Golf Putters for Juniors

Putters for junior golfers

Junior golfers love to putt. They can spend long, happy hours on the practice green putting - by themselves, in groups having putting competitions .... it doesn't matter, because putting a golf ball into a hole gives a wonderful little 'rush' no matter if you're a beginner golfer or a pro. While juniors do not necessarily need a "kids putter" sometimes it is the best choice.

The difference between "kids putters" and regular adult putters comes down to materials and price. Interestingly, kids putters such as the U.S.Kids and Flynn Golf putters are approx. the same weight as regular adult putters but much less expensive. 

Although there are a huge amount of makes and models of putters - and we highly recommend trying various models out including both blade and mallet style putters.

Even toddler golfers can have their own clubs like this U.S. Kids First Club Putter ($30-$40). Buy at U.S. Kids Golf or price on Amazon.  

Our favorite options for younger kids and beginner juniors are US Kids and Flynn Golf Putters ($40-$70)

Long, happy hours on a practice green does not, of course, necessarily translate to your junior golfer becoming a great putter. There are a lot of psychological and physiological aspects that make great putters. The correct equipment can be helpful too, as technological advances are made every day.

best kids putters

There is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground.

Ben Hogan

WITB - Putters In Use at the 2023 Tour Championship / Fedex Cup

While putters are mostly a personal preference based on look, feel and sound, it is interesting to see what the top tour pros have in their bags.

Some interesting takeaways:  

  • There are only 8 blade putters in the 30 bags (4 of which are Scotty Cameron models). 4 of the mallet putters are also Scotty Cameron models.
  • The Odyssey Versa Jailbird (in 4 bags) is actually a 10 year old model that saw an unprecedented comeback in 2023 thanks to multiple wins on Tour in 2023.
  • There is a good mix of the big brand names with Callaway's Odyssey putters being the most popular at 11 of the 30.
  • The most unusual putter is Lucas Glover's LAB Mez.1 Max.  LAB Golf makes high tech putters that boast "outrageous" stability and balance - see the video on the LAB Golf website

Blade Putters:

Matt Fitzpatrick
Bettinardi BB1 Fitz
Tommy Fleetwood
Odyssey White Hot Pro 3
Tony Finau
Ping PLD Anser 2D prototype
Jordan Spieth
Scotty Cameron 009
Scottie Scheffler
Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tour GSS
Russell Henley
Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tour GSS
Tom Kim
Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tour GSS
Collin Morikawa
TaylorMade TP Soto


Mallet Putters:

Rory McIlroy
Scotty Cameron T-5.5 Proto
Max Homa
Scotty Cameron T-5.5 Proto
Patrick Cantlay
Scotty Cameron T-5.5 Proto
Sungjae Im
Scotty Cameron F-5
Wyndham Clark
Odyssey Versa Jailbird
Keegan Bradley
Odyssey Versa Jailbird
Rickie Fowler
Odyssey Versa Jailbird
Adam Schenk
Odyssey Versa Jailbird
Si Woo Kim
Odyssey 2-Ball 10
Sam Burns
Odyssey O Works 7S Black
Xander Schauffele
Odyssey Toulon Prototype 7CH
Sepp Straka
Odyssey Tuttle Stroke Lab
Jon Rahm
Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S
Emiliano Grillo
Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Lucas Glover
L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max
Viktor Hovland
Ping PLD DS 72
Taylor Moore
Ping PLD Oslo 4
Corey Conners
Ping PLD Prime Tyne H
Tyrrell Hatton
Ping Vault Oslo
Brian Harman
TaylorMade Spider OS CB
Jason Day
TaylorMade Spider Tour
Nick Taylor
TaylorMade Spider Tour


Choosing a Putter for Kids and Juniors

Technique and attitude aside, there are a few factors that should be considered when choosing a putter for your junior golfer. The primary factors are length, weight, style, and the look and feel of the putter. 

