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2 October 2026 · 9 min read

Choosing a putter: blade or mallet, length, lie and what a putter costs in Switzerland

With a mallet 15-handicappers hole 82 % from up to 6 feet, with a blade 75 %. Plus toe hang, length, lie and the prices: a median of CHF 379.00 at one retailer.

Choosing a putter: blade or mallet, length, lie and what a putter costs in Switzerland — post image

A blade is the compact, narrow putter, and a mallet has a large head with weight at the rim and is more forgiving on mishits (TGW). For beginners TGW considers a mallet with a high moment of inertia (MOI) the forgiving choice. In the data from Shot Scope 15-handicappers hole 82 % of their putts from 6 feet and closer with a mallet and 75 % with a blade. The length depends on your height, 34 to 35 inches is usual. And a putter costs between CHF 149.90 and CHF 999.00 at a Swiss retailer, with a median of CHF 379.00. I read the sources on 2 October 2026.

Blade or mallet: the difference

A blade is the traditional shape: compact, flat and narrow from front to back. Modern blades move weight to the heel and toe, but the centre of gravity stays close to the face, and that can be less stable on strikes off the middle (TGW). A mallet has a larger head, more weight at the rim and a much higher moment of inertia: the putter twists less on mishits (TGW). The mid-mallet sits in between. TGW sums up who suits which shape:

ShapeHeadSuits (TGW)
Bladecompact, narrowplayers who put feel, feedback and precision above maximum forgiveness and need little help with alignment
Mid-malletbetween blade and malletplayers who want more stability on mishits but prefer a compact head
Malletlarge, weight at the rimmost golfers, especially beginners and anyone who does not often find the middle of the face

What does the data say?

Shot Scope analysed the data of its users. For 15-handicappers who play common blade and mallet models, the company gives these numbers:

15-handicapPutts holed from 6 feet and closerDistance to the hole after long putts (20 feet and more)Three-putts per round
Blade75 %7.3 feet2.6
Mallet82 %7.7 feet2.3

6 feet are about 1.8 metres, 20 feet about 6 metres. The mallet leads on short putts and on three-putts, the blade brings long putts closer to the hole on average (Shot Scope). Read the numbers with care: the page gives no number of golfers, and whoever plays a mallet chose it. They show an association, not proof, and Shot Scope itself writes that there are exceptions.

Toe hang or face balance: what fits your stroke

Balance the putter level: if the face points up it is face-balanced, if the toe hangs down it has toe hang (TGW). Golf Post describes the two-finger method: you balance the putter on two fingers, and the angle at which the toe points down is the toe hang angle. Face-balanced means 0 degrees, and Golf Post shows a model with 30 degrees as an example. The values are usually on the packaging and on the maker's website.

What decides it is your stroke. Golf Post distinguishes straight, slight arc and strong arc. If your stroke is straight you take a face-balanced putter, if you putt with an arc a model with toe hang, and the stronger the arc, the more toe hang. Which kind you are you see on a video: make your natural motion with your putter and have yourself filmed. Few people have a perfectly straight stroke, and small arcs still count as straight. The shaft connection gives some orientation:

Your strokeBalance (Golf Post)Shaft connection (TGW)
straightface-balanced, 0 degreesdouble-bend shaft, face-balanced
slight arcsome toe hangplumber's neck, mid toe hang
strong arca lot of toe hangslant neck, the most toe hang

The table is an orientation from two sources, not a standard. TGW writes that many players and fitters still hold to this theory. Next to it there is a modern school, zero torque and lie angle balance: the putter should twist so little that you do not have to steer the face actively, and many large makers offer such models. As a beginner you do not have to decide this, but you will recognise the terms in a catalogue.

What length do you need?

The standard length is 34 to 35 inches according to TGW, which suits players between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet 2 inches, so about 173 to 188 centimetres. A wrong length changes posture, eye position and arc. At address the eyes should be directly over or just inside the ball-target line and the arms should hang naturally, not pushed outward or tucked in (TGW). The table from TGW:

HeightPutter length according to TGW
under 165 cm32 to 33 inches (81 to 84 cm)
165 to 175 cm33 to 34 inches (84 to 86 cm)
175 to 188 cm34 to 35 inches (86 to 89 cm)
over 188 cm35 inches and more (from 89 cm)

Length is no obstacle in the shops: of 55 putters in stock in the range of the Swiss retailer Golfers Paradise, 47 come with a 34-inch variant, 11 with 33 inches and 10 with 35 inches. Four have 38 or 40 inches. Under the equipment rules the maximum length of 48 inches does not apply to putters, so long putters are allowed (R&A, Equipment Rules). You must not anchor the club, though (Rule 10.1b).

