When Scottie Scheffler switched back to a mallet putter and won both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship, his victory surge raised the question of whether mallets are better than blades. Our testing suggests that mallet putters offer benefits that even the most ardent blade proponents can’t ignore. The four players with a chance to win the Players Championship were all recent or long-term converts to mallet putters, indicating a trend towards mallets in professional golf.
Mallet putters can be designed to work with both straight-back, straight-through and arcing strokes, offering benefits in alignment and forgiveness for off-center hits. This allows for more freedom in the stroke, as explained by Scheffler himself. The newest mallet designs not only provide more forgiveness and assistance in alignment, but they also offer more stability in controlling the face during the stroke. This leads to consistent impact, truer roll, and better distance control on putts.
Sales of mallet putters are surging past blades, indicating a shift in golfer preferences towards mallets. High-tech putter fittings suggest that more golfers could benefit from using mallet putters due to their performance advantages. While not everyone should immediately switch to a mallet putter, it’s worth investigating if a mallet could improve your putting game based on your preferences and tendencies on the green.
The Club Champion data supports the use of mallet putters over blades, showing that mallets outperformed blades in face angle at impact, path control, and overall consistency. The analysis revealed that mallet putters were more effective in helping golfers maintain a square face at impact, improving the timing and path of the stroke, and increasing overall consistency in their putting performance. These findings suggest that mallet putters can be a valuable tool for golfers looking to improve their putting skills.
Larry Rinker, a former PGA Tour pro turned putting coach, highlights the importance of selecting the right putter based on your stroke tendencies. He recommends testing a straight six-foot putt to see if you tend to miss to the right or left, as this can indicate whether you need a toe-hang putter or a face-balanced putter. By allowing your hands and wrists to get involved in the putting stroke, you can achieve a more natural and intuitive putting motion, similar to how Tiger Woods practices putting with his right hand only.
In conclusion, while switching to a mallet putter may not guarantee the same level of success as Scottie Scheffler’s recent victories, mallet putters offer performance benefits that could improve your putting game. The data and testing support the effectiveness of mallet putters in enhancing face angle, stroke path, and overall consistency on the greens. Whether you’re a professional golfer or a weekend warrior, exploring the potential benefits of a mallet putter in your bag could be a game-changer for your putting performance.
