TaylorMade TP Black putters

TaylorMade TP Black putters have a dark finish, grooved face and classic look in the address position.

Gear: TaylorMade TP Black putters
Price: $199.99 each with KBS 120 Chrome Stepped shaft and Lamkin Sink Fit Skinny grip
Specs: Milled 303 stainless steel heads with grooved Surlyn insert

Who It’s For: Golfers who love classic-shaped putters and want help creating a more consistent roll.

The Skinny: These are dark-finished versions of traditional TaylorMade TP putters, with a Pure Roll insert designed to reduce skidding and encourage the ball to start rolling sooner.

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The Deep Dive: When it comes to putters, TaylorMade struck gold with the Spider, and the Carlsbad, California, brand has turned out several different versions of the stable mallets over the last decade. However, TaylorMade’s TP line of putters has remained available for players who are not ready or willing to leave classic-shaped putters behind. In 2021, TaylorMade released the TP Hydroblast line, which featured a softened chrome finish, and in 2023 the TaylorMade rolled out the TP Reserve putters. Now, for 2024, it is bringing out the TP Black Collection.

If you are looking for the hottest new designs or the latest technological features, look somewhere else because the TP Black family features three heel-toe weighted blades, a compact mallet and two mid-size mallets that will all look familiar.

Each has been milled using 303 stainless steel for a softer feel, and all of the putters have black Pure Roll insert with grooves that point downward at a 45-degree angle. According to TaylorMade, the downward-facing grooves grab the back of the ball at impact and encourage it to start rolling instead of skidding and bouncing on the green, resulting in more consistency and better distance control.

The anodization process that adds the black finish helps the anti-glare look last longer, while the single white alignment on each head stands out easily and should help players aim the face more effectively.

Below are several images of the new TaylorMade TP Black putters.

Cobra Vintage putters (2024)

Cobra Vintage putters have a softer feel and classic looks.

Gear: Cobra Vintage putters
Price: $249 each with KBS CT Tour 120 shaft and SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 1.0 grip
Specs: 304 stainless steel heads with variable-loft, Pebax insert and adjustable sole weights.
Available: February 23, but available NOW via pre-sale

Who it’s For: Golfers who want help creating a consistent roll from a traditional putter with a soft feel.

The Skinny: Cobra’s second-generation Vintage putters retain their classic shapes, but a new insert helps them deliver a softer feel at impact.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cobra Vintage putters” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/LXq57M”]

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The Deep Dive: The just-released Cobra 3D Printed family of putters is about as space-age putters get, but Cobra has new offerings in 2024 for players who want a classic-looking flat stick, the Vintage line.

Cobra’s Vintage line first appeared in 2021, and from a shaping standpoint, the 2024 offerings are very similar. The Sport-40 and Sport-60 are traditional heel-to-weighted blades that would look right at home in the bag of a PGA Tour player, while the Nova, with its wing-style extensions in the heel and toe, Stingray mallet and the semi-circular Cuba mallet will look familiar to most golfers too.

The most significant upgrade Cobra gave the Vintage putters is a new variable-loft Pebax insert. The hitting area is divided into four regions, with the top having 4 degrees of loft. Each segment of the face goes down in loft by 1 degree until you reach the bottom of the face, which has just 1 degree of loft. The design is meant to present the same loft to the ball on every stroke, even if your hands press forward slightly at impact or you swing up into the ball.

The technology comes from Cobra’s partner, L.A. Golf, and Cobra designers have used it in the past, but the addition of a lightweight thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) in the insert helps impact feel softer, especially compared to the firmer-feeling face of the 3-D Printed putters.

The body of each Vintage putter is metal injection molded (MIM) using 305 stainless steel, and each head has an adjustable weight in the heel and toe areas. Golfers will not be able to remove the weights, but fitters can swap the weights – which range from 5 grams to 25 grams – to change the swing weight of the putter based on its length and a golfer’s preferences.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cobra Vintage putters” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/LXq57M”]

Below are several looks at the Cobra Vintage putters.

Cobra 3D Printed putters (2024)

Learn how Cobra’s 3-D Printed putters shift weight to help golfers putt better.

Gear: Cobra 3D Printed putters (2024)
Price: $349 each with KBS CT Tour 120 shaft and SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 1.0 grip
Specs: Carbon fiber crown with 304 stainless steel body, milled 6061 aerospace grade aluminum face insert and 3D-printed features.
Available: February 23, but NOW via pre-sale

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Who it’s For: Golfers who want extra stability and modern design with enhanced alignment features.

