Putter Types Explained: Blade, Mallet and What Suits a Junior
Putters vary more than any other club in the bag. Here's what the shapes actually do, and what matters when buying for a child.
The putter is the club a junior will use more than any other - typically somewhere around a third to a half of all strokes in a round - and it is also the club most often bought as an afterthought.
Blade putters
Blades are the traditional thin, compact shape. They have less material spread around the head, which means less forgiveness on off-centre strikes, but many players prefer how they look at address and how easily they can be swung on a slight arc.
Mallet putters
Mallets have larger, heavier heads with weight pushed to the extremes. That raises resistance to twisting, so a putt struck away from the centre holds its line better. Mallets also carry more room for alignment aids - lines and shapes on the crown that help a player aim.
For most juniors, a mallet is the easier club to putt with. The forgiveness helps on the mishits a young player produces regularly, and the alignment aid genuinely helps a child who has not yet learned to aim by feel.
The measurement that matters most: length
Putter length is where junior buying most often goes wrong. An adult putter is usually 33 to 35 inches. A child using one has to stand too far from the ball or bend awkwardly, and neither produces a repeatable stroke.
A correctly sized junior putter lets the child stand comfortably with eyes over or just inside the ball, arms hanging naturally. If they are choking down heavily on the grip to make an adult putter work, it is too long - and choking down also ruins the club's balance.
Putting technique is worth getting right early because it is the most transferable skill in the game - our step-by-step guide to teaching a child to putt starts from setup.
Head weight and green speed
Heavier heads tend to suit slower greens, which is what most juniors play on at public courses and practice greens. A very light putter on slow greens forces a longer, faster stroke that is harder to control.
What to prioritise when buying
- Correct length first - nothing else compensates for a putter that is too long
- A clear alignment aid, which helps more than any other feature at this stage
- A mallet-ish head for forgiveness, unless the child has a strong preference otherwise
- Grip size the child's hands can actually hold without strain
Beyond that, let the child choose something they like the look of. A putter they are keen to use is worth more than a technically superior one they are not.