Equipment
Blade vs. Mallet putters: What the top-50 players are using (OWGR and SG: Putting)
“Blade versus mallet” is becoming more of a relevant argument over the past several years as more and more PGA Tour pros are opting for mallet putters with higher MOI (moment of inertia, a measure of forgiveness) instead of the classic Anser-style putters that most pros once employed. But, exactly how many top golfers are actually using mallets instead of blades now?
That’s what I wanted to find out. In order to do so, I simply looked up the top-50 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and went through recent Getty Images (as close to August 9, 2018 as possible) to determine whether they’re currently using a blade or mallet putter. I then repeated the process with the current top-50 golfers in Strokes Gained: Putting as per PGA Tour’s website on August 9.
What’s the point of this? Well, each golfer is different and you should definitely get fit before making a putter purchase. But to me, it’s just interesting to see how many top golfers and great putters are using mallets compared to blade-style putters, and how any stigma surrounding mallet putters is all but gone. Heck, even Tiger Woods recently switched to a mallet-style putter.
Note: Using an Odyssey rep’s suggestion, I classified Phil’s Odyssey No. 9 putter as a “modified blade,” as well as a few other blade-style heads that have MOI-raising designs i.e. Patrick Cantlay’s Cameron Concept, Ricky Barnes’ and Anirban Lahiri’s No. 9-style heads, and Billy Horschel’s PXG. So these putters were included in the “blade” category. If you disagree with calling these modified blades, I understand.
Let’s get to the numbers.
Top 50 players in the OWGR
Mallet (22-out-of-50): 44 percent
- Dustin Johnson (No. 1 in the OWGR)
- Justin Thomas (No. 2)
- Justin Rose (No. 3)
- Jon Rahm (No. 7)
- Jason Day (N0. 10)
- Henrik Stenson (No. 17)
- Xander Schauffele (No. 19)
- Webb Simpson (No. 20)
- Tyrrell Hatton (No. 25)
- Kyle Stanley (No. 26)
- Kevin Kisner (No. 27)
- Ian Poulter (No. 31)
- Kiradech Aphibarnrat (No. 32)
- Brian Harman (No. 33)
- Charley Hoffman (No. 35)
- Branden Grace (No. 36)
- Pat Perez (No. 38)
- Kevin Na (No. 41)
- Daniel Berger (No. 43)
- Ross Fisher (No. 46)
- Luke List (No. 47)
- Cameron Smith (No. 49)
Blade (28-out-of-50): 56 percent
- Brooks Koepka (No. 4)
- Rory McIlroy (No. 5)
- Francesco Molinari (No. 6)
- Jordan Spieth (No. 8)
- Rickie Fowler (No. 9)
- Tommy Fleetwood (No. 11)
- Patrick Reed (No. 12)
- Alex Noren (No. 13)
- Bubba Watson (No. 14)
- Paul Casey (No. 15)
- Hideki Matsuyama (No. 16)
- Marc Leishman (No. 18)
- Phil Mickelson (No. 21)
- Bryson DeChambeau (No. 22)
- Sergio Garcia (No. 23)
- Patrick Cantlay (No. 24)
- Matt Kuchar (No. 28)
- Tony Finau (No. 29)
- Rafa Cabrera Bello (30)
- Louis Oosthuizen (No. 34)
- Satoshi Kodaira (No. 37)
- Matthew Fitzpatrick (No. 39)
- Thorbjorn Olesen (N0. 40)
- Byeong Hun An (No. 42)
- Gary Woodland (No. 44)
- Haotong Li (No. 45)
- Si Woo Kim (No. 48)
- Zach Johnson (N0. 50)
Top 50 players in SG: Putting
Mallet (28-out-of-50 players): 56 percent
- Jason Day (No. 1 in SG:Putting)
- Greg Chalmers (No. 3)
- Daniel Summerhays (No. 5)
- Webb Simpson (No. 6)
- Kevin Kisner (No. 7)
- Justin Rose (No. 8)
- Peter Malnati (No. 9)
- Beau Hossler (No. 10)
- Graeme McDowell (No. 12)
- Dustin Johnson (No. 14)
- Seamus Power (No. 15)
- Brian Harman (No. 16)
- Denny McCarthy (No. 21)
- Tyrrell Hatton (No. 22)
- Chesson Hadley (No. 23)
- Derek Fathauer (No. 26)
- Ben Crane (T27)
- Nicholas Lindheim (T27)
- Branden Grace (No. 32)
- Austin Cook (No. 33)
- Brandt Snedeker (No. 35)
- Aaron Wise (No. 36)
- Justin Thomas (No. 37)
