Center-Shafted Putter
A center-shafted putter is a putter whose shaft joins the head at or near the middle of the face, rather than at the heel, where the shaft connects on most putters and every other club in the bag.
What is a center-shafted putter?
Look at a driver, an iron, or a wedge, and the shaft always meets the head at the same place: the heel, the part of the clubhead closest to the golfer at address. The toe is the end farthest away. Most putters follow that same pattern. A center-shafted putter breaks it by moving the connection point inward, toward the sightline that marks the middle of the face.
That one change affects how the putter balances. Most center-shafted models are face-balanced, which means the face points up at the sky when the shaft is rested across a finger. Heel-shafted putters more often have toe hang, where the toe droops toward the ground in that same test.
It helps to separate two ideas that beginners often mix up. “Center-shafted” describes where the shaft attaches, while “mallet” and “blade” describe the shape of the head. A putter can be a center-shafted blade or a center-shafted mallet, so the two labels answer different questions about the same club. Under the Rules of Golf, the putter is the only club allowed to have its shaft attached anywhere other than the heel.
How a center-shafted putter works
When the shaft enters close to the center of the head, weight ends up spread fairly evenly between the heel and the toe. That even spread is what produces the face-balanced behavior, and it gives the face less tendency to open and close during the stroke.
This suits a particular putting motion. A straight-back-straight-through stroke moves the head along a single line with little rotation, and a face-balanced head sits comfortably with that path. An arc stroke is different. It swings slightly inside the line going back and returns inside through impact, and it relies on the face rotating open and then closed. A center-shafted putter resists that rotation, so a golfer with a strong arc tends to fight the club rather than work with it.
The hang test is the quickest way to spot the design. Balance any putter on one finger about six inches below the grip and watch the face. If it settles pointing at the sky, it is face-balanced, and most center-shafted putters do exactly that.
Center-shafted vs. heel-shafted putters
Most golfers learn on a heel-shafted putter, so the center-shafted version can look unfamiliar at address. The differences go beyond looks. Where the shaft sits changes the balance, the offset, and the kind of stroke the putter rewards.
| Feature | Center-shafted putter | Heel-shafted putter |
|---|---|---|
| Shaft position | At or near the middle of the head | At the heel |
| Typical balance | Face-balanced | Toe hang |
| Best-suited stroke | Straight back, straight through | Arc (the face opens and closes) |
| Offset | Usually little or none | Often has offset |
| Availability | Smaller selection | The default; widest choice |
| Look at address | Shaft runs straight into the face | Hosel sits off to the heel side |
A common miss for heel-shafted, toe-hang putters is the push, where the face stays slightly open at impact. Golfers who tend to push putts are the ones most often pointed toward a face-balanced, center-shafted option. According to Golf Digest, John K. Solheim of Ping has compared a center-shafted putter to a face-balanced one because the shaft runs through the center of gravity, which is why so many long putters used the center-shaft design.
Who a center-shafted putter suits
The best fit is a golfer with a straight-back-straight-through stroke and the eyes set directly over the ball. From there, the head tracks straight down the target line. That is just what a face-balanced design wants. A golfer whose typical miss is a push also benefits, since the squarer face needs less hand manipulation.
Tour usage stays low. Golf.com reported that center-shafted putters are used by less than 10 percent of the field on a given PGA Tour week, so heel-shafted putters remain the clear preference among elite players. Even so, the design has won at the highest level. Payne Stewart won the 1999 U.S. Open with a center-shafted SeeMore, Zach Johnson won both of his majors with the same model, and Adam Scott used a center-shafted putter at the 2013 Masters. More recently, Golf Digest noted Lydia Ko won the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews with a center-shafted Scotty Cameron prototype.
A brief history
The first center-shafted putter to draw attention was the Schenectady, patented in 1903 by Arthur Knight of Schenectady, New York. Walter Travis used it to win the 1904 British Amateur, the first American to take that title, and the unusual look caused an uproar among British golfers. The R&A eventually banned center-shafted putters around 1910, while the USGA kept them legal in the United States. The two bodies aligned their rules in 1952, and center-shafted putters have been legal under a single set of Rules of Golf ever since.
Related Golf Terms
- Face-balanced putter — A putter whose face points skyward when balanced, suited to straight putting strokes.
- Broomstick putter — An extra-long putter formerly anchored against the chest.
- Belly putter — A longer putter once anchored against the midsection, now restricted under the rules.
- Driving iron — A low-lofted iron used for long, penetrating tee shots.
- Utility iron — A versatile, forgiving alternative to hard-to-hit long irons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are center-shafted putters good for beginners?
They can be. The clean look at address makes the putter simple to aim, and the face-balanced design removes some of the face rotation a new golfer would otherwise have to control. A golfer with a strong natural arc may still prefer a heel-shafted model.
Are all center-shafted putters face-balanced?
Most are, but not all. The shaft position usually produces face-balanced behavior, though some models are built with a small amount of toe hang. The hang test on a finger is the reliable way to check a specific putter.
Are center-shafted putters legal?
Yes. They have been legal under the unified Rules of Golf since 1952. The putter is also the only club permitted to have its shaft attached away from the heel.
Why don’t more professionals use them?
Many tour players develop an arc stroke over years of practice, and that stroke pairs more naturally with a toe-hang, heel-shafted putter. The choice reflects stroke mechanics and personal feel more than any rule or performance ceiling.
Sources
- Golf Compendium. “Center-Shafted Putters Pros and Cons.”
https://www.golfcompendium.com/2020/07/center-shafted-putters.html - Golf Digest. “Center-shafted putters can lead to making putts center cut.”
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/center-shafted-putters-can-lead-to-making-putts-center-cut - Golf.com. “Fully Equipped mailbag: Should you consider using a center-shafted putter?”
https://golf.com/gear/putters/center-shafted-putters-fully-equipped-mailbag/ - Golf.com. “This putter style is making a surprising comeback on the PGA Tour.”
https://golf.com/gear/this-putter-style-is-making-a-surprising-comeback-on-the-pga-tour/ - Practical-Golf. “Is a Center-Shafted Putter Right For You?” (interview with Cody Hale, SeeMore Putter Company).
https://practical-golf.com/center-shaft-putter - USGA and R&A. Equipment Rules, Part 2, Section 2c (putter shaft exception).
https://www.usga.org/equipment-standards/equipment-rules-2019/equipment-rules/part-2-rule-3.html
