What Loft Should My Putter Be And Why It Matters?

When looking for a new putter, you will read product descriptions rambling off about all the technology.

But very few go into detail about factors such as the position of the shaft, toe hang, and loft. These elements are vital to your success on the greens.

That is why we are answering the question, what loft should my putter be and why it matters? We look at the ideal setup for different golfers and help you decide if you need more or less loft.

Loft In Putters And Why It Is Important

Jonathan Wall from Golf.com says that the average loft of a putter is two to four degrees, which should induce sufficient topspin for the average player to enjoy forward roll.

Using the wrong putter loft can lead to an impure strike and excessive backspin. That combination impacts your distance control and accuracy.

What Exactly Is Loft And How Does It Affect Your Shots?

Golfweek’s Sharon Penn explains that the more loft a club has, the higher the ball will go.

A 60-degree lob wedge sports an open face and promotes the highest apex of any club. However, a putter is the least lofted club and promotes a flat trajectory for a pure roll.

Putting with insufficient loft for your stroke leads to you striking the ball with the higher part of the face. That results in a poor connection and an impure roll.

Conversely, putting with excessive loft for your stroke causes you to generate high levels of backspin and lift the ball. That combination also leads to a loss of distance and reduced accuracy.

How To Know How Much Loft Your Putter Has?

The easiest way to determine the loft of your putter is to check the manufacturer’s website. They will give you information on the features, benefits, and specs of the putter.

If your putter should be in a museum instead of your bag, you may not find any details on the manufacturer’s site. In this case, I would call or email them. But, if that doesn’t work, you can visit your local club fitter, and they should be able to assist.

What Is The Standard Loft Of A Putter

Going on the advice of Golf.com’s Jonathan Wall, we have established that the standard loft of a putter is between two and four degrees.

Does Putter Loft Really Matter?

Yes, putter loft plays a vital role in the consistency of your stroke, impacting the pureness of your roll and your ability to keep the ball on line.

For example, Wall explains that playing with a putter with excessive loft for your stroke will generate backspin and cause your ball to lift. As a result, you lose the momentum of the roll and increase the risk of your ball bouncing and veering offline.

Who Should Use A Higher Lofted Putter

Wall recommends that if you lean the shaft towards the ball at impact, you should putt with more loft.

This setup causes you to apply significant forward press, decreasing the putter’s loft. As a result, the ball skips and spins into the turf.

Pros Of A High Lofted Putter

Forward Press

A high lofted putter best suits players that produce significant forward press by leaning the shaft towards the ball at impact.

A putter with more loft combats this action.

Dynamic Loft

A weaker lofted putter neutralizes the dynamic loft, helping you strike the ball cleanly and achieve a pure roll.

As Wall mentioned in this article, Mickelson’s seven-degree putter helped him gain a dynamic loft of 4-degrees, which is the average loft of the club.

Pure Roll

If a higher loft averages out your dynamic loft, it enables you to strike the ball with a squarer face in the sweet spot. It induces a pure roll and enhances your distance control.

Pros Of A High Lofted Putter

Backspin

The downside of a high lofted putter is that it generates increased backspin off the face, which causes the ball to launch into the air.

Lift

Due to the backspin generated at impact, some players see their ball pop up into the air, causing it to bounce and move offline.

Inaccurate

When your ball bounces, it is at the mercy of the turf and can veer offline. That combination impacts the consistency of your accuracy and speed of the putt.

Who Should Use A Lower Lofted Putter

If you are generating excessive backspin and sending your ball skywards on every putt, you need to consider playing with a lower lofted putter.

Best Low Loft Putter

Wilson Staff Harmonized M2 Putter

The super-affordable Wilson Staff Harmonized M2 is one of the strongest lofted putters you can find. With only one degree of loft, it will help you reduce backspin to keep your ball on the ground.

If you generate excessive backspin, it will hamper the roll of your ball and wreak havoc with your distance control. Wilson’s semi mallet design comes with a plumber’s hosel and an impressive alignment setup.

Polymers are injected into the face of the Harmonized M2 putter to improve the feel of the club at impact. Plus, a vertical seam grip enhances the feel through the stroke. Finally, Wilson optimized the putter’s weight, mitigating off-center strikes, leading to a consistent roll and increased accuracy.

Pros

  • Reduces backspin
  • Delivers increased topspin
  • Soft feel
  • Affordable
  • Excellent alignment aid

Cons

  • Not suited to players with an arc stroke
  • It does not have the life expectancy of competitor products
  • Hard to lift your ball off the green at the end of a hole

Overall Score: 93/100

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Best Adjustable Loft Putter

TaylorMade Spider FCG #3 Putter

TaylorMade created a putter that looks and forgives like a mallet but feels like a traditional blade.

According to the equipment giants, they crafted the Spider FCG for those with an arced stroke. Along with the player that desires the release of a standard blade.

Two-thirds of the putter’s weight is placed in the front portion of the club, helping you achieve moderate to significant rotation during your stroke. Furthermore, the Spider FCG features a single line to help you ensure that you are starting your ball on target and enjoying increased accuracy.

On top of the accuracy and rotation of this putter, TaylorMade added an Aged Copper Pure Role to install forward CG and promote a firmer feel when your clubface strikes the ball. Finally, the Spider FCG putter contains adjustable sole weights to help achieve your preferred setup for improved results.

Pros

  • Built for players with an arced stroke
  • T-Sightline Alignment
  • Promotes increased topspin
  • It offers the feel of a traditional blade putter
  • Customizable weight

Cons

  • It is not as forgiving as a standard mallet
  • Expensive

Overall Score: 96/100

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Best High Loft Putter

Cobra King Nova Putter

The fang-shaped mallet design of the King Nova putter stems from a collaboration between Cobra, Bryson DeChambeau, and SIK. The unique design allowed the manufacturer to add a triple sightline to the club to improve your aim.

The combination of aluminum face insert and SIK Descending Loft Technology (DLT) offers four descending lofts to improve your roll, no matter your angle of attack.

Cobra felt it necessary to include 10-gram sole weights that you can adjust by as much as 15 grams.

Topping off the putter is a Cobra Connect Smart Grip that can help you better understand your stroke. When you purchase the Cobra King Nova putter, you receive a 45-day free trial.

However, after that, you will need to pay the subscription fees for the Arccos Caddie service.

Pros

  • Improves your accuracy
  • Enhanced alignment assistance
  • Stable at impact
  • Adjustable weights
  • Works with different angles of attack

Cons

  • You will need to pay subscription fees for the Arccos Caddie service
  • Moderately expensive

Overall Score: 94/100

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FAQ

What Loft Do The Pros Use

The loft that Pros use varies depending on their preference and angle of attack.

According to Jonathan Wall, Phil Mickelson was putting with seven degrees of loft at one point. But, Jon Rahm’s Odyssey 2-Ball Prototype is a strengthened 2.5 degrees.

What Loft Should A Beginner Use

The loft of your putter is not determined by your handicap or experience but rather by your stroke.

If you feel getting air on your putts caused by excessive backspin, I suggest using a less lofted putter.

However, if you are hitting down on your putts and catching the ball high on the face, you may benefit from a higher lofted putter.

Conclusion

That concludes our review on what loft should my putter be and why it matters. The answer lies in your current stroke and the roll of your ball.

If you generate excessive backspin and send the ball skywards every putt, you need a less lofted putter. Conversely, if you have a steep angle of attack and catch the ball with the top of the face, you need to think about putting with a more lofted club, like Phil Mickelson.

Those of you who are on the lookout for a new putter might find the versatility of the TaylorMade Spider FCG beneficial. You can read more about it on this page.