shafts were the standard.
For decades steel dominated the market for golf shafts, and while there are still many putter shafts and iron shafts that are made from steel (True Temper steel shafts come to mind) the market for driver shafts has shifted.
Steel is a rarity, and the majority of driver shafts today are made from composite materials such as graphite. But if steel offered so many advantages over its predecessor, what is it about composites that have made them eclipse steel? Let’s take a closer look.
The Advantages of Composite Driver Shafts
The first graphite golf shaft was actually invented in 1968 by a man named Frank Thomas, the Chief Design Engineer for a company called Shakespeare Sporting Goods Company; that’s the same one that makes fishing rods, which are also made primarily from composite materials (and which, interestingly, were previously made from flexible woods like bamboo, as well as from fiberglass).
By the 1970s, composite shafts were introduced more widely to the market and it wasn’t long before their wide range of virtues started to eclipse steel golf shafts.
Like steel, composite materials like graphite are manufactured goods, which means they can be subjected to procedural controls that result in a very precise, consistent finished good. In other words, composite shafts, like steel, are very, very consistent.
But where the difference comes in is in how versatile graphite shafts can be. While steel is universally very stiff, composite shafts can be manufactured to deliver a much wider range of flex profiles, along with other attributes.
There are composite driver shafts that are very stiff, even rivaling steel, which produce low launch and low spin profiles, with minimal torque, but there are also very flexible composite shafts that produce higher launch angles, more spin, and greater sensitivity and feedback. This range gives composite shafts a better ability to meet the needs of a larger cohort of golfers than steel ever could.
On top of that, composite shafts can be made very light, which can benefit golfers who have slower swing speeds, or who otherwise prefer a low swing weight. At the same time, mass can be added to composite shafts to make them heavier, more stable, and more consistent, just like steel.
Graphite shafts can also be made to provide vibration dampening, to minimize the discomfort that comes from fat shots and other errors.
All in all, graphite driver shafts can deliver pretty much everything steel can and more. The two drawbacks are that they are more expensive and more fragile. Steel is tougher no matter how you look at it.
But that is a small price to pay for the considerable advances composite shafts offer in terms of their range. Regardless of your skillset as a golfer, there are composite shafts out there that will compliment your abilities. You just need to find them.
Contact Us to Learn More
While there are still some associations that play with hickory-shafted golf clubs, and some players who still prefer steel driver shafts, far and away, composites have taken over the market for the reasons covered in this post.
Explore our collections of advanced composite driver shafts and if you have any questions about club pairings or shaft fitting, get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to help.
While many cutting edge clubs promise to deliver a larger sweet spot, and advanced carbon composite golf shafts promise to extend range and control shot dispersion, you should never just assume the newest and best is automatically the best for you.
This is one of the reasons why working with a professional that offers golf shaft fitting services can be one of the best investments you can make in yourself as a golfer, with benefits that will continue to materialize time and again.
Golf shaft fitting involves working with a professional who will take your measurements, observe your swing for speed, tempo and mechanics, and make both general and personalized recommendations about what clubs and shafts will likely perform best for you.
With that said, here are some of the best reasons to get fitted for clubs at least once.
Playing with clubs that don’t fit you well or compliment your natural skillset is working against yourself; it’s like wearing clothes that don’t fit and expecting them to look good or be comfortable.
There are so many elements of club fitting that can influence how well your clubs and shafts will fit you. A fitter will suggest a golf shaft and club pairing that fits not just your dimensions but your swing mechanics, and with attention to optimal lie angle, the grip style, and more. When you’re finished with the process, you’ll have clubs that feel more like an extension of your body than just like tools you use to play the game.
A golf shaft and club combo that produces optimal launch and spin characteristics will make it easier and more repeatable for you to drive farther and more accurately. Clubs that are fitted to you better also will enable you to drive farther with less straining, which will help you keep control over your shots, not increasing your overall range, but minimizing dispersion.
Clubs that fit you work with your natural swing mechanics, which in turn will reduce strain on your muscles and joints. A custom fit encourages an effortless, fluid swing, with a lower risk not just of fatigue but of injury.
If you get fitted for clubs that will exact less of a toll on your body, you’ll be able to practice (or play) for longer, which is the main driver in proficiency; you never get good at something if you don’t practice often.
