Benefits of using a mallet putter are in what they don’t do

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If a golfer is searching for a new putter, chances are their current gamer isn’t behaving. Unless you’re a gear junkie of the highest order — or Hideki Matsuyama — no one is seeking out a new putter when everything is clicking. Consistency and confidence are two things every golf craves in large doses on the greens.

We’d all love to have Brad Faxon’s stroke or Tiger Woods’ ability to bury big-time putts, but it’s important to remember even the best putters in the world occasionally need a break from their trusty gamer.

In recent years, we’ve seen mallets become the go-to option for pros struggling on the greens. What was once a distant second to the Anser-style blade in terms of putter popularity, mallets of all shapes and sizes have flipped the script in the last decade. With mallet usage increasing on Tour — even Tiger has dabbled in the mallet space over the years — the trickle-down effect has led to more amateurs embracing mallets.

Similar to the benefits a 460cc driver provides, switching to a putter with a larger profile can have numerous benefits, especially if you sport a mid-to-high handicap. The heavier head on a mallet putter is designed to do a few things better than a blade.

For starters, increasing the overall weight and pushing mass to the perimeter will increase Moment of Inertia, a measure of forgiveness that affords you the ability to be less precise with contact and still achieve a similar rollout. The additional mass also reduces the amount of unwanted twisting that typically goes on when a putt is hit off-center.

When combined, these two benefits increase your chances of making the putt with an inconsistent stroke.

“I see more mallet used for both alignment and forgiveness,” said Fully