What Is Toe Hang In Golf Putters & Does It Really Matter?

I recently watched a video from Ian Fraser at Tour Experience Golf, which got me thinking more about the mechanics of putting. An area that Fraser focused on was the difference between face-balanced putters and those with toe hang.

Thanks to Ian, it gave me the idea to write an article asking what is toe hang in golf putters and does it really matter?

I will touch on the pros and cons of both setups and help you decide which one works best for you.

Toe Hang In Putters And Why It Is Important

There are two predominant putter types, face balanced and toe hang. To find out which design you have, balance the putter on your fingers. If the toe of the putter is facing downwards, then your putter has toe hang.

Conversely, if it is facing upwards, it is face-balanced.

When you play with the incorrect putter for your stroke, you stand to miss the ball putts consistently left or right, depending on the putter that you have.

With the correct putter, you start your ball off on the desired line, which improves your putting average.

What Exactly Is Toe Hang And How Does It Affect Your Shots?

According to Andrew Tursky from Golf.com toe hang putters promote an open face at impact.

As such, if you are a right-hander who misses right most often, a toe hang-putter only stands to worsen your problem.

How To Know How Much Toe Hang Your Putter Has?

The quickest way to find out how much toe hang your putter has is to check the manufacturer’s website. You will find the toe hang details on the specifications page of your putter.

If you own an older model, you may struggle to find this information online, and in which case, I suggest visiting a club-fitter. Alternatively, you can email or call the manufacturer, and they will be able to give you this information.

Does toe hang really matter?

Yes, toe hang does matter, as it impacts the position that your putter face may strike the ball. As Tursky suggests, a putter with excessive toe hang for your stroke may cause you to miss right if you are a right-hander.

What Are The Benefits Of Toe Hang In Your Putter

Increased Rotation

CEO of EvnRoll Guerin Rife suggests that putters with toe hang open on your backswing, requiring you to rotate the face to square it up at impact. The increased rotation best suits players with an arced putting stroke.

Arced Putting Stroke

Since toe hang putters require you to rotate the face on your downswing, they best suit those of you with an arced stroke. If you have a straight stroke, you may struggle to square the face up at impact and push your putts right of the hole.

Combats Closed Face

If you are a right-hander and miss your putts to the left of the hole, a toe hang putter will help you compensate for the closed face.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Toe Hang In Your Putter

Open Face

When you can’t square your face up at impact, it leaves the putter face open and causes you to push your putts. As a result, you start your ball off on the wrong line and never have a chance of draining it.

Offline Putts

Many everyday golfers struggle with the accuracy of their line when using a toe hang putter. An open face at impact starts the ball off to the right of the desired line reducing your chance of draining the putt.

Who Should Use A Lot Of Toe Hang

If you strike the ball with a closed clubface and miss your putts left as a right-hander, then you might look at lots of toe hang to compensate for the problem.

Who Should Use Little Or No Toe Hang

Guerin Rife explains that too much toe hang can cause you to leave your putter face open at impact and miss to the right as a right-hander. If this describes your situation, I would consider a face-balanced putter or minimal toe hang to hit straighter putts.

Best Toe Hang Mallet Putter

Odyssey 2-Ball Ten S

The 2-Ball Ten’s tour-proven design delivers optimal MOI and alignment for increased accuracy and speed on the greens.

Odyssey claim that this is their best ever 2-Ball putter thanks to its increased forgiveness, a sleeker appearance, and bullseye alignment system.

Furthermore, the putter masters employed a Stroke Lab shaft that is lighter but stiffer to ensure maximum stability at impact. The final key feature of the 2-Ball Ten S is its Microhinge star inserts. The Microhinge technology induces optimal forward roll for purer speed on the greens.

Odyssey made their toe hang mallet 2-ball putter for players who putt with an arc stroke and moderately rotate the face.

Pros

  • Forgiving
  • Delivers immediate forward roll
  • Stable at impact
  • Designed for players with an arc stroke
  • Phenomenal feel

Cons

  • Expensive
  • There is limited feel soft when striking soft compression balls

Overall Score: 96/100

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Best Toe Hang Blade Putter

Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft #4

The Hunting Beach (HB) Soft #4 features a blade head and three degrees of loft. The toe hang combined with plumbers’ neck hosel caters better to those of you with a slight arc stroke.

Cleveland employed their proprietary Speed Optimized Face Technology to maintain ball speed across the face, even on mishits. Staying with the face, the HB Soft #4 contains a precision milled face that induces a pure roll and soft feel.

Besides its precision milling, the 304 stainless steel face is soft and helps the putter deliver crisp acoustics and a smooth feel at impact.

I am a fan of the Cleveland HB Soft #4 and recommend testing it if you have a slight arc putting stroke. The feel of the putter is exceptional, it delivers pure roll, and it is incredibly affordable.

Pros

  • Soft feel at impact
  • Forgiving
  • Built with players with a slight arc stroke
  • Crisp acoustics
  • Excellent value for money

Cons

  • The strike may be too soft for some players.

Overall Score: 94/100

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Best Face Balanced Putter

Cobra King Nova Putter

Cobra’s King Vintage Nova Putter sports a funky fang-shaped mallet design and is built to promote straighter putts, more accuracy, and optimal feel.

The fang design enabled Cobra to add a triple sightline which helps you ensure that your putter face is aiming at your target line.

Added to its quirky design is an aluminum face insert and SIK Descending Loft Technology (DLT). Bryson DeChambeau worked with SIK to create golf’s most accurate putter. The technology provides four descending lofts to optimize the roll for various angles of attack.

The genius of Cobra and DeChambeu did not stop there, as they added 10g sole weights that you can alter up to 15 grams. If that isn’t sufficient, you can purchase additional weights to enhance the stability of the putter.

Finally, King Nova includes a Cobra Connect Smart Grip that records various data points to give you insight into your putting stroke. Although this is worthwhile, you will need to pay a subscription fee for the service once your 45-day free trial is up.

The King Nova putter caters to players with a straight stroke and those looking for maximum assistance lining up their putts.

Pros

  • Helpful alignment aid
  • Stable
  • Optimizes accuracy
  • Designed to perform with various angles of attack
  • Adjustable weights to customize the putter

Cons

  • Moderately expensive
  • If you want the Arccos Caddie subscription after 45-days, you will need to pay a subscription fee

Overall Score: 96/100

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FAQ

Why do I hit putts off the toe?

From personal experience, you hit putts off the toe when you play with an outside-in stroke.

After pulling away to the outside, you realize that your face is too closed, so to compensate, you swing across the ball, causing you to strike the ball in the toe.

It is worth learning how to purposefully hit putts off the toe, as they can help you gain more control on speedy downhill putts.

What Type Of Putters Are Most Forgiving

Golf Monthly’s Dan Parker explains that mallet designs tend to be the most forgiving putters.

They contain more perimeter weighting, an enhanced sweet spot, and exceptional balance.

Conclusion

At the start of this article, we asked what is toe hang in golf putters and does it really matter? Well, our review has provided clarity on the matter and shown that toe hang absolutely matters.

We now know that toe hang occurs when a putter has more weight in the toe than the heel. The setup causes your putter face to open more at impact than a face-balanced putter and best suits those of us with an arced stroke.

If you are still unsure whether a toe hang putter is right for you, I recommend visiting your local club fitter for advice.

Those, who are confident that a toe hang putter is the way to go, can take a closer look at the Odyssey 2-Ball Ten S here.