In general, it is not necessary for kids (other than very young kids such as those younger than say 6 years old) to use a junior specific putter although many parents do prefer them as they are usually cheaper than a new adult putter (see below for more on these putters). Adult putters that have been resized and re-gripped usually work just fine as long as the putter does not have an abnormally heavy head weight. 

For toddlers we high recommend the US Kids First Club - see more at this article: Best Toddler Golf Clubs.

In addition, many kids golf sets will come with a putter. For a complete list as well as review and ratings of all kids golf sets currently on the market refer to this article: Best Kids Golf Clubs

Length

As with other junior golf clubs, selecting a club that is too long for a junior golfer (in the false assumption that he or she will grow into it) is a mistake. A putter that is too long will result in the junior golfer having to compromise their stance and the "lie" of the club will be off - i.e. the toe of the putter will be off the ground, which makes center face and consistent contact difficult. 

A good putting stance is to stand with feet facing forward at hip-width, the golf ball slightly ahead of center. Hands and arms should hang down in a relaxed natural position and the putter should be gripped where they fall. It is okay to choke down a bit on the grip, but not more than a couple of inches. 

The chart below provides recommended guidelines for the length of kids putters based on age and height.

Some putters (like the reasonably priced Ping Sigma) have an adjustable length that is great for juniors as they grow and also can be experimented with to find your junior's ideal length putter. 

Weight

Junior golf putter

A standard putter head weighs approx. 350 grams. Juniors should try different putters with different head weights but use caution in going too heavy as this can result in less feel, something we believe juniors really should be developing from the start. In addition, a putter that is too heavy for a junior golfer may result in excessive body movement and wrist action.

A note about grip weight and counterbalancing - a heavier grip will make the putter head feel lighter, as will a counter balance weight at the top of the shaft. Most kids putter grips will be on the light side due to their smaller size. For this reason, overly heavy putter heads should be avoided as they will feel even heavier due to a light grip and shaft. 

In general, lighter putters will provide better control on fast greens and heavier putters will help get the ball to the hole on slower greens. Some putters like the very popular Scotty Cameron, Taylormade Spider Tour and Odyssey's have adjustable weights that can help dial in the right set-up for a junior. 

Putter Head Balance

Putters can be designed to have weight distributed differently across the face of the putter. This is designed to accommodate different putting styles such as an arc strokes, a straight putting strokes and anywhere in between. 

To test a putter's head balance, place the putter shaft on your finger and observe how the putter head hangs. If the putter head is parallel to the ground then it is a face balanced putter. If the toe hangs straight down towards the ground it is a toe balance putter. Many putters have a slight tow balance, meaning that it is somewhere in between the two. 

A face balanced putter is designed for a golfer with a straight putting stroke whereas a toe balance putter is designed for a golfer with more of an arc stroke (i.e. the face opens and closes during the stroke).

Junior golfers may find it beneficial to match their stroke type to the appropriate putter balance. Coaches and golf fitting professionals can help identify your junior's putting type. Alternatively, you can simply observe your junior's putting stroke from directly overhead. You can also film the putting stroke on a smart phone (from above and behind) and then view a slow motion replay. 

Ultimately the type of head weighting should inspire confidence in the putting stroke and your junior should try different types of head balance to see what feels best.

Putter Head Styles

putters for juniors

Scotty Cameron putters head types

Putting is about confidence and feel. It is important for the junior golfer to try a variety of styles to figure out what works for them. For advanced juniors, putter fitting can help in determining putting stroke tendencies and therefore the ideal style of putter and head balance. 

Blade Putter Style

Blade putters have a traditional and simplistic design. Until relatively recently, most professional golfers used blade putters. Technological advances have made Blade putters more forgiving than in the past and thus a good choice for juniors. A Blade putter may also be a good choice for players with a quicker tempo putting stroke. In addition, Blade putters can suit juniors with an arc putting stroke (see more below on "Putter Head Balance"). 

