High MOI is a buzzword in putting right now. A high MOI putter is one that has better forgiveness (in a very specific situation). High MOI putters can make it easier to get the ball in the hole and can improve your pace putting if you struggle with miss-hitting putts.
We recently tested a stack of the most forgiving putter models on the market. In 2023, be prepared to see more and more companies move towards high MOI, even in their blade putter styles.
The Best High MOI putters are:
- Cobra King Vintage Nova (Best Overall)
- Odyssey Tri Hot 5K One Blade (Best Blade)
- Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 (Best Mallet, Best Premium)
- Ping 2023 Anser 2D (Best Feel, Best New Release)
- Wilson Infinite Buckingham Putter (Best Value)
Cobra King Vintage Nova
The Cobra King Vintage Nova putter is our favorite high MOI putter head. Cobra putters have never really made their mark on the golf business the way that Odyssey, TaylorMade, or Ping have. In recent years, with a little help from 3D Printing and SIK Golf Descending Loft Technology, things are changing.
The Vintage Nova features a modern mallet-style putter shape, with two fangs that push out either side of the side of the putter head to further increased the MOI and face stability. The fangs feature two alignment rails that provide a really nice guide for aiming up your putts.
The SIK Aluminum Face Insert uses 4 descending lofts across the face to normalize the launch and roll. Yes, this can sound confusing, but it essentially matches up how much you hit down or up on your putts with the loft on that part of the face. A cool concept that isn’t game-changing for elite players, but sure can help ‘wristy’ putters who struggle with the ball rolling on longer putts.
Cobra always does such a great job with adjustability in their golf clubs, and things are no different with the Vintage putters. The adjustable weight system comes with sole weights that you can adjust by 5 or 10 grams and dial in the weight of the putter head that works for you.
This means you can tweak the amount of toe-hang weighting, which can help you dial in face control and your accuracy. What stood out the most with this high MOI putter was the stability at impact. On a fast putting green and a slow putting green, you really do feel you get away with most miss-hit putts.
Golf Insider Verdict
At first glance, I was a bit afraid that this clubhead would be clunky and less than pure feeling. However, I was wrong. This is a super impressive high MOI putter that offers great feel, easy aim and some adjustability.
This is a great putter to try if you like the look of this design and want more confidence over short and longer putts.
Odyssey Tri Hot 5K One
- Feel 10/10
- Forgiveness 8/10
- Alignment 7/10
- Value 8/10
- Longevity 9/10
The Tri Hot Putter line from Odyssey was designed specifically with high MOI in mind. For a few years, golf manufacturers were really pushing the mallet putters to amateur golfers because they were said to be the most forgiving on the market.
Odyssey wanted to show up with a blade style with just as much forgiveness as the mallet style. Not all golfers looking for forgiveness find a large modern blade to be appealing. The ‘5K’ is a nod to Odyssey managing to create a blade-style putter that offers over 5,000 IZZ (resistance to twisting about the ball-target line)
One of the key technologies that Odyssey focused on with the Tri Hot 5k was a reduction in the spin. When you miss the center of the clubface on a putt, the spin rates are typically not great, and this is what causes the ball to miss the hole.
Odyssey created a 3030 stainless steel front section and included the hosel and face in this design. The milled result keeps the center of gravity forward and increases forgiveness considerably.
Tungsten is another essential technology we saw in putters in 2022 and expect to see moving into 2023. The tungsten materials allow golf manufacturers to play around with feel and CG positioning. This particular model has 120 grams of tungsten behind the face giving the putter head the same or similar amount of forgiveness you would find in a mallet style.
Although not required, the Stroke Lab shaft is an option with this putter model, and it’s something that many players feel will ensure the best high MOI putter. Multi-material Stroke Lab shafts have been shown to increase consistency and improve feel in the 5-foot and under putts, as well as the 20-foot putts and lag putts.
