Golf putters were not always as complicated as they are today.

For so many years, you could choose a basic blade like the Ping Anser or a half-round mallet, likely made by Odyssey. However, things have changed entirely, and there are now hundreds of putter options to choose from.

Both blade and mallet putters can be effective, and to understand how they will impact your putting stroke, it pays to know the difference.

What is a Blade Putter?

A blade putter is the classic golf putter design. This putter head is usually rectangular in shape with a flat face and a relatively short backing on the club. Blade putters don’t have large clubheads and are more simplistic in design.

Many blade putters will have a small alignment line on the top of the putter head. Professional golfers and better players have been known to like the blade putters because of their precision and feel.

What is a Mallet Putter?

A mallet putter is larger than a blade putter. There is still a flat face on the mallet putter, but the back of the putter head is rounded, or with the modern blade putters, it can even be rectangular in shape.

When mallet putters first came out, they were really simple. It looked like a small semi-circle on the back of a blade.

Since then, the putters have become much more advanced, with putter heads that extend three or four inches past the face of the putter. Mallet putters are known for easy Alignment and consistency, and they are often preferred by golfers learning to play the game.

Main Differences Between a Blade and Mallet Putter

To determine if a blade or mallet putter is best for your game, you have to understand the differences in both the look and the performance of the club.

Forgiveness

The blade and mallet putter will offer forgiveness for off-center hits. You will notice that the mallet putter has a significantly larger sweet spot making it a bit more forgiving.

However, there are some products created by both Ping and Odyssey that specifically worked on creating a higher MOI putter option for a blade style putter. So don’t think that switching to blade putters means you will miss more putts.

The key is finding something that is a specific match to your game. When you want a lot of forgiveness in a putter, look for a high MOI option.

Alignment

All golf putters offer some type of alignment technology. Even if you have your own way of setting up for a shot, Alignment is a key feature that needs to be considered.

Golf purists tend to look down at the golf ball and putter head and want a very short white line that directs their putter head to the hole. However, many amateur and beginner golfers would prefer several lines or thicker and more advanced alignment patterns.

There is no right or wrong answer here regarding Alignment, but if you struggle with lining up properly, the mallet putter has more advanced features on the top of the club head.

Weighting and Feel

With some of these large modern mallet putters, the total weight of the club looks like it is going to be a lot. The good news is that with new lighter materials being used and different golf shaft options, the weight is not all that heavy, and the feel can still be rather light.

It’s a counterintuitive concept in golf, but a lighter putter is often better for slow greens, and a faster putter is better for fast greens.

Many professionals that use a blade style putter will ensure that it is considerably heavier as this is what works well on faster greens. The heavy putter allows for a shorter and more compact stroke, something easier to keep on the proper line.

Stroke Type

One of the biggest indicators of which type of putter to use is the type of stroke that you have. The arc style stroke tends to be the best choice for a blade style putter. The straight back and straight-through stroke types are best for a mallet head putter.

Depending on the stroke type that you have, you will want to be careful which putter you choose. Arc style putting strokes require players to open the clubface slightly on the backswing, square it up through impact, and then rotate it slightly closed on the follow-through.

Straight back and straight through putting strokes, keep the putter head square for the entire time. Distance control tends to be an issue for both types of putting strokes, but it becomes even more of a problem if you are not utilizing the proper type of putter.

Golfers with arc style putter strokes can certainly use a blade putter, but it may be awkward or unnecessary to rotate the face of the putter open and closed on the mallet when you don’t need to.

Golfer Handicap

The old rule of thumb was that better players use blades and higher handicappers use mallet putters. I don’t like this theory, and I don’t think it’s true anymore. Its kind of like higher handicappers or beginners should not use forged clubs, yet companies are putting out new game-improvement forged irons every year.

It’s important to know that many mallet style putters have a larger sweet spot. However, as long as the putter you are using is the proper specifications for your game and you have a high moment of inertia, the handicap should not play into it all that much.

Certain putter designs like an Odyssey 2 Ball putter are certainly more forgiving than something like the Scotty Cameron Newport putter. Don’t choose a putter based on handicap alone; consider the club’s specific features.

Pros and Cons of a Blade Putter

The blade putter certainly has more positives than it does negatives; here are a few of the most important to know.