- Brett Stegmaier (No. 39)
- Tiger Woods (T44)
- Patton Kizzire (No. 46)
- Brandon Harkins (No. 48)
- Kiradech Aphibarnrat (No. 50)
Blade (22-out-of-50 players): 44 percent
- Phil Mickelson (No. 2)
- Alex Noren (No. 4)
- Emiliano Grillo (No. 11)
- Patrick Rodgers (No. 13)
- Johnson Wagner (No. 17)
- Brian Gay (No. 18)
- Michael Thompson (No. 19)
- Whee Kim (No. 20)
- Billy Horschel (No. 24)
- Hunter Mahan (No. 25)
- Wesley Bryan (No. 29)
- Jimmy Walker (No. 30)
- Bud Cauley (No. 31)
- Paul Casey (No. 34)
- Michael Kim (No. 38)
- Matt Kuchar (No. 40)
- Martin Laird (No. 41)
- Dominic Bozzelli (No. 42)
- Ricky Barnes (No. 43)
- Anirban Lahiri (T44)
- Russell Henley (No. 47)
- Rickie Fowler (No. 49)
For those keeping track at home, this means that 8-of-the-top-10 in Strokes Gained: Putting are currently using mallet putters. On the flip side, 3-of-3 major champions in 2018 used blade putters to win. Again, not exactly sure what this means. But it’s interesting.
What do you take away from these results?
In a golf world where players are looking to eke out every yard possible, usually by lengthening their drivers to add clubhead speed, there’s one player at the PGA Championship who’s going in the opposite direction. In fact, for Rickie Fowler, his goal off the tee is not about gaining extra distance or yards north to south, but rather about shrinking the misses from east to west.
Ahead of the PGA Championship and the week prior at the Truist Championship. Fowler mentioned to Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin that the driver didn’t quite swing feel the same as everything in the bag. As a result, and with Schomin’s suggestion to try and sync everything up with the big stick, Fowler decided to test out a shorter length shaft.
“He’s been at 45 (inches), and he’d been at 45 for a few weeks, 44 1/8 (inches) is really is where he is been living really for the most part, for the last couple of years, and is where he is been comfortable,” Schomin told GolfWRX. “It just felt like it was a little long and loose on him.”
Interestingly, Fowler ranks 40th in Driving Accuracy this year on the PGA Tour. It’s his most accurate season with the driver since the start of the decade. But sometimes for players, feel is more important than statistics.
“It was really more of a trying to get the swing to feel the fluidness from club to club to club to try to get it to feel the same,” Schomin added. “And so we took it down to 43 and a quarter, and it was a touch of a ball speed loss, just based on that overall club head speed. But honestly, he squared it up probably a little better. The right miss wasn’t nearly as far. So really, overall down-range dispersion tightened up a fair amount, and he felt confident in swinging it.”
The change in length had Fowler’s caddie, Ricky Romano, beaming at how well he had driven during Tuesday’s practice round at Aronimink. So much so, he was asking Schomin not to suggest changes anymore.
Fowler’s shaft-shortening is one of a few driver adjustments he’s made this season, and to Schomin’s credit, it’s thanks to the fact that he and the rest of the Cobra team had Fowler fit very well into three of the four heads in the Cobra OPTM lineup.
“He had three distinct drivers and the biggest decision was trying to decide which worked best at that time,” Schomin told GolfWRX previously. “He’s played the majority of the season with OPTM X, but has also played a couple of tournaments with OPTM LS. His overall driving stats have been good.”
At the RBC Heritage earlier this spring, Fowler switched drivers, changing from his Cobra OPTM X and into the Tour, low-loft Max K model that Gary Woodland used to win just a few weeks prior.
