Putters Updated
Best putters for beginners
A beginner's putter should be a forgiving mallet: a big head that keeps a putt struck off the toe or the heel close to the right distance, something clear to aim with, and a length that lets your eyes sit over the ball. The Wilson Infinite Buckingham has all three, for $139.99.
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Best for a beginner: a forgiving mallet for less
Forgiveness 4.0 out of 5
Wilson Infinite Buckingham
Wilson's large Infinite mallet with three alignment lines, in either hand.
Our picks for a beginner
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Best for a beginner: a forgiving mallet for less
Forgiveness 4.0 out of 5
Wilson Infinite Buckingham
A large mallet from Wilson's Infinite line, with three alignment lines, a double-milled face and a midsize grip with no taper, in either hand or in a 33-inch women's version.
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If your putts start left or right of the hole: zero torque for less
Forgiveness 4.0 out of 5
Vice Golf VGP03 ZT
Vice's zero-twist blade: the shaft axis runs through the head's centre of mass so the face resists turning, in a classic blade shape with a heavier head than most blades and 2.5° of loft. Right-handed only.
$199 at Vice Golf
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A mallet in 33, 34 or 35 inches
Forgiveness 4.0 out of 5
Wilson Infinite Bucktown
A fang-style mallet from Wilson's Infinite line, with three alignment lines, a double-milled face and a midsize grip with no taper, in either hand or in a 33-inch women's version.
What a beginner's putter needs
- A big, forgiving head. Few beginners strike every putt from the middle of the face. A mallet with its weight pushed to the edges twists less on those putts, so they finish nearer the hole. All 21 putters here are mallets or zero-torque heads, read from the makers' own descriptions of the head (how we score), not from a putting test.
- Something to aim with. A line, a set of lines or a shape on top of the head that you can point at the hole. Each putter's own page says what its maker gives you to aim with.
- The right length. Choose it by your posture, not your height: eyes over the ball, arms hanging relaxed. 13 of the 21 come in 33, 34 and 35 inches as stock.
- A price you will not regret. The putters here run from $139.99 (Wilson Infinite Buckingham) to $549 (Scotty Cameron Phantom 11R OC). Check the score column: the dearest putter is not always the most forgiving.
Every putter we cover, lowest price first
| Putter | Head | Forgiveness | Stock lengths | Hands | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Infinite Buckingham | Mallet | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right; 33" right-handed only | $139.99, checked 2 Nov |
| Wilson Infinite Bucktown | Mallet | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right; 33" right-handed only | $139.99, checked 2 Nov |
| Wilson Infinite Bean | Mallet | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Right only | $139.99, checked 2 Nov |
| Wilson Infinite The L | Mallet | 4.0 of 5 | 34", 35" | Right only | $139.99, checked 2 Nov |
| Wilson Infinite Grant Park | Mid-mallet | 3.0 of 5 | 34", 35" | Right only | $139.99, checked 2 Nov |
| Wilson Infinite South Side | Mid-mallet | 3.0 of 5 | 34", 35" | Right only | $139.99, checked 2 Nov |
| Cleveland HB Soft 2 Model 11 | Mallet | 4.0 of 5 | 34", 35" | Left or right | $159.99, checked 2 Nov |
| Vice Golf VGP03 ZT | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 34" | Right only | $199, checked 2 Nov |
| Wilson Infinite Zero Torque Lakeview | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right; 33" right-handed only | $199.99, checked 2 Nov |
| Wilson Infinite Zero Torque The 606 | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right; 33" right-handed only | $199.99, checked 2 Nov |
| Vice Golf VGP04 ZT | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 34" | Right only | $239, checked 2 Nov |
| Odyssey Ai-DUAL #7 DB | Mallet | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Right only | $249.99 at Golf Discount, checked 17 Oct |
| Odyssey Ai-DUAL Square 2 Square Jailbird Center Shaft | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right | $299.99 at Golf Discount, checked 2 Nov |
| Odyssey Ai-DUAL Square 2 Square MAX 1/2 Ball Center Shaft | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right | $299.99 at Golf Discount, checked 2 Nov |
| Cobra 3DP Tour Agera | Mallet | 4.0 of 5 | 34", 35" | Left or right | $379, checked 2 Nov |
| PING Scottsdale TEC Ketsch Onset | Mallet | 4.0 of 5 | 35" | Right only | $397 at Golf Discount, checked 2 Nov |
| L.A.B. Golf DF3 Stock | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right | $399, checked 2 Nov |
| Evnroll ZERO Z1cs Mallet | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right | $449, checked 2 Nov |
| TaylorMade Spider ZT Max | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right | $449.99, checked 2 Nov |
| L.A.B. Golf VZN.1i Stock | Zero torque | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right | $499 at L.A.B. Golf, checked 2 Nov |
| Scotty Cameron Phantom 11R OC | Low torque | 4.0 of 5 | 33", 34", 35" | Left or right | $549 at Golf Discount, checked 2 Nov |
The forgiving putters page filters the same putters by head type, hand and budget.
