Best TaylorMade Putters 2023

Best TaylorMade Putters

Given some of the world's best players like Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa, use or have used TaylorMade putters, it should come as no surprise how successful the brand has been. Those players are not ones to take their equipment setups lightly, so I think this shows clear as day that the brand makes some of the best putters in the business.

What might surprise you is the variety in the family, with all manner of shapes, styles and colors to suit both your eye and your putting strokes. There is most definitely something for everyone in the range. As such I have taken a look at the best TaylorMade putters currently on the market below. Alternatively, if TaylorMade is not for you, then we have also created guides on other brands, such as the best Ping putters, best Scotty Cameron putters, even the best Odyssey putters currently on sale.

Best TaylorMade Putters

TaylorMade has refreshed its incredibly successful Spider X putter, one of the best putters to be released to the golf world, with a new colorway and a new finishing process. The Hydro Blast has a smoother and very premium-looking finish thanks to the high-pressure application of water to the aluminum body. And TaylorMade says a by-product of this process is added durability with the risk of blemishes and scratches being minimized due to the absence of paint. 

Meanwhile, TaylorMade have placed two tungsten weights on the rear edges of the putter to increase the MOI this putter provides and help reduce the amount how much the club twists through each putting stroke. The club's face also improves on its stability, with its Pure Roll insert providing a smooth feel and nice sound on impact with the golf ball. It is certainly a very clean and more durable finish than what we saw in 2020 and Hydro Blast itself is one of TaylorMade's most popular clubs of all time.  

• Read our full TaylorMade Spider X Putter Review
  

Perhaps one of the most adjustable putters on the market at the moment, the TaylorMade Spider GT Max putter is a stylish and innovative offering that allows golfers to tailor their flat stick to their desired swing preferences. It takes a familiar shape of some of the best mallet putters on the market and looks very similar to its winged predecessor, the Spider GT. The face uses the same Pure Roll 2 insert that you'll see on many of the putters in this list, which helps to deliver excellent sound and feedback when you strike the ball. 

The highlight of this club is the intuitive weighting system that you'll find on its sole. It allows players to fine tune the CG placement and toe hang of the club through two 40g tungsten weights that sit on the wings of the club. Simply unscrew the weights and place them in either one of the three positions up and down the wings to deliver the right balance for your stroke. The resulting variations to the head performance are quite subtle, but that does make it most forgiving putters we've tested of late, thanks to the consistency of shots it can help you produce. 

• Read our full TaylorMade Spider GT Max Putter Review

Taking inspiration from the design and shape of the TaylorMade Spider X, the Spider GTX is one of the best mallet putters on the market. It features the TruPath alignment Y that was prevalent on the Spider X, and is a great option if you're looking to improve your accuracy on the greens. That Y shape flows into a single white bar with a sight line that hangs over the leading edge of the club, allowing you to line your face up correctly and gives this club a very sleek aesthetic. The GTX also comes in six different colors, including black, red, blue and silver, that helped to focus my eyes on the ball and alignment line. 

Perhaps the most interesting addition to this club, though, is the 154g tunsten stability bar which protrudes from the rear of the crown. This has been installed to shift the putter's center of gravity lower and towards the back of the club, and looks very similar to the weighted wings seen on the Spider X. This innovative weighting system helps to improve both the stability and forgiveness of this mid-sized mallet, which has an MOI of 5330g/cm2, which is a pretty high figure. That combines well with the firmer feel of the Pure Roll 2 insert, to make this one of the most forgiving putters on the market.

• Read our full TaylorMade Spider GTX Putter Review

Similar to the TaylorMade Rollback putter, the Spider GT Notchback is a larger mallet putter that aims to provide more stability through your putting stroke. The main difference between this and the Rollback though comes in the form of a notched back section at the rear of the club, which moves weight further away to the edges of the putter to help increase stability through your stroke. It also features a long alignment line on the back of the clubhead which acts as a handy aiming tool helping golfers get the ball closer to the hole.  

It does feel slightly heavier than the Rollback, which I thought was another great aspect of this club and can help improve the tempo of your putting stroke. But the club does come across a little chunky thanks to its thick leading edge that might not appeal to all golfers.  

This club is suitable for all golfers but will really suit those who struggle with alignment and putting consistency. Its tungsten stability bars keep the clubface square through impact, which is a great feature that helps ensure even your off-center hits have a good chance of getting to the hole. If you're in the market for a new mallet putter then be sure to check out our guide on the best mallet putters. 