Once you know what it feels like to play with clubs that are properly fitted to you, your confidence will likely grow because you will stop compensating for equipment that was never a good match for you in the first place.
Club fitting services will yield clubs that fit your body and swing mechanics nearly perfectly, which can improve forgiveness, reduce the incidence of mishits, and which can also extract more power, effortlessly, from your swing. It’s not just about weight, flex, flex point and torque, but about how these things work together to deliver replicable results with less effort from you. As a result, you will experience fewer issues associated with inconsistent performance because your clubs will be optimized to work with your natural abilities.
What you learn from a fitter can help you pair golf shafts and clubs, even a while after you get fitted. You can also leverage the insights you glean about your swing mechanics, specifically with respect to swing speed and tempo, to help you choose shafts for clubs down the line. In other words, getting fitted can give you the ability to sift through golf shaft and club pairings with a more discerning eye so you can make better informed decisions about what you should pair, what you should play with, and why.
Contact Us for More Details About Our Golf Shafts
If you’ve been previously fitted in the past, but have questions about the golf shafts and clubs we sell here, get in touch with us directly and our customer service team would be more than happy to make recommendations based on that information. Feel free to reach out to us, let us know what your goals or challenges are (or what you’re looking for in new shafts) and we will help you out.
It may be a great feeling when your approach shot lands amazingly close to the hole. What’s not a great feeling is missing a short putt. And guess what, every golfer has been there before.
While frustrating, missing short putts is a reality for all golfers at some time or other, but the truth is that also improving your short putting accuracy is one of the most effective ways to lower your score. Plus, it feels great when you don’t miss, of course.
With that said, there are tons and tons of golf putting tips out there, but shedding some light on another few won’t hurt. Here are two critical tips that, if you keep to them, should help you lower your scores.
Follow Through Every Time
Where you aim your putter face is the single critical point in where the putt is going to go, of course taking into account the grain direction and lay of the green. But what’s also important is following through on the putt every single time, no exceptions.
Square the putter face, and keep your body very still. When you commit to the stroke, it’s tempting to look almost immediately to see if the putt is going where you want it to go. But this is a flaw in the putt sequence.
Looking up right away adds unnecessary movement (more on that in a second) and can interrupt the putt, resulting in unsquare contact at the moment of impact. Anticipation, looking up and away from the putt too soon can introduce inaccuracy.
Keep yourself fully still and attentive to the putt until the putter has made contact with the ball and it’s already rolling. Only when your swing is complete and the ball has left the putter face should you move any other part of your body, including your head.
Then you can look up and check the accuracy of the putt.
Keep Moving Parts to a Minimum
Start by planting your feet firmly on the ground, then check the direction in which you’re aiming the putter. Make adjustments if you need to, but once you’re ready to start your backswing, you should not move any part of your lower body.
Unlike a full golf swing, putting is completely an upper body activity, and the fewer parts of you that move, the better. Watch experienced golfers and you will see that their lower body is effectively completely still when putting, including their hips.
Swaying during the putt is a common problem for lots of problems. Putting simulators and training aids can help you identify issues like this so you can address them when you’re actually playing.
Even excessive movement in your wrists (or any, depending on whom you ask) can also be a problem. Rotating your upper body and keeping your arms and wrists effectively fixed can also help mitigate minor aberrations that result in inconsistency and inaccuracy when putting.
The bottom line is that your feet should stay firmly planted on the ground and you should strive to keep your lower body as still, and the swing of your upper body as consistent as possible with every putt.
Bonus: Read and Reflect on Every Putt
Don’t just square up and putt without reading the green first. Experienced golfers will often walk completely around the ball, even around the hole, to see the grade of the green and to pick up on other factors that can influence the direction of the putt.
After the putt you should also reflect on what went well and what didn’t, if you missed. Every putt is a learning opportunity to key in on what you’ve done well just as much as it is to identify and rectify anything you’re doing wrong that could be costing you accuracy on the green.
Considering Trying a New Putter Shaft?
Stability putter shafts are designed to reduce unwanted shaft movement during the putting stroke. With extremely low torque and a more stable structure than traditional steel, Stability helps reduce shaft deflection and supports more consistent face delivery at impact.
The result is a putter shaft built to help golfers improve consistency without forcing them to change their natural stroke.
If you are looking for better feel, improved stability, and more reliable putts, learn more about Stability putter shafts or contact us with questions about which model is right for your game.
