Most overrated and underrated putter brands

[Barnacle]

This thread comes across like this to me

Overrated: anything I deem to expensive. 

Underrated: anything I deem priced correctly that other people won’t buy. 

In reality, I don’t think any putter I’ve ever owned or even hit is over rated except Bettinardi. Honestly one of the worst feeling putters I’ve ever had the misfortune of putting with.

 

I average the same number of putts whether I’m hitting my SC, Cleveland, Odyssey 2 ball, Kirkland, etc. I like to collect putters though and would love to add a TM spider and mizuno to the collection. 

[AndersonGT]

I’ve had so many putters…

 

I think their are some * on some of these…

 

Over-rated: Scotty except Phantom Series. Betti except Inovai Series. Any putter over $500 but anyone spending that money is buying for rarity/customization/collectable, so I don’t blame them. Meridian, sorry but the quality of the putter I received was crap. Returned it.

 

Underrated: Cleveland, especially Frontline series. Best putter I have ever owned despite low cost. EVNroll. Toulon.

I would consider either over SC Select series. 
 

Lastly, underrated is putter refurbishment. I just bought a very nice Never Compromise Gambler Series putter on the bay for $70, had it refurbished for $200 and will take this any day over the above. All in for less than $300. Even got the back cavity filled and a new sight line in front.

 

Edit: Pictures aren't great but on the fly. Need to clean her up an post on what putter did you just buy.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5 by AndersonGT

[J_D_C]

Evnroll & Axis are underrated.
 

Scotty is overrated. 
 

LAB golf is hard to rate as they are so hyped right now, however I wanted to mention them. I think they are underrated but others will disagree. The tech is legit and it works. My current gamer is a Mezz Max. 

[bobfoster]

Well I guess I play a putter that it is all the rage to call "overrated" (I suppose because Scotty's are more expensive than the norm). 

 

IMO however, I can't call any putter that works for me "overrated" - or rather, don't particularly care if it is considered overrated or not. 

 

I've tried a ridiculous number of putters over the years (was buying putters for over two decades before Scotty or Magerman even started making them). Currently have a Scotty Squareback, with a Lamkin Sink Fit PistolClaw Grip (though I don't actually use a claw grip when I'm putting), and extra weight added to the head. Love the balance and the feel. The thing almost seems to swing itself.

 

"Ratings" result from  the world of people giving their personal opinions. They a mostly a measure of the combination of the quality of the putter and the effectiveness of the OEM's marketing. Overrated or underrated (I think) is someone's opinion about the variance between those two factors. If popularity exceeds the level of quality due to marketing, it's overrated. If quality exceeds popularity due to poor, or non-existent marketing, it's underrated.

 

It is true that Titleist/Scotty does market very effectively, and has developed a kind of aura. As has Callaway/Odyssey and TM. Big box stores commonly carry a half dozen brands or so. And virtually every one of them will have several models of those three brands. They are all over the retail space, and all over the pro tours. It is also true that there's many really excellent putters out there who's OEM's simply don't have the market clout to promote at anywhere near the level of the big boys - that serious golfers get online, and that many casual weekenders may have never even heard of. 

 

But, that doesn't mean the big guys don't produce quality putters. And what I know is this - with my current Scotty, if I'm anywhere within 25 feet of a pin, I've got a high degree of confidence it's gonna be a two putt. 15 or less, and I'm fully believing I can sink it (not saying I do, but it's a pretty big deal to have real confidence standing over a putt). And it shows up on my scorecard (which is the only real bottom line that matters).

 

Putters are also probably the most personal club in anyone's bag. I see putter ratings all over - every golf mag does one annually (even WRX does it's annual "best of" polling for them). I read them - not to decide on a putter, but rather because sometimes I hear of something new to try. But the "right" putter is different for everyone, and has little to do with ratings. Odyssey does make excellent putters, but even though I try them year after year, I've never been able to feel in sync with any of them. Don't know why. Loved Pings many years ago, but not that crazy about them lately. Have a good buddy that raves about Bettinardis, but I seriously dislike the way they feel. On the other hand, I was bouncing back and forth between by current Scotty Squareback, and the Evnroll EV2 (both "mid-blades", good for my slightly in-to-straight stroke). Scotty barely edged the EV2 out. 

 

Point is, I read ratings, but I wouldn't pick a putter because it was highly rated, nor avoid one because it was highly rated. I pick based on what lets my strokes-gained-putting numbers beat those of my buddies. 

 

At the end of the day, how I can roll the rock with it is the only relevant variable.

 

 

[bobfoster]

11 hours ago, AndersonGT said:

I’ve had so many putters…

 

I think their are some * on some of these…

 

Over-rated: Scotty except Phantom Series. Betti except Inovai Series. Any putter over $500 but anyone spending that money is buying for rarity/customization/collectable, so I don’t blame them. Meridian, sorry but the quality of the putter I received was crap. Returned it.