Pros

• Classic look: the blade style putter is a more classic design; golf purists, lower handicappers, and those that like to keep things simple will certainly like the blade design better.
• Easy To Manipulate The Clubhead: blade putters allow you to rotate the clubhead with ease; for golfers with an arc style putting stroke, this is very important.
• Premium design: many blade putters have milled faces and are forged from one piece of metal, making them a more premium design that favors the feel-oriented player.
• Lower Price: although it is not always the case, many blade putters are more affordable than mallet putters simply because they use less material in their design.

Cons

• Not Great For Alignment: most blade putters have a single alignment line on the top of the club that does not help with lining up shots quite the way you would like it to.
• Smaller Sweet Spot: the more compact size of a blade style putter makes it slightly less helpful from a forgiveness standpoint.

Pros and Cons of a Mallet Putter

Mallet putters continue to have new options released each year. Every time you see a mallet putter that is bigger and better than the options from last year, you may wonder what these companies will come up with next.

Pros

• Easy Alignment: a mallet putter head is very easy to line up; the top of the head just needs to be pointed to the target.
• High MOI: the majority of mallet putters on the market have a high MOI and are more forgiving than blade putters.
• Stability: with the mallet design putter, you can keep the putter on a straight back and straight through the path, and it remains stable at impact; this is why you will see some of this unique shaping in the mallet putters on the market currently.

Cons

• Can Be Bulky: the newer modern mallet designs are huge; if you are coming from a slim blade style putter, expect this to feel a bit cumbersome at first.
• Won’t Rotate Well: for arc style putters, the mallet putter becomes difficult to open and close as you rotate through your putting stroke; this is best for a straight back and straight through putting stroke.

Final Verdict: Deciding on Which Putter You Should Be Using

Hopefully, you now have a bit of a better understanding of the differences between a blade and a mallet-style putter.

If you are looking for forgiveness and like to keep things simple on the putting green, I recommend going with the mallet putter head. You can keep the putter on the same path, make very little movement in your stroke and make some great putts.

For golfers that are more artistic on the greens and want to putt with better feel and control, the blade is a better choice. Think about how you approach putting green and how you see the lines; this will help you make the best choice.

In the end, it’s impossible to say one is better than the other; you just have to find the right match.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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The ability to shape your golf shots can place you in prime position on a dogleg hole. A draw or fade shot can also help you escape trouble when an obstacle lies in your target line. In this post, we’ll go into the details of what a draw is in golf.

In addition, I take you through the benefits of hitting a draw shot and compare the results to a fade. And at the end, I have prepared a few tips that guide you through executing a right-to-left shape if you are a right-handed golfer.

What is a Draw in Golf?

A draw occurs when your golf ball starts right of your target before curving back left towards your mark. If you are right-handed, then the golf ball curve on the shot is right to left.

The challenge is controlling the quantity of curve on your draw. If you produce excess right-to-left side spin, your beautiful draw turns into a nasty hook that finishes further left of the target than initially intended.

Benefits of Hitting a Draw

1. Optimal Fairway Position

A draw golf shot has numerous advantages from tee to green. However, I use it for tee shots on right-to-left dogleg holes. Shaping my ball with the hole’s layout enables me to achieve prime position on the fairway.

Without the ability to draw, I would rely on a straight shot and aim up the right side of the fairway. This requires precision to ensure that the golf ball does not run off the fairway and into the right rough.

Once your ball is in the middle of the fairway, it enables you to attack the flag on approach.

2. Escape Trouble

The other area where a draw has paid its dues is escaping trouble. Let me offer some context. I typically play this shot when there are obstacles in my direct line. However, I need sufficient space to the right of the target to start my ball since I am a right-handed golfer.

Inducing a draw helps me curve the ball around the obstacle and land it close to my target zone. Otherwise, I would need to resort to chipping out and risking a bogey or worse.

3. Lower Ball Flight

Inducing a draw requires a closed clubface at impact and the ball to sit back in your stance. The closed club face and back ball positioning combination cause a delofted strike. This motion prompts a lower launch and piercing ball flight.

Lower trajectory is suited to windy conditions when you ought to remove the breeze from the equation.

Difference Between a Draw and a Fade

Shape

The most glaring difference between a draw vs fade is their flight path. As I mentioned, a draw starts to the right of your target and curves slightly left for a controlled landing. However, a fade occurs when your golf ball starts left of the mark and shapes right, towards the flag.