Mallet or zero torque: find your miss first
Roll ten putts from six feet with any putter and watch where they go. If they start on line but finish short or long, take a forgiving mallet, such as the Wilson Infinite Buckingham. If they start left or right of where you aimed, the face is turning during the stroke, and a zero-torque head, such as the Vice Golf VGP03 ZT, is built to stop that. If you cannot tell yet, start with the mallet: it is the cheaper way to find out.
Questions buyers ask
Should a beginner use a mallet or a blade putter?
A mallet. Its big head, with weight pushed to the back and the edges, twists less when you strike a putt off the toe or the heel, so the ball still finishes near the right distance. A blade is the narrow, traditional head: it suits a golfer with a repeating stroke who likes to feel the face open and close, and it forgives less, which is why the putters here are all mallets or zero-torque heads. The blade vs mallet guide explains the difference.
How much should a beginner spend on a putter?
The lowest-priced putter here is the Wilson Infinite Buckingham, $139.99, checked 2 Nov. A dearer putter buys a different feel or build more often than more help on a mishit. Spend more for a zero-torque head only if your putts start off line.
What length putter should a beginner use?
Stand over a ball with your eyes above it and your arms hanging relaxed: the right length lets your hands hold the grip there without bending or reaching. Most putters are sold in 33, 34 and 35 inches; 13 of the 21 here come in all three, and the makers build other lengths to order. A golf shop can check yours in a minute, and height alone does not decide it.
Is a zero-torque putter good for a beginner?
It helps one kind of beginner: the one whose putts start left or right of where they aimed, because the face does not want to twist open or shut during the stroke. If your putts start on line but finish short or long, a forgiving mallet does the same job for less. 11 of the 21 putters here are zero-torque heads, and the Vice Golf VGP03 ZT costs the least of them. The zero-torque guide explains how they work.
I am left-handed. Which putters can I buy?
13 of the 21 are sold left-handed; the Wilson Infinite Bean, the Wilson Infinite The L, the Vice Golf VGP03 ZT, the Vice Golf VGP04 ZT, the Odyssey Ai-DUAL #7 DB, the PING Scottsdale TEC Ketsch Onset, the Wilson Infinite Grant Park and the Wilson Infinite South Side are right-handed only.
The rest of a first bag
A putter is one club of eight to ten in a first bag, and the one you use most. The best golf clubs for beginners covers the whole bag, and the beginner sets come with a putter in the box.
The other questions
The most forgiving of each club
- Most forgiving irons
Every forgiving iron set scored and compared, with picks for slicers, slow swings, seniors and budgets.
- Most forgiving driver
The most forgiving head in each maker's line, scored, with the draw models for a slice and picks for slow swings and budgets.
- Most forgiving fairway woods
Fairway woods with the shallow faces and low centres of gravity that get the ball up off the deck.
- Most forgiving hybrids
The hybrids built to replace long irons, with lofts, flexes, hands and price.
- Mini drivers
The smaller driver heads between a driver and a 3-wood, by head size, lofts and draw setting, each price dated.
- Utility irons
Driving irons compared for forgiveness, lofts and hands, and when a hybrid is the better club.
- Forgiving wedges
Compare cavity-back wedge lofts, bounce, sole options and hands.
- Forgiving putters
Mallets and zero-torque putters scored, with lengths, hands and price, and a pick for each kind of miss.
- Most forgiving Callaway irons
Callaway's forgiving iron line, set against each other on offset, sole, loft, flexes and price.
For your game
- Best golf clubs for beginners
What a first set needs, a boxed set against a built set at the same money, and the picks by budget.
- Beginner golf club sets
Every complete boxed set scored, with its club list, flexes, hands and price, and a pick for seniors, women and budgets.
- Best golf clubs for beginners to intermediate
The second set: what to buy when a boxed set stops being enough, without paying for clubs you cannot use yet.
- Best golf clubs for high handicappers
Choose a replacement by bag role and check it against the clubs you keep.
- Best irons for mid handicappers
Game improvement and players distance sets for a 10 to 20 handicap, scored and priced.
- Best driver for slicers
Every driver with draw help, by how much it gives, its lofts and its price.
- Best driver for beginners
Forgiving heads with 12° in stock and draw help for a slice, for beginners and high handicappers, each price dated.
- Senior golf clubs
Every club sold with a stock senior (A) flex or as a senior set, and what senior flex actually changes.
- Best driver for seniors
The forgiving drivers sold in senior flex, by slow-swing help, loft and draw help, each price dated.
- Best irons for seniors
The forgiving iron sets sold in senior flex, by launch, sole and forgiveness, each price dated.
- Women's golf clubs for beginners
Women's lines and ladies-flex options, complete sets and individual clubs, with a pick for each.
- Best irons for women
The forgiving iron sets sold as a women's line or in ladies flex, with each 7-iron's loft and length, each price dated.
- Best driver for women
The forgiving drivers made for women or sold in ladies flex, by draw help, loft and price, each price dated.
- Golf clubs for petite women
The women's sets sold shorter, by how much, and the heights each maker names, each price dated.
- Golf clubs for tall men
The men's sets sold longer, by how much, and the heights each maker names, each price dated.
- Junior golf clubs
Every maker's junior sets by the child's height band, with what is in each box and its price, each checked.