The Skinny: By 3D printing a significant portion of the body, Cobra designers can radically shift weight to enhance performance while the variable-loft face encourages a more consistent roll.

The Deep Dive: When you make a new golf club, whether it’s a driver, a wedge or even a putter, one of the biggest challenges is to manipulate weight and remove it from places where it doesn’t do anything to areas when it can improve performance. As much as any brand in the industry, Cobra has aggressively used exotic materials, not just because they are cool, but because things like carbon fiber, tungsten and other things aside from stainless steel can make clubs perform better.

In 2021, Cobra released its first 3D Printed putters, taking the concept of exotic materials to a whole new level. Now, Cobra is releasing an updated family of 3D Printed putters.

Like the first generation of 3D Printed putters, the new offerings are aggressively shaped and made to be ultra-stable on mis-hits to keep putts you hit outside the sweet spot rolling on your intended line.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cobra 3D printed putters” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/75rDzQ”]

At first glance, you will see a carbon fiber crown and a four-level face that is made from 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum, an exceptionally light material. Made in partnership with L.A. Golf, the top portion of the hitting area has 4 degrees of loft, but each section drops in loft by 1 degree as the hitting area lowers, leaving the bottom with just 1 degree of loft. The idea is to create a consistent amount of loft on every putt, so if your hands are forward on one stroke, which would naturally de-loft the face, the 4 degrees of loft on the top can help to counteract it. If you swing up into a putt, which would add loft, the lower-lofted bottom of the face accommodates that type of stroke.

That’s what you see, but looking closer at the body of the 3D Printed putters reveals what makes them unique. Each head has a dark nylon area in the center that is made using 3D-printed nylon that is shaped into a lattice. This technique allows designers to make shapes and structures that could not be produced by forging or milling, while saving weight. The nylon also absorbs vibrations to improve sound and feel.

The rest of the body of the 3D Printed putters is made using metal-injection molded (MIM) 304 stainless steel.

The result of opting for all these high-tech materials is Cobra removed weight from the top, middle and face of the 3D Printed putters and shifted more of it to the back in the heel and toe areas, which boosts the moment of inertia (MOI) and helps the putters resist twisting on off-center strikes.

On the bottom of each club are weight ports that can hold weight screws ranging from 5 grams up to 25 grams. Custom fitters will be able to use these weights to adjust the swing weight of each putter based on the length that is ideal for specific players.

The 3D Printed putters are available in three different head styles, including the high-MOI Agera, the smaller Agera RS, the fang-style SuperNova and the blade-style GrandSport 35.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cobra 3D printed putters” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/75rDzQ”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]

Ping PLD Milled Anser, Anser 2D, Oslo 3, DS72 and Ally Blue 4 

Ping is expanding its PLD Milled putter family with new blades and mallets with customization options.

Gear: Ping PLD Milled Anser, Anser 2D, Oslo 3, DS72 and Ally Blue 4
Price: $485 each
Specs: Milled 303 stainless steel
Available: February 13

Who It’s For: Golfers who want tour-inspired looks and elite levels of feel and precision in their putter.

The Skinny: Using feedback from tour pros, Ping is expanding its PLD Milled putter family with new blades and mallets while also expanding the personalization and customization options.

The Deep Dive: Two years ago, Ping launched a three-level putter program that brought tour-level clubs to the masses and allowed consumers to customize their new Ping putters like never before. The four PLD putters were straight-from-the-bag of players like Viktor Hovland, but now Ping is releasing a line extension that includes five new PLD putters, the Milled Anser, Anser 2D, Oslo 3, DS72 and Ally Blue 4.

Like the first PLD putters (PLD stands for Putting Lab Design in homage to the company’s putter testing facility inside its Phoenix, Arizona, headquarters), the new Anser, Anser 2D, DS72 and Oslo 3 are each milled from a solid block of 303 stainless steel in a process that takes about four hours to complete. They come standard with a gunmetal finish and a deep-milling pattern in the hitting area that creates the sound and feel that tour players prefer.