Now for the PGA Championship, Fowler’s back in the X head, but still using the UST Mamiya LIN-Q PowerCore White 6TX shaft, just a little bit shorter.
“Will he stay there? I’m not sure,” Schomin added. “Could we end up say at like 43 and 7.5 (of an inch). If it’s giving him the same feel of consistency through the bag, then I think we might end up just a touch longer. But if he likes where he is at, he’s confident where he is at, that’s really all that matters.”
If there’s more testing, though, just don’t tell his caddie.
What you need to know: As is customary for the Fairhaven-based company, Titleist officially announced today that its GTS drivers are headed to retail, following a successful tour release. The GTS2, GTS3, and GTS4 drivers will be available in golf shops June 11.
Since debuting at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, the new GTS lineup has quickly gained traction on the PGA Tour, with more than 50 players already making the switch to a GTS2, GTS3, or GTS4 driver. Among them are Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
Justin Thomas’ Titleist GTS2 driver (Greg Moore, GolfWRX)
According to Titleist, the GTS series builds upon the performance foundation established by the GT Series, while introducing several major technological advancements, including a new Split Mass Frame construction, refined aerodynamics, and an updated Speed Sync face design.
2026 Titleist GTS drivers: What’s new, key technology
Split Mass Frame and thermoform body
At the center of the new GTS lineup is a redesigned internal structure: the Split Mass Frame. This technology works with a full-thermoform body made from Titleist’s Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP), a lightweight composite that enables engineers to reposition mass more efficiently throughout the head. Compared to the previous GT generation, GTS drivers feature nearly double the PMP material, increasing from 13 grams to 26 grams, while maintaining the sound and feel preferred by better players.
The weight savings from the thermoform construction allowed Titleist engineers to strategically separate mass placement inside the head. Specifically, more weight is pushed rearward to improve stability and forgiveness, while additional mass is positioned low and forward to optimize speed, launch, and spin.
In short, golfers are able to maintain ball speed and consistency across both centered and off-center strikes.
Faster aerodynamics
Titleist also refined the aerodynamic shaping of the GTS heads to help players generate more clubhead speed.
The tails of the new GTS2 and GTS3 heads have been raised compared to previous models, helping airflow stay attached to the crown and sole longer during the swing. According to Titleist, the improved airflow reduces drag and increases speed without affecting launch conditions or center of gravity placement.
Typically, aerodynamic gains can compromise forgiveness or launch characteristics, but the weight savings from the Split Mass Frame allowed engineers to preserve preferred CG locations.
New Speed Sync face
The new Speed Sync Face design is engineered to improve ball speed retention across a larger portion of the face. A reinforced perimeter structure helps maximize face deflection and COR on centered strikes, while the upper portion of the support ring is opened up to increase speed on high-face impacts, a common strike location for many golfers. The face also features a variable thickness design to preserve speed and performance across a wider impact area.
Expanded adjustability
Each GTS model includes a dual-weighting system to fine-tune launch, spin, and shot shape more precisely than previous generations. GTS2 uses interchangeable forward and aft weights, while GTS3 and GTS4 combine a rear weight with an adjustable forward track weight system.
Tour-inspired face graphics
The new lineup features redesigned high-contrast face graphics to improve alignment and framing at address, according to Titleist. Sharp visual lines are designed to make it easier to center the golf ball and to perceive loft more easily at setup.
Additional model details
GTS2
- The GTS2 is the most forgiving model, designed for golfers seeking maximum stability and consistent speed across the face.
- It produces high launch with mid spin and features a larger, confidence-inspiring profile behind the ball.
- Standard weighting includes an 11-gram forward weight and a 5-gram rear weight, with additional fitting configurations available.
GTS3
- The GTS3 is aimed at players who want more control over launch, spin, and shot shaping.
- Compared to GTS2, the GTS3 offers lower launch and spin while featuring a more compact profile and deeper face design preferred by many stronger players.
- The head features an adjustable forward-track weight system to further fine-tune center of gravity placement.