Odyssey didn’t miss the mark regarding adjustable golf putter technology. You can fine-tune the Tri Hot 5K models to work for your needs. Each of these different designs from Odyssey is considered to have a higher MOI than previous models. We liked the Odyssey Tri Hot 5K One as it has a classic look and consistent feel on an arc-style putting stroke.
Golf Insider Verdict
If you’re after forgiveness but have never liked the look of mallet-style putters the Odyssey Tri Hot 5K series is where you should start with your putter testing. The ‘One’ model is the most traditional and compact in this range and we love how it performs given its traditional design.
Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5
- Feel 10/10
- Forgiveness 8/10
- Alignment 9/10
- Value 7/10
- Longevity 9/10
If you have a bit more money to spend on a high MOI putter, you may want to consider the Phantom X 5.5 putter. This is a mallet-style putter, similar to what you see in something like the Spider Tour Black Putter, but it has a ton of technology built into the club head.
The Phantom X 5.5 features a new self-centering sole plate design. The result is incredible when it comes to alignment and consistency. As we see with quite a bit of this Scotty Cameron Phantom line, you can expect a precision-milled body from 303 stainless steel and customizable stainless steel sole weights.
Essentially you can turn a Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 into whatever you need.
However, my favorite part of this putter is the way that they tried to make a mallet-style putter have a more blade like feel. Blade putters do have an impressive feel, but they often miss out on the high MOI feature we need. Scotty Cameron said, ok, here is your blade-style feel but with the stability and consistency of a mallet.
Another stand-out feature in this particular club head is the sound. Sometimes when you increase forgiveness in a club (we see this a lot in the cavity back irons), you lose a bit of that premium feel and sound. With the Phantom X 5. that is not an issue.
Golf Insider Verdict
We never put Scotty Cameron putts on our list just because of their reputation in the game. They have to be a solution for a golfer. The Phantom X5.5 is a solution for a player looking for a premium blade-like feel in a forgiving mallet style putter head that is easy to line up.
Ping Anser 2D
- Feel 9/10
- Forgiveness 9/10
- Alignment 9/10
- Value 8/10
- Longevity 9/10
The Ping Anser is probably the most iconic blade-style putter the game of golf has ever seen. If you follow Ping closely, you know that they often make revisions and refinements to the Ping putters to ensure that technology keeps moving forward. As great as the Anser is, the new Anser 2D is a higher MOI Blade style putter. This progression for Ping is similar to what we say Odyssey does with the Tri Hot 5K line.
With the new Ping Answer 2D, you will get a PEBAX insert. The PEBAX insert has a soft feel and providers great feedback for players. It is an elastomer material and saves weight in the overall putter head allowing Ping to adjust technology and performance.
When looking at the new Ping Anser 2D, you will notice the design is quite sleek. The all black head has a simple white alignment line to help ensure some contrast. In addition, a slightly wider blade length help with overall alignment and aesthetics.
Ping tests its new putter designs on the PGA Tour. Therefore, the Anser 2D already has a few PGA Tour wins under its belt. Tony Finau has used this putter in his last three wins, and we will likely see other Ping players switching to something similar over the next few months.
The Ping Anser 2D has Tungsten Toe Weights in place to give the putter head more stability and a higher MOI. The entire putter is a 304 Stainless Steel design, but there are Tungsten weights in place to improve overall stability.
For golfers with a slight arc stroke, the Ping Anser 2D is an impressive choice, and it comes with a graphite shaft making the look and overall performance even sleeker.
Golf Insider Verdict
When golf companies compete to have the highest MOI putters on the market, golfers win. If you love a blade style putter but think they can’t be forgiving putters, things again. The Ping Anser 2D has a smooth roll and is one of the highest MOI putter options in a blade style.
Wilson Staff Infinite Buckingham Putter
- Feel 7/10
- Forgiveness 9/10
- Alignment 9/10
- Value 10/10
- Longevity 9/10
High MOI in a putter head does not have to be expensive. Modern mallet putters tend to have higher costs than older blade style models, and that has to do with the consistent ball speed and easy alignment that these putters allow for.
