Joel Tadman rounds up the best putters on the market this year and if you should be looking to upgrade this season.
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00:00 Now the putter is arguably the most important golf club in your bag, but if you're not feeling
00:04 the love from your flat stick at the moment, now might be a really good time to switch.
00:08 But how do you choose?
00:10 Luckily for you, I've got all the latest models on the market here in front of me.
00:14 I'm going to give them a thorough test at the beautiful Tavistock short game area at
00:18 the Woburn Golf Club to help you pick the right one for you.
00:21 I'm going to break this video down into a few different sections so you can skip to
00:24 the one that most interests you.
00:26 If you do like the look of any of the putters featured in this video, there are some handy
00:30 links in the description below so you can get your hands on those.
00:35 The first section we're going to cover is alignment.
00:37 It's a really important factor when choosing a putter.
00:39 And obviously mallet putters tend to offer a little bit more alignment assistance because
00:43 there is a lot more real estate down behind the ball to put those visual cues on there.
00:47 There's a few in 2024 that really stood out to me.
00:50 I've got them here in front of me.
00:51 The first is this Cobra Vintage Kuda model.
00:55 I think the three lines along with the parallel ridges that run alongside it, it's a very
01:00 powerful system.
01:01 You could argue it's a little bit busy, but it definitely helped me in terms of seeing
01:05 where the face was pointing.
01:07 The other one I think most golfers will appreciate and definitely will work for them is the one
01:13 on the Spider Tour.
01:14 This is the one that Rory McIlroy uses.
01:16 A few different head shapes available, but they've all got this kind of high contrast
01:19 white and black system that I think is really powerful.
01:22 I also like the dual line on this Scottie Cameron Phantom number nine.
01:27 There is also a similar system on the number 11, which has more of an arrow shape, but
01:31 just having two lines rather than one just seems to help me a little bit more.
01:35 Sometimes when you've got one line, it can look a little bit off on certain times, certain
01:38 putts, certain days, but the two lines just seem to be a bit more consistent for me and
01:42 I hold a lot of short range putts with this particular model.
01:45 I also like the alignment system on the Edel Array.
01:48 This is the F1, the kind of wing-shaped mallet version.
01:51 What's really cool about this putter is this plate actually comes off.
01:56 You can take it off and there's six different alignment plate options.
01:59 You can pick the one that kind of suits your eye and what helps you align the best.
02:03 This is the T-shaped one, which I think comes as standard, which works best for me, but
02:07 there are a few different options you can choose from.
02:09 That's a really cool system with this Edel putter that not many other brands offer.
02:15 My favorite alignment option might surprise you.
02:18 It is a new putter from Zebra.
02:20 This is the Zebra Teardrop range and the TD7 in particular.
02:23 You can see here you've got the three long parallel white lines, which is a really powerful
02:29 system in itself.
02:30 Then you've got the white front strip, which runs along the face, kind of perpendicular
02:35 to those lines.
02:36 That combination, just for me, was super powerful.
02:39 I was really seeing very vividly where the face was pointing and I was starting the ball
02:44 on line a lot more consistently with this putter in particular.
02:48 Definitely, if you're looking for maximum alignment resistance, this is the one to go
02:54 for.
02:55 Now, this is probably the section most golfers will skip to.
02:58 It's the putters that are the most forgiving in 2024.
03:01 There are a few that really stood out.
03:03 Brands really moved the needle in terms of forgiveness.
03:06 The first one I want to point out is the Bettanardi Innovae 6.5.
03:11 They've actually shrunk this head down slightly versus what the club was like last year, but
03:16 they've still managed to pack a load of forgiveness into this putter.
03:19 I was testing it on the green here at Woburn Golf Club and I was noticing the stability
03:23 on offer and the consistency of how far the ball was rolling out.
03:27 I really like the solid feel I got from this putter.
03:30 It's not the best looking, in my opinion.
03:32 I'm not sold on some of the design features, but if you're looking for forgiveness, this
03:36 is a really good one to try.
03:38 The two that really stood out to me, and it was hard to pick a winner really, was the
03:42 first one was the Cobra 3D printed range.