GTS4
- The lowest-spinning option in the lineup, GTS4 is built for golfers looking to reduce excessive spin and maximize total distance.
- Unlike previous “4” models from Titleist, the new GTS4 features a full 460cc profile that improves forgiveness and stability while retaining its low-spin DNA.
- Like GTS3, it includes a forward track weighting system for precise fitting adjustments.
What Titleist says
“When we talk about driver design, it’s never about the one feature or benefit — it’s about all of them,” said Stephanie Luttrell, Titleist’s Senior Director of Metalwood R&D. “Ball speed, forgiveness, spin stability, adjustability, exceptional sound and feel… these are all attributes that golfers care about. It’s our job to design a lineup that elevates performance across the board without sacrificing in key areas, and we feel we’ve done that with GTS.”
“We know that forward CGs drive speed with great launch and spin characteristics, but you need to be able to do that with an inertial stability that still preserves ball speed, launch and spin consistency on off-center hits,” Luttrell said. “We’ve never before been able to hit these CG positions and inertia properties at the same time, and we’re achieving that because of GTS’ construction.”
Club Junkie’s take
I feel like every time there is a new Titleist wood release, I figure they can’t outdo their previous driver. And every year, I am wrong and impressed with the performance. The GTS fits right into that narrative again, as I didn’t know where Titleist could go from GT, but they pushed the limits again, and my fitting proved the smart people there found ways to improve.
My past four Titleist drivers have been a 2 series as my swing typically requires a little height, spin, and forgiveness so I figured I would just get a new GTS2 and be on my way. During the fitting, I was impressed by the new GTS construction, its added PMP material, and the advanced adjustability on each model. My fitter, Joey, got to work putting together a GTS2 and we started there. The launch and spin were great, and the consistency on misses was very tight. My average ball speed with the GTS went up a little bit as the new Speed Sync face creates more speed away from the center.
Joey then built up a GTS3 in 11 degrees, but I figured this wouldn’t have the stability I needed for tight dispersion on my miss hits. That thought was quickly erased after a few shots, and I really liked the more center start line and reduced draw on the misses I was seeing. We tried a few different settings and shafts to dial in the details in order to get the best fit. Having a forward and rear weight in the head allowed Joey to set up the GTS3 with a heavier rear weight to keep the launch and spin up, while the Sure Fit hosel set flat created a more center start line for me. My misses were not nearly as far left, and I was really impressed with the consistency on the spin and launch when I didn’t hit it in the center.
Titleist again created a wood line in GTS that delivers improvements over previous drivers while keeping the traditional look and feel you expect. More adjustability, better off-center speed, and 3 drivers that are playable over a wider range of players should make these extremely successful in fittings.
Pricing, specs, availability
GTS2 lofts: 8, 9, 10, 11 degrees (RH/LH)
GTS3 lofts: 8, 9, 10, 11 degrees (RH/LH)
GTS4 lofts: 8, 9, 10 (RH/LH)
Featured shafts
- Project X Titan Black
- Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White
- Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue
- Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Red
Premium shafts
- Graphite Design Tour AD DI
- Graphite Design Tour AD VF
- Graphite Design Tour AD FI
Available for fittings and pre-sale now.
In golf shops worldwide beginning June 11.
Price: $699 (standard), $899 (premium)
Titleist has today introduced its new GTS2 and GTS3 fairways.
Lower and deeper center of gravity (CG) positions, new adjustable heel-toe weights and advanced clubface innovations drive total performance in the two tour-proven models.
- Tour-inspired polished clubfaces: To help players see more of the clubface at address.
GTS2 Fairway
The new GTS2 fairway is designed with a shallower face and a larger profile than GTS3, ideal for players with more sweeping deliveries with their fairway metals.
GTS2’s new face height, inspired by tour feedback, was designed shallower than the prior generation GT2 model and more in line with the GT1 fairway. Each loft in GTS2 leverages a shallower profile except for the 13.5-degree, which maintains a slightly taller face.
With its new dual-weighting system, the ‘2’ model now has heel-toe CG adjustability.