• Read our full TaylorMade Spider GT Notchback Putter Review

The flagship of TaylorMade's new line of Spider putters, the Spider GT recently featured in our Editors Choice awards for 2022, as a high-performance putter that provides excellent stability and responsivity around the greens. The club has been updated from the Spider X which was made of a predominantly steel frame that had tungsten weights in its rear corners. The Spider GT now looks to further improve the distribution of weight on the club, through its two steel wings, which move the weight of the club away from its center, increasing its MOI and making it more stable through impact.

On testing, I felt the putter provides a good roll and felt solid on impact thanks also to its new Pure Roll 2 face insert. The club also interestingly places the shaft towards the central alignment line on the putter, which may or may not be to every golfer's tastes, but it did make it seem like it was easier to line up the putt with our hands. 

As for style, TaylorMade have given this club a very sleek, sci-fi finish, which adds to the quality of the club. Its top aluminum plate comes in red, silver or black, and when flipped over, you'll reveal the bright red and yellow Spider logo which completes the great finish this club has. Its sleek design and performance-enhancing qualities mean this is one of the best putters currently available on the market. 

• Read our full TaylorMade Spider GT Putter Review

This club is designed to help you hit clean shots through its 'Stability Roll Bar' around which is situated around the rear of its head. This moves the center of gravity back, creating a more forgiving club that doesn't twist if you strike the ball off-center. With the weight being around the back there is not as much stability support through the stroke as the other mallet in the range, the TaylorMade Spider GT Notchback putter. But this club is a very forgiving offering that also features some very clear alignment lines on the back of its head. 

While it features the same Pure Roll face insert as the Spider X putter, you'll notice this ball does feel slightly firmer and sounds a pitch higher on impact. Interestingly though, the head is the same weight as the other Spider GT putters but does play a little lighter and that could be more beneficial for those who need more forgiveness or prefer a simple clean mallet putter. If you are one of those people, make sure to check out our guide on the most forgiving putters.

• Read our full TaylorMade Spider GT Rollback Putter Review

Looking for one of the most forgiving putters on the market? Well, the TaylorMade Spider EX putter is by far one of the best mallet putters that can help you play more consistently on the greens. TaylorMade's goal in this club is to create something a little more refined than the very popular Spider X model. And it is certainly a model to try this year. The overall shape of the EX is a little more pleasing than its predecessor, boasting softer lines and a more rounded rear section that will appeal more to higher handicappers. 

The head comes in a little larger than the Spider X, and at address, the new dual line system frames three reflective dots on the back of the club to form an excellent alignment tool to help you strike the ball off the center of the face. Speaking of the face, TaylorMade have added a new co-molded insert into the Spider EX. It comes with fewer grooves that are made of aluminium beams which help to deliver a slightly softer feel and a touch more speed than its predecessor. I also enjoyed how the ball hugged the ground and the consistency of the roll out this putter offered. It is super stable and is a great option for any golfer looking to strike better and more fluid putts on the greens.

• Read our full TaylorMade Spider EX Putter Review

Utilizing the same perimeter weighting design on the TaylorMade Spider GT putter the Splitback aims to push most of the club's weight away from its center, to increase its MOI and stability through impact. While the GT has an aluminum cover over the gap between the wings, the Splitback features an open style back cavity which has a very clear alignment line that I used to help square up the ball. 

During my testing, I found that the club felt very solid on impact and sounded great too, giving off a pleasant ping noise, due in part to its tuning fork style head design. Like the GT, the face also features a Pure Roll 2 insert that is set at a 45º angle to improve the roll of the ball at impact, which might I add was very smooth. While some golfers may not like how your hands will sit slightly ahead of the ball on this putter, I found the Splitback to be one of the best mallet putters currently on the market, thanks to its excellent design, perfect weighting and useful alignment tools. 

• Read our full TaylorMade Spider GT Splitback Putter Review

The first thing I noticed with the Bandon 3 is its looks, the club really does look outstanding thanks to the sandstone finish. A true premium design. Dustin Johnson seemed to agree too as it is a model that has occasionally frequented his tour setup. The fang design lends itself to easy alignment, and this is enhanced by the black sightline. 

Indeed the putter also sits flush to the ground and the winged shape helps players square the club to the golf ball at impact too. Overall I felt it had a similar feel to a blade putter but in a mallet form which means it may suit a wide range of players. Off the face, it feels solid and offers up a surprisingly firm and loud sound at impact given the deep grooves on the face insert.