03:45 On these putters, you've got a combination of some carbon fiber elements and then more
03:50 metallic elements at the perimeter to give you that more stable feeling.
03:54 You've got weights that you can adjust here that helps give you a little bit more forgiveness,
03:58 and you've got the descending loft technology on the face, which gives you more consistent
04:03 roll depending on your angle of attack.
04:05 If you're leading the shaft forward or back, this face orientation negates any impact that
04:11 has on the launch and the roll you get.
04:12 There's a few different head shapes.
04:14 I don't think the alignment features are very good, personally, but if you're looking for
04:17 maximum forgiveness, there's a few different shapes.
04:21 This one in particular, this Grand Sport 35 is a very forgiving blade style putter or
04:26 smaller head style putter.
04:28 If you're looking for maximum help, I really like this Agera or Agera model.
04:32 Super, super stable in a more of a wing shape design.
04:35 I also really like this LA Golf Malibu.
04:39 This is one of the more expensive putters out there, but it does have a lot of technology
04:43 going on, so it's made of carbon fiber.
04:46 As a result, what you've done is you've got a carbon fiber centerpiece weights here on
04:51 the edge that give you maximum stability on off-center hits, and you've got this special
04:55 LA Golf shaft, which is really quite stable.
04:58 I wouldn't say it's boardy, but you definitely notice it doesn't kick as much, especially
05:02 on long putts when you're swinging it quite far.
05:04 It's super stable.
05:05 As a result, I felt like this was one of the most user-friendly putters out there.
05:10 It didn't really give me the ball speed I was expecting on what was quite a stable and
05:14 large head, but if you're looking for maximum forgiveness from a putter, I think this shaft
05:19 and head combination is a real winner.
05:21 The LA Golf and the Cobra 3D printed range are the two that really stood out for me for
05:26 most forgiving.
05:27 Right now, we move on to the best feeling putters.
05:33 It's a quality perhaps underrated, and who better players, more discerning golfers look
05:37 for, feel when it comes to choosing a putter, and there's three that really stood out to
05:40 me.
05:41 The first was this PING PLD Answer Putter.
05:44 Now, this is a carryover product from last year.
05:47 PING have actually released five new head shapes for 2024.
05:51 Unfortunately, we couldn't get hold of any for this particular test, but regardless,
05:55 the PLD range is a fantastic feeling range.
05:58 You've got this really deep milling on the face, which definitely does a really good
06:02 job of dissipating a lot of the sound and dampening those vibrations and just giving
06:07 you quite a soft, there's a little bit of audio to it, a little bit of a click to it,
06:11 but relatively soft but solid.
06:13 It's a nice combination you get from the PLD range, in particular, this PING Answer.
06:18 I also like the feel of the tailor-made TP Reserve.
06:21 This is a beautiful putter range.
06:23 Not loads of technology gone into it, but it's just a stunning aesthetic.
06:27 Everywhere you look, lots of clean lines.
06:30 This is a soft kind of 303 stainless steel, a little bit of milling on the face, some
06:34 grooves on there just to dampen those vibrations a bit.
06:37 If you like a firmer feeling putter, a really solid feeling putter, this tailor-made TP
06:41 Reserve would marry well with quite a soft golf ball if you use a soft golf ball.
06:45 For me, my favorite feeling putter of 2024 is this Odyssey AI1 milled.
06:51 This is a titanium insert.
06:53 It's all been designed using artificial intelligence.
06:56 There's some weights in the sole here.
06:58 This is the 2T shape.
06:59 There's a few different shapes available, but it's tough to describe the sensation this
07:03 putter gives you when you're hitting putts.
07:05 It's soft but solid.
07:07 Just really beautiful off the face.
07:09 Not super soft.
07:10 There's enough feedback there in terms of where you're striking it and the acoustics,
07:14 but just a really pleasant sensation off the face.
07:18 Really like the feel of this Odyssey AI1 milled putter.
07:21 It does come in at a premium price, but when you factor in the feel, the looks, and the
07:25 stroked lab shaft that you get with it, there's an awful lot to like about this putter.
