Face balanced putters can be the perfect solution for golfers that like to keep the putter head on a straight back straight through path. They also work well if you putt on a slight arc but struggle with the club face closing too quickly through impact.
We have chosen five of the best face balanced putters on the market this year. There are more mallet choices than blade style putters as the blade is often a more toe weighted putter.
Remember, when you are looking for a face balanced design, the putter head, and shaft connection can make a difference, be sure to order the correct configuration when you make your final putter selection.
Best Face Balanced Putters
- Odyssey Tri Hot 5K Double Wide CH (Best Blade Style)
- Scotty Cameron Phantom X12 (Best Premium)
- TaylorMade Spider GT Notchback (Most Forgiving)
- Odyssey Toulon Memphis (Best Feel)
- Cleveland Frontline Cero (Best Value)
Odyssey Tri Hot 5K Double Wide CH (Best Blade Style Face Balanced Putters)
From a design standpoint, it is much easier for a mallet putter to be face balanced than it is for a blade. However, this does not mean that all mallet putters are face balanced or that a blade puter cannot be face balanced. This new line of the Odyssey Tri Hot 5K putters has brought incredible forgiveness and consistency to the market.
With more and more amateurs moving toward the large mallet putters, its nice to see Odyssey invest in these blades.
The new Tri Hot 5K Double Wide CH has a forward center of gravity, classic (with a modern twist) looks, and impressive materials in the putter head.
The 6061 aircraft grade aluminum offers a unique feel that combines a solid hit off the club face with a softer and smoother roll on those shorter putts. One of Odyssey’s goals with this putter was to create something that could offer the benefits of the mallet in a blade style.
Interchangeable weights are available in several different materials, including aluminum, steel, and Tungsten. Getting the head weight to your desire will not be difficult. In addition, the White Hot insert that Odyssey has been bringing back to the market is carefully placed in the face of this putter.
When looking at dispersion rates of face balanced putters, we almost always see lower rates than with a toe balanced putter. However, these lower dispersion rates are often found in the mallet putter testing. With the Tri Hot 5K, accuracy and forgiveness are key.
Recently when testing mallet putters and blade putters, we started to understand more clearly why so many amateurs are moving away from blades. But the Tri Hot 5K will have you reconsidering that decision.
Don’t count out the blade, especially one that looks and feels like this one.
Golf Insider verdict
Most face balanced putters are large and can be a bit difficult for golfers to get used to. If you want a high performing club head that is faced balanced but also has a more streamlined look, the Odyssey Tri Hot 5K is the way to go.
Scotty Cameron Phantom x12 (Best Premium)
- Feel 9/10
- Forgiveness 8/10
- Alignment 10/10
- Value 8/10
- Longevity 8/10
Scotty Cameron knows how to win the best premium putter category on almost any lineup. Although in our mind Scotty Cameron will also be famous for the Newport, this new Phantom line has quite a bit to offer. The Phantom X 12 is our favorite premium face balanced mallet putter.
One of the things that stands out about the Phantom X12 is the easy alignment of the putter head. If you are looking for increased confidence in the shots that you take on the putting green, the X12 will have you knowing you are on the proper line.
Like other top face balanced putters, the Phantom X12 has some adjustability in the club head. Customizable putter weights allow for better putter length to weight ratio and improved feel.
The putter face is another important consideration here as this is a milled design with no insert. When a putter is milled it can be more predictable at impact, something that better players enjoy.
Each of the Scotty Cameron Phantom X 12 putters come with the new Pistolero Plus Grip. This has a non-slip texture to ensure you feel confident about the way the putter is moving in your hands. These face balanced mallet putters are some of the more advanced from a technology standpoint, something all players should consider as they shop.
One thing that I liked about the putter face of the Scotty Camron Phantom X 12 is that it is slightly raised in the center. This makes it easier to make consistent contact with the center of the club head.
Golf Insider verdict
Face balanced putters typically have really good alignment aids on the top of the club. That is certainly the case with this Scotty and something we highly recommend for the golfer looking for more accuracy and feel. The large putter head takes a little while to get used to, but it’s designed well.
TaylorMade Spider GT Notchback (Most Forgiving)
- Feel 9/10
- Forgiveness 9/10
- Alignment 7/10
- Value 8/10
- Longevity 7/10
When you think about the Spider putter, the TaylorMade Spider X comes to mind. These are perhaps some of the most iconic face balanced putters on the market. However, when searching for the best face balanced putter in 2022, we wanted to find unique options that you may not have tried or even heard of.
