Tester Approved: The best putters for players with poor distance control
Grief on the greens takes on many forms, from not making reasonable putts to three-jacking all over the lot. Perhaps there is no more maddening form of it than the failure to knock a 20-footer into the proverbial “circle of trust”—close enough for a no-doubt-about-it gimme from even the stingiest of opponents.
That’s why one of the criteria we added for this year’s Hot List in putters was the area of “dispersion.” Players were instructed to take several putts from designated 20-foot spots on the green (we had many options to avoid repetition) and rate on a 1-5 scale (fractions welcomed) how close they were able to consistently get the ball near the hole.
Below are the seven putters that scored the highest in dispersion from our testers who identified distance control as a problem area for them. These four mallets and three blades, listed alphabetically, will have your opponents going from, “That’s not good and neither is the one coming back” to “Pick it up” in no time.
Bettinardi Antidote (mallet)
Bettinardi
Antidote
$450
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$450
Like Bettinardi’s counterpart blade models, these mallet shapes display the zero-torque effect by keeping the shaft in line with the head’s center of gravity.
Weight is centered in the head by combining multiple materials, like in the SB2, or by using milled-out cavities in the sole to redistribute mass toward the front of the head, allowing the center of gravity to line up with the shaft axis.
That weighting increases the tendency of the face angle to stay square to the path of the stroke.
The SB2 uses a face milled from 303 stainless steel that’s surrounded by a lightweight body milled from 6061 aluminum. The SB3 and SB5 are milled from 303 stainless steel.
The grooved milling pattern on the face displaces more than half of the steel from the surface, creating a responsive feel.
The blast finish reduces glare at address.
Also available are longer, heavier and/or counterbalanced versions with a 17-inch grip to minimize excess hand action in the stroke.
Top 5 in Sound/Feel, low- and high-handicaps
Models: SB2, SB3, SB5. Head weights: 360-400 grams. Lengths: 33-40 inches. Loft: 3 degrees
Evnroll Origin (blade)
Evnroll
Origin
$450
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Silver
$450
Evnroll putters feature the first significant change to their grooved face technology, compressing and changing the grooves from parallel lines to parabolic curves to improve consistent contact.
The new face treatment packs the grooves closer together as rows of wavy lines to reduce surface contact with the ball.
The new grooves and slightly thicker face design create a softer feel.
The groove depth throughout has been cut in half to create a higher resiliency, or what’s known as reducing “dwell time” of the ball on the face of the putter, for a faster initial roll.
Wider grooves in the center narrow toward the heel and toe. This helps heel and toe hits work their way back toward the target line.
More tightly compressed grooves also mean less chance of putts starting off target by catching the edge of a dimple on the ball.
Models: ER2. Head weights: 360, 375, 390 grams. Lengths: 33, 34, 35, 38 inches. Loft: 2 degrees
Ping PLD Milled (blade)
Ping
PLD Milled
$485
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$485
This line includes three fully milled takes on historic Ping models, including the iconic Anser heel-toe weighted plumber’s-neck blade.
The designs are a product of Ping’s engineers working in consultation with the company’s tour staff.
The new shallow milling pattern creates a more responsive impact while maintaining a soft feel.
The precision CNC-milling process takes four hours per head, and the heads are made from 303 stainless steel.
The plumber’s neck Anser 30 (355 grams) and heavier, wide-sole Anser 4D (365 grams) favor arcing strokes.
The double-bend shaft on the Kushin works best with straighter strokes.
Top 5 in Performance, low- and high-handicaps
Models: Anser 30, Anser 4D, Kushin. Head weights: 355 grams (Anser 30, Kushin), 365 grams (Anser 4D). Lengths: 34-35 inches. Loft: 3 degrees
Scotty Cameron by Titleist Phantom (mallet)
Titleist
Scotty Cameron Phantom
$500
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$500
Multiple styles mix high stability, alignment features, precision milling of stainless steel and aluminum, and chain-link face milling for consistent roll.
The face milling pattern, seen on last year’s Studio Style introduction, incorporates a soft-carbon steel that’s treated with a chemical process to protect the steel, enhance hardness and preserve feel.
The chain-link milling pattern extends across the entire face to ensure more consistent roll and distance control on off-center strikes.
Weight screws in the front of the sole at the heel and toe provide stability while customizing the head’s weight to match shaft length and player preferences.
Among the updates is a refashioned sole cavity to accommodate the chain-link face milling pattern. The new interior structure stiffens the frame to provide the quieter impact feel that has been a trait of Scotty Cameron designs.
New models include the 5 OC and 11R OC, which are onset, center-shafted low-torque versions of the originals. The shaft lines up with the head’s center of gravity to reduce hand action, and the black PVD coating simplifies alignment.
On the OC models, a special hosel design sets the shaft slightly back from the face, creating a small forward lean and allowing the lie angle to be adjusted for fit.
Top 5 in Performance, low- and high-handicaps
Models: 5, 5.2, 5.5, 5 OC, 7, 7.2, 7.5, 9R, 9.2R, 11R OC. Head weights: 345-380 grams. Lengths: 33, 34, 35, 38 inches. Loft: 3.5 degrees
Scotty Cameron by Titleist Studio Series (blade)
Titleist
Scotty Cameron Studio Style
$500
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$500
These familiar head and hosel styles received a bold upgrade in the form of a carbon-steel face insert for a softer feel.
The insert is fused to the milled stainless-steel body and an aerospace-level vibration-damping adhesive.
Although carbon steel can typically degrade, 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.
Top 5 in Performance, all handicaps
Models: Newport, Newport Plus, Newport 2, Newport 2 Plus, Newport 2.5 Plus, Squareback, Squareback 2, Catalina. Head weights: 345, 355, 365 grams. Lengths: 33-35 inches. Loft: 3.5 degrees.
TaylorMade Spider Tour (mallet)
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 plus 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 improve initial launch and roll to control unwanted backspin and initial skidding.
Among the most popular mallet designs ever, Spider putters were preferred by four of the top 10 players in the world in 2025 (Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre).
The Tour S model comes in a heavier head for over-length setups, and the Black Series is now offered with a black PVD finish in the Tour, Tour X and Tour S models.
Top 5 in Performance, low-, middle- and high-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
Toulon Formula Series (mallet)
Toulon Golf
Formula Series
$650
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$650
This collection of three putters offers not one but three delineations toward simplifying the torques that affect the moving parts in your stroke.
The three models include a standard zero-torque Formula [90] model with the weighting balanced and the shaft matching the center of gravity. With its 90-degree toe-up orientation, this model works best to control or limit the way your hands rotate the putter face back to square during the stroke.
The Formula [CS] offers a traditional center-shafted approach with the shaft closest to the front of the putter and a face-balanced orientation. It works best for players whose natural stroke is straight back and straight through.
The Formula [45] lives halfway between the [CS] and the [90].
Each model features adjustable heel-toe sole weights and extra perimeter weighting to help the putter stay stable when you don’t hit the center.
The designs are milled in two sections with the top and face milled from 304 stainless steel, and the sole region milled from 6061 aluminum. A deep-diamond milling pattern on the face produces better roll and a quieter sound.
Models: [90], [45], [CS]. Head weights: 365-390 grams. Lengths: 33-38 inches. Loft: 3 degrees