 

Underrated: Cleveland, especially Frontline series. Best putter I have ever owned despite low cost. EVNroll. Toulon.

I would consider either over SC Select series. 
 

Lastly, underrated is putter refurbishment. I just bought a very nice Never Compromise Gambler Series putter on the bay for $70, had it refurbished for $200 and will take this any day over the above. All in for less than $300. Even got the back cavity filled and a new sight line in front.

 

Edit: Pictures aren't great but on the fly. Need to clean her up an post on what putter did you just buy.

 

 

 

 

 

I've never really been able to do mallets, but dayyyyam that is one purty putter. 

[Red4282]

My little interpretation of “overrated and underrated” has nothing to fo with price. To me, to be overrated, there tends to be a lot of buzz, something very popular, and it just doesnt live up to its hype. Underrated, something very few people of had heard of but still is a quality product. So, in that regards, overrated is every big brand pretty much…and underrated would be just about anything else. Lol.

[byoshio82]

Overrated: Scotty

Under Rated: TM blade putters

[TMFanBoy94]

Overrated: Taylormade Spider (personally never got on with the putter)

 

underrated: Nike Method Midnight/Matter range (had my best putting season with a £99 brand new Nike method matter b2-01 putter) 

 

ironic for the username 

Edited April 8 by TMFanBoy94

[jda]

Over Rated: amateurs flocking to a putter that somebody just won on tour with.

 

I find it a bit funny that Betti is barely on this list.  The over rated list is usually a sign of high market saturation, which any company would love.  They also are barely on the under rated list.

[MattM97]

6 minutes ago, jda said:

Over Rated: amateurs flocking to a putter that somebody just won on tour with.

 

I find it a bit funny that Betti is barely on this list.  The over rated list is usually a sign of high market saturation, which any company would love.  They also are barely on the under rated list.

 

"Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" and it's not just the amateurs that do that, pros too. 

 

I'd put Betti on the overrated category for myself and for various reasons. 

[JohnBrew]

Over rated: pretty much agree with the majority. I did game a Scotty mallet named after some California beach town, it would only go straight if you putted off the heel, which made for a weird experience.

 

Under rated: Sacks Parente (which I game), Axis 1.

[MattM97]

2 hours ago, JohnBrew said:

Over rated: pretty much agree with the majority. I did game a Scotty mallet named after some California beach town, it would only go straight if you putted off the heel, which made for a weird experience.

 

Under rated: Sacks Parente (which I game), Axis 1.

 

For the heel strikes probably because that's where the COG was located and putter head wasn't twisting. 

 

Not a lot of putter makers balance the COG in the middle for esthetic reasons but more are. 

[golftech]

Underrated:  Bruce Sizemore putters (any of his versions, but particular the copper insert Sizemore Collection.  
 

Overrated:  Callaway Toulon, nice but just another Chinese manufactured putter.

[unclefreizo]

On 3/19/2024 at 7:27 AM, ephmen said:

I thought this would be interesting to hear your opinions. Let it fly.

To me it's worth asking over- or under-rated on what - performance? Collector value? Bling factor?

 

Lots of SC overrated comments, for instance.

 

Performance is not the only thing players "rate" a putter by. I'd argue a big part of the reason people want a Cameron because it's something to talk about, feels like they fit in with their friends and what they've seen in media, etc. And if that's true, then boy is it delivering.

[SUITS]

Underrated. Bullseyes. 
 

when you are in a funk. Pull it out and putt with it for a half hour. It’s so pure. Makes you think about rolling it in the hole. Not the stroke, no alignment aids

[jls667]

Underrated: as a guy who has now tried to kick his Huntington Beach Premier out of the bag for 3 winters in a row but haven't been able to, I gotta go Cleveland. In the last 3 seasons I bought a Mizuno M-Craft, Odyssey Tri Hot, and a Bettinardi that all lived in the bag for about 4 rounds before being benched for my Cleveland. It also kicked my SeeMore out when I brought it home. Damn thing just feels and rolls better, and I can't seem to get away from it.

 

Overrated: I'm not going the Scotty route since it's been beaten to death but I'll actually go Mizuno as I think they're a bit inflated on various forums because they're slightly cheaper than Scottys. They're good looking putters but having owned one briefly, there's nothing that rattled my nuts about it. Felt good but lots of putters feel good. No great tech used. And while they're about $100 less than Scotty, the Scotty will hold it's value. The Mizuno won't. 

Edited Sunday at 12:13 PM by jls667

[teewinot]

Underrated- Cobra sik face putters.