The quick answer
Choose a putter by your stroke first and its shape second. Makers build each putter for a stroke type: straight back and through, a slight arc or a strong arc. The difference is mostly in the hosel and how much the toe hangs, and it decides how easily the face returns square at impact.
Shape is a separate choice. There are mallets built for an arc and blades built for a straight stroke, so “mallets for straight strokes, blades for arcs” is only a rough rule.
Who this is for
Golfers choosing a new putter who want one built for the way they actually stroke it, in the shape they like to look down at.
How to tell your stroke
Put a straight line on the floor or a practice green (an alignment stick or a chalk line) and make your normal stroke along it, filming from above or behind.
- Straight: the putter head stays over the line going back and through, and the face barely opens.
- Slight arc: the head moves a little inside the line on the backswing and back inside after impact, with the face opening and closing a little.
- Strong arc: the head swings clearly inside on both sides, and the face rotates noticeably.
Most golfers have some arc. If you are not sure, start with the slight-arc putters.
How this list is built
This page lists every putter in our records whose maker names the stroke type it is built for. Ping gives a stroke type for each model in its specifications. Cleveland, Cobra and Scotty Cameron say it in their descriptions. The lists update themselves from our records, and prices are each store’s latest check.
For a straight stroke
Ping lists the Scottsdale Craz-E, DS72, Prime Tyne C and TEC Hayden as “Straight.” Cleveland says the HB SOFT 2 Black Model 11 and Model 8C are “best suited for a straight stroke.” Scotty Cameron says the Phantom 7’s Double Bend neck “creates minimum toe flow for a straight back, straight through stroke.”
The Model 8C is the only blade here: Cleveland calls it “a slightly enlarged blade design.” The rest are mallets or, for the DS72, what Ping calls a mid mallet.
Ping says the Scottsdale DS72’s ball-width PEBAX face insert “matches the ball-width cavity to make aiming easier.”
- Head shape
- Mid-mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Straight
- Lengths
- 35"
$197
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale DS72Affiliate linkCleveland says model 11’s “winged mallet design is paired with a single bend hosel and three-line alignment—best suited for a straight stroke.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Straight
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$199.99
TGW lists it as “HB Soft 2 #11 OS Black” (model 11 with Cleveland’s stock HB SOFT 2 Oversize grip)
See at TGW: Cleveland Golf HB SOFT 2 Black Model 11Affiliate linkCleveland Golf
HB SOFT 2 Black Model 8C
Cleveland says model 8C “uses a slightly enlarged blade design paired with a center shafted hosel and three-line alignment system—best suited for a straight stroke.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Straight
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$199.99
New, at the “Starting At” price 2nd Swing shows for the standard build
Ping calls the Scottsdale Craz-E “a Tour-proven PING classic known for extreme MOI.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Straight
- Lengths
- 35"
$227
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale Craz-EAffiliate linkPing says “This center-shafted model will appeal to players who set up more comfortably with no offset and who have a straight stroke type.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Straight
- Lengths
- 35"
$227
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale Prime Tyne CAffiliate linkPing says the Scottsdale TEC Hayden’s 360g multi-material mallet “is highly forgiving for more accuracy.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Straight
- Lengths
- 35"
$399
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale TEC HaydenAffiliate linkScotty Cameron says the Phantom 7’s “long, sharp wings and a blade-like topline provide a sleek look with forgiving performance.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Straight
- Lengths
- 33", 34", 35"
$549
Listed as the 2026 Phantom 7 DB (double bend)
See at TGW: Scotty Cameron Phantom 7 (2026)Affiliate link
For a slight arc
Ping lists the Scottsdale Anser, Anser 2D, B63, Oslo 3, TEC Ally Blue H and TEC Ketsch Onset as “Slight Arc,” and says the Anser’s hosel “helps slight-arc players start putts rolling on line.” Cleveland says its Model 1 blade and Model 10.5P mallet are “best suited for a slight arc stroke.” Cobra says the MIM Sport-40 is “designed for players with a slight arc stroke,” and lists 40° of toe hang.
This is the widest choice, with blades and mallets from three makers.