Lofts: 13.5, 15.0, 16.5, 18.0, 21.0
Dual-weight system: 11-gram weight in heel, 5-gram weight in toe (standard)
GTS3 Fairway
The new GTS3 fairway is designed with a deeper face and a more compact profile, ideal for players who hit down on the golf ball more with their fairway metals.
New to the GTS3 family is a 21-degree offering, giving players two distinct profiles in Titleist’s 7-wood loft.
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HDTVMAN
Aug 19, 2018 at 4:37 pm
I have an actual Ping reproduction of the 1A putter with the PP58 midsize grip in my bag…AND I LOVE IT!!!
Wiger Toods
Aug 17, 2018 at 7:57 am
Centre-shafted mid-mallets are clearly the wave of the future.
OK, maybe not, but they should be. 🙂
Benny
Aug 15, 2018 at 2:48 pm
SAM Lab is awesome but what happens is it shows all the mistakes. Which we try to correct. Some of the best putters in the world have putted great with all types. Balanced, flow, whatever gives them confidence. Cool article. They did another years back with top wedge players and what they use. Keep it up Golfwrx!
Gepetto
Aug 11, 2018 at 1:45 pm
As a follow up, it would be fascinating to know how many of the top putters use a conventional, left hand low or claw grip and then to know which of these use a mallet or blade. Thanks for the great article!
Commoner
Aug 11, 2018 at 8:36 am
A refresher course in English Composition is needed.
doug
Aug 11, 2018 at 1:33 pm
This is conversational english…. ya whitey racist golf ball !!!
Ritch Gallagher
Aug 10, 2018 at 7:24 pm
To be a little more data centric, how many of the players listed as using mallets are using the new models that have some toe hang versus face balanced. I think whatever works best is the path to follow. I have tried a variety over the years but always wind up with my 18 year old Ping B60. I also like to take my 50 plus year old Bullseye flange that I bought in high school in the sixties. It still feels great.
anton
Aug 10, 2018 at 11:57 pm
does your bullseye feel great in your hands, during the stroke or at impact?
Bugh
Aug 10, 2018 at 7:20 pm
A putter is a man’s symbol of his gonadal weapon whipped out on the shaved green to drop that lil’ ball into da hole.
anton
Aug 10, 2018 at 11:55 pm
a man and his putter shall not be parted… it’s a matter of golf and life.
engineer bob
Aug 10, 2018 at 6:25 pm
Two points about putters and putting:
1. ‘feel’ for pros is sensing and controlling the putting stroke. Feel for the rest of us is the pleasant sensation of impact on the sweet spot, and nothing more.
2. MOI = Moment of Inertia or Force of Resistance to motion. High MOI putters impede the putting stroke, but deaden the lousy feel of off center hits. Choose your poison.
anton
Aug 10, 2018 at 11:59 pm
but a big black heavy putter will get the ball into the hole with greater force.
Jeff LeFevre
Aug 10, 2018 at 5:56 pm
Ok so were now calling Anser style putters blade putters what are we calling a wilson 8802 or similar putters?
shawn
Aug 10, 2018 at 6:13 pm
Obsolete ??!!! 😀
anton
Aug 11, 2018 at 12:00 am
LOL !
Jaap
Aug 10, 2018 at 4:20 pm
Almost all my new golfino Customers end up in the mother of all mallet putters.. the odyssey rossie. What they are looking for is balance..
what would be a more interesting test is how many out of the top 50 owgr And PG stats use bigger (super stroke) grips..
joro
Aug 10, 2018 at 2:14 pm
So the Companies are pushing their newest and greatest, usually Mallets. Those who use the “Blades” are using proven models, usually Ping style or my 8802 which has been in the Closet while I succumbed to the hype and the Mallet. I brought out my 8802 forged and POW, back to holing more and more “gimmees”.
So again, either you can or you can’t. Buy what you like and what works, not what some top Pro who can put with a broom uses.
shawn
Aug 10, 2018 at 6:12 pm
But joro…. the pros practice their putting stroke endlessly with any putter they choose to use. Ams and rec golfers want a putter that will guide them through the putting stroke without practice… and even read the green and pot the putt too!!!
christian
Aug 11, 2018 at 10:51 am
Holing out gimmies doesn’t seem very impressive?
joro
Aug 25, 2018 at 8:46 am
Well Christian, holing out and a gimme are not the same in case you did not know. Our gimmes are 6 inches or less and I am very good at that distance. I take it you may have trouble from that distance? You should practice more.
