There is no stick in the bag like a putter. The shortest stick can often be the stick that causes the most frustration. We’ve all had days when we thought we could do anything. And no doubt we’ve all had many more days where no matter how hard we try, we can’t put the ball in the hole for love or money!
The thing about the putter is that it is crucial to the rest of our game. It can define how we think about our day on the course. If we hit a few good putts, confidence flows and we relax about our driving and irons. This often makes us hit them better. But a badly missed putt can translate to a bad tee shot or a bad next hole. And if we start missing putts at close range, the gods of golf will make us face our demons at close range until we solve the problem.
Think how often pros change putts in search of the magic formula. This is the club that gets them distracted more than any other. That is why it is so important to find the one that will be the best for us. At AMERICAN GOLF, we’ve picked our top ten putters for 2023. Read on and see which one we like.
Top 10 putters of 2023
Title Scotty Cameron Super Select Newport 2 (£429):
Shaft length: 34 inches, 35 inches Left-handed: No
Scotty Cameron putters they are not cheap. But in the hands of the right player, magic can happen with one of these wands. Think of Cameron Smith on the final day of The Open last year. Scottie Scheffler has peaked in the last 15 months with the Scotty Cameron putter. And most famously, Tiger Woods won 14 of his 15 Majors with Scotty Cameron in his pocket. If that’s not a sonorous endorsement, I don’t know what is, as Tiger barely missed a putt in his pump!
The Super Select Newport 2 has the classic look and feel of Scotty Cameron. This is a putter that will make good putters even better as it is all about finding the perfect point and it is definitely one of the best putters to have in 2023. However, it is more for players with low handicaps than with high ones. The weight is distributed so that every user can find a combination between perfect balance and proper performance at any putt length that we will face.
TaylorMade Spider GT X Dune Silver Single Bend (£299):
Shaft length: 34 inches Left-handed: no
As Titleist specializes in blade putters with the Scotty Cameron range, TaylorMade putters went the hammer way with their collection of Spider putters. Maybe not the traditionalist ones with their more peculiar shape, but golf is not a game of how, but how many. And users like Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa aren’t too poor at staking, are they?
With this in mind, specialists at TaylorMade recognized that golfers needed support. Spider GT X is stability and forgiveness because we rarely achieve perfection on the golf course. There is a combination of a lightweight aluminum cap and stainless steel rear weight that pushes the weight further out of the frame to achieve this stability. This allows us to achieve greater consistency and distance control in our putting, which any player would sign up for.
Odyssey White Hot Versa One CH (£249):
Shaft length: 34 inches Left-handed: yes
For something that seems so complicated, posing really comes down to a black and white conclusion. The ball goes into the hole or it doesn’t. And this is where the Odyssey White Hot Versa comes in very handy.
The White Hot insert in the black blade makes this one of the best putters for 2023. The contrast of white and black is perfect to even out our putts as it is perfect for the eye line and allows us to focus on the zone – a key element of good putts . The cartridge has the feel and sound that Tour players have come to expect, and the weight has been shifted upwards in the cue from the headstock to the shank to the grip. This can help golfers of all levels improve their stroke and pace as it is the first important step towards their hole.
Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Seven Double Bend (£379):
Shaft length: 34 inches, 35 inches Left-handed: Yes (34 inches)
The Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Seven has many of the same features as the White Hot putter with the same White Hot insert which is ideal for alignment and the same weight distribution to help the player strike and pace.
But what stands out as one of the best putters for 2023 comes from moving the center of gravity closer to the face. This is to improve off-centre rotation speed and reproducibility, and let’s face it, who doesn’t land multiple off-centre strikes in one round? This Odyssey Launcher it also includes two removable tungsten weights on the sole so we can find the weight of the putter head that is most comfortable for us.
TaylorMade Spider Tour Black Slant (£189):
Shaft length: 34 inches, 35 inches Left-handed: Yes (34 inches, 35 inches)
Perhaps the only reason to get it Putter TaylorMade it’s almost universal approval from golfers who have already purchased it. The Spider Tour Black was popular in virtually every way. Customers loved its feel, they immediately spoke of trusting it and how it felt well-balanced in terms of weight distribution.
Offering good distance control, this putter is priced significantly lower than some of the others on this list. The square head helps with better alignment and the stainless steel frame means weight has been shifted to the ends of the putter, increasing forgiveness. What’s more, Pure Roll technology features 45° grooves that help the ball take off and stay in line more consistently. Theoretically, this should give us a better chance of hitting putts – if we chose the right line!
The title Scotty Cameron Phantom X 12.5 (£349):
Shaft length: 34 inches Left-handed: no
This Scotty Cameron Phantom X 12.5 looks very different from the classic Scotty Cameron putters, but is still one of the best putters on the market. More like a hammer than a blade, it is more suitable for a wider range of golfers. It has a single milled line of sight painted gloss black on the top of the blade for ease of positioning and is a key aid when trying to hit our putts from the center of the stick.
This putter is a combination of aluminum and stainless steel that has been perfectly balanced to fit well in the hands and inspire confidence in our shot. The aluminum front surface is designed to give a beautiful soft ball feel. With a low bend chrome shaft, this putter would benefit players whose stroke has a greater arc than a straight stroke.
Cobra King Vintage Miracles Single Bend (£179):
Shaft length: 34 inches Left-handed: yes
The Cobra King Vintage Cuda is an oversized mallet that aims to offer the golfer forgiveness and stability over the ball. Bryson DeChambeau may be known for his powerful driving, but he didn’t win the 2020 US Open without being able to putt well, and he collaborated with Cobra engineers to create this putter.
As one of the best Cobra putters around, the Vintage Cuda has an aluminum insert face with four drooping lofts on the face. This should provide a consistent roll trajectory that will work for a variety of shot types and attack angles, as a good face roll is the first step to hitting good putts.
Ping 2023 Anser (£269):
Shaft length: 31 in – 36 in Left handed: Yes (31 in – 36 in)
As always, with his matched clubs, Ping strives to ensure that every golfer gets the club they REALLY want. In the Anser 2023 build, players can opt for the ultra-short 31-inch cane if they want to channel their inner Jack Nicklaus and adopt a more crouched stance. They can also go the other way to 36 inches to emulate someone like Ernie Els who stood over his putts.
One of the standout features of this Ping blaster what makes it one of the best putters is the platinum top lane. Set on the black recess of the blade, it draws attention to the front of the blaster, allowing the player to focus on the target. There are tungsten weights on both the toe and heel for a stable and secure feel as well as increased forgiveness and performance on putt strikes that are slightly off-center.
Wilson model BL22 (£299):
Shaft length: 34 inches Left-handed: yes
Get on the putting green with it Wilson’s pitcher into our hands and show your gaming partners that you mean business! This is one of the best putters out there and it looks like one of the best with its shiny stainless steel blade.
This bat has been precision milled to create this beautiful putter with great feel and even rolling of the ball to improve accuracy. Custom weights are also built into the sole to improve feel and stroke control. As seasoned club makers like Wilson know, a putter must feel good in the player’s hands. Generate that confidence before the ball is hit and there’s already a much better chance of hitting the hole.
TaylorMade Spider GT Max adjustable single bend blaster (£379):
Shaft length: 34 inches Left-handed: no
What makes the Spider GT Max stand out as one of the best putters to buy is the two adjustable sliding 40g tungsten weights. These weights can be in three different positions to aid our performance. If we tend to pull putts, the weight can be directed towards the back of the head. If we push our putts often, the weight can be moved forward. Or we can keep the weights centered for a nicely balanced putter head.
Once you’ve decided on the correct one of the nine adjustable positions of the sliding weights, the black line on top of the lightweight aluminum cap should help you line up perfectly and make you hit more putts, fingers crossed!
Come down and see us!
Now, after reading our guide to the best putters available today, we’d be delighted if people wanted to buy something right away. But the choice of pitcher is a very individual matter. We usually need to feel the putter in our hands and see how it rolls before we make a decision to buy it.
So please visit one of our AMERICAN GOLF stores (maybe here a link to the location of all nationwide stores), where our trained staff can help and guide us towards a putter that will give us the confidence we crave on the greens as the summer season approaches.
about the author
Adam Lanigan – golf writer
Adam is a freelance news and sports journalist who has written for the BBC, The Sunday Post, The I, The Times, The Telegraph and others. He has been writing about golf for nearly two decades and has covered 13 Open Championships and two Ryder Cups. Adam not only golfs, but has been playing golf for as long as he can remember. He was a member of Northenden Golf Club for around 25 years until the arrival of his children and his last official handicap was 11, although his form varies from eight to 18 each day.
