There are several differences between the technology and appearance of blade and mallet putters. The putters of the 1930s through the 1960s were mostly blades, which are narrow from the face of the club to the back and long from toe to heel. If you favor a traditional look, you may be drawn to the sleek elegance of blades. Mallets come in a wide variety of shapes. Usually, mallets are about as deep from face to back as they are from toe to heel. If you like modern and original designs, you may be drawn to mallet putters. Either way, the putter is the most important club in your bag. During a round, you will use it more than twice as often as any other club.
Technology
In theory, a modern mallet should perform a little better than a blade. As the website Golfsmith explains, designers can move more weight to the back of the club with a mallet. This yields a higher moment of inertia (MOI) to the putter. MOI measures the resistance of the putter head to twisting when you stoke a putt. The higher the MOI, the more stable the putter should remain. However, the perimeter weighting of blades along with longer clubheads---advances which date back to the PING putters of the 1960s---give blades a large sweet spot and a better feel for many players.
Form and Feel
Feel and appearance trumps science when it comes to putters. "Form is as important as function," notes Golfsmith. When a putter looks right and feels right to you when you stand over the ball, it gives you confidence. That's why the choice between a blade and a mallet putter is more subjective than objective. At least you have a wide variety of blades and mallets to choose from. "Manufacturing putters has become a virtual collision between art and technology as melding several types of materials into all kinds of geometric shapes is quite common," notes Golfsmith.
Top Rated Putters
The 2010 "Golf Digest" Hot List awarded Gold ratings to four blade and six mallet putters. The mallets included the Odyssey White Ice series, lauded for its avant-garde design, the PING In series for its increased MOI, the TaylorMade Rossa Itsy Bitsy Spider for its stability, and the Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi for its silky smooth feel and understated design. Blades included the Nike Method, used by Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink to win majors in 2009; and the Odyssey Black series, with a carbon steel body, tungsten-weighted flange and a thin layer of urethane which serves as a dampening agent. The Odyssey White Ice, PING In series, Titleist Scotty Cameron California series and Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select also earned high praise from the publication.
Considerations
The website Golf Club Revue states, "If you look on tour, you'll see the votes pretty evenly divided between blade and mallet style." The pros look for a putter in which they have confidence, and so should you. If you are looking for a top-rated putter, which can cost up to $300, make sure you buy one that fits you to a tee. You can test out dozens of putters at your local golf shop or pro shop.
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