The Anser style putter is type of blade putter which has cavity design that distributes head weight to the heel and toe ends, making the sweet spot larger and the putter head more stable. This is one of the most forgiving putter types and very popular on professional golf tours. The Anser style is characterized by an overall square shape with heel and toe weighting. It can suit both a straight line and an arc putting stroke.

The most famous blade style putter is likely the Scotty Cameron that Tiger Woods has had in his bag for many years and has used to win multiple majors. There are many very high end blade putters with a selling price of $400 or more.

Mallet Putter Style

Mallet putters have larger and deeper heads than a blade style putter. Mallets come in various shapes and sizes ranging from the semi-circular to square to futuristic looking designs.

Although they typically weigh about the same as a blade putter, mallet putters distribute weight differently by pushing weight outside and back. This weight distribution creates a high MOI (moment of inertia) that makes the putter head very stable. The larger sweet spot and high MOI result in a more forgiving putter. 

In recent years mallet putters with a slight toe hang have become very popular on the PGA Tour with many players using the Taylormade Spiders. Approximately 50% of touring pro's now use various mallet designs and mallet putters account for more than half of all Titleist Scotty Cameron sales.

Putter Shaft Styles (Heel, Center, Offset)

Almost all putters have steel shafts that provide a solid, consistent feel. Putter shafts can connected to the head at the heel (heel-shafted), at the center of the head (center-shafted) or can have an offset hosel design that connects to the heel of the head. Some putters also have more offset than others. 

Ultimately the shaft connection comes down to personal preference and what a golfer likes to see when they look down at the club. If possible, your junior should try various options to determine their preference. In general most putters have an slightly offset heel shaft connection. 

Putter Grip Types and Sizes

Similar to grips for other golf clubs, putter grips come in different sizes including undersized, standard, medium and oversize. However, that is where the similarity ends. Per the USGA Equipment Rules, the putter is the only grip that does not have to have a circular cross-section, meaning that it can have a flat section. In addition, putter grips are usually made from different materials as they do not have to provide the same amount of traction as a driver or iron that is swung at much faster speeds.

Many players use a thicker putter grip than a standard grip. This can help limit the use of the hands and wrists in the putting stroke, something most good putters try to do. The Superstroke putting grips are very popular and come in sizes ranging from 1 through 5. Winn and Golf Pride also make popular putter grips. 

A thinner grip can provide more feel and feedback, which is more important to some players. This is also personal preference and juniors golfers should try both to see what they like. We see both oversize and regular grips in use by juniors. 

Putter Face Materials

The choice of putter face materials comes down the sound and feel a golfer prefers - and of course their preferred budget. How a putter performs is almost completely dependent on the green reading and putting skills of the junior as opposed to the type of face material. The two main types are putters with a face insert and putters with a milled face.

Face Insert Putters are the most popular mid-range priced putters used by amateur golfers. In the past, polymer face inserts putters were usually associated with a softer feel and sound than milled putters.. While this is still true for many insert putters, milled face putters can now also be made to feel and sound softer. Modern face inserts are made from a variety of materials including polymer, steel, aluminum or some combination of materials. Some of the top Taylormade tour players including Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson use putters that have the Pure Roll® face insert that combines 45° grooves with a softer polymer material.

Milled Face Putters are generally higher end and more expensive. Proponents of milled face putters will tell you that the milling process produces a better, more consistent putter that has less skidding and starts the ball rolling sooner. Milled faced putters will generally provide better feedback than a polymer insert. The most famous milled putter is the Scotty Cameron, used by Tiger to win multiple majors.

Both face insert putters and milled face putters may also feature grooves that are designed to get the ball rolling sooner. 

Putter Fitting

Putter fitting is done with high speed cameras and can help to ensure that your junior's putter is customized to their size and putting style. Putter fitting will focus on getting the optimal length, loft, club weight, swing weight, and head balance. A word of caution, while putter fitting can certainly help, we still encourage juniors to try out a variety of putters and see what feels and sounds good to them. 

