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Golf Putter Length Buying Guide

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Golf Putter Length Buying Guide

Among the main five types of golf clubs, the putter holds one of the most important positions. After all, you use them to hole the ball!

To people who don’t actively play golf, a putter may just be like any other club. Something you use to guide the ball to the hole, right?

Well, in reality, choosing the right putter is extremely important. The wrong choice can easily break your game by exponentially increasing your score.

That’s why we’ve created this golf putter length buying guide. We’re putting special attention on the length here because it’s the most important attribute of the golf club.

Resource: Golf Plan to Score Under 100, 90, 80 for 18 holes

What is a Golf Putter?

This section is dedicated to people who are thinking about getting into golf and doing primary research. If you already know what a putter is, you may skip this section.

You can primarily distinguish a putter from other clubs by looking at the club head. Drivers, fairway woods, and irons usually have the same style of club head with different characteristics. But the club head on a putter is completely different.

The club face is almost flat with a narrow body. Whether you use a blade design, a half mallet, or a mallet, the club face is always going to be flat.

Now, that you know what a golf putter looks like, we can get to explore different attributes of this golf club type.

Golf Putter Length Buying Guide

The most important feature for a putter. If you get the wrong length, your club head position at the address will be wrong. And when your address is wrong, you lose the ability to control the ball and put it in the hole.

Thanks to the USGA Rule 14-1b, the putter lengths aren’t drastically different anymore. Also known as the anchoring ban, it drove the popularity of belly putters and long putters out of the water.

There are two main types of shafts when it comes to putters. The traditional one and the counterbalance one.

Both of them are designed to complement your standing posture while putting. Ideally, your hips should be tilted outward, your elbows should be bent enough to touch your ribs, and your hips should go over your heels.

Any golf putter you choose, whether traditional or counterbalance, the club should fit you perfectly in this description.

Traditional Putters

The length of traditional putters hovers around 32” to 36”. They’re also known as free balance putters because they work toward your flow of the stroke.

Traditional putters are generally the way to go for most beginners because they fit right into the perfect putting posture.

Counterbalance Putters

Just as the name suggests, counterbalance putters have added weight to control your strokes. These are generally longer than traditional ones, ranging between 36” to 38”.

The extra length goes over your hand position to counter the momentum of your stroke.

Golf Putter Head Designs

Right next to the putter length, the head design comes into play. There are three main types of putter heads.

  1. Blade
  2. Half Mallet
  3. Mallet

Blade Putters

The classic putter design that you hold near and dear to our hearts. It’s also known as the Anser putter to many people. These are quite lightweight, thanks to their narrow body shape. Blade head designs are usually equipped with traditional putter length.

Mallet

Think of a much fatter and heavier club head. The design is quite complex and these are found on counterbalance golf putters.

Thanks to the added weight on the club head, countering the flow of stroke becomes easier. Also, mallet putters can generate more roll distance with the same force. They are great to use from green when your hole is quite far.

Half Mallet

You may have already guessed what it is. This type of putter design comes between blades and mallets. They offer the best of both worlds.

Club Head Features on a Putter

Believe it or not, the different club head designs are not the end of the discussion. There are three more types of club heads based on the features. Let’s explore them together.

Insert Putters

If the name didn’t give it away, insert putters have specialized inserts in them. The composite design and in general softer materials on an insert putter club head offer more feel and a smoother roll.

The insert is usually placed near the club head. You can even see it reference it as your sweet spot.

Perimeter Weighted Putters

The concept of perimeter weighting is quite popular when it comes to golf clubs. It’s true for putters as well.

On a perimeter weighted putter, there are extra weights added to the club head to introduce more forgiveness. The sweet spots are generally larger as well. When you’re at the brink of cupping the ball, you may want to use all the forgiveness you can manage.

Alignment Putters

There are large putters with geometric alignment features. With help of the complex engineering that went into crafting these putters, you can start to roll your ball in the right direction.

The Weight of a Golf Putter

Depending on the length of the putter and the club head design, the weight can vary a lot. We’ve seen many players simply cut their long putters to make them short. But the weight distribution isn’t that simple.

The putter length is determined based on a few different factors. The swing speed, the material, the club head design, etc. all have an active contribution to the perfect putter length.

So, instead of messing with the putters you own, getting a new putter with a different length is always recommended.

Speaking of weights, a 35” conventional putter will weigh somewhere around 330 grams in the head. The rule here is that the shorter the shaft gets, the more weight you need on the club head.

Balance Point of a Putter

Many rookie players ignore this attribute of golf putters completely. But to get the most effective results, you need to get the right balance point on the club head that fits your playing style.

There are two types of balance points. One is known as face-balanced putters and the other type is called the toe balanced putter.

If you put your putter parallelly on the ground and your club face is facing upwards, you got yourself a face-balanced one.

On the other hand, if the toe of the club head is facing downward, it’s a toe balanced putter.

If your target to get shoot the ball straight into the hole, you should invest in a face-balanced point. Conversely, when you want a curve to your strokes, you should go for toe balanced designs.

The Position of the Shaft

On a putter golf club, where the shaft is attached to the club head is an important aspect to consider. It will have an effect on how you swing the putter and how you position yourself before stroking the ball.

Here are the three types of shaft combinations.

Center Shafted

These putters have the shaft attached directly in the middle of the club head length. Traditionally found in mallet or half-mallet designs, these club heads have a nice weight distribution.

Heel Shafted

Commonly found in blade putters. The shaft is connected near the heel of the club head. This is also the most common type of putter shaft you can get. These are very popular among beginners thanks to the lower cost and ease of use.

Offset Shafted

The shaft comes down straight on these, but doesn’t connect to the club head directly. The anchor point on these golf putters are slightly offset. These are common pairings with alignment putters.

Get Custom Fitted

For such a sensitive purchase as a golf putter, you should always consider the option to get custom fitted. A PGA instructor can help you pick out the right putter for your needs.

The first thing to consider when getting custom fitted is the shaft length. For that to happen, you need to get into your address position first. And you need to let your arms hang freely, without any bends.

The length from the ground to the top of your hands is the perfect putter length for you.

After getting the length right, it’s time to get your alignment correct. Whether you should go with face-balanced, toe balanced, or offset putters will be determined by your swing style.

When you get custom fitted, the instructor will take all of these aspects in mind and work with you in the process of choosing the right putter.

Wrapping Up

A golf putter is a very sensitive piece of equipment in your golf bag. Many people joke about golf players having more putters than women have shoes! So, you can imagine how critical it is that you select the right ones.

There are no limits on how many putters you can own. But having 2 or 3 of the right ones will do the trick for most people. Keep the information you learned from this golf putter length buying guide in mind the next time you’re getting a putter.

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