Have a nice game and enjoy your Golf.
Justin
Aug 11, 2018 at 3:34 pm
Exactly, Joro! We can make case study after case study of which type of putter is the “right” putter, depending on what criteria we choose.
Leftshot
Aug 10, 2018 at 1:15 pm
This suggests we mere mortals should all be using high MOI putters, which are mostly mallets. If the players with the most skill and the most time to practice favor putters that give more forgiveness, we’d be fools to give up this added forgiveness.
shawn
Aug 10, 2018 at 6:10 pm
If you can consistently hit the ball on the putter sweet spot you don’t need high MOI… ever think of that?!! 😮
Paul
Aug 10, 2018 at 12:26 pm
I was fitted after going through a SAM Putting Lab session some years back.They recommended a Bettinardi BB-27 blade which I bought. Liked the putter but struggled with it. Keep in mind I developed a mild case of the yips that would come and go. This putter was 340G in weight. Many times I would leave putts short. Finally after a number of years a friend told me I should try a center shafted mallet. There is a PGA Superstore close to me with a huge selection of putters. After hours of putting with various models, I really liked the Scotty Cameron Futura 5s. It had two 10g inserts in the bottom of the mallet. The putter was very expensive. I searched on eBay and found the same putter with two 15g inserts. It was a floor model and absolutely like brand new. Never used on the course. Also I saved over $100.00 going this route. I am happy to say I have halved the number of 3 putts on 18 holes. Normally I would 3 putt at least 6 holes on average and sometimes more. With my old putter there was never a short putt I couldn’t miss. Now I’m consistently making those 2.5 to 3 foot putts. The mallet putter made a huge difference to me. It also is face balanced. Hey I win a few bets now also. With my old putter, my friends would make side bets amongst themselves, if I was going to 3 putt a hole or not. As they say, what are friends for!!!
Sl
Aug 10, 2018 at 1:08 pm
So, what you’re saying is, that the science at the SAM putt lab is totally bogus and useless. I knew it! lol
Paul
Aug 10, 2018 at 3:45 pm
Actually the Sam Putt Lab was very useful. It showed that when I addressed the ball with my putter, I was always leaving it 2 degrees open. I automatically compensated for it by cutting across my putts even though I didn’t realize it. Also it showed that when I thought the blade was centered behind the ball it actually wasn’t. I had to adjust the line on my putter so it was actually farther to the right of the ball a little bit to be actually centered. The Sam Putt Lab was definitely worth it. The lasers they use don’t lie.
ogo
Aug 10, 2018 at 12:08 pm
If you pull the putter with your lead hand get a blade.
If you push the putter with your trail hand get a mallet.
If you can’t bend over due to back pain get a broomstick.
Joe Joe
Aug 12, 2018 at 9:26 am
What if you’re trying to keep your hands neutral and putt 100% with your shoulders?
JP
Aug 16, 2018 at 12:42 pm
I’m a right-hand dominant putter, and I love putting with a blade. Your canned advice doesn’t cut it.
Regis
Aug 10, 2018 at 12:05 pm
I go back to a time where most pros were gaming bullseye putters. Those were blades. Anser style putters were ‘mallets”. Now Ansers are blades.There are Ansers with “Wings”. I gained a real mallet putter for years. My buddies called it my potato masher. That head over was the size of a briefcase
Brad
Aug 10, 2018 at 10:30 am
I recently went through a Sam Putting Lab session where I was willing to accept whatever type of putter was recommended for me. Ironically I ended up with a putter style I would have never chosen for myself on my own. It’s amazing what the right fit will do for your game. Blade or Mallet, be sure to get properly fit as noted in the article.
Chris Pierson
Aug 10, 2018 at 9:55 am
Andrew- Awesome study! Would love to know and see if there’s anything a bit deeper like what is the most popular mallet, most successful mallet, most popular alignment, and maybe look into grips as well. A lot of Odyssey 7’s and TMAG spiders!