• Read our full TaylorMade TP Hydro Blast Bandon 3 Putter Review

TaylorMade has put an awful lot of time and investment into designing a brand new Kalea Premier line of clubs for ladies and the Spider Mini putter is the perfect choice for this truly premium set of women's golf clubs. It has beautiful aesthetics, featuring the same eye-catching coloring from the Kalea Premier women's set, including a royal blue sole and pretty tail pocket accents in honeycomb yellow.

It's footprint is 15% smaller than the standard Spider putter, which means there's very little compromise in the stability and forgiveness of the head. What's more, it sits very flat and flush to the green which should really encourage golfers to make a smooth, pendulum rocking action with their arms. Lastly, the putter is fitted with a simple long white sight line on the crown, which makes alignment easy and obvious.

• Read our full TaylorMade Kalea Premier Spider Mini Women's Putter Review

How We Test Putters

When it comes to product testing, our reviews and buyers' guides are built upon a rigorous testing procedure as well as the knowledge and experience of the test team. We test the putters outdoors on real greens with premium golf balls to get a thorough understanding of design features, feel, sound and looks. 

Ultimately, we aim to be as insightful and honest as possible in our reviews so it is important to acknowledge that no manufacturer can buy a good review. This is because our team tells it how it is. To learn more about testing methodology, see how Golf Monthly tests products in our guide. Putter testing is also headed up by Golf Monthly writer Martin Hopley, who is ably assisted by other members of the team including Technical Editor Joel Tadman.

What to consider when buying a new putter

While TaylorMade are one of the best putter manufacturers, with several putters on the list above providing high-performance alternatives for golfers, there are a number of things every golfer needs to look out for when looking to purchase a new putter. 

Head Design

Putters come in a traditional blade, mid-mallet or a mallet design. All three styles have positives and negatives to them for every player and luckily lots of brands implement technologies across all three.

Mallet putters tend to be much larger than blades and they usually come in various shapes and sizes. This helps in a number of ways. A lot of the time most of the weight in a mallet putter can be found in the club-face however because of its design, weight can then be redistributed to other parts of the head which can help stabilize your stroke. The weight of the putter in the perimeter of the club-head offers better balance than what can be offered from a blade putter.

Mallet putters tend to also have a larger sweet spot which can be beneficial if you are a player who struggles to consistently strike your putts out of the middle of the face. The weight in the club-head also helps here because it diminishes the twisting of the putter throughout the stroke too.

Alignment 

Additionally, if you struggle with alignment, a mallet putter could be the way to go as they usually have longer alignment lines. Alignment plays a crucial part in putting because it is all about accuracy and a mallet putter can be beneficial here by helping your eyes line up the putt.

A blade putter is a lot simpler in terms of design and will suit the traditionalists among you a lot more than some of the mallet putters pictured above. Blade putters also tend to suit players with an arc in their putting stroke because of the toe-weighted nature of the club-head.

Feel

Here, we're talking not just about the feel and sound the ball makes coming off the face, but how the putter feels in your hands.

A quieter sound contributes to a softer feel, whereas a louder sound usually translates into a firmer feel. A firmer feel is often the product of shallow grooves or no grooves at all on the face, where sound can't be dissipated as effectively. They work better with softer feeling golf balls, whereas soft-feeling putters work best with firmer golf balls.

You can get putters with adjustable weights in the sole that will alter the feel of the putter. For example, if your stroke is quite smooth and slow, a heavier putter will encourage that more. Jerky putters may prefer a lighter putter, although opting for more weight may reduce it, depending on what your goals are.

Grip

The putter grip plays a huge roll in the confidence you feel with a putter. Get one that feels right and sits in your hands comfortably while allowing you to return the putter back to the ball squarely and consistently.

Looks

You should get a putter that you like the look of as the aesthetics can play a role in inspiring or diminishing confidence on the greens. Blades won't offer as much alignment assistance but are still popular because of how they feel and the levels of forgiveness are increasing every year.

Mallet putters have more real estate, and can therefore provide more help to set the face squarely. Mid mallets are somewhere in the middle, offering a decent level of assistance without looking too cumbersome.

Value

Our final tip is to think about price because while there are some premium designs out there, there are also some models which offer excellent value. All putters will propel the ball towards the hole, but they do it in different ways. If performance is more important than looks or feel, there are lots of cut-price options out there that will do a good job and you can spend more money on other areas of your bag.

While this guide features some of the best mallet putters on the market, why not also check out our guides on some other excellent options that can help you stop three-putting. For example, check out our guides to the best blade putters, best putters for beginners and our guide to the best putters for high handicappers.

FAQs