The TaylorMade Spider GT Notchback is a classic shape golf putter and a member of the Spider line of putters from TaylorMade. If you like classic mallet-style putters, this could be an option for your game.
Overall the top down look is really traditional. However, the putter head does have plenty of modern technology built in. The lightweight 6061 Aluminum body has dual tungsten weights to improve stability, forgiveness and overall distance control.
In addition, new stability bars were put in place. Stability can help ensure that the putter’s face stays square even as you make your strike. One thing that really helped put the Spider putters on the market was stability, so the fact that it was incorporated into this mallet putter is a great thing.
The TaylorMade Notchback is an insert putter, so there is a Pureroll black TPU insert. The insert has a firm feel and it does help with end over end roll. We noticed hardly any “jump” or “skid” when the ball came off the clubface.
Overall dispersion rates on this new Notchback were low. We know that traditional a mallet style putter has good forgiveness and distance control, but making it a face balanced putter only helps improve it even more.
Golf Insider verdict
If you like the concept and the performance you have seen from the TaylorMade Face balanced putters, but the shape and design is too funky, the Notchback is the putter for you. Face balanced blade putters tend to lack just a bit of forgiveness; this smaller mallet brings it back into play and provides plenty of stability without the putter head getting too large.
Odyssey Toulon Memphis (Best Feel)
- Feel 10/10
- Forgiveness 8/10
- Alignment 9/10
- Value 8/10
- Longevity 10/10
The Odyssey Toulon Memphis is our favorite face balanced putter for feel. If you are a golfer that is particular about the way the ball comes off the clubface, this is a good option to look at. With the new Toulon putters, Odyssey took feedback from the PGA Tour and included it to put together a high end putter with very close attention to detail.
This is a milled putter, do there is no White Hot Insert that we see in other putters from this brand. As much as I like the White Hot Insert, its nice to experiment with a milled design as well.
In addition, this putter features a great looking midnight black finish. The finish allows for a premium look, but it helps with visibility and glare as well. Golfers have the option of the Stroke Lab shaft in the Toulon Memphis, helping to improve overall feel and consistency.
With the Odyssey Toulon Memphis, the split weight design will move weight very close to the putter’s face and then evenly distribute the rest of it on the heel and the toe. The result is a smoother and more consistent putting stroke.
Although Odyssey is known for making putters like the two ball and even the classic Rossie, the new Toulon brings a unique level of precision that we expect from the legendary Scotty Cameron putters or the Evnroll, but it’s nice to have access to it from Odyssey as well.
Golf Insider verdict
If you are a low handicap player, that is pretty particular about the golf putter in your bag. The Odyssey Toulon line will help you check all the boxes. We have been impressed with the changes here, and the milled design is as good as any of the other top milled putters from Pin or Scotty.
Cleveland Frontline Cero (Best Value)
- Feel 8/10
- Forgiveness 8/10
- Alignment 9/10
- Value 9/10
- Longevity 7/10
With face balanced putters being popular, we have noticed that the pricing has continued to trend upwards. This is a bit unfortunate as the putter used to be an area of the bag that was not quite as costly to fill. However, things have changed, and face-balanced putters cost quite a bit.
However, the Cleveland Frontline Cero is truly one of the best value putters out there for the straight back straight through putting stroke. If you are looking for a putter that combines materials like Tungsten and premium steel, the Cleveland Cero is a good option.
Of course, all of Cleveland’s golf putters feature the Speed Optimized Face Technology. Regardless of where you strike the ball on the putter’s face, expect it to still have a good roll, impressive speed, and good accuracy.
Cleveland really takes things to the next level when they bring in the 2135 Technology for alignment. This is a unique alignment aid that Cleveland developed over many years. The 2135 is an option on a blade style putter or something like this larger mallet.
The Cleveland Cero putter has a very soft feel at impact. This is, of course, not the best design for all golfers, but many players enjoy a less harsh feel at impact. If you are a player that often hits the ball too far past the hole, the Cero could help you calm down a few of your miss hits.
Overall, the putter is a smart choice from a value and performance standpoint. The one area where it could really use a bit of help is the overall weighting. Where the Toulon and even the TaylorMade Spider series have heavy weighting that helps keep the face balanced, the Cleveland putters have a slightly lighter feel.
Keep this in mind as you test out putters, the weighting can vary from one to the next and it will impact the way the club is played on the course.
