Last Updated on January 23, 2024 by Matt Greene
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A lot of guides lump high handicappers and beginners into the same putting ability. That's not fair. You clearly possess some skill from your accumulated experience.
Your experience on the greens means you know where your putting game lacks precision. You only need to improve two areas: distance control and starting the ball on the correct line.
You will make more putts with a putter suited to you which aligns easily, feels balanced, and gives you great feedback through your hands. You can ooze confidence on the greens just like a seasoned pro.
Let's drop your handicap with one of the best putters for high handicappers.
Best High Handicap Putters in 2024
Odyssey 2-Ball Triple Track Putter
The two-ball putter has been around for 20 years. Nothing has changed with the design of the alignment and that's because it works. They tried the three-ball but that was overkill.
Odyssey are always making more durable, more responsive inserts into the face of the putter. The insert produces less bouncing and skipping after the contact on the greens. It lasts an eternity whereas their previous inserts used to wear out after a lot of use.
The contrast between the black and white two balls is what makes this putter so easy to align. Pick your line, aline the putter to it and go. But they went one step further and have now printed red and blue tracks to make it even easier. This is not just a gimmick. People have been drawing these lines on themselves. BIG MISTAKE!
Taking into account the angle of the back of the putter, and the center line on the back vs the front, everyone screws it up when they draw it themselves. Callaway and Odyssey did it for us now, so you can trust that it's actually straight.
My brother in law is a 22 handicapper and after i gave him one of the older models of this putter, he instantly threw his old blade away. He loved that blade by the way. But this one is just so easy to align and get a decent roll, especially on slower greens.
I find the rear of the putter doesn't feel like it sits flat on the ground which is what has stopped me buying one of these putters. It's purely a feel thing, but remember, go with what YOUR eye likes.
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Cleveland Huntington Beach Range
Top quality putters at budget friendly prices
This is Cleveland's best range of putters so far. I own 3 putters from this range. They are all unique yet have common features. They're all very high quality, well weighted and have milled steel faces.
Milled steel faces mean the ball comes off steel of the Cleveland with a totally different feel to an insert putter. Inserts make for a very soft feel as if you're hitting something with a marshmallow or pool noodle. Okay it's not that extreme but it gets the point across, because when you hit it with a steel putter, you notice a much firmer 'hit'. This is all about your preference in terms of "feel".
This is preference you should work out for yourself by hitting a few with inserts and a few with steel or metal faces from your friends' bags or in the shop. I prefer the milled face on the Clevelands because it feels like I have more consistent roll on the ball. The insert can sometimes disguise poor strikes.
The Huntington putters come in a wide range of head shapes. You get mallets, fang-style, blade and there are also center shafted models. My top tip for picking a putter is to go with what you like the look of. That's 80% of the battle won and it's very easy to find one model in the Huntington Beach range to suit your eye, I am sure.
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Wilson Infinite West Loop
Budget manufacturer produces a beast
The gooseneck shaft on this putter and long extended back and square shape makes it a close contender against the Odyssey Stroke Lab putters, looks-wise. But it also performs well with a solid weight and face that allow for pure strikes and even rolls of the ball.
In fact, it was in my top 3 putters when purchasing a new one recently. I went with a Cleveland myself, but Wilson was a close runner-up. I was as surprised as you may be.
For this price, there is not much wrong with this putter. The alignment aids on the putter back contrast white against black. This contrast is what makes alignment easier in any golf club. The look and feel of this putter is not budget at all.
The black finish is very high end and the steel milled face performs as well as many mid-range putters out there for $200 more expensive. You can be sure with this putter, you will not be disappointed.
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Odyssey White Hot Pro 2.0 Rossie Putter
My best golfing buddy, Didi uses this putter and I've seen countless high handicappers dropping their scores into the mid handicap range using the White Hot Pro 2.0 Rossie.
It's a mallet but it's very compact with alignment aids on the back - three lines on the top line and 2 lines on the back, giving two different alignmnt aids for added accuracy.
But the most attractive part of this putter is the insert. They make newer ones which don't wear out as much but these older ones are the ones the professionals go to the Tour van for. They actually take their modern putter from Odyssey and tell them to replace the new insert with these old white inserts.
Of course, the pro's practice all day so the insert wears out in the sweet spot for them. They have to replace them alot. But that tells you about the quality of the insert and for such a low price, this is top bang for buck. There are a few head shapes in this model and is a great introduction to high-end manufacturer putters.
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TaylorMade Spider
The Spider has become one of the most successful putters on tour and most popular at the local club too. It's easy to align, very stable on the stroke and helps get the ball started with a gentle stroke instead of a slap like with a blade style putter.
