Hot List
Best Mallet Putters: Look / Sound / Feel
The best clubs in each category of the Hot List reflect excellence across an array of criteria. For Look/Sound/Feel in mallet putters, our judges evaluate how testers respond to the sensations of using the clubs. Although sound is often equated to feel, our 32 testers understand that what they hear isn’t always representative of the feedback. They also know what they prefer to see at address. Essentially, the Look score is a scale of a player’s enthusiasm to use the putter. Sound and Feel reflect how much the player receives sufficient and ideal feedback for center and off-center strikes. In our process, the ideas of Look/Sound/Feel are intangibles, things you know beyond any regimented way of quantifying. Here you’ll see how our players evaluated mallets based on each player’s interpretation of Look/Sound/Feel, with each putter earning a minimum score of 4.5 stars. Note: The star rating is for the collection of models under a specific family (e.g., Ai-One family, Studio Style family).
Odyssey
Ai-One Milled
$450
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$450
A thin titanium face insert creates micro-deflections to improve off-center impacts to roll as well as center strikes.
New head styles include takes on the popular Jailbird open-mallet shape.
Designers used AI and machine learning to explore more than 2,000 design versions to develop the face insert’s asymmetrical thickness pattern to improve off-center speed and roll for greater consistency.
A longer and heavier “Cruiser” version is available for those looking to reduce hand action during their strokes.
Top 5 in Performance, middle- and high-handicaps
Models: 2-Ball T, Eight T, Eleven T, Jailbird Mini T, Rossie V T, Seven T DB/S, Six T, Jailbird T Versa 90. Head weights: 360, 380. Lengths: 33, 34, 35, 38. Loft: 3 degrees
TaylorMade
Spider Tour
$350
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$350
The square-ish designs feature extreme heel and toe weighting for maximum forgiveness as well as two neck styles and different centers of gravity to better accommodate arcing and straight strokes.
The thin-wall casting method allows saved weight from the crown and sidewalls to be redistributed for more stability on off-center hits.
A thermoplastic rubber positioned behind the face, previously used in TaylorMade’s irons, minimizes vibration for a cleaner, crisper sound.
The lightweight Surlyn face insert features grooves that angle downward to improves initial launch and roll to control unwanted backspin and initial skidding.
Among the most popular mallet designs ever, Spider putters have been the preferred putter by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy and scored 14 wins overall on the PGA Tour in 2024.
The Tour S model comes in a heavier head for over-length setups, and a Black Series is now offered with a black PVD finish in the Tour, Tour X and Tour S models.
Top 5 in Performance, all handicaps
Models: Tour, Tour X, Tour S, Tour Z, Tour V. Head weights: 345-380 grams. Lengths: 33, 34, 35, 38 inches. Loft: 3 degrees
Titleist
Scotty Cameron Phantom
$450
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$450
This broad collection features multiple styles offering high stability plus various neck/hosel orientations to fit the gamut of stroke types and player preferences.
The lineup includes models in milled 303 stainless steel and milled 6061 aluminum with a weight-saving aluminum sole plate that allows mass to be distributed to the perimeter for increased stability.
New markings and angles provide a renewed emphasis on alignment.
Dual milling on the face enhances consistency in sound and roll. This includes a deeper mill for softer feel to start, then a mid-mill for more consistent feel and roll.
Top 5 in Performance, low- and middle-handicaps
Models: 5, 5s, 5.5, 7, 7.5, 9, 9.5, 11, 11.5. Head weights: 345, 355, 365 grams. Lengths: 33-35 inches. Lofts: 3.5 degrees
Bettinardi
Queen B
$450
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$450
This crescent-neck half-mallet is a great option for those interested in switching from a blade putter to a mallet.
To increase target awareness, the ball-width cavity in the back flange has a contrasting alignment line .
Slight toe hang works best for strokes with some flowing arc.
This 2025 update to the iconic line repositions the center of gravity to create a more balanced stroke with a larger and more centered sweet spot.
The slightly heavier head is designed to smooth out your stroke.
The face pattern uses mini-honeycomb milling marks to provide a responsive but firm feel that’s softer than Bettinardi’s traditional honeycomb pattern.
Finished with a “Royal Rose” PVD treatment for improved ball-putter-green contrast.
Top 5 in Performance, high-handicaps
Model: QB7. Head weight: 362 grams. Lengths: 33-38 inches. Loft: 1-4 degrees
Meridian
Milled Series
$250
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$250
These traditional but customizable one-piece millings feature a unique electrical-discharge machining process with fully robotic, around-the-clock manufacturing.