Cleveland says the Model 1 is “the most traditional shape of all the HB SOFT 2 Black Putters.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$199.99
See at TGW: Cleveland Golf HB SOFT 2 Black Model 1Affiliate linkCleveland says model 10.5P’s “sleek ovular design” with a plumber’s neck hosel and one-line alignment is “best suited for a slight arc stroke.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$199.99
See at TGW: Cleveland Golf HB SOFT 2 Black Model 10.5PAffiliate linkPing says the Scottsdale Anser’s back cavity with a single alignment line “makes aiming easy to inspire a confident stroke.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 35"
$227
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale AnserAffiliate linkPing says the Anser 2D’s slightly deeper, perimeter-weighted blade design “has similar weight, size and forgiveness of a mid-mallet putter.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 35"
$227
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale Anser 2DAffiliate linkPing says “The Tour-inspired, perimeter-weighted B60 model becomes the B63 with a soft-slanting hosel that matches the soft head geometry for visual balance in this high-MOI design.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 35"
$227
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale B63Affiliate linkPing says the Scottsdale Oslo 3 is a “high-MOI mallet” that “is perimeter weighted and has a low center of gravity for accuracy.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 35"
$227
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale Oslo 3Affiliate linkCobra calls the MIM Sport-40 “a traditional plumber’s neck blade designed for players with a slight arc stroke.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$279
See at Cobra Golf: Cobra MIM Sport-40Affiliate linkPing says the Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue H’s “Anser-style hosel visually complements the square footprint of the design that best fits a slight-arc stroke.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 35"
$399
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue HAffiliate linkPing says in the Ketsch Onset “the shaft position sits behind the face and slightly closer to the heel to provide a full-face view of the ball to make squaring the face easier.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 35"
$399
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale TEC Ketsch OnsetAffiliate link
For a strong arc
Ping lists the Scottsdale Anser 4, Prime Tyne 4 and TEC Ketsch 4 as “Strong Arc,” and says the Anser 4-style hosel on the TEC Ketsch 4 gives “greater toe hang.” Cobra says the MIM Sport-60 is “built for strong‑arc strokes,” with “toe hang ideal for players who release the putter through impact,” and lists 60° of toe hang.
Ping says the Scottsdale Anser 4 “Shares similar design characteristics with the classic Anser” but “is designed with a hosel that assists a strong-arc stroke.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Strong arc
- Lengths
- 35"
$227
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale Anser 4Affiliate linkPing says the Scottsdale Prime Tyne 4 is a “highly forgiving mallet” with a “twin-fork design that gives it exceptional balance and stability to ensure accuracy.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Strong arc
- Lengths
- 35"
$227
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale Prime Tyne 4Affiliate linkCobra calls the MIM Sport-60 “a compact flow‑neck blade built for strong‑arc strokes.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Strong arc
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$279
See at Cobra Golf: Cobra MIM Sport-60Affiliate linkPing says the Scottsdale TEC Ketsch 4 is “designed to fit a strong-arc player.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Strong arc
- Lengths
- 35"
$399
See at TGW: Ping Scottsdale TEC Ketsch 4Affiliate link
Length matters as much
A putter that fits your stroke still needs to fit your posture. Ping lists a 35-inch standard length for its Scottsdale models; Cleveland and Cobra list 34 and 35 inches stock, with custom lengths; Scotty Cameron lists 33, 34 and 35 inches for the Phantom 7. How to choose putter length explains how to measure for one.
Where to go next
- Putter Finder: your stroke, the shape you like and your budget.
- Blade or mallet?
- Putters under $200
- Green Reading Lab and Putt Odds, for the rest of the job.
- All putters we have researched.
Sources
- Evidence: Verified
Cleveland publishes the HB SOFT 2 Black Model 11 head design, hosel, stroke fit, face technology, stock lengths and list price.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Cleveland publishes the HB SOFT 2 Black Model 8C head design, hosel, stock lengths, face technology and a $199.99 price, and says it is best suited for a straight stroke.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale Craz-E putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale DS72 putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale Prime Tyne C putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length, lie and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale TEC Hayden putter type, stroke type, hosel, materials, insert, head weight, loft and standard length.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Researched
Scotty Cameron publishes the 2026 Phantom 7 head type, neck, offset, toe flow, face insert, loft, lengths and list price.
Scotty Cameron product page on Titleist.com
Read from the maker’s page as displayed when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Cleveland publishes the HB SOFT 2 Black Model 1 head design, hosel, stroke fit, face technology, stock lengths and list price.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Cleveland publishes the HB SOFT 2 Black Model 10.5P head design, hosel, stroke fit, face technology, stock lengths and list price.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Cobra publishes the MIM Sport-40 shape, hosel, toe hang, head weights by length, lofts and price, and fits it to a slight arc stroke.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale Anser 2D putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale Anser putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale B63 putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length, lie and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale Oslo 3 putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length, lie and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue H putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, head material, face insert, head weight, standard length, lie and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale TEC Ketsch Onset putter type, stroke type, hosel style, head material, face insert, head weight, standard length, lie and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Cobra publishes the MIM Sport-60 shape, hosel, toe hang, head weights by length, lofts, lie, stock shaft and grip, and price, and fits it to a strong-arc stroke.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale Anser 4 putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length, lie and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale Prime Tyne 4 putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.
- Evidence: Verified
Ping publishes the Scottsdale TEC Ketsch 4 putter type, stroke type, hosel, offset, face insert, head weight, standard length and loft.
Values were matched against the downloaded text of the page when we checked.