If you tend to push the ball to the right, this is a great putter. This putter also has an insert with some lines recessed into it for a more even roll that is consistent and stops the ball back spinning and skidding. It's an incredibly stale putter and will produce the same roll time and time again if your stroke complies with you.
You can always go for the latest update to this model with the mini, but if you're looking for a great, classic, guaranteed to function putter, this is a no brainer instead of dishing out double the dosh for similar results.
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Ping Fetch
I first encountered this putter playing with a high handicapper subscriber from my YouTube channel. I gave him some short game assistance after the round, and got to try his Ping Fetch. I know PING makes amazing putters, but this one was far and away the best one I have tried in recent years.
It does have a face insert that has a texture on the surface similar to a milled steel putter. The feel off this insert is less marshmallow, more soft steel feel.
The head does not feel as heavy as most of the mallet putters out there. The big hole in the middle which was present on older models is not hidden under a sleek black top with channeled alignment aids. I found this putter so easy to keep square because of the contrasting colors on the head. The matte black on the top frames the ball well and the sweeping head shape is confidence inspiring.
The hole is the bottom of this PING putter allows the missing weight to be distributed elsewhere and it makes for a freer, easier swing of the putter, with less of a "Thor's Hammer" blow on the ball. A lot of weighty mallet putters can be hard to control for distance on faster greens but the PING Fetch acts with the feel of a blade.
The sound is far softer and the feel is much improved over other mallet models in this category. Bonus feature: The hole in the middle is perfect for placing over the ball and picking up like a boss.
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What putter design is best for high handicappers?
One single rule: You must LOVE looking down at your putter, feel confident with it and believe you will make putts with it.
The best putters for high handicappers are mallet or mid mallet style because the mallet style has big visual alignment aids to line your putter up to where you want to hit it.
Mallets have weight distributed around the head so that you can take a smaller stroke without needing to "whack" the ball like you do with a blade. A short backswing, with an even tempo swing transfers more energy into the ball with a mallet.
A mallet putter also offers a much larger sweet spot so when you mis-hit your putts, they will still finished near the hole. If you mis-hit a blade putter, the ball never reaches the hole.
The construction of a mallet putter lends itself to creating a higher MOI. MOI stands for “Moment of Inertia,” and symbolizes the measurement of putter head’s resistance to twisting on off-center putts. The higher the Moment of Inertia, the more stable the putter. Mallets and mid mallets remain the most stable putters.
How to putt to drop your high handicap
Do you spend the majority of your time pounding balls at the driving range, hoping for that perfect strike?
Do you devour all the swing mechanic advice you can find?
I know I did, but nothing got me quick wins like learning to putt.
While I believe a reliable driver will prove the biggest asset in your game, the next quickest win comes from one or two-putting every single green.
Think about it. Let's say you hit the driver well and finished on or around the green after your next shot. I know a lot of high handicappers like yourself, and 3 putts can happen 6 or 7 times per round.
Imagine if you two putt every green and drain every 3 footer you leave yourself.
Here's how:
Two hours per week is all it takes
Step 1: Distance Control tee peg drill
Take your putter and 5 - 10 balls. Putt to a tee peg in the ground 20-30 feet away. You must get the ball in line or beyond the tee every putt. You cannot leave the green until you leave every single ball within 2 feet of the tee peg.
I do not recommend hitting 20-30 foot putts to holes because doing that, you practice missing. We want to practice positive actions so we work on distance control with the tee peg drill.
Step 2: Making 1 foot putts drill
Take the 5 to 10 balls and practice making 1 foot putts.
Yes I am serious. One single foot.
It sounds crazy but when you practice 1 foot putts, you practice seeing the ball start on the line you chose. You also see and hear the ball going in the hole. We are now practicing MAKING putts, not MISSING putts.
Make 50 or 100 one-foot putts in a row and only then may you go home.
Do these 2 drills for a few minutes on a real practice green and you will become a top-notch putter.
Putting tutorial for beginner golfers
I made a comprehensive video showing everyone how to TEACH YOURELF how to putt better. There is no magic formula, but if you experiment with some techniques and ideas, you can find your sweet spot.
You can use the drills in the video to learn about feel, roll and holding the ball on a line.
Conclusion
Odyssey continues to dominate in the putter realm and without any hesitation, you can't go wrong with the Rossie 2.0 if you're on a budget and if you want to splurge, there are tons of brands out there like Odyssey, Scotty Cameron and EVNROLL.
The abovementioned putters are the ones that got me excited because they present top quality putting without destroying your bank account. You will find you can use these putters for a very very long time, but if you want to, you can upgrade into the future.