Select Putters

Given the sheer number of excellent putters currently available on the market, it is tough to narrow it down to just a few. Below we have included a selection of putters that we see a lot in junior tournaments and have excellent ratings from users. Some of these are also in use on the various professional golf tours.

Blade Putters

Odyssey White OG Stroke Lab

Odyssey White OG #1 Stroke Lab for Juniors

Weight:  360g / Adjustable inserts
Retail price: $200 to $250

Odyssey White OG putters combine the tour proven White Hot face insert for superb feel with a milled finish for great looks. These putters have a slight toe hang which suites most putting styles. They are available with a very good steel shaft or the tour proven Strokes Lab shaft for an extra approx. $50.  

Ping 2021 Anser and 2023 Anser

ping 2021 anser junior putter
Ping Anser 2023 Putter

Weight:  350g - 360g
MSRP:    $280

The 2021 Ping Anser putters are packed with excellent technology. The multi-material construction and a soft, responsive new dual-durometer insert provides for excellent forgiveness and consistency across the face. The front layer of Pebax material is softer for precision on shorter putts and the back layer is firmer for distance control on longer putts. 

The 2023 Ping Anser has a choice of different face grooves including (i) Smooth milled face (firmest feel), (ii) Shallow milled face (slightly less firm), (iii) Pebax insert (Softest feel). 

Ping PLD Series

Ping PLD putter junior golf

The Ping PLD Series is a slightly more expensive option with a milled face and in use on the PGA Tour. These putters are premium precision milled and crafted from forged 303 stainless steel.

Taylormade TP Hydro

TaylorMade TP Hydro Putter

This line of putters has great looks and excellent technology including the TPU Surlyn insert (used in the Spider X model) and the Pure Roll insert (features grooves at a downward 45° angle designed to optimize roll characteristics). 

Priced at around $200, this is a great putter at a reasonable price. 

Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT

huntington beach SOFT

The Cleveland Huntington Beach putters have “speed-optimized face technology”, hence the SOFT in the name. The putter face features a variable-milled pattern that is more concentrated in the center and wider towards the outside of the face resulting in putts that are consistent across the face even on mishits. 

These are great looking putters with good technology at an excellent price point of approx. $140.

Titleist Scotty Cameron Select

scotty cameron for kids

While we do not believe that kids need a $400 putter, we have included the Scotty Cameron Select as we do see quite a few of these in use by juniors. Given that the putter is the only club used in almost 50% of shots during a round and can be used for many seasons, some parents believe that this is a good investment. In addition, these putters, if kept in good condition, will maintain their value well. 

The milled stainless-steel Scotty Cameron blades are high tech while also looking great. There are a few different models available with slightly different looks and materials - e.g. the Squareback 1.5 model has slightly more angular lines, a thinner topline, and a softer aluminum face. This is the putter made famous by Tiger and in use by many Tour Pros. If it's good enough for them it is probably good enough for our juniors!

Given the high price of these putters and the demand for them, we recommend only buying them from a reputable golf shop such as PGA Superstore or directly from Titleist.

Mallet Putters

Mallet style putters have become increasingly popular on the various professional tours thanks to their stability and forgiveness. Generally mallet style putters are slightly heavier and more face balances (as opposed to toe-hand) than blade putters.

TaylorMade Spider

TaylorMade Spider GT Juniors

TaylorMade's original Spider Tour putter lead the way for professionals using mallet putters on the tour. Early adopters included Rory, Dustin, Jason Day and John Rahm. The TaylorMade Spiders are the most well know and recognizable putters on the professional tour. 

Over the years TaylorMade has introduced a number of variations of the Spider mallet putter. 

The Spider GT and the Spider X have smaller head shapes that will appeal to juniors (the original Spider Tour was on the larger side). TaylorMade has been able to keep all the stability of the larger Tour model through a combination of steel frames with lightweight carbon composite soles and extreme perimeter weighting, even with a more streamlined shape. 

Spiders putters range in price from approx. $200 to $350.

