Blade vs Mallet Putter: What Should I Use

Blade vs Mallet Putter: What Should I Use?

Choosing between a blade and a mallet putter is not about which one looks better in the bag.

It comes down to aim, strike, stroke shape, distance control and confidence. Some golfers putt better with a clean blade. Others need the stability and alignment help of a mallet. Neither is automatically better.

The best putter is the one that helps you start the ball on line and control pace more often.

What Is a Blade Putter?

A blade putter is the more traditional shape. It usually has a slimmer head, less visual bulk behind the ball and a cleaner look at address.

Classic examples include the Scotty Cameron Newport 2, PING PLD Milled Anser, Bettinardi BB Series models and Odyssey blade-style putters.

Blade putters tend to suit golfers who like feel, feedback and a simple look behind the ball. They can be excellent if you strike your putts consistently and prefer to release the face naturally through impact.

The trade-off is forgiveness. If you regularly miss the centre of the face, a smaller blade head may punish you more than a larger mallet.

What Is a Mallet Putter?

A mallet putter has a larger head shape. Some are compact and rounded. Others are wide, square, fang-shaped or almost futuristic.

Good examples include the TaylorMade Spider Tour X, Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Mini, Odyssey #7, Scotty Cameron Phantom, PING Tyne and L.A.B. Golf DF3.

Mallets usually offer more stability and more room for alignment aids. That is why a lot of golfers find them easier to aim, especially on short putts.

They can also be more forgiving when strike is slightly heel or toe side. If your current putter twists at impact or looks hard to aim, a mallet is worth testing.

The Simple Difference

A blade is usually better for golfers who want:

• A clean, traditional look

• More feel from the face

• Less visual bulk

• A natural arc stroke

• Clear feedback on mishits

• Better pace control by feel

A mallet is usually better for golfers who want:

• More stability

• More forgiveness on off-centre strikes

• Stronger alignment lines

• A larger shape behind the ball

• More help on short putts

• A face-balanced or lower-torque feel

That is the simple version. The proper answer depends on the golfer.

Stroke Type Matters

Your putting stroke is one of the biggest clues.

Some golfers have a strong arc. The putter opens slightly on the way back and closes through impact. Those players often suit a putter with more toe hang, which is common in blades and some slant-neck mallets.

Other golfers have less arc. The face stays more square to the target line for longer. Those players often suit face-balanced mallets or double-bend designs.

This is why “blade vs mallet” is slightly too simple. Neck style matters as much as head shape.

A plumber’s neck blade, a flow-neck blade, a short-slant mallet and a double-bend mallet will all behave differently.

Why So Many Pros Use Mallets Now

Mallet putters used to have a bit of a reputation. Some golfers saw them as bulky, ugly or only for players who struggled to putt.

That has changed.

Modern mallets are everywhere on tour because they offer stability without feeling like a cheap training aid. The TaylorMade Spider range is the obvious example. It gives players a stable head, strong alignment and different neck options depending on stroke shape.

Scottie Scheffler has had major success with a TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck. Rory McIlroy has also used a Spider Tour X short slant. Patrick Cantlay has moved into a Spider Tour X as well.

That does not mean every golfer should buy a Spider. It means tour players are no longer scared of using a bigger putter head if it helps them start the ball on line.

You can read more on that here: Why Are So Many Pros Using the TaylorMade Spider?

Real Golfer Examples: Blade Putters

Tiger Woods is the most famous blade putter example. His Scotty Cameron Newport 2-style putter is one of the most recognisable clubs in golf history.

Jordan Spieth is another strong blade example. His major wins came with a Scotty Cameron 009-style putter, although he has also experimented with other models. That is worth noting because even elite putters change when they are looking for a different look or feel.

PING’s Anser shape is also part of blade-putter history. The Anser-style head has influenced putter design for decades and still appears in modern versions such as the PING PLD Milled Anser.

The lesson is not that blades are old-fashioned. It is that blades still work very well for players who like feel, face rotation and a simple look.

Real Golfer Examples: Mallet Putters

Scottie Scheffler is the biggest modern mallet example. His move into the TaylorMade Spider Tour X became a major equipment story because his ball-striking was already elite and the putter change helped shift the conversation around his putting.

Rory McIlroy is another high-profile Spider Tour X user. His version has been linked with a short slant neck, which suits a stroke with some face rotation rather than a completely straight-back-straight-through motion.

Jon Rahm has used an Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S, which is more of a compact mallet or mid-mallet shape. That is a good reminder that mallet does not always mean huge.

Rasmus Hojgaard has been listed with an Odyssey Ai-ONE Milled Jailbird Mini T Versa 90 DB, a mallet design with strong alignment. Yealimi Noh has used a L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max in a broom-handle setup.

The wider point is simple: modern pros use all sorts. Blade, mid-mallet, full mallet, zero-torque, broom handle. They are chasing fit, not tradition.

What About Mid-Mallet Putters?

Mid-mallets sit between blades and full mallets.

They are useful if you like the feel of a blade but want a touch more stability. The head is usually larger than a blade but not as big as a Spider, Jailbird or DF3.

Examples include:

• Scotty Cameron Fastback

• Scotty Cameron Squareback

• Odyssey Rossie

• PING Anser D

• Bettinardi Queen B wider-body shapes

For a lot of club golfers, this is the most sensible category to test. A full mallet might look too big. A blade might feel too unforgiving. A mid-mallet can be the compromise.

Forgiveness: Mallet Usually Wins

If forgiveness is your main issue, start with a mallet.

Mallets normally have more mass spread around the head. That helps the putter resist twisting when you miss the centre. On short putts, that can be important because a slightly open or closed face is enough to miss.