The process cuts as many as a dozen starter blanks out of a large block of stainless steel with five-axis milling machines precisely dialing in each angle and curve to produce an affordable design.
Three mallet models include multiple neck options (single bend, minimalist slant neck, tall slant neck) to fit different strokes.
Players can choose from one of four face-milling patterns: the soft Meridian cut, firm Smooth cut, mid-soft Fine Fly cut and the mid-firm Tack cut.
The taller face is designed to increase the likelihood of solid contact and consistent roll.
Top 5 in Performance, low-handicaps
Models: Tybee, Key West, Kiawah. Head weights: 330, 360-370 grams. Lengths: 33-38 inches. Loft: 3 degrees
Odyssey
Ai-One
$300
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$300
The Ai-One comes in an array of traditional and non-traditional shapes, including the iconic 2-Ball and popular Jailbird and even one that combines the two. The secret, though, is the asymmetrical thickness pattern on the face.
Designers used AI and machine learning to explore more than 2,000 design versions to develop the face insert’s asymmetrical thickness pattern to improve off-center speed and roll for greater consistency.
The urethane coating over the soft-aluminum face insert matches that of the company’s highly favored White Hot material for soft feel.
A new “Silver Series” finish joins the previously released dark-blue aesthetic.
Head shapes developed with tour-player input and prototypes created with 3-D printing accelerated the turnaround time from months to weeks.
Heel and toe sole weights allow the head weight to better align with shaft length and a player’s stroke type.
A longer and heavier “Cruiser” version is available for those looking to reduce hand action during their strokes.
Top 5 in Performance, middle-handicaps
Models: 24 Slant, 2-Ball, 2-Ball Jailbird, Jailbird Mini, Rossie DB/S, Seven CH/S, Wing Back DB. Head weights: 360, 365, 380. Lengths: 33, 34, 35, 38 inches. Loft: 3 degrees
Ping
PLD Milled
$450
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$450
The heads range from smaller blade-like mallets (DS72, Prime Tyne 4) to larger but traditionally shaped options (Ally Blue 4, Oslo) to fit different player types.
The DS72 is designed for a straight stroke, but most of the line fits strokes with some degree of arc, even the larger Ally Blue and Oslo.
The designs got insight from Ping’s engineers working with its tour staff.
The deeper-etched milling enhances the softer feel.
The use of multiple materials frees up mass for stability weighting in the perimeter, particularly the steel sole plate on the aluminum body of the Ally Blue 4 and the lightweight aluminum hosel on the Oslo models.
The precision CNC milling process takes between 75 and 100 minutes per head, which are made from 303 stainless steel.
Top 5 in Sound/Feel, middle-handicaps
Models: Ally Blue 4, DS72, Oslo 3, Oslo 4, Prime Tyne 4. Head weights: 360, 365, 370, 375 grams. Length: 35 inches. Loft: 3 degrees
PXG
Battle Ready II
$390
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$390
These high-stability models feature extra mass on the perimeter due to a hollow-body design.
A polymer like the one used in the company’s irons fills the central interior of each design, providing a weight-saving soft, responsive feel.
The filling supports a face barely the thickness of a dime to save weight, dampen vibration and improve stability on off-center hits compared to last year’s version.
Four hosel/neck options and an array of screw weights offer a range of flexible options for each head to fit different stroke types and player preferences.
Top 5 in Performance, high-handicaps
Models: Apache, Bat Attack, Blackjack, Hercules, One and Done. Head weights: 330-460 grams. Lengths: custom. Loft: 3 degrees (7 degrees on armlock).
Titleist
Scotty Cameron Studio Style
$500
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$500
The familiar Fastback mid-mallet will appeal to players looking to transition from blades to mallets.
The carbon-steel insert, fused to the milled stainless-steel body with an aerospace-level vibration-damping adhesive, provides a tour-preferred responsive feel.
Although carbon steel typically degrades or corrodes over time, this insert uses a chemical process to protect the steel, enhance hardness and preserve feel.
The face insert features a chain-link-style milling pattern developed with tour-player input to produce a softer feel and consistent speed off the face.
As has been the case for two decades, the body is milled from 303 stainless steel.
The clamshell-shaped mallet comes in a single-bend shaft or slant-neck hosel.
A “Long” version counterbalanced with heavier 25-gram tungsten sole weights and a 17-inch, 135-gram grip also is available.
Top 5 in Performance, low- and middle-handicaps
Models: Fastback 1, Fastback 1.5. Head weights: 345, 355, 365 grams. Lengths: 33-35 inches. Loft: 3.5 degrees