Putters Used By the Top PGA Tour Players
When professional golfers put a new driver in their bag, amateurs run out to get it. Seeing Tiger, Dustin, or Rory swing the latest release is certainly enticing. However, the club that more amateurs should be focused on is the putter. If you want to score lower, the putter is the club to look into. Knowing what putters the pros play with may help you on your journey so here are the putters the top tour plays used in 2023.
We took the list of the top 8 golfers in 2023 for Strokes Gained putting. These players all made big strides in their putting game this year and came out better than in years past. If that’s appealing to you and you’re looking to do the same, here are the clubs they used.
Top 8 Tour Plays – Strokes Gained Putting
- Maverick McNealy: Odyssey Toulon Stanford MM Custom Putter (Blade)
- Taylor Montgomery: TaylorMade Spider Ghost (Mallet)
- Denny McCarthy: Scotty Cameron Golo (Mallet)
- Harry Hall: Odyssey O Works #7 W (Wide Blade)
- Xander Schauffele: Odyssey O Works Red 7CH (Mallet)
- Max Homa: Scotty Cameron T-5.5 Proto (Mallet)
- Tyrrell Hatton: Ping PLD Prototype (Mallet)
- Sam Burns: Odyssey Ai-One 7S (Mallet)
Putter Brand
Four out of the top eight golfers for strokes gained putting use the Odyssey brand putters. This says quite a bit about the power of Odyssey on the PGA Tour. Scotty Cameron grabs about 25% of the list, and Ping and TaylorMade make up the rest.
It’s not fair to say that these percentages carry across the entire PGA Tour list of players. However, Odyssey and Scotty Cameron are always among the most popular.
Putter Type
If you looked at this list twenty years ago, it may have had quite a few more blade putters on it. Just as the mallet putters are growing for amateur golf, they are becoming more popular on the PGA Tour as well.
Two golfers in the top 8 are using a blade, and the rest are playing with a mallet. The blade that Harry Hall uses is the wider blade putter with additional stability.
Why are so many golfers making this switch to a mallet?
Putter Technology & MOI
Golfers are finding that more forgiveness in the putter head makes it easier to drain putts from any distance. Improved technology also gives the putters a better feel and precision even though they have more forgiveness.
Proto?
One frustrating part of determining what putters the tour pros play with is that many of them use a prototype. The prototype thing had been going on for years. Professionals get models that we don’t have access to as amateurs. Many times, these prototypes make it to the market for mass distribution, but sometimes they don’t.
Three of the top 8 putters for strokes gained putting are using a prototype or custom-designed model. However, all of these players have tweaks and modifications to the life, loft, length, and grip of their putter.
How Do Golf Pros Choose a Putter?
Professional golfers will often choose a putter that a brand asks them to play with. Equipment sponsorships are behind most of the putter decisions on the PGA Tour. However, other things go into the putter choice that professionals make.
One of the most important of which is putter fitting. Putter fitting is a concept many amateur players overlook. However, putting is so precise that even the smallest tweaks to a custom putter can make all the difference. This is why we see many players with the same putter head but a very different grip or putter length.
Don’t be surprised to see PGA Tour players making changes to their putters from time to time. With all of the testing and analysis they do, they know when it’s time for a change.
Are Blades or Mallets More Popular on the PGA Tour?
Blades and mallets are both popular on the PGA Tour. The mallet is gaining some popularity.
For all golfers on the PGA Tour, the split is usually right around 50/50 for mallet vs. blade putters. However, when you look more specifically at the players with the best strokes gained putting stats, most golfers are using a mallet-style putter.
This would take some more detailed observation and analysis, but at a high level, the mallet putter seems to help golfers save strokes on the putting green. Something all amateur golfers should take note of.
Do Pros Switch Putters Often?
Some golf professionals like Taylor Montgomery are playing with the same club they used 10 years ago. He admits to having to paint his TaylorMade Spider Ghost so that it stays the original white.
For these golfers, finding a club that works is difficult. When you find it, you don’t want to let it go.
Other golfers make the switch every year or so when new equipment comes to the market. For the most part, it’s more likely that you will find a player using a putter for at least 3-5 years before making a switch.
Top Putter Brands on PGA Tour
When looking at the top brands of putters on the PGA Tour, remember that many of these are sponsorship deals and often prototypes that are not available to general players. It doesn’t always mean these companies have the best putter for your game.
The Right Putter for Your Game
The putters that professionals use can teach amateur players quite a bit. The main takeaways here are that mallet putters are growing in popularity, and putter fitting is the best way to know which club will work for your needs. Just as purchasing the top driver on the PGA Tour or playing with the number one golf ball won’t instantly change your game, it certainly can help. Get yourself a putter that gives you confidence, regardless of your distance to the hole. Most importantly, find a putter that improves the consistency of your stroke.
Written by Brittany Olizarowicz, Golf Teaching Professional