07:29 If you're looking for the best feeling putters of 2024, these are the three I'd go for.
07:37 The next section is value.
07:38 Before I come onto my top picks in this section, I'm just going to give you a reminder to like
07:42 this video if you do like it, and subscribe to the Golf Monthly YouTube channel so you
07:46 don't miss any of our equipment videos.
07:49 The four that I've chosen I've got here in front of me, starting with the Ram FX
07:55 mill.
07:56 This comes in at a mere £79.99.
07:59 If you're looking for a simple, no frills putter range that's going to give you quite
08:04 a firm feel, a little bit of a louder sound to it, I recommend this putter range.
08:09 I really enjoyed using it.
08:10 The ball comes off the face pretty fast, which I think will help you if you play on slower
08:15 greens.
08:16 I like the all black look of the shaft and the head, and the grip's pretty good as well.
08:20 Nice large shape.
08:21 Could be tackier, I think, in your hands, but nice oversized grip there is going to
08:25 give you nice control of the face.
08:27 For a budget option, this Ram range is really good.
08:30 Let me move up in price slightly with the other three that I've chosen, but the performance
08:33 level does go up a notch, I think, on these three, and the feel as well.
08:37 Just staying with that theme of firmer feeling value putters, I like this new TaylorMade
08:41 TP collection, the new black finish they've got on this range.
08:45 It does, as I said, offer a firmer feel, but just looks a little bit more premium than
08:49 where we were with the Ram range.
08:50 A few different head shapes to choose from.
08:52 I really like this Del Monte 7, so the kind of that fat blade shape.
08:57 Works really well.
08:58 That kind of white line on the black head just stands out really vividly.
09:01 But my two favourites in the value section were these two.
09:06 This is the Wilson Infinite Windy City, the first choice.
09:10 Brand new for 2024.
09:12 A few different design changes.
09:14 We've got the three lines on the flange, kind of milling on the face.
09:18 It's pretty shallow, so as a result, it does still offer quite a firm feel and quite a
09:21 loud sound to it.
09:22 But again, if you play a soft-feeling golf ball, which kind of a lot of golfers who would
09:28 be shopping for this sort of product would probably be playing a low-compression, soft-feeling
09:31 ball.
09:32 I think that that would kind of marry up really well.
09:34 There's a few different head shapes to choose from, but I really like this Blade Windy City.
09:39 And probably my favourite in terms of value would be this Cleveland HB Soft.
09:45 Now this is the Retrieve model.
09:47 A few things I like about this one.
09:49 Comes in at £139, so pretty cheap.
09:52 And it's got this progressive milling on the face, which is really deep, so it offers a
09:55 really soft feel and pretty good forgiveness and speed control.
09:59 If your strike pattern moves up and down the face, I think you're going to enjoy the consistency
10:04 of roll-out you get from this putter.
10:06 It's pretty forgiving.
10:07 This particular shape, obviously it's perimeter-weighted, so it's going to be pretty user-friendly.
10:11 The grip is massive.
10:12 They've probably gone a bit too far on the size of the grip.
10:16 I preferred the one they had before, but if you like a chunky, oversized grip, it's probably
10:21 one to think about.
10:22 You can get your hands on there really easily.
10:23 It's going to kind of just give you better control and awareness of the club face.
10:28 As I mentioned earlier, this is the Retrieve model, so what you can do with this is once
10:32 you've holed out your putt, you can put the putter head in the hole and get the ball out
10:35 of the ball, stick in the cavity there so you can get it out without having to bend
10:38 down.
10:39 If that's something that's appealing to you, just get another box ticked for this Cleveland
10:44 range.
10:45 What I really like about this range in particular is how soft it feels.
10:48 If you play a firm golf ball or you just prefer a soft feel from your putter, this Cleveland
10:52 HB Soft 2, as the name suggests, is going to deliver that.
10:56 Now I'm going to pick some of my favorite models in each of the sizes of heads that
11:02 putters tend to get categorized into.
11:04 Obviously I haven't tested every single model of every single range in 2024.
