Best putters under £200: four routes to a better roll

Odyssey’s Ai-One Silver putters are listed at £289 on its UK site, and Wilson’s new zero-torque models at £229. Below £200 there are well-specified putters from major brands that cover the main head shapes, insert types and alignment aids.

This guide is built from what each brand says its putter is designed to do and the specs and prices it publishes. Prices are as listed at the time of writing.

Face-balanced or toe hang: match the putter to your stroke

Face-balanced putters (usually mallets with centre or double-bend shafts) are generally recommended for straighter strokes. Putters with toe hang (blades, crank or plumber’s neck hosels) suit strokes with more arc. Cleveland builds its whole HB Soft 2 range around that idea.

1. Odyssey DFX: the soft-feel classic

Price: £149 on Odyssey’s UK site (all five UK models) Shapes: #1 CH, #1W CH, V-Line Fang DB, 2-Ball Blade CH and #10 S

Odyssey describes the DFX insert as its softest, and the range leans on the brand’s best-known head shapes in a charcoal finish. The 2-Ball Blade pictured above puts Odyssey’s two-disc alignment aid on a blade chassis, and the crank hosel gives minimal toe hang and best suits strokