Golf is costly, but over the years I have shared many ways to save money and make wise purchasing decisions on gear. Get shoes with replaceable spikes to prolong traction, buy tees in bulk online and invest in good rain gear that will last for years instead of two or three cheap pieces that leak every time you try playing through a shower.
So, what I’m about to write might come as a shock, but I think it’s true: An ultra-premium putter, which easily can cost $450 or more, might be one of the best values for your game.
I get it: Paying a driver-like price for a putter is insane to many golfers. There are many high-quality putters that cost less than $200 and feature helpful technologies.
Getting custom fit and purchasing a putter such as the just-released Scotty Cameron Super Select Newport 2, a Toulon Design Memphis or a Ping PLD Milled Oslo 4 – all of which have a retail price of $449 – requires a significant outlay of cash. But consider these things before you completely dismiss the idea of owning one of these clubs.
1. The shapes are timeless.
If you put any of the aforementioned putters down behind the ball and like it, you will always like it. Shapes like these never go out of style.
2. The technologies are timeless.
When it comes to drivers, technologies change all the time. Faces are made thinner and faster, crowns become lighter and advancements in manufacturing lead to new ways to hit the ball farther every year.
In contrast, putter technologies change slowly. Many of the most high-end putters are still milled from a single block of stainless steel, and in many cases materials such as aluminum and tungsten are strategically added to improve performance. Some of these putters have special face inserts or unique weighting systems to help you roll the ball more effectively. But as with their looks, the technologies you typically find in ultra-premium putters are time-tested.
3. Over time, they’re cheaper than drivers per shot.
Let’s do a little math. If you buy a new driver such as a Callaway Paradym, Cobra AeroJet or TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus+, you will pay $550 or more. If you are an avid golfer and play 30 rounds in a season, and you hit your driver off the tee on every par 4 and par 5 (14 drives per round), you will hit driver 420 times in a season. That works out to $1.31 per shot. If you skip a few generations of drivers and play the same club for five years, that’s 2,100 shots at $0.26 per shot.
If you buy a $450 putter and need 30 putts per round, in your first 30-round season you will pay 50 cents per putt for those 900 putts. A properly fit, ultra-premium putter can easily be played for five years or longer, so if you play 30 rounds a year for five years and take 30 putts per round (4,500 putts), your cost per putt goes down to $0.10 per shot.
So, per shot, an ultra-premium putter is cheaper than today’s modern drivers.
4. They maintain resale value.
Everyone should be careful when buying used equipment online to avoid counterfeit gear. If you are looking for bargains and check the prices of used putters such as the Bettinardi Queen B Series putters, you won’t find any for less than $150 to $200, and many are still fetching $300 or more. The supplies are limited, the demand is high and the value of ultra-premium putters can remain strong for years. So if you decide to part ways with a high-end putter, you can expect to obtain a nice trade-in credit at your local store or sell it outright for a good price.
Being a good value does not mean something is inexpensive. Paying $450 or more for any golf club represents a real investment in your game, so be sure to get custom fit. Below are several ultra-premium putters that nearly any golfer would love to use.
Bettinardi Queen B11 putter (Bettinardi)
Milled from a block of 303 stainless steel, this compact mallet has a special caramel-copper PVD finish, a short slant-neck hosel and Bettinardi’s mini honeycomb face design to soften feel.
The L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 putter (L.A.B. Golf)
This mid-size mallet has a body that is CNC-machined from a billet of 6061 aircraft aluminum and a midsection made using 303 stainless steel. With eight weights on the bottom and two on the side, this center-shafted putter is designed to keep its face square to your target line throughout your stroke.
Ping PLD Milled Oslo 4 (Ping)
Forged and precision milled from 303 stainless steel, the Oslo 4 mallet has a classic shape and a slant-neck hosel that makes it ideal for golfers who have an arced stroke. The deep-milled face grooves soften the sound and feel.
PXG Battle Ready Hercules (PXG)
Named after the military transport aircraft, this mid-size mallet has a body made from aerospace-grade aluminum that is complemented by two tungsten sole weights that increase stability. The Pyramid Face pattern helps normalize ball speed across a larger portion of the hitting area.
Sacks Parente Series 66 (Sacks Parente)
Shaped like a classic heel-toe-weighted blade, this putter utilizes brass and large tungsten weights in the front with aluminum in the back to pull the center of gravity forward, boost the moment of inertia and increase forgiveness. It comes standard with a low-balance point shaft.
Scotty Cameron Super Select Newport 2 (Titleist)
Milled from 303 stainless steel, the latest iteration of the Newport 2 has a face that is milled twice. The first pass creates deep grooves to enhance sound and feel before a second pass flattens the points created during the first milling for more consistency. The sole weights boost forgiveness while allowing fitters to adjust the swing weight.
The GT Max has two 40-gram weights that slide in tracks. (TaylorMade)
The body of this Spider is made using lightweight 6061 aluminum and features a hollowed-out core. A pair of independently adjustable 40-gram sliding weights in the heel and toe allow players and fitters to tweak the center of gravity to fit the putter to the player’s stroke more easily.
Toulon Design Memphis (Odyssey)
The double-bend shaft makes this midsize mallet face-balanced and suited for players with a straight putting stroke. A pair of 10-gram tungsten sole weights in the heel and toe increase forgiveness while the Deep Diamond groove pattern softens sound and feel. The putter comes standard with a green version of Odyssey’s graphite and steel Stroke Lab shaft.
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