Every year companies release their new line of clubs, balls, or shoes and expect us to “buy” that they blow last year’s gear out of the water. Most of the time the latest and greatest isn’t going to significantly lower your score. Heck, I still use a brass putter from my Grandpa that looks like it has gotten run over. Now that I think of it, it has gotten run over, but that doesn’t matter because I know it better than any club in my bag and know how to get by its quirks. Now for people looking to upgrade, there have been some major improvements in putters that have actually made a difference. A lot of people think that when a ball skids or bounces after they put it is because of their form, and that certainly has a lot to do with it, but the right putter can drastically minimize these blips and help the ball roll cleanly along your line. I’ve narrowed down some of the best putters and separated them by design.

Blade

The granddaddy of designs is still one of the most popular.

• Ping: Anser Milled 1 – Ping has definitely found the answer (And I’m definitely the first to make that joke) with this classic style of putter. This putter looks beautiful and reminds me of my straight razor that I’m too scared to try. Forged from a single piece of steel, the feel of this blade is utterly responsive. Higher handicap players may have trouble with off center shots, but lower handicap players will appreciate the subtle touch and feel of a center struck ball. The great feedback from this putter will help you dial in the longer puts.
• TaylorMade Ghost Tour DA-12 – TaylorMade offers a cheaper competitor that boasts the same performance enhancing technologies of other top brands. The insert design has a grooved face that helps to grip keep the ball from skidding and single dark line on the light head offers some help with alignment. This is a lighter club and generally does well on fast greens.

Mallet

Generally offering more forgiveness and head weight than the blade putters. Both of these putters are probably quite different than what you are used to seeing.

• Odyssey Flip Face #5 – as the name suggests, this putter allows you to choose which face to use depending on style and conditions. One side is an aluminum insert with machined grooves that produces a much faster ball while the White Ice insert produces a much quieter and subtler put. Long puts or slow greens benefit from the aluminum face while short puts and fast greens benefit from the White Ice insert. Just pull the head apart and flip the face around. This is good if you travel to a lot of different courses and don’t want to carry around multiple putters.
• Nike Method Concept – Call me shallow, but this is my personal favorite for looks alone. Futuristic in design, the putter has a bright red aluminum head that is attached to a black steel ring. This puts 2/3rds of the weight in the back of the putter which keeps a deep center of gravity. Nike’s inspiration came by wanting to pack the benefits of an oversized MOI putter into a smaller footprint. The high contrast between the red face and black steel makes it so golfers who like blade designs can still appreciate this head.

High-MOI Putters

These are the behemoths of the putting world. The heads are heavy, there are usually long lines or circles for line up, and they are designed to help reduce any faults in your putting style with a high moment of inertia.

• SeeMore m5x CS–The largely unassuming design sports a classic blade head with a large wing coming off the back. The wing gives added weight and stability so mishit puts can still turn out alright. The black head also has definite white lines for lining up the perimeter of the ball, which helps you to feel confident in your line. The m5x CS also has an alignment tool for the shaft. A red dot on top of the blade should be completely covered up if everything else is aligned correctly; this obviously helps take the guesswork out of putting.
• Titleist GoLo– Like any MOI putter the head sports a very deep and heavy back. An internal rubber ring dampens any noise that the metal head might produce and the result is a very smooth feeling, and sounding, put. If you’re a terrible putter you’ll still feel like you’re connecting well and consistently with the GoLo.

With any new putter it is a matter of preference. One might look great on paper but feel terrible in your hand. Be sure to go to a pro-shop or try out a friend’s before you spring for one.

David Bryce is an online publisher for Thousand Hills Golf Resort in Branson, MO. He blogs on the topics of golf, travel, Branson lodging, and vacations.

Best Putters of 2012 is a post by MarkE on Golf Putting & Expert Golf Tips To Improve Your Golf Putting Today!. Check out Golf Putting & Expert Golf Tips To Improve Your Golf Putting Today! - Ultimate golf putting tips to improve your golf putting quickly! Golf Putting tips, golf putter grip, golf putting fixes, for beginners golf putting to advanced..