Ping PLD Anser 2024
The Ping PLD Anser 2024 is the latest version of the most-copied putter in golf. (Ping)
  • Anser – This classic heel-toe weighted blade comes at a standard weight of 350 grams with 3 degrees of loft.
  • Anser 2D – This is the Tony Finau putter, a wider version of the original Anser. At 365 grams, its added weight and size make it more stable.
  • DS72 – The Viktor Hovland putter, this compact mallet is suited for golfers with a straight putting stroke. The gap in the back flange can help players align the face more easily. 
  • Oslo 3 – This semi-circular mallet is a favorite of Tyrrell Hatton and has a higher moment of inertia to increase stability.

The fifth putter, the high-MOI Ally Blue 4, is a mallet with an aluminum body, stainless steel soleplate and aluminum hosel. Its size, shape and weight distribution help it resist twisting on off-center hits and keep mis-hit putts rolling on your intended target line.

In addition to announcing the release of the five new PLD putters, Ping is allowing golfers to personalize their putters more deeply by utilizing an online tool on ping.com called PLD Milled Plus. 

Ping PLD Milled putters for 2024
Customized Ping PLD Milled putters for 2024. (Ping)

Instead of going with the standard features that come on the PLD putters, PLD Milled Plus lets golfers select their own alignment aids, paint fill, custom graphics and paint-filled grips. For instance, if you want a single dot added to the topline of your DS72, filled in red, no problem. If you want two alignment lines added to your Anser, one in purple and the other in golf, you got it. Laser etching also always allows golfers to add stars and stripes or Mr. Ping logos.

Once golfers are done designing their putter online, they can take their unique design specifications to an authorized where the custom order is placed before Ping’s custom shop builds the club. 

Below are several close-up looks at the 2024 Ping PLD putters and some customized putters created in the Ping PLD Milled Plus program

Odyssey Ai ONE Cruiser putters

Odyssey’s Ai ONE Cruiser putters have an insert made improve distance control and heavier weight to encourage a better-quality stroke.

Gear: Odyssey Ai ONE Cruiser putters
Price: $349.99 each
Specs: Cast stainless steel heads with adjustable sole weights.
Available: February 8 (pre-order), March 15 (in stores)

Who It’s For: Golfers who struggle with distance control and who want a more solid, stable-feeling putter.

The Skinny: While the Ai ONE insert helps golfers improve their distance control by normalizing ball speed over a larger area, the Cruiser putters’ heavier weight should help players make a smoother, better-quality stroke.

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The Deep Dive: When anchored puttering strokes were outlawed by the USGA and R&A in 2016, some players looked to heavier putters and counterbalanced putters to get some of the stability back in their game. Lighter putters can encourage golfers to get their hands and wrists more involved in the stroke, which can lead to inconsistency. However, heavier putters and clubs that have extra weight added to the top of the handle tend to quiet your hands and encourage players to make a smoother stroke, which can enhance consistency.

In time, the counterbalanced putter surge quieted and faded. The trend towards generally heavier putters continued, with many putters now typically weighing 345 or 350 grams, which is about 20-25 grams heavier than putters made in the early 2000s.

With the release of the new Cruiser family of putters, Odyssey is looking to blend the stability and stroke-enhancing features of longer, counterbalanced putters with a face technology created using artificial intelligence.

At the heart of the new Cruiser putter family is the new Ai ONE, which made its debut this winter in the standard Ai ONE putters. On the outside, the insert looks like a standard White Hot insert with a series of grooves milled into the hitting area. However, on the interfacing side of the urethane insert, artificial intelligence has created a series of thicker and thinner areas that help to normalize ball speed. Traditionally, when you strike a pot in the center, you get the best energy transfer, but when you strike a pot towards the heel or toe, the ball rolls out less far. With the AI ONE insert, center strikes are slowed down slightly while mis-hits roll out a touch further, so your overall distance control is enhanced. A transparent polymer window in each putter allows you to see the rippled backside of the insert.

[afflinkbutton text=”Pre-order Ai ONE Cruise putters” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/OrJZDz”]

Odyssey Ai ONE Double Wide Cruiser
A window on the back of the Double Wide Cruiser allows you to see the variable-thickness Ai ONE insert. (Odyssey)

Each of the five Cruiser models features the Ai ONE insert, and all five putters are significantly heavier than most of today’s standard putters, including the 380-gram Jailbird, which also comes with the black-and-white Versa alignment lines. This is the putter that Wyndham Clark used to win the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week and a putter that is nearly identical to the one he used to win the 2023 U.S. Open. At 38 inches in length, it comes standard with a 17-inch grip, and players are encouraged to choke down so a few inches of the grip extend above their hands. Doing this creates a counterbalancing effect and should help increase stability.

