Ever watch a PGA Tour pro drain a 40-foot putt for birdie and immediately wonder what kind of putter they're using? You aren't alone. This article peels back the curtain on the flat-sticks you see on TV, moving beyond just brand names to explain why pros choose specific models. We will go through the different types of putters, the technology behind them, and how you can use that knowledge to find the perfect putter for your own game.
Before we dive into models and brands, let's get one crucial thing straight: there is no single "best" putter on the PGA Tour. If there were, every player would use it. Instead, what you see is a fascinating mix of technology, tradition, and personal preference. A putter is the most personal club in a player's bag, and their choice is based on a highly customized fit designed to match their specific putting stroke.
Top players are constantly testing putters. Scottie Scheffler famously cycled through several mallets during a period where he was struggling on the greens, searching for something to give him more confidence. Rickie Fowler revitalized his career after switching to an older Odyssey Jailbird model that his old caddie suggested. Tiger Woods, on the other hand, has used his trusty Scotty Cameron Newport 2 for 14 of his 15 major victories, proving that when something works, you stick with it.
The lesson here is simple. The pros are looking for a putter that complements their eye, their stroke, and their feel. Your goal should be the same. Understanding the what and the why behind their choices is the first step to making a smarter decision for your own game.
The most visible difference between putters is the head shape, which generally falls into two categories: blades and mallets. This is the biggest decision point for any golfer, pros included.
A blade putter is the traditional design. Think of Tiger’s Scotty Cameron or the classic PING Anser. These putters are smaller, sleeker, and typically feature simple, heel-toe weighting. This weighting style means the putter head naturally wants to open on the backstroke and close through impact. In technical terms, it has significant "toe-hang" - if you balance the shaft on your finger, the toe of the putter will point towards the ground.
In the last decade, mallet putters have exploded in popularity on Tour. These are larger-headed putters that come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, from the iconic TaylorMade Spider to the wide range of Odyssey models. Their primary benefit is a high Moment of Inertia (MOI).
MOI is simply a measure of an object's resistance to twisting. Because of their size and perimeter weighting, mallets resist twisting on off-center hits far better than blades. This means even if you strike the ball toward the heel or toe, the putter face stays squarer, and the ball rolls out closer to your intended line and distance.
The part of the putter that actually touches the ball is just as important as the head shape. Pro choices here come down to the sound and feel they prefer, which is often influenced by the speed of the greens they play on.
Putters from brands like Scotty Cameron and Bettinardi are famous for their milled faces. This means the entire putter head, including the face pattern, is precision-milled from a single, solid block of carbon or stainless steel. This process is expensive, but it creates a perfectly flat surface.
Odyssey is the undisputed king of the putter insert, with their iconic "White Hot" insert being one of the most popular faces in golf history. These putters feature a body made of steel, but the impact area is replaced with an insert made from a softer material, like urethane or a mix of polymers.
The way the shaft enters the putter head is called the hosel or neck, and it has a massive impact on the putter's toe-hang. This is a subtle but critical element of a Tour pro's putter fitting.
While many companies make great putters, a few brands consistently dominate the weekly tour counts. They've earned their spot through years of innovation, quality, and Tour-proven success.
Pros don't just pick a putter off the rack. They go through a detailed fitting process where a master fitter adjusts the putter's length, lie angle, loft, and grip to perfectly match their setup and stroke. Scottie Scheffler’s famous switch to a mallet wasn’t just a new head, it was a specially built putter with a specific length and lie angle to help him set up better.
This is the biggest takeaway for any amateur golfer. You don't have to guess. Go to a reputable fitter. They can use launch monitor technology like a SAM PuttLab or just their expert eye to analyze your stroke. They can see if you have a straight or arcing stroke, if you tend to leave the face open or closed, and where you strike the ball on the face. Based on that data, they can recommend the right head shape, hosel type, and length that will give you the best chance of making more putts.
As we've seen, the putters a PGA Tour pro chooses are a deeply personal cocktail of head shape, face technology, neck style, and brand, all fine-tuned to match their individual stroke. The ultimate goal isn't to find the "best" putter, but to find the putter that is best for you - the one that gives you the most confidence when you're standing over a critical six-footer.
Trying to analyze your stroke, understand green-reading techniques, and apply the right strategy on the course can feel like a tall order. That's why we built our app to act as an on-demand golf expert in your pocket. With Caddie AI, you can get instant answers on your putting mechanics, advice for tricky putts, or strategies to help build your confidence on the greens, all in a way that’s simple and easy to understand.
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