The Best Head Design for Your Golf Putters
Selecting the best golf putters is something that involves various considerations. You need to combine reading about club head designs and trying these designs.
Trying the club does not mean you have to buy the club immediately. In each golf store, you have opportunities to try a swing with an actual ball. If you are buying the putter in an online store, reading about putters and evaluating your golf style help.
Weightings
Golf stores and manufacturers classify putters based on the weightings in the head. There are two general classifications of weightings. One is the toe-weighted and the other is face-balanced.
The focus of the weight in toe weighted putters is in the toe while the weight of face-balanced golf putters is distributed in the heel and the toe.
Blade and mallet putters are the common choices in head designs. Blade putters are toe-weighted while mallet putters are face-balanced.
Head Designs
Head designs vary, from the traditional blade to a more futuristic design. Designs are identified according to their shaft location or inserts and pattern head.
Head designs according to head types are as follows:
- Blade golf putters are the least forgiving among the putters due to its weighting. Blade putters are recommended to more skilled professional golfers.
- Another design that you may consider is the face-balanced Anser style putter. This putter is the first putter with a hollow in the back of the head. The effect is the distribution of the weight to the toe and heel making a larger sweet spot.
- If you want a more modern design, some golf stores offer putters with futuristic designs. These are large putters with the shaft attached behind the face of the putter. They are the most forgiving among the putter types and have fewer tendencies to twist when striking a ball.
- Mallets are always face-balanced putters. They are called as such because they look like a croquet mallet. These putters have hollow heads when you open the putter head, which lends them a bigger sweet spot.
Head designs according to shaft inserts are the following:
- Offset putters have putter face that is set farther from the hole at address. The shaft is slightly bent forward.
- Onset putters are the opposite of offset putters. The face of the putter is closer to where the shaft is inserted to the hosel.
- Shaft inserts for center shafted putters are centered into the head, as the name implies. These are usually face-balanced.
Head Materials
Manufacturers create golf putters in three ways: the insert, milled, and cast. Among the three procedures, milling is the most expensive due to factors such as labor intensive.
- Insert putters are the types of which a different material is used in the inlay of the face. The insert material is either hard or soft. When striking the ball, you use the inlay and not the material for manufacturing the putter head.
- Milled putters, on the other hand, are created from a single block of metal. The process does not include heating, cooling or casting. A machine cuts and shaves the block of metal into the desired shape.
- Cast putters are manufactured using the casting procedures. These putters are more durable and are cheap. You can find one on the second-hand market.
Golf putters are used in the green and are meant to recreate a pendulum swing. Thus, you have to be very careful in your selection. In selecting your putter, consider weighting, alignment features and the type of stroke you are using. Other factors to consider are lie angle and shaft length. You should have the perfect fit so you could putt properly.