Getemgoose
Aug 10, 2018 at 8:37 am
I was actually doing that comparison myself a few days ago. Really cool to see the breakdown. Great article.
DB
Aug 10, 2018 at 8:28 am
Very interesting. However, I suspect it really doesn’t matter that much. If you forced everyone to use a blade putter (or mallet), I suspect the same people would rise to the top in the putting stats.
Shooter McGavin
Aug 10, 2018 at 7:40 am
This kind of means nothing since a lot of mallets now are 4:30 toe hang. I’d rather see a break down of players that use face balanced vs. toe hang putters. Would be interested to see how successful the SBST stroke is on tour.
Day, DJ, JT, Rahm, Tiger… all toe hang mallets.
John Lancaster
Aug 10, 2018 at 3:22 am
It means Rory should get himself a “RORS” spider and green can become the new red….
Brad
Aug 10, 2018 at 1:06 am
It simply means that we should use the putter that works best for us, whether that’s a blade, mallet, or a…wedge? Tip of the hat to you Robert Streb…
Jamie
Aug 9, 2018 at 5:40 pm
Wilson 8802 or George Low Wizard 600 are BLADE putters, not all the Ping Anser knockoffs. This is how mass delusion starts.
shawn
Aug 9, 2018 at 10:01 pm
Absolutely correct… and add to that the Cashin, Bullseye and Spalding T.P. Mills style putters are true BLADE putters… because they don’t have heel-toe weighting like the Anser-style putters. It’s important to make the distinction to stop the mass delusion.
The dude
Aug 10, 2018 at 12:53 am
That ship Has left the port…….Anser style is “blade”.
shawn
Aug 10, 2018 at 11:53 am
Answer style is now called a “blade” to make it sound more potent. Karsten designed the heel-toe weighted Anser for the mass market which cannot consistently hit the ball on the putter sweet spot. Maybe pros have the same problem given their search for an effective way to hold the putter grip.
joro
Aug 10, 2018 at 2:23 pm
Just a little tidbit of info. I was on the first Ping staff and Karsten told me the design was as you stated. The most important thing to him in Putting was feel and should, later proven in testing . So he make the hard material head for sound and the small grip for feel, later copied by Scotty when he ditched the Platinum for steel. Tiger said the Platinum was too soft.
Christens wife named the Putter the Answer but he had to remove a letter on the name to fit on the hosel and it became the ANSER. A great Putter. I had the first Left Handed ANSER made in Redwood City that he gave me. He was a great man and although his clubs were ugly at first, they got pretty really fast. Just a ramble on my part.
shawn
Aug 10, 2018 at 6:06 pm
Thank you, joro… for your historical insight and cogent explanation of “feel” of impact. What about the feel for the back and fore stroking of the putter? The hosel offset destroys putting feel due to added eccentricity. Why didn’t Karsten stay with the true pendulum style 1A model?
Suncoast9
Aug 10, 2018 at 4:24 pm
Terminology has changed over the years. When I started golfing in the 60’s there were three categories for putters: blade, flanged, and mallet.
Blade putters (such as the Bullseye) had identical faces on the front and back.
Flanged putters had a small flare on the back, usually near the bottom. There were flanged putters long before Ping, but I can’t remember any model names. I would say the Anser fell into the flanged category.
Mallet putters of the day were half-round in shape, with larger heads than blades and flanges, although much smaller than today’s offerings. I remember the term “potato masher” from the 70’s, but can’t recall if it was a specific model name or just a generic term for all mallets.
Christopher
Aug 15, 2018 at 12:07 pm
It is depressing that we’re now calling heel-toe weighted game improvement putters a blade. But Golf WRX did best of list of blades a while ago which featured cavity backs. I understand that putters like the Bullseye, Wilson 8802, the TP Mills and Tad Moore putter ranges have gone out of fashion. Even Scotty had the Circa ’62 line (and others) blade range and they were beauties, but it’s lamentable that we’re changing the meaning for no real reason.
If a club offers any kind of perimeter weighting, it’s not a blade.