This is where high-MOI putters are useful. MOI stands for moment of inertia. In plain golf terms, it means resistance to twisting.

A higher-MOI putter will not fix a bad read or a poor stroke. But it can make a slightly poor strike less punishing.

If you often say “I pushed that” or “the face opened” after short putts, a mallet might help.

Feel: Blade Often Wins

If feel is your main priority, you may prefer a blade.

Blades usually give more feedback. You know quickly whether you hit the centre, heel or toe. Some golfers like that because it helps distance control.

This matters most on longer putts. If you feel detached from a large mallet head, your pace control can suffer. That does not mean mallets have poor feel. Plenty of modern mallets feel excellent. But some golfers still judge distance better with a smaller head.

If you are a good lag putter with a blade, do not change just because mallets are fashionable.

Alignment: Mallet Usually Helps More

Mallet putters often give you more help with aim.

Because the head is bigger, designers can add longer sight lines, contrast blocks, ball-width markings or framing shapes. Odyssey’s Versa alignment, TaylorMade’s True Path system and L.A.B. Golf’s unusual head shapes are all trying to solve the same problem: helping the golfer aim the face.

That can be massive for club golfers.

Many golfers do not aim where they think they aim. They miss putts before the stroke even starts. A putter that sits square and gives a clearer line can make an immediate difference.

If you struggle from 3 to 6 feet, test a mallet with strong alignment.

Distance Control: Test It Properly

Do not choose a putter based only on short putts in a shop.

A putter can feel brilliant from six feet and still be poor for you from 30 feet. Distance control is where a lot of fittings are won or lost.

When testing a blade vs mallet, hit:

• Five putts from 4 feet

• Five putts from 8 feet

• Five putts from 20 feet

• Five putts from 35 feet

• A few breaking putts if possible

Do not only ask “did it go in?” Ask whether the ball started online and finished with sensible pace.

A good putter should help you hole short putts and leave long putts close.

Best Blade Putter Models to Try

If you want a blade putter, start with proven shapes.

Good blade models to look at include:

• Scotty Cameron Newport

• Scotty Cameron Newport 2

• PING PLD Milled Anser

• PING Anser

• Odyssey Ai-ONE Milled One T

• Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K One

• Bettinardi BB1

• Bettinardi BB8

• Cleveland HB Soft Milled 1

• Mizuno M.Craft OMOI 1

The Newport, Newport 2 and Anser-style heads are the obvious starting points because they show you what a traditional blade looks and feels like.

Best Mallet Putter Models to Try

If you want a mallet putter, there are loads of strong options.

Good mallet models to test include:

• TaylorMade Spider Tour

• TaylorMade Spider Tour X

• Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Mini

• Odyssey #7

• Odyssey 2-Ball

• Scotty Cameron Phantom 5

• Scotty Cameron Phantom 7

• PING Tyne

• PING Fetch

• L.A.B. Golf DF3

• L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max

• PXG Allan

The TaylorMade Spider and Odyssey Jailbird are strong places to start if you want tour-style mallet stability. L.A.B. Golf is worth testing if you are curious about zero-torque putting, but the shape can take some getting used to.

Which Is Better for Beginners?

Most beginners should at least test a mallet.

That does not mean every beginner should buy one. But if you are new to golf, you probably need help with alignment, strike and face stability. A mallet usually gives more help in those areas.

A good beginner putter should be:

• Easy to aim

• Comfortable from short range

• Stable on mishits

• Not too heavy to control

• Simple enough to use without overthinking

If a blade looks better to your eye and you putt well with it, use the blade. Confidence matters. But for many new golfers, a mallet will be the easier starting point.

Which Is Better for Mid-Handicappers?

Mid-handicappers should choose based on their actual miss.

If you miss short putts because the face twists, try a mallet.

If you struggle with distance control and feel disconnected from a big head, try a blade or mid-mallet.

If you pull putts, push putts or aim badly, get fitted before assuming the head shape is the whole problem. Lie angle, length, grip size and toe hang can all affect how the putter sits and releases.

A lot of mid-handicap golfers would benefit from a proper putter fitting more than a random new model.

Should You Get Fitted for a Putter?

Yes, if you can.

Putter fitting is underrated. Golfers will obsess over driver shafts and then buy a putter because it looked good in the shop.

A fitting can check:

• Putter length

• Lie angle

• Loft

• Toe hang

• Face balance

• Grip size

• Aim bias

• Stroke path

• Strike location

• Pace control

This is where you find out whether you actually need a blade, mallet, mid-mallet, slant neck, plumber’s neck or double bend.

A useful video explainer is GOLFTEC’s putter style guide, which covers blade, mallet, high-MOI shapes, toe hang and face balance in a practical way.

Quick Decision Guide

Use a blade putter if:

• You like a clean look

• You want more feel

• You strike the centre often

• You prefer face rotation

• You judge distance well with a smaller head

• Alignment is not your main issue

Use a mallet putter if:

• You want more forgiveness

• You struggle to aim

• You miss short putts from face twist

• You like strong alignment aids

• You prefer a stable head

• You want more help on off-centre hits

Try a mid-mallet if:

• A blade feels unforgiving

• A full mallet looks too big

• You want feel and stability together

• You have a slight arc stroke

• You want something more compact than a Spider or Jailbird

The Honest Answer

There is no universal winner between blade and mallet putters.

Blades are not only for good players. Mallets are not only for bad putters. Tour players use both because putting is personal and fit matters more than image.

If you want the safest answer, most golfers should start by testing a mallet or mid-mallet. The extra forgiveness and alignment help are useful, especially if you are missing short putts or struggling to aim.

But if a blade gives you better pace, better confidence and a cleaner strike, do not talk yourself out of it.

The right putter is the one that makes your bad putts better and your good putts repeatable.