MALLET PUTTERS

BETTINARDI QUEEN B #11

Hosel options / Toe hang: Crescent neck / moderate

VERDICT: We’re seriously struggling to get Bettinardi’s Queen B #11 putter out of our system. The model’s updated every couple of years, but ever since Top Gear testing started in 2015, #11 has strutted its stuff proudly among our top performing mallets. This year it’s had a makeover, and while it may not be massively different, it’s still utterly gorgeous. We love the slightly more muted copper coloured finish, the honeycomb milled face which is cut down onto the face rather than sweeping across it, and of the course the magical Lamkin Sinkfit Deep Etched grip. In our eyes nobody is making better milled putters than Bettinardi right now.

PING 2023 TYNE G

Hosel options / Toe hang: Double Bend / 0° face balanced

VERDICT: Putters are very subjective pieces of kit – one man’s poison can be another man’s pleasure –and our testers struggled to agree on the Tyne G taking a position among our top five mallets. But it earns a place because it is so forgiving, feels great and sounds good – and it’s capable of rolling putts consistently across the slickest of surfaces right alongside the very best. As long as you’re not averse to seeing a ball-sized hole cut in the middle of your putter, the Tyne G is really good at framing and highlighting the impact position of putts. So, we reckon if you struggle with hitting lots of putts off-centre, this model could really help improve your strike consistency.

ODYSSEY WHITE HOT VERSA THREE T

Hosel options / Toe hang: Slant neck / moderate

VERDICT: Putting well is all about confidence, and if history is anything to go by, Odyssey’s Versa black/white/black colouring is incredibly efficient at boosting our aim and alignment, which translates to holing out more frequently. The Three

T is a new shape for Odyssey and we’re big fans of the straight back (which we feel aids correct alignment) mid-mallet shape.

It’s not too big or cumbersome and it sits behind the ball beautifully. Thanks to the slant neck getting our hands just ahead of the ball, we felt we could stroke putts beautifully across the green’s surface.

CLEVELAND FRONTLINE ELITE CERO

Hosel options / Toe hang: Slant neck/ moderate

VERDICT: Our ears are always open to new thinking around better performing golf products, and the story behind Cleveland’s Frontline Elite family is one of the most interesting we’ve heard. By creating a front-weighted model, where the centre of gravity is closer to the face rather than the back of the head, when putts are hit off-centre the head rotates around a smaller arc than higher MOI models. Consequently, Cleveland say the Frontline Elite is 38% more accurate. Though it’s difficult to prove conclusively whether it works or not, it’s a cracking idea that challenges the tide of conventional thinking on high-moi putters.

ZEBRA AIT 1

Hosel options / Toe hang: Double bend / 0° Face balanced

VERDICT: With 20 mallet putters lined up alongside each other for testing, some inevitably stand out more than others. And the black, grey and white Zebra caught the eye more than most. Zebra might be a new name for some, but there’s plenty of us of a certain age who will see the reintroduction of this as the rebirth of a classic. Granted, this new model is bigger, than the original. But we feel it’s a really good step to boost confidence on much slicker greens than the original ever had to deal with. If you owned a Zebra back in the day, this nostalgic model should bring back all the cosy, fuzzy warm feelings you experienced with the original.