Ping Sigma 2

junior golf putter

Weight:  365g - 370g
MSRP:    $219

It might seem counter intuitive that a putter both feels softer but also has the lively response of a firm face. Ping has used two layers on the face insert to give a soft feel on shorter "must make" putts and a firmer back layer to give more solid feedback and distance control on long putts. Ping's patented TR face pattern has different depths across the face that provide for consistent ball speeds, even on mishits.

The Sigma putters also have the adjustable-length shaft mentioned in the review of the Sigma blade putter above. The Sigma 2 putters are available in a variety of head shapes. Kids may like the cool looking Wolverine head shape (pictured above) and we also see the popular Tyne head shape frequently.

Buying tip - check prices at Worldwide before buying on Amazon as we have seen these putter priced above MSRP on Amazon.

Odyssey White Hot Versa Series (similar to Jailbird)

Odyssey White Hot Versa Putters Juniors

Used on professional tours all over the world, the black and white high contrast alignment system is a proven and very popular putter design.  The White Hot insert formulation has a great feel, sound and performance. 

While this is not identical to the Odyssey Versa Jailbird (a 10 year old putter that found its way back into Tour Pro bags in 2023), the design is similar in nature including the black and white distinct contrast alignment systems. 

Evnroll ER8 TourMallet

junior golf putter

Weight:  355g
MSRP:    $359

Evnroll has six different mallet models available. Evnroll has a very strong following with ardent fans. These putters are also on the more expensive side so definitely long term investments if juniors really like them. We see a fair number of Evnroll putters in junior tournaments, usually with older kids or teens. 

The ER8 Tour is a stainless steel CNC milled head made is Carlsbad CA. The milled face pattern helps to correct mishits for both distance and direction. Check out the video below of how this works. The first is a robot putting test with a standard milled face. The second is the Evnroll Sweet Face Technology.

 Kid Specific Putters

Both US Kids and Flynn Golf make good quality kids putters that cost less new than many used versions of adult putters. 

US Kids Putters - Ultra Light Longleaf

US Kids Putter UL Longleaf Blade

Designed for younger players or beginner juniors golfers. These are great entry level putters and are made for kids from heights of 39" to 63" (approx. 3 ft to 5.5 ft tall). These putters feature steel shafts with a polymer insert on the face for a softer feel.

Priced at around $40 these are great putters for entry level junior golfers. 

US Kids Putters - Tour Series A.I.M.

USKids 2018 AIM putters TS3

USKids A.I.M. Putters

Weight:  350g (blade), 370g (mallet)
MSRP:    $70 (AIM series)

The Alignment Integrated Method (A.I.M.) putting system provides three uniquely designed hosel and head shapes to fit different players natural aiming tendencies. The premium AIM putters are available in both a blade and mallet style and both have a milled stainless steel face. 

Flynn Golf Putters

Weight:  V6 Mallet - 340g, V7 Blade - 320g
MSRP:    $69

The Flynn Golf putters are mallet style putters and can be customized for length, grip type and shaft color. The base price is $69 with an up-charge for premium custom grips like the Superstroke. The models come in both a mallet (V6 model) and blade (V7) design.

Both putters have a precision CNC Milled face and are center balanced.

Flynn Junior Golf Putter V7

Flynn V5 and V4 golf putters

Flynn Junior Golf Putter V6

Flynn V5 and V4 golf putters

Conclusion

The right size and weight putter will help kids to be good putters. If kids like the look and feel of the putter that is also a big benefit .

Putters can be expensive but will last much longer than a regular iron or even most drivers. Many pro golfers keep all their putters and some occasionally go back to ones they have played with in the past. 

To keep the expense down you can consider buying a good condition used putter. Most quality used putters can be found for much less than the cost of a new putter. There are many sites to find used putters and we recommend starting with eBay or Callaway Golf Pre-Owned.

At the end of the day they say that you drive for show and putt for dough. We say do it with the best possible equipment available that feels good and instills the greatest degree of confidence in your junior golfer. 

best putters for junior golfers

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