11:08 That would be impossible, but I have tested a pretty decent cross section, over 50 different
11:13 putters here at the Tavistock Short Game area at Weber and Golf Club, so I feel like I'm
11:16 pretty well qualified to choose some of my particular favorites, but do your own research
11:21 into other models if I haven't mentioned them.
11:24 In terms of mallets, my first one that I do really like is the Tailowedge Spider Tour.
11:28 As I said, there's four or five different heads, but this particular shape really worked
11:34 well for me.
11:35 I love this gunmetal PBD finish.
11:37 I think it looks super premium and you pair that with the Super Stroke grip, it just sets
11:43 up really well, very comfortable.
11:45 And I was really prolific for long range with this putter.
11:47 I felt like three putts were at a minimum with this particular club.
11:52 I think it rolls the ball really well as well.
11:54 These Pure Roll grooves help get the ball rolling early and not skidding too much when
12:00 you hit it, so I think that combination works really well.
12:02 If you're looking for just a really user-friendly premium mallet, this Spider Tour range is
12:08 really good, in particular this Spider Tour model that Rory uses, I would thoroughly recommend.
12:15 I'm not picking and winning, these are just my three overall favorites.
12:18 The next one is the Scotty Cameron.
12:19 As I've mentioned, this is the number nine.
12:22 I've been testing the 5.5 as well, but this one really stood out to me.
12:27 It takes a bit of getting used to.
12:28 It's got kind of a sleek look to it with these holes where you can see the grass through.
12:32 It's a new look for a Scotty Cameron, but I think it actually works, and we've seen
12:36 other brands do something similar in the past.
12:40 But I think what you'll notice with this particular range is the slightly different mill pattern
12:44 on the face means, along with some more dampening material behind the face, this putter range
12:50 does feel softer than the previous Phantom X range.
12:54 So if you're looking for a slightly softer feel, and you do still get a bit of audio
12:57 feedback on the strike, I wouldn't say it's kind of soft, soft, but it's softer than where
13:03 we were with the previous range, which was quite firm.
13:06 So that's really good.
13:07 I also like the new grip that Scotty Cameron have put on these grips.
13:09 So this is the full contact grip.
13:11 So even though it's quite skinny, quite thin, I wouldn't call it mid-size, you can actually
13:15 get your thumbs on there pretty easily, and I think the texture's really good as well,
13:19 and also allow me to control the face really consistently.
13:22 So this particular putter I was very prolific with, especially from short and mid-range,
13:26 kind of hold more than my fair share of mid-range putts with this.
13:30 And one more left field pick.
13:32 Now this is a brand that's really making strides on tour, seeing a lot of golfers gravitating
13:37 towards this particular brand.
13:40 Putters that maybe have struggled with the yips in the past, like Will Zalatorre, Lucas
13:45 Glover, even Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson have been using this particular brand.
13:49 It's Lab Golf, and this is the DF3.
13:52 Now this is a slightly slimmed down version of what we saw from them last year, and DF3,
13:59 DF stands for directed force.
14:01 So these are lie angle balanced putters.
14:03 So they're essentially said to have zero torque.
14:06 It means that the club face is meant to kind of square up on its own.
14:11 You do sort of kind of get used to how the putter kind of flows during the stroke, and
14:15 it does feel quite effortless actually to get the putter kind of squaring, especially
14:18 from short range.
14:19 I was pretty good with this putter.
14:22 I think the look takes some getting used to.
14:24 There's a decent amount of alignment assistance with that T-shape at the front.
14:27 The only thing I didn't really like about this putter was the feel of it.
14:30 It feels kind of quite hollow, quite dead.
14:33 Given how large the head is, I was expecting a bit more speed off the face, but I felt
14:38 like I had to give putts from long range a little bit more effort.
14:41 It might be because there's quite some deep grooves on the face, which are taking a bit
14:45 of the speed off the ball.
14:46 But once you kind of recalibrated yourself to know that you have to give putts from long
14:51 range a little bit more effort, that should help you get the speed control right.
14:55 And then I think in particular, short range putts, if you struggle with short range putts
14:58 and you're used to using a larger head design, definitely worth giving this DF3 from Lab
15:05 Gold for a try.
