2-ball putters

Accurate shots are at their most needed on the green. While you can certainly live with a long iron shot that pitches anywhere within a few yards of the hole, an inch in the wrong direction on the green is the difference between another day of disappointment or bragging rights in the bar.

Which is why putters are big on alignment features…those scoremarks, lines, dots, and discs that help your eyes and hands follow the correct line so you strike the ball square on with the center of your putter. Which gives you the best chance of sending the ball off in the direction you intended.

There are numerous alignment aids found on modern putters, but one of the most popular is the 2-, 3- or 4-ball design, where a series of white (golf)balls stretches across the top of the putter, perpendicular to the face. The balls may be the same size, or they may get bigger or smaller in shape the nearer you get to the face.

The most famous examples of this approach are the Odyssey 2-ball putters, the design which really established the alignment concept. These beautiful clubs continue to sell well in various models, and the Odyssey White Hot XG 2-ball recently grabbed the editor’s choice award for putters in the 2007 Golf Digest Hot List.

For those on tighter budgets, there are various clone putters on the market that also use a ball alignment design. I recently wrote about the Four-ball Xeon M5 putter, for example.

Pinemeadow, who sell the M5, also have 3- and 2-ball putter models. GigaGolf offer various 3-ball putter models. All these retail for between $30 and $40, which compares more than favorably with brand putter prices, which can easily exceed $200. The photo you see above is the Eclipse 3-ball putter I bought last year from GigaGolf for $34.50.

If you’re looking to get a new mallet putter, then consider a 2- or 3-ball model and see if it helps your putting accuracy. At $30+ plus it won’t break the bank, but might just help you break par on a hole or three.