BLADES VS MALLETS
Whether you should use a blade style putter or a mallet style putter has been an endless debate for years, and there’s a good reason why: both of them have significant advantages and disadvantages. This is one of the few arguments in golf that truly could go either way for every single player. Personal preference is going to play a large part in which ends up in the bag, but there is absolutely truth in stating that one style is probably going to be better than the other for any given golfer. There are tons of different shapes on the market in today’s golf landscape and finding the best one for you can make a significant difference in the amount of putts you hole per round, particularly within 6 feet. Thanks to our friends at Edel Golf and their new Array Putter line, we’ll dive in and compare the B-1 to the F-1 shapes both built up with BGT Stability putter shafts.
BLADES
Let’s start off talking about blade style putters like the B-1. This style of putter is a classic shape that’s been born from the DNA of the original Anser style designs and honed over time into a more technologically advanced performer while maintaining the true DNA of the classic look and feel that a golfer has come to love. Blades are known for their ability to make golfers feel like they are very in control of their putting stroke. The smaller size allows players to think that their hands are more in control of the stroke rather than the putter head. This feeling is then usually described as easier to control, particularly for shorter putts.
Because the blade style is a compact shape, the eyes are drawn to the entire putter, not just towards the putter face. When you address a putt with a blade style putter you’re able to see a clear representation of the back edge of the putter in relation to the address position of the face. This has been known to give golfers lots of confidence that they have a square putter face at address, and hopefully helping them keep the ball on the proper start line.
Blades are also known to be very easy on the mind. The smaller shaping allows golfers to feel more focused on the stroke and less on the visual interference that a larger mallet shape imposes. They also provide much more feedback to the hands than a mallet style putter does because there is less feel dispersed through the metal of a blade head than the increased amount of material on the mallet head.
Of course, all of these pros come along with cons. Because the blade style putter is much smaller, it’s going to be inherently less forgiving. Even with face technology like the tech implemented on the Edel Golf Array Putter line combined with their ability to perimeter weight the sole of the putter, something like the B-1 is never going to have the same MOI properties as something such as the F-1. Players who like feeling as though the putter is assisting them through the stroke and sort of taking over control will probably gravitate away from a blade shape.
MALLETS
The biggest thing that mallets have going for them is their increased forgiveness and the ability to add more alignment aids and features. By being able to pull weight back and away from the face of the putter, like the wings on the F-1, there is an increase in the forgiveness of the putter head which creates a more stable product. This of course comes at the expense of size, and mallets are going to be significantly larger shapes than those of blade style putters.
These benefits are going to be great for players who like to feel like the putter is helping them make their putting stroke, and takes some of the stress out of feeling like your stroke path needs to be perfect. Having a mallet style putter is typically going to have more headweight in the overall build which creates more feel in the putter head rather than in the hands. This feeling is usually described by golfers as more “pendulum-like” than that of the feeling of a blade style putter.
Because they are larger, you also have the ability to add more alignment features. And that’s something that’s ever present on the Edel Golf Array Putter line with their interchangeable alignment plates. It’s not uncommon to see mallets with longer sight lines, thicker sight lines, or even golf ball shaped alignment aides with some brands. Having so much space to play around with allows engineers and designers to work with the best players in the world to create alignment aids that allow them to feel more confident in their ability to line up the putter face square to the golf ball which gives them the best opportunity to get back to square at impact with a proper putting stroke.
Thanks to our friends at Edel Golf for sending us their new line of Array Putters and Breakthrough Golf Technology for providing the Stability putter shafts you see used to help demonstrate. Click either logo above for more information on the equipment used or to purchase your own!