Golf Insider verdict
If you are on a budget but know the face balanced putters are the best for your game, then the Cleveland Frontline Cero is the way to go. If you go with this putter, it can make sense to get a custom fitting to ensure the weight, putter grip, and overall length are exactly what you need. Even with the fitting, you should still be in a fair price range.
What To Look For In A Face Balanced Putter
Now that you have a better idea of which golf putters are the best face balanced putters on the market, its time to take a look at which ones will be best for your needs. There are a few things that can help you narrow down this list and ensure you end up with the right putters in your hands.
Is It Face Balanced?
The first and most important step is to choose a putter that is actually face balanced. Some players think that all mallet putters are face balanced, but this is not the case. The best face balance putter can be a blade style as well.
When holding a face balanced putter at its balance point, the putter’s face will point up. This means that when you set up to your target, the putter face will look at the hole and stay looking at the hole throughout your entire stroke.
If you like rotating the putter as part of your putting stroke, stay away from face-balanced putters. Most companies offer a face balanced option in at least one or two of their models; just make sure that you order the face balanced design.
Putter Length
The putter length for a face balanced putter sometimes needs to be a bit shorter than it is for a toe balanced putter. Face balanced putters are designed for putting on less of an arc. The more you tilt over, the steeper your shoulder rotation and the easier it is to generate a straight back and through stroke.
Most face balanced putters are offered in the 34 inch as well as 35 inch lengths, but custom lengths are always available.
Stroke Style
How do you know if you have a straight back straight through stroke or an arc style stroke? This is something that should be considered before deciding on the perfect putter for your needs.
If you can set up a chalk line on the putting green, it is typically the easiest way to tell which type of putting stroke you have. Some golfers will also use an alignment stick, and others will video their putting stroke to see what it looks like.
The stroke style should be pretty clear when you watch the way the putter flows. If it stays on the line and the putter face stays square to the target the entire time, you will do well with a face balanced putter.
Shaft
In addition to shaft length, it is also smart to consider shaft material. In years past, the only choice would have been steel. However, as the technology has changed, there are now both steel and graphite options for golfers.
The Odyssey Stroke Lab is a mix of both steel and graphite designed to give players better feel and more consistency in their stroke. It works quite well and is worth considering if you are looking for premium performance.
Not enough research has been done yet on whether or not putter reshafting is worth it for all amateur players; this may come in time.
Grip
Midsize or jumbo grips are becoming the standard for many golfers. The importance of his wider grip is stability and control in the putter head. With the best face balanced putters on the market, the grip size should be larger as there is very little movement in the swing.
For blade putters with an arc style stroke, you may be swinging the club much more, and it requires more movement and a different feel in the hands. With this type of putting stroke, and a face balanced putter, keep it simple with a wide grip that takes the hands and wrists out of the stroke.
For more info on different types of putters check out this link.
Frequently asked questions
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about the best face balanced putters on the market. For a complete guide, you may want to check out our best putter for beginners article.
Should I only use a face balanced putter if I putt square-to-square?
Golfers who putt square to square tend to have the best results with the face balanced putters as there is no need to rotate the putter face. Players can keep the putter square at setup, in the backswing and down the line. This does not mean that all arc style putters should avoid face balanced, it usually just means that they will not benefit as greatly. Forgiveness could become an issue.
Can I swap between a face balanced and toe-weighted putter?
If you are going to go back and forth between two different styles of putters, you may notice that the putting stroke needs to change as well. The best face balanced putter and the best toe weighted putter are going to perform differently on the course and have attributes that require different movements in the stroke.
Which Scotty Cameron putters are face balanced?
The Scotty Cameron Phantom X putters are available in face balanced designs. Most of the blade putter heads from Scotty Cameron are not face balanced.
Which TaylorMade Putters are face balanced?
A good portion of the TaylorMade Spider series from TaylorMade is face balanced. When ordering the putter that you need for your game, take into consideration the way that the putter connects into the shaft as this can change the balance on the putter head.
Summary
Hopefully, you now feel like you can choose one of the best face balanced putters for your game. What we love about a face balanced putter is how it keeps the game of golf so much more simple. The putter head can stay on a designated path and you will let it release towards the target without having to do any rotating. The Odyssey, Scotty Camron, and Taylormade brands stand out as the best options for face balanced putters, and this really didn’t surprise us during our testing. If you think that a face balanced putter is a right fit for your game, give one of these a try.
Happy golfing.
