Blade Putter

A blade putter is the traditional, slimmer head shape most golfers picture when they think of a putter. This means a compact profile with far less perimeter weighting than a mallet. This typically gives it a more toe-hang balance (the toe droops noticeably when the shaft is balanced on a finger). This balance property tends to suit golfers whose natural putting stroke has a pronounced arc. This means opening slightly on the backswing and closing through impact. Because a toe-hang head's natural tendency to rotate matches that arc more closely than a face-balanced design would.

Blade putters generally offer less forgiveness on off-center strikes than a mallet, since less mass is pushed to the perimeter. This means the traditional feedback argument for blades in full-swing irons applies here too. This means off-center hits are felt and seen more clearly. Many golfers who prefer blades cite feel and touch on distance control as the primary reason, since the more compact, evenly weighted head can transmit a clearer sense of contact quality than a heavily perimeter-weighted mallet.

As with the driver and iron equivalent of this classic tradeoff, choosing a blade putter is best based on actual stroke path (an arcing stroke typically pairs well with toe-hang balance) rather than tradition or appearance alone, and many accomplished putters do choose blades in particular. This is because their stroke mechanics and feel preference align with what a blade's design provides.