In golf there are endless equipment possibilities and going into the process of choosing a golf putter can be quite an overwhelming task. You will easily encounter putters with price tags from $50 to $5,000 which leads to the question: “Are Expensive Putters Worth It?”
It’s mainly up to the individual, but there are benefits to choosing an expensive putter. The design is often well thought out, with lots of helpful little details. Material choice will be top-notch and design will please the eye. So expensive putters can really be worth it if you have the budget for them.
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Do Putters Really Make A Difference?
Going into the thoughts about if expensive putters are really worth the extra investment, one might think if putters in general really make a difference.
As with many other questions in the world of golf, the easy answer is that it’s up to the individual to decide whether a big equipment budget is worth it or not.
When it comes to putters there’s a big element of confidence tied to your ability to sink putts. In turn, this means that your putter should invoke your confidence at all costs.
With this in mind, it is clear that putters do really make a difference in your game.
After all, the pros wouldn’t change their putters if it didn’t make any difference, right?
See Tiger Woods, who haven’t played many different putters – he’s played at least three in his career.
First, he played the Scotty Cameron Newport II for many years. Then the switch was made to a similar Nike putter when he was sponsored by them. Lastly he’s been messing around with a Taylormade mallet putter, which is totally different than what he’s usually seen with.
So even the best players in the world change their putter from time to time. And if you don’t try some different ones, you will never find out which one is the best putter for you anyway.
You should also keep in mind that your putter is used for two strokes on each hole on average! That’s also quite significant 🙂
Why Are Putters So Expensive?
So why are putters so expensive? Well, the manufacturers can get away with charging a good price for them, so why not 😉
All jokes aside I am not sure that they’re more expensive than anything else in the golf world. If you want premium equipment you have to pay. But you can often get bargains if you go hunting for it, or buy used equipment.
There’s no doubt that some putters can be very expensive, but that’s a question of supply and demand.
A special tour only Scotty Cameron putter will go for upwards of $4,500 but it won’t putt better than a normal $500 Scotty.
If we look at normal putters and not collectors items there are a few factors that come into play when the price goes up.
Features
Back in the days there were only blade type putters available. It is limited what you can add in regards to features on a blade putter. Then came along the mallet putter which has a larger surface area and therefore a lot more room to play with and add features to. See the Odyssey 2-Ball putter as a classic example of “a lot going on”.
Common for both blade putters and mallet putters is that manufacturers can alter the face with different kinds of inserts and change the alignment aids in the form of dots or lines on the top of the putter.
Something newly added (in the latest 5-10 years) is the possibility to change weights on the putter head itself. This adds a lot of customization and room for tinkering and improving your overall swing weight.
When it comes to mallet putters there’s room for additional features as the head are that much larger.
Materials
Modern day putters can be made from all types of different materials. Usually a putter is made from forged or cast steel, and then the clubface is milled so that it is perfectly even.
Putters are seen made in bronze, aluminum, brass, copper, zinc and titanium.
An unusual material is the stone putters from Jade Putters.
Custom Putters
Talking about the Jade Putters there’s a whole segment of so-called custom made putters for those players that want something out of the ordinary.
These custom putters can get quite costly, but they will add an element of confidence to your game knowing that people will notice it on the practice green.
Summing It All Up
In short expensive putters can be worth it to the right individual.
But you should be conscious about your purchase if you’re on a budget, since it will set you back quite a bit and there is no guarantee that you will perform well with it.
I bought a Taylormade Ghost Spider putter one time, because I really liked the looks and thought it was intriguing to try it out. I have not putted worse with any other putter!
Photo by Jose Bernardino Garcia Fernandez on Unsplash