A poorly executed draw can turn into a hook causing the ball to finish well left of your target. Conversely, a slice is a fade gone wrong. It cuts violently away from your marker to end significantly right of the target.

Those struggling with a slice should follow our guide on a fade vs slice. In it, you will find all the tips you need to combat this nasty habit.

Alignment

A draw and fade require adjustments to your alignment. For example, if you are right-handed and plan to hit a fade, your feet should aim to the left of your market. This compensates for the face angle at impact, which prompts the ball to curve from left to right. If you are a left-hand golfer, your feet should aim right of the target, preparing for the left turn.

A draw is different. This time as a right-hander, your feet should aim to the right of your landing zone. That provides sufficient space for the ball to draw back to the pin.

Me and My Golf provide a detailed instruction video of where to aim and how to set up for each shot; you can follow their lesson below:

Ball Position

A fade and draw require differing ball positions for optimal execution. A fade dictates that you place the ball forward in your stance, while you should move it back for a draw.

The forward ball position helps you swing along the line of your body while aiming to the left of your target. This enables the clubface to remain square to the mark but open to your swing path. This set causes the ball to shape from left to right in the air.

On the contrary, you should place the ball back in your stance to produce a delofted strike that draws towards your target. When you connect the ball, your clubface is slightly closed to the target, sending the ball curving from right to left.

Golf Swing Path

Your swing path impacts the angle that your clubface strikes the golf. This is important as it determines the direction of the sidespin you generate for your shot. Following the above steps ensures that you are accurately set up and ready to produce your desired shot.

If you intend to produce a draw, you should follow an inside-out golf swing. This means that your clubhead follows an inside line on takeaway before flowing on an outswing path down to the golf ball. This encourages you to start the shot right of your target to account for the imminent left arc.

Furthermore, a fade typically requires an outside-in path guiding your clubface to send the ball to the right of the target before it fades back on the intended route.

Clubface At Impact

Everything that you have set up for comes down to this moment. If your clubface is not positioned optimally at impact, you will not execute your golf shot as intended.

For example, you set up for a draw, and aim right of your target, only to strike your golf ball with a square face relative to your swing path. This causes your golf ball to travel directly to the right of your target with no draw.

Therefore, your clubface must be open to your swing path at impact to generate a fade. On the other hand, your clubface should remain in a closed position relative to your swing path to prompt a draw.

Is It Better to Hit a Draw or Fade?

I value both shots because they each have a time and place. The ability to play both of these increases your options on the golf course. A draw is of no use when facing a left-to-right dogleg.

The bottom line is that both shots are equally important, and you should know how to hit a draw and a fade.

How to Hit a Draw

Check out our guide on how to hit a draw if you’re looking for step-by-step instructions on how to hit this shot consistently. However, I have provided a few basic steps to get you started.

1. Aim Right of Your Target

Right-hand golfers need to aim their feet to the right of the target. Try to limit how far right you aim. The further right you point, the more curve you require to get the ball close to your target.

Aiming to the right of your target compensates for the draw curve on your ball. This gives you the space to shape the ball back to your mark after starting it out to the right.

2. Ball Back In Your Stance

The next step to hitting a draw is to place the ionomer back in your stance. This encourages you to strike the golf ball with less loft and a steep attack angle, leading to a lower launching shot.

In addition, striking the ball from this position makes it easier to keep the clubface closed in relation to your swing path. That helps you start the ball to the right of your target and draw it back in.

3. Forward Press

I highly recommend the forward press approach for every setup. Placing your hands ahead of the ball strengthens the club’s loft to encourage a low launching shot. This is an ideal way to increase your distance by reducing spin rates.

4. Inside Backswing

Now that you are set up to play a draw, it is time to swing. You start with taking the clubhead along an inside path on the backswing. From this position, it is easier to produce an outwards downswing.

5. Outside Downswing

After taking the club inside on your backswing, you are now optimally placed to send it through on an outside path. This helps you keep your clubface closed relative to your swing path. Plus, it launches the ball out to the right of the target before drawing back to the intended landing zone.

6. Closed Clubface At Impact

By closed clubface, I do not mean closed to your target. If you do that, you could start your ball left of your mark and draw it further to the left. Instead, your clubface needs to remain closed relative to your swing path. This angle sets you up to produce the necessary side spin, which sends the ball back left after starting out to the right.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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