Odyssey Ai ONE Jailbird Cruiser
Weights in the sole of the Cruiser putters allow fitters to adjust the swing weight. (Odyssey)

There are three versions of the #7 putter in the Cruiser family, including a 42-inch, 380-gram Arm-Lock edition and a 48-inch, 450-gram Broomstick model. The standard #7 Cruiser is 38 inches long with a head that weighs 380 grams. Like the Jailbird, it comes standard with a 17-inch grip, along with a Stroke Lab 140 steel shaft.

[afflinkbutton text=”Pre-order Ai ONE Cruise putters” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/OrJZDz”]

Here are several close-up looks at the Odyssey Ai ONE Cruiser putters.

L.A.B. DF3 putter

The L.A.B. DF3 putter looks odd but helps players get putts on their intended target line more easily.

Gear: L.A.B. DF3 putter
Price: $449 (stock) and $559 (Custom)
Specs: 6061 aluminum with steel weights. 69-degree lie angle

Who It’s For: Golfers who struggle to square their putter face at impact or start putts on their intended target line.

The Skinny: Using a unique weighting and balance system, the DF3 putter is designed to keep the face square to the arc you create when you set up to putt and help you start your putts on your intended line more easily.

The Deep Dive: Anyone who has ever seen a L.A.B. Golf putter has heard the snickers and jokes like, “Even Stevie Wonder thinks that’s an ugly putter,” and “Hey, what’s with the potato masher on a stick?”

The putter corral at your local pro shop may be filled with offerings that mimic the elegant Ping Anser, the timeless Wilson 8802 blade and the trend-setting TaylorMade Spider, but L.A.B. Golf has never offered anything like those putters. Instead, the Creswell, Oregon-based brand asks golfers to look past the aesthetics and allow the form to follow function.

A few years ago, you may have spotted Adam Scott using a Directed Force mallet putter, a massive mallet with a circular shape in the back that L.A.B. Golf still offers today. The company’s new DF3 putter for 2024 is similarly shaped but smaller. While that might make it more appealing to some golfers, it retains the critical technology that started L.A.B. Golf’s cult following — lie angle balance.

LAB Golf DF3 putter
The LAB Golf DF3 putter has eight screw-in weights in the sole to push more mass toward the hitting area. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The conventional wisdom states that golfers who create a strong arc in their putting stroke will benefit from a putter that has significant toe hang, while golfers who create more of a straight-back, straight-through stroke benefit from putters that are face-balanced.

The L.A.B. Golf DF3 is designed entirely differently. After you sole the putter behind the ball, the DF3’s weighting encourages the face of the putter to remain square to the arc you establish in the address position. 

To be clear, this is not face-balanced. This is lie angle balanced (L.A.B. stands for lie angle balance).

To make this effect happen, each DF3 putter, which is made from 6061 aluminum, is center-shafted and has eight weights positioned in specific areas in the front of the sole. The weights vary based on the putter’s length, and they are all measured and installed by hand.

LAB Golf DF3 putter
The angled shaft entry into the grip creates this forward press. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The other unique thing about the DF3 putter is that it comes standard with a Press Pistol 2 Degree grip that holds the shaft asymmetrically. The shaft enters the grip on an angle that tips away from your target and creates a forward-press in your address position. As a result, the hitting area and most of the DF3’s weight are in line with your hands at the address, while the hoop portion of the putter, which has a golf ball-grabbing hole, is set back.

Some may see the DF3 and other lie angle balance putters as a gimmick, but Grayson Murray won the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii using a L.A.B. Golf Link.1 putter and Lucas Glover won back-to-back PGA Tour events (the 2023 Wyndham Championship and FedEx St. Jude Championship) using a L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max, signaling that elite players are taking notice of what the small brand is doing.

L.A.B. sells black DF3 directly to golfers on its website in 34 and 35-inch lengths, but custom-fitting is highly encouraged and allows golfers to mix and match colors, lengths, shafts and alignment features.

Below are several close-up images of the L.A.B. Golf DF3 putter.

Never Compromise Reserve putters (2024)

The Never Compromise putter franchise returns with several classic-looking models.