However, the Wilson Staff Infinite Buckingham Putter is a highly forgiving, face-balanced putter, in a mallet style design that also happens to come at a really fair price. For the average golfer, maximum forgiveness in the club head is essential, but we can’t forget about feel and sound.
Wilson used counterbalanced technology to help amateur players control what they are doing on the course. If you struggle with off-center hits, the Wilson Staff stays stable.
One of the golfers that I play with often recently switched from an old blade to this Wilson Staff Infinite Buckingham Putter. The immediate difference in performance that he noticed was less three-putting.
In fact, he hardly ever has three putts now. The longer putts that caused him (a higher handicap player) to struggle with finding consistency now have a consistent forward roll, and he’s left with three foot putts or less for this second putt.
The head shape, as well as the sight lines, have only added to the impressive feel and forgiveness of this fair-priced putter. The three track alignment is a lot to look at at first. In addition, the putter face does seem to set up just a little right of the target.
However, once you get used to the design and develop a consistent aiming and pre-shot routine, the Wilson Staff Infinite Buckingham putter will help you produce consistent ball speed across the face.
Golf Insider Verdict
The Wilson Infinite Buckingham putter proves that to produce consistent forward roll from your putter head; you don’t need to spend $300. In fact, for about half of that price, you can have a great putter that can make an instant difference in your game. I like this model for the higher handicap player.
What Is A High MOI Putter?
High MOI putters are often a bit misunderstood by golfers. In fact, the Moment of Inertia concept makes golfers think more about speed than about stability at impact.
A high MOI putter promotes more stability at impact. This is a measurement of how much the putter face twists and rotates at impact. In an ideal world, we would want to strike the ball with a putter head that is perfectly still and stable.
The reality of doing this on the golf course differs from the intention.
With a high MOI putter, the likelihood of your putter head turning or twisting at impact is greatly reduced.
It may seem as though the high MOI concept is something that appeals to golfers that need help on the greens, but professional players will take all the help they can get with reducing twist at impact. This is why we saw many players move from smaller head blade putters to options like the TaylorMade Spider putters; they were seeking that stability at impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about the best high MOI putters on the market. High Moi putters were their own category for a while, but expect to see more and more of this technology included in every new putter release.
Why use a high MOI putter?
Do high MOI putters help?
High MOI putters help in the same way that something like a progressive clubhead design in iron or a slightly higher loft in a driver would help. For the players that feel like they need a little bit of help in the club, they can really help. Having some resistance to twisting at impact will increase ball speed, improve overall roll and result in better distance control.
Lower MOI putters twist more on off-center hits, considering 97% of start direction is due to your club face angle at impact, high MOI have an obvious benefit for shorter-range putting too.
How do you increase putter Moi?
Putter designers and manufacturers looking to increase MOI will move weight to the toe and heel of the putter. The weight that is redistributed like this across the putter face helps to reduce twisting and turning of the clubhead at impact.
A second trick is to move the center of mass away from the face. This is why you see many high MOI putters take a large, long mallet shape.
Is a heavier or lighter putter more forgiving?
Heavy and light putters can be forgiving. The technology in the club head and the positioning of the center of gravity is a better way to determine the forgiveness level of the putter. A putter fitting where you test both heavy and light putters can be a great way to determine which one is best for your needs.
How do I know if my putter is too light?
When a golf putter is too light, players often struggle to have control, especially on faster greens. The lighter putter sometimes requires a longer backswing to get the same results that a heavy putter can get. If you feel this is an issue for you, it makes sense to choose a putter with some adjustable weighting and fine tune the performance to your needs.
Final Thoughts
Drive for show, putt for dough is considered a slightly outdated saying. However, holing a few more putts and reducing your 3-putts remains the easiest way for most golfers to save shots. If you fall into this camp, hold off buying a new $500 driver and invest in a great putter that will last you for years.
Happy golfing.
