Putter
A putter is the golf club used on the putting green to roll the ball into the hole. It has a flat, low-loft face and is built for accuracy rather than distance.
What is a putter?
The putter is the club a golfer uses to finish each hole. When a ball reaches the green, the putter is what rolls it into the cup, the only club designed for that specific job. Drivers and irons launch the ball through the air. The putter does the opposite, keeping it on the ground and rolling it toward the hole.
Almost every golf bag has one. The Rules of Golf permit up to 14 clubs in a round, and players choose their own combination, but a putter is the one club virtually no golfer is willing to leave behind. The reason becomes clear in the math. The average male golfer shoots around 98 with about 40 putts per round, according to USGA data cited by 18Birdies. That is roughly 40% of all strokes hit with a single club.
The word itself traces back to a Scottish verb meaning “push or shove,” which captures the stroke well. A putt is not a swing in the usual sense. It is a short, slow, controlled motion intended to roll the ball a precise distance toward the hole.
How a putter is different from other clubs
The clearest difference is loft. A driver has roughly 9° of loft. An 8-iron sits around 36°, and a sand wedge can reach 56° or more. A putter sits at the bottom of the scale, usually 3° to 4°, and capped at 10° under USGA Equipment Rules. That small loft exists to lift the ball just enough to start it rolling cleanly rather than skidding.
Other design rules also bend just for the putter. It is the only club permitted to have a bent shaft, a non-circular grip cross-section, and visible positional alignment guides on the head, according to the USGA. Standard putters measure 32 to 35 inches in length. Putters also have no maximum length under the Rules of Golf, while every other club is capped at 48 inches.
The stroke is also unlike a full swing. Where a 7-iron asks for a large body turn and full release, a putt is closer to a pendulum motion controlled by the shoulders and arms.
| Feature | Putter | Other clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Face loft | 3°-10° | 9°-64° |
| Purpose | Roll the ball | Launch the ball |
| Where it is used | The green (mostly) | Tee, fairway, rough, sand |
| Stroke | Short, slow, pendulum-like | Full swing |
| Special design allowances | Bent shaft, non-round grip, alignment aids | Standard only |
Types of putters
Putters fall into two main families by head shape: blade and mallet.
A blade putter has a thin, rectangular head in the traditional style. It tends to weigh slightly less, gives the golfer more feedback through the hands, and usually has toe hang, meaning the toe of the club points down when balanced on a finger. Toe hang suits an arcing putting stroke. The Ping Anser, designed by Karsten Solheim in 1966, is the original blade shape that most modern blades trace back to.
A mallet putter has a larger, often geometric head. Some are shaped like a half-moon, others like a square or a fang. The extra mass is pushed to the perimeter, which raises the moment of inertia and reduces twisting on off-center strikes. Mallets are usually face-balanced, suiting a straighter back-and-through stroke. The TaylorMade Spider and Scotty Cameron Phantom are well-known mallet designs.
Beyond head shape, putters also vary by length. Standard putters run 32-35 inches. Belly putters are 41-43 inches and were once braced against the stomach. Long or broomstick putters reach 48 inches or more and were once braced against the chest.
A 2016 rule from the USGA and R&A banned anchoring the club against the body during a stroke, which changed how the longer putters can be used in competition. The clubs themselves are still legal. The anchored stroke is not.
| Type | Head | Stroke type it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Blade | Thin, traditional, smaller | Arc stroke |
| Mallet | Larger, geometric, heavier | Straight back and through |
| Belly / long | Standard heads on extended shafts | Players who prefer reduced wrist action |
Putter rules and specifications
The USGA Rules of Golf define a putter as “a club with a loft not exceeding ten degrees designed primarily for use on the putting green.” A few specifics flow from that definition.
Length: all clubs must be at least 18 inches long. Putters have no upper limit, while every other club is capped at 48 inches under Rule 4.3c, with a 46-inch local rule option for elite competition. The clubhead width cannot exceed 7 inches measured from heel to toe, per Section 4b(iii) of Appendix II.
Grip and shaft: a putter is the only club allowed a non-circular grip and the only club allowed a bent shaft. The shaft can be attached at any point in the head, which is why center-shafted putters are legal even though no other clubhead style is.
And the anchoring ban, in effect since January 1, 2016, applies to any club but had its biggest impact on long and belly putters. A player cannot press the club or a gripping hand against the body to create a fixed point during the stroke.
Why the putter matters
Putting decides a large share of every round. Average male recreational golfers take about 40 putts per round on a score near 98, per USGA figures. PGA Tour pros sit much lower, around 29 putts per round on average, based on figures from PGA Tour stats and analysis from PuttView. Even at the elite level, putting is roughly 40% of the total score.
The data gets more granular at short range. Research by Columbia University professor Mark Broadie, the creator of the strokes-gained metric, shows that PGA Tour players make 99% of putts from 2 feet, 96% from 3 feet, 88% from 4 feet, and 77% from 5 feet. From around 8 feet, the make rate drops to roughly 50%.
A putter is also the only club used on essentially every hole, the one constant in a bag of specialty tools. Drivers, wedges, and irons rotate based on yardage. The putter comes out, in some form, on almost every green.
Related Golf Terms
- Putt — A stroke played on the putting green using a putter.
- Provisional ball — A second ball played when the original may be lost or out of bounds.
- Punch shot — A low-trajectory shot played to stay below tree branches or wind.
- Push — A shot that travels straight but to the right of the target for a right-hander.
- Pull — A shot that travels straight but to the left of the target for a right-hander.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the putter the most important club?
By workload, yes. Roughly 40% of a typical recreational golfer’s strokes are made with the putter, based on USGA data on putts per round. That makes it the easiest club for cutting strokes off a score.
What is the difference between a putter and an iron?
A putter has low loft (3°-10°), a flat face, and is built to roll the ball on the green. An iron has more loft (about 17° to 48° depending on the number), is built for distance, and lifts the ball into the air.
Why is the putter sometimes called the flat stick or Texas wedge?
“Flat stick” is a casual nickname that refers to the putter’s flat face. “Texas wedge” is what golfers call a putter when they use it from off the green, typically on the fringe or short rough, instead of chipping.
How long is a standard putter?
Most standard putters are 32 to 35 inches. There is no maximum length under the Rules of Golf, only an 18-inch minimum that applies to every club. Belly putters run 41-43 inches, and long putters can reach 48 inches or more.
Can you use a putter from off the green?
Yes. The rules do not restrict where a putter can be used. Many players reach for it from the fringe or tight grass close to the green when there is nothing between the ball and the hole that needs to be carried in the air.
Sources
- Wikipedia. “Putter.” Accessed May 2026.
- United States Golf Association. “Equipment Rules, Part 2 (Rule 1 Interpretations).” Accessed May 2026.
- Golfweek / SportsRec. “USGA Rules on Putters.” Accessed May 2026.
- 18Birdies Knowledge Base. “Putting by the Numbers – Part One.” Accessed May 2026.
- AvidGolfer Magazine. “Golf Science – Putting Numbers that Might Surprise You.” Accessed May 2026.
- PGA Tour. “Putting Stats Category.” Accessed May 2026.
- Stafford Golf Store. “Standard Club Lengths: The Ultimate Guide 2026.” Accessed May 2026.