15:06 Loads of different head weighting options, as you can see here.
15:10 There's arm locks.
15:11 There's all sorts of lie angles available as well.
15:13 So we recommend you go for a custom fitting for this particular model.
15:17 If you do that, I think you'll really enjoy the performance on offer once you get used
15:21 to those unorthodox looks.
15:23 Right, so the final category is blades.
15:27 And these are the three that really stood out to me in 2024.
15:31 The first is the PXG Battle Ready 2.
15:34 Now this is the Brandon model.
15:36 Loads going on with this putter.
15:38 You've got tungsten weights right in the corner to give you lots of stability, which is good
15:43 because when you look down, it's quite long and quite thin from front to back.
15:46 So you might look a bit intimidated by it, but because you've got that weighting there,
15:50 you've got a polymer inside the head as well as some pretty aggressive milling on the face
15:55 in this kind of pyramid style design, combining to give you a softer feel.
16:01 So while it's pretty stable, it's relatively soft at the impact.
16:05 So if you like a soft feeling blade that's going to give you a lot of stability, I'd
16:09 recommend the PXG Battle Ready 2.
16:11 The next one I want to talk about is a carryover product from last year.
16:14 So this is the PING 2023 ANSA range.
16:18 I like the kind of contrast between the front section here in silver and the black section
16:24 behind it.
16:25 And you've got the white line perpendicular to that.
16:27 So that kind of contrast system really works for me.
16:30 You've also got some tungsten weighting here.
16:32 So you've got a pretty compact head, again, pretty stable on those off-center hits.
16:37 But probably my favorite blade for 2024 is this Odyssey AI1 model.
16:44 You've got this panel window in the back, which means you can see the artificially designed
16:48 face design.
16:49 It's very unusual.
16:50 But when you hit a few putts away, you can actually feel and experience it at work, especially
16:55 from long range.
16:56 What is a pretty compact head, it was surprisingly forgiving.
17:00 My rollouts were very consistent with this.
17:02 So I think that's also helped by the kind of face design.
17:04 So you've got some subtle grooves here, which I do think help get the ball rolling a little
17:09 bit more.
17:10 And you've got this white hot insert as well, which I was surprised about.
17:12 Actually, I thought this would feel softer than it actually did.
17:15 I still felt like it actually felt quite firmish or kind of mid to firm.
17:19 So you might be expecting something that feels a little bit softer from this white hot insert.
17:24 But that aside, really nice overall looking putter, really clean design.
17:29 Love this kind of dark blue finish on it.
17:31 A load of shapes to choose from, of course, in the Odyssey AI1 range.
17:35 But this number one model really stood out to me in particular.
17:42 So the moment has arrived.
17:43 It's now time for me to pick my overall favorite putter of 2024.
17:48 And it is the Odyssey AI1 milled putter.
17:52 Now this does come in at a premium price.
17:54 There's no getting away from it.
17:56 £450 is a lot of money for a putter.
17:58 But what you do get is a putter that feels incredible.
18:02 There's loads of shapes available.
18:04 This is the 2T.
18:05 I'd probably gravitate towards the kind of the 3T shape, the slightly wider head in this
18:09 range.
18:10 This is definitely the best feeling putter I've tried in 2024.
18:13 And I think the combination of the feel, the forgiveness on what is a pretty small head
18:18 from this blade style design, just put it kind of slightly head and shoulders above
18:23 other putters that I've tested this year.
18:25 Don't get me wrong, if I liked mallet putters, I think the Scottie Cameron Phantom and the
18:29 TaylorMade Spyder Tour range would be the ones I would go for.
18:34 But me personally, I use a blade style putter or a kind of wide blade style putter.
18:39 So I was always going to choose a slightly smaller head shape.
18:42 And this particular one was just the one that kind of ticked the most boxes for me and gave
18:46 me the best feelings over the board.
18:48 And it was probably the one I hold the most putts with actually, testing here on the short
18:52 game area.
18:53 So Odyssey AI1 Milled, that's my favourite putter of 2024.