Loft and lie

The loft of a putter is 3 to 4 degrees as standard. It lifts the ball out of the small hollow it makes in the turf and gets it rolling quickly (TGW). The rules set the limit at 10 degrees: a putter is a club with a loft of at most 10 degrees (R&A). The lie is the angle between shaft and ground. At address the sole should sit flat. If the putter is too upright the ball tends to go left, if it is too flat, to the right (TGW). The key variables are measurable: stroke arc, lie, length and loft (TGW). What a fitting measures and costs is covered in Golf fitting in Switzerland.

What does a putter cost in Switzerland?

I read the listing data of Golfers Paradise, a Swiss retailer, as of 2 October 2026. These are retailer prices per club, without chippers, children's and used clubs, and only models with a variant in stock: 55 putters, from CHF 149.90 to CHF 999.00, with a median of CHF 379.00. The prices of the examples below come from the retailer's putter page.

Price per putterNumber of putters
under CHF 2005
CHF 200 to 2999
CHF 300 to 39916
CHF 400 to 4999
CHF 500 and more16

The shape does not set the price, the brand and the material are more likely to. Examples from the range, with the shape according to TGW or the retailer's description (sorted by price):

ModelShapeRetailer price
Cleveland HB Soft2 #15mallet (retailer)CHF 159.90
Ping Scottsdale Oslo 3mallet (retailer)CHF 299.00
Ping Scottsdale Prime Tyne 4mid-mallet (TGW)CHF 299.00
Ping Scottsdale Anser 2Dblade (TGW)CHF 299.00
Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newportblade (TGW)CHF 529.90

Three Ping models in three shapes cost the same, and the Newport as a blade costs CHF 230.90 more. More expensive does not mean better for you: TGW writes that for average golfers the right head shape and length bring more than a premium material. If you want to save, ways are described in Used clubs and lake balls, and which putter sits in a starter set is shown in Golf beginner set.

How to try putters

Try two putters against each other, a blade and a mallet, on the same surface. A test you do yourself: 20 putts each from 6 feet, so about 1.8 metres, the limit of the Shot Scope numbers, 40 putts in all. Count the holed ones and see where the misses go. If the ball often runs left, check the lie first (TGW) and not the head straight away. How putting feels different in the simulator is covered in Putting in the golf simulator, the technique in Putting: technique for beginners and exercises for home in Practising putting at home.

Where to find putters and advice

Bring your own putter into the bay and compare it with a second one. The golf simulator for beginners page explains the first visit, the map shows the venues by canton, and golf simulator near me names the nearest one. Among the 80 venues in the directory that name an hourly price the median is CHF 50 per bay, and the prices are under golf simulator prices. 81 of the 110 indoor venues offer coaching (as of 2 October 2026, own entries), and you find them under indoor golf training.

Frequently asked questions

Blade or mallet for beginners?

TGW considers a mallet with a high moment of inertia the forgiving choice for beginners. At Shot Scope 15-handicappers hole 82 % of their putts from 6 feet and closer with a mallet and 75 % with a blade. Still try both, because the numbers only show an association.

How long should my putter be?

The standard length according to TGW is 34 to 35 inches, which suits heights between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet 2 inches, about 173 to 188 centimetres. Under 165 cm TGW names 32 to 33 inches, over 188 cm 35 inches and more.

What do toe hang and face balanced mean on a putter?

Face-balanced means that when you balance the putter level the face points up and the toe hang is 0 degrees. With toe hang the toe hangs down. According to Golf Post face-balanced suits a straight stroke and toe hang a stroke with an arc.

What does a putter cost in Switzerland?

At Golfers Paradise, a Swiss retailer, 55 putters in stock cost between CHF 149.90 and CHF 999.00, with a median of CHF 379.00 (as of 2 October 2026, without chippers, children's and used clubs). Retailer prices per club, and other shops may differ.

How much loft does a putter have?

The standard is 3 to 4 degrees according to TGW. The loft lifts the ball out of the small hollow in the turf and gets it rolling. The rules allow at most 10 degrees, and under the equipment rules a putter is a club with a loft of at most 10 degrees.

Sources