- Left-handed golf clubs
The most forgiving club of each type sold left-handed, and the ones that are not.
Paying less
- Best budget irons
Forgiving iron sets for less, new, earlier and used, every price per club and dated.
- Best budget drivers
Forgiving drivers for less: current heads at low prices, last year's still sold new, and used, each price dated.
- Used forgiving golf clubs
Check the exact used configuration, condition, contents and return terms.
- Used golf drivers
Every forgiving driver with a used price beside the new one, current and earlier models, each listing dated.
- Used fairway woods and hybrids
Every forgiving fairway wood and hybrid with a used price beside the new one, and each listing's club, loft, flex, condition and date.
- Used golf irons
Every forgiving iron set with a used price, current and earlier models, with the clubs, shaft and flex each price buys.
- Golf club deals
Forgiving clubs below the maker's list price, last year's models still sold new, and used savings, each price with the day we checked it.
- Black Friday golf clubs
The price to beat for the most forgiving club of each type, so you can tell a real Black Friday deal.
Lofts, gaps and wedges
- Golf club loft chart
Loft ranges from the driver to the lob wedge, then every forgiving iron set's lofts, current and earlier, in one sortable chart.
- Golf club gapping
Even loft steps from your longest club to your wedges, each set's uneven steps, and how to check them with your own distances.
- How many golf clubs
The 14-club rule in plain words, what a first bag of eight to ten needs, and how many clubs each boxed set really holds.
- Wedge lofts
Every iron set's pitching, gap, sand and lob wedge lofts in one chart, and the names makers give the gap wedge.
- 52, 56 and 60 degree wedges
What a gap, sand and lob wedge is for, and which lofts to add after your own set.
- Wedge bounce
What bounce does, drawn to the angle, which bounce suits your swing and turf, and the bounce on every forgiving wedge we cover.
- 9-iron vs pitching wedge
The loft, length and bounce between the two in every forgiving set, and which one to hit.
- Hybrid vs iron
Which hybrid replaces which long iron in each set, by the makers' own lofts, and when a hybrid is the easier club.
- Hybrid vs fairway wood
Which wood matches which hybrid by loft, which to carry, and every maker's stock lofts side by side.
How clubs forgive, fit and last
- What makes an iron forgiving
Offset, sole width, moment of inertia and loft explained with the numbers from this site's own table.
- Game improvement vs super game improvement irons
What separates the two classes in loft, offset, sole and price, with every set in each, and how to tell which one your strike needs.
- Cavity back vs blade irons
Why a cavity back forgives and a muscle back does not, with the makers' own offset figures, and how to blend the two.
- Senior flex vs regular flex
What the A flex changes, who it suits, and which clubs we cover offer it as stock.
- Shaft flex chart
Each shaft maker's own swing speed for every flex, side by side, and the flex each chart gives at your speed.
- Best driver shafts
Driver shafts for a slower swing, more height or a mid flight, with each one's weight, torque and flexes from its maker, and the stock shafts on every forgiving driver.
- Steel vs graphite shafts
What a graphite or steel shaft changes, who each suits, and every forgiving iron set's stock shafts.
- Golf club fitting for beginners
Prepare your shortlist and check length, lie, shafts and set makeup at a fitting.
- Golf club fitting cost
What Club Champion, True Spec and PGA TOUR Superstore charge for each kind of fitting, the free ones, and what the fee buys, each price dated.
- Golf club length chart
Every iron set's standard lengths as its maker prints them, and a calculator that adds the change a fitter gives you.
- One-length irons
Every iron built to one length: Cobra's ONE Length sets against its standard sets, club by club, and who still makes one.
- Standard driver length
Every forgiving driver's stock length from its maker, men's, women's and mini, why two makers' figures can differ, and when shorter helps.
- Golf club lie angle
What a wrong lie does to your shots, how to check yours, and every forgiving iron set's lie angles club by club.
- PING color code chart
What each PING dot color means, and every PING iron set's lie angles for the dot you have.
- Golf grip size chart
Your grip size from your hand length or glove size, on Golf Pride's and Winn's own charts, with the feel test and PING's grip colors.
- Best golf grips
The right grip for sore hands, sweaty hands or an all-round feel, with every grip's sizes and weights from its maker.
- Putter grips
Pistol, parallel, flat-front and claw putter grips in their makers' words, their weights and prices, and the stock grip on each putter we cover.
- Blade vs mallet putters
Which forgives more, which suits your stroke, a six-foot test for your misses, and the mallets we cover.
- Putter length
What length putter you need, checked from your own setup rather than your height, and the stock lengths of every putter we cover.
- Zero-torque putters
What a zero-torque putter does, the balance test, who it suits, and how each maker builds one.
- How long do golf clubs last
When grips and wedge grooves wear out, by the makers' own advice, what a regrip costs, and when a new club is worth it.
- How to clean golf clubs
Irons, woods, grips and grooves cleaned the right way, the grip care Golf Pride advises, and how to store clubs over winter.
- How to regrip golf clubs
Golf Pride's ten steps with a hook blade, tape and solvent, sizing a grip up with tape, and what a shop charges.