Flat Stick

Flat stick is golf slang for the putter, the club used to roll the ball into the hole on the green. The nickname comes from the putter’s flat, low-loft face.

What is a flat stick in golf?

Flat stick is a casual nickname for the putter. Golfers reach for it once the ball is on the green, or just off it, because the putter is built to roll the ball along the ground toward the cup rather than launch it into the air.

The name turns up at every level of the game. Weekend players use it, and so do tour pros and TV commentators. If a broadcaster says a player “got hot with the flat stick” on Sunday, they mean the golfer was putting well.

Spelling varies. You will see it written as two words (flat stick) or run together as one (flatstick). Both are correct, and both point to the same club.

Why is a putter called a flat stick?

Line a putter up next to a driver or a wedge and the difference jumps out. Most clubs have an obvious backward tilt to the face, called loft, which helps lift the ball into the air. A putter’s face looks close to vertical by comparison, almost flat. That appearance is where the nickname comes from.

Here is the catch: putters are not actually flat. Nearly every putter has a small amount of loft built in, usually around 2 to 4 degrees, according to putter-fitting guidance from The Left Rough. That loft does a job. The ball sits slightly down in the grass, even on a smooth green, so a few degrees lifts it out of its tiny depression and starts it rolling cleanly instead of skidding, a point equipment writer Brent Kelley makes about why putter loft matters.

The reason “flat” still fits is context. A driver might carry 9 to 13 degrees of loft, and a lob wedge close to 60. Next to those, a 3-degree putter face looks flat. That is the whole point of the nickname. The Rules of Golf cap a putter’s loft at 10 degrees, though almost no golfer gets near that limit.

Flat stick vs flagstick

These two terms trip up new golfers constantly, and it is easy to see why. They sound almost identical, but they point to completely different objects.

Term	What it is	Where you find it
Flat stick	The putter (a golf club)	In your bag and in your hands
Flagstick	The pole with a flag that marks the hole	Standing in the cup on the green

The flat stick is the club you swing. The flagstick, also called the pin, is the pole that shows where the hole is from across the green. One is equipment you carry in your bag. The other is part of the course, standing in the cup until players remove it or putt around it. If a playing partner says “aim at the stick,” they almost always mean the flagstick, not your putter.

Flat stick vs Texas wedge

Both nicknames involve the putter, so they get mixed up too. The difference comes down to where the club is used.

Flat stick is simply another word for the putter, wherever you happen to be on the course. A Texas wedge is the putter used from off the green, such as from the fringe or short rough, instead of chipping. Every Texas wedge shot uses the flat stick, but a flat stick used on the green is not a Texas wedge.

Where the nickname came from

The term has been part of golf for the better part of a century. One name tied closely to it is George Low Jr., a tour player from the 1930s who became far better known as a putter designer and putting coach, and who worked with Arnold Palmer in the 1950s. Golf Compendium notes that Low earned the nickname “The Wizard of the Flat Stick.”

The phrase has appeared in book titles as well, including Noah Lieberman’s 2006 history of the putter, which used “The Flat Stick” as its name. That long history does not change the meaning. It shows how deep the nickname runs in everyday golf talk.

Related Golf Terms

Foozle — Slang for a clumsily botched shot.
Sky ball — A tee shot struck off the top of the driver that balloons upward.
Pop-up — A high, weak tee shot that travels little distance.
Flub — Slang for a poorly executed short shot that goes nowhere.
Breakfast ball — An informal first-tee mulligan taken on the opening hole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a flat stick the same as a flagstick?

No. A flat stick is the putter, the club used to roll the ball on the green. A flagstick is the pole with a flag that marks the hole. They sound alike but are unrelated.

Are putters actually flat?

Not quite. Most putters have about 2 to 4 degrees of loft, which lifts the ball out of its resting spot on the grass so it rolls smoothly. They only look flat next to higher-lofted clubs.

Is it spelled flatstick or flat stick?

Both spellings are common and accepted. Some writers and glossaries use one word, others use two. The meaning is identical.

Who was the “Wizard of the Flat Stick”?

That was George Low Jr., a former tour player turned putter designer and putting instructor who coached Arnold Palmer in the 1950s.

Do professional golfers use the term?

Yes. Flat stick is used across golf, from beginners to tour pros and TV commentators, often when praising or criticizing how someone is putting.

Sources

Golf Compendium. “What Is the ‘Flat Stick’ in Golf?” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.golfcompendium.com/2024/06/flat-stick-definition.html
The DIY Golfer. “What does ‘Flat Stick’ mean in golf?” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.thediygolfer.com/golf-terms/flat-stick
Kelley, Brent. “Flatstick and the Role of Loft on Putters.” LiveAbout. Accessed July 2026.
https://www.liveabout.com/flatstick-role-of-loft-on-putters-1560849
The Left Rough. “The Importance of Putter Loft.” Accessed July 2026.
https://theleftrough.com/putter-loft/
Wikipedia. “Putter.” Accessed July 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putter