Gear: Never Compromise Reserve putters
Price: $449 each
Specs: Milled 303 stainless steel with adjustable sole weights
Available: February 16

Who It’s For: Golfers who want a premium milled putter that is precisely fitted to match their setup, stroke type and visual preferences.

The Skinny: The Never Compromise putter franchise returns with several classic-looking models to choose from and a commitment to helping golfers find a putter that is personally sized and balanced to help them hole more putts.

The Deep Dive: Most avid golfers have accepted the idea that getting custom fit for woods and irons is the best way to ensure that the clubs in your bag match your swing and help you hit lower scores, but too many players fail to get fit for the club they use the most, their putter. Under the best of circumstances, elite players will hit more than twice as many putts as drivers, so they demand a putter that combines the perfect length, balance and looks, but recreational golfers may need to use their putter 35 to 40 times per round (or more). Yet, they still buy putters off the rack.

Dunlop Sports, the parent company of Cleveland, Srixon and Xxio, is bringing back the Never Compromise putter family in 2024, and in addition to offering meticulously made flat sticks, Never Compromise wants to help more golfers get fit for their putter.

Never Compromise 3 putter
The gray area on the dark-finished Never Compromise 3 putter is the width of a golf ball to help golfers align shots more easily. (Cleveland)

Never Compromise Reserve putters, which will only be sold in select pro shops, will come in a Tour Satin finish and a black with a golf ball-width grey area in the center that will be familiar to golfers who remember players like Vijay Singh winning with Never Compromise in the 2000s. Each of the four different head shapes will look familiar, and all the Never Compromise putters are milled from 303 stainless steel for a soft, premium feel.

But instead of picking up a Never Compromise Reserve putter, hitting a few putts with it on the pro shop carpet and walking to the cash register, golfers will need to go through a fitting process before making their purchase. Once they get into their putting posture and setup, the fitter will have them hold the top of an NC Fitting Tool, which is basically a putter on a sliding stand. It allows the fitter to measure the ideal length and lie angle for each player.

Never Compromise 1 putter
In the sole of all Never Compromise putters, like these #1s, are weights fitters can change to adjust the club’s swing weight. (Cleveland)

Once the ideal length and lie angle are discovered, golfers can pick between three toe-hang blades and two face-balanced offerings based on their swing type (slight arc or straight) before the fitter swaps out adjustable weights in the sole to create the ideal swing weight.

At the end of the process, the player will have a putter that not only is appealing to his or her eyes but also is made to their precise specifications, which should put them in a position to make a better stroke and hole more putts.

Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters

The Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters have classic looks and a budget-friendly price.

Gear: Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters
Price: $149.99
Specs: Cast stainless steel heads with grooved faces and counterbalanced shaft
Available: January 24, but available via pre-order NOW

Who It’s For: Golfers who want a classic-looking putter with a soft feel at impact and budget-friendly price.

The Skinny: The nine HB Soft 2 putters are designed for players with specific stroke types — straight or arched — and feature speed-normalizing grooves in the face for better distance control.

The Deep Dive: At a time when the golf market is filled with drivers that cost about $600, iron sets that are over $1,000 and putters that will run over $350, Cleveland has updated its HB Soft line of putters and dropped the price $50.

The original HB Soft putters that were released in 2022 were made with classic shapes and retailed for $199, but the nine new HB Soft 2 putters are $149 and still retain the timeless looks. Heel-toe weighted blades, fang-style mallets and compact mid-mallets, they’re all here.

The HB Soft 2 putters are divided into clubs designed for two different stroke types, straight and slight arc. The putters designed for straight-stroke players are face-balanced and come standard with an oversized pistol grip that should help golfers use their hands and wrists less when they putt. Putters made for golfers who have a slight arc in their stroke have some toe hang and come with a standard-size pistol grip.

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Cleveland HB Soft 2
The Speed Optimized Face Technology (SOFT) helps to normalize ball speed over a large portion of the hitting area. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

All nine HB Soft 2 putters, however, have been given a grooved face that has a tight groove pattern. Cleveland refers to it Speed Optimized Face Technology (SOFT). The pattern is tighter in the center, but in the heel and toe, it is open. As most golfers know, when you mis-hit a putt in the heel or toe, putts lose energy and do not roll out as far as center-struck putts. According to Cleveland, the tight groove pattern in the center slows the ball slightly as it comes off the face, so golfers can expect the ball to roll out to nearly the same distance across a more significant portion of the hitting area.

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Below are several close-up photos of the Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters.