Golf Equipment: Is there a “perfect” putter design?

The putter: at once both the simplest tool in the golfer’s bag, and the one that provides more headaches to players of all talent levels. With golf equipment companies pushing the boundaries of technology seemingly every other month, it begs one question. Is there a “perfect” putter design?

Other than motorsports, perhaps no sport sees yearly changes in equipment technology more than golf. In many ways, club manufacturers mirror the smartphone market with new and improved models every year and even some mid-year surprises along the way.

It presents an interesting paradox for a sport that is ruled by its history and traditions.

The game we love prides itself on its rituals. The rules, the vocabulary, the etiquette, even course design; all are rooted in practices developed well over a hundred years ago. Indeed, these vestiges of history are what draws many of us to the sport.

But no matter how much of a traditionalist you consider yourself, there is one aspect of the game where tradition is not only ignored, its trod upon with sharpened spikes – putter design.

It used to be a simple implement. Old Tom Morris, Vardon, and Jones all wielded putters that oddly resembled modern utility irons. In fact, it wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century when Acushnet, later Titleist, created the Bulls-Eye that the putter received a popular upgrade. Today, you’ll only see that ambidextrous brass blade at the local Putt-Putt.

In the mid-60s Karsten Solheim, founder of Ping, created his first Anser putter and the modern putter was born. Looking back, the Anser is the missing link in a genetic design tree that has sprouted more branches than Bank of America.

And today? Whoa boy! Putters come in every conceivable shape, size, material and outrageous design the mind can conjure – tradition be damned.

Metal alloys, graphite, plastic compounds, you name it, it’s been made into a putter. Stone? Please, too easy. Wood? Of course. Jade? Seriously? Yes. Literally, anything that can be formed with a flat front has been transformed into a putter head.

And a couple of personal favorites: A putter made with a bull penis and another made of laminated skateboard decks.

If anything has been made clear by the evolution of putter design, it’s this: No one has a clue as to what makes the perfect putter.

With irons and drivers, we see shifts in design that can be measured in millimeters and grams. Any future progeny of modern-day irons and drivers will almost certainly resemble their ancestors. Designers are pushing pixels to create the new breed of irons and drivers, not upcycling Tony Hawk boards or harvesting bull … oh, eww, I just threw up a little bit. Moving on.

Scientists say insects make up almost half of all the different species on earth. That would make putters the insects of the golf world. Makes sense. Some putters look like insects. A few are named after insects. Several models sport wings, brightly colored bodies, and aggressive markings on their bodies.

The Putterus Golfis is a strange little creature. On that, we can agree.

So why can’t we agree on what the perfect shape of a putter head as we have done with irons and drivers? Admittedly, the putting stroke has some interesting variations that may impact design, but when it comes to moving parts, the putting stroke pales in comparison to striking an iron or driver.

With the full iron or driver stroke, the goal is to have legs, hips, shoulders, arms, and wrists in synchronicity.

The best putting stroke, we are told, is achieved by standing perfectly still over the ball, allowing the arms to hang freely and be guided by a slow and even shoulder turn.

There are dozens of more variables in hitting a driver than hitting a putt. The design of the tool to perform such an easy task as putting should be pretty dialed in, shouldn’t it?

It all begs the question: Why? Why are putter designs so schizophrenic while other clubs remain so homogenous?

The only answer is the simplest one. Putter design simply doesn’t matter, at all, beyond how it pleases the eye of the beholder.

Mallet or blade head, polymer or alloy insert, heel or mid-face hosel, long or short shaft, thin pistol or fat ax-handle grip, milled, flat, or grooved face. These putter design variations all exist in abundance.

More from Pro Golf Now

• Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
• Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
• Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
• Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
• Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament

And, apparently, not a single combination of all these elements is demonstrably better than the other. That just blows my mind.

Is there no ‘Iron Byron’ for the putter? Perhaps I could suggest a ‘Crenshaw Claw’ machine? Is it not possible to create a device that swings a stick twenty inches? That seems doable to me.

I’ve seen some videos on YouTube that show such devices, but they all seem to be for private company research. We need a Claw for the people!

Then put all the big brand putters to the test from various lengths. Measure line, speed, MOI, toe and heel hits, whatever. Then just tell us which one is really better than the others.

You know why I think they don’t do this like they do with drivers? Because they all hit the ball in the hole with roughly the same performance variations.

What we would really find out is that the only thing that matters is looking down at the putter head and either feeling confident or terrified over that six-footer.

Because at the end of the day the only thing that matters is what you believe in your mind, not what technology is in your putter. That dented brass mallet your Dad gave you is just fine, trust me. Just think how many putts it’s holed. How he held it aloft after winning a ten dollar Nassau 30 years ago.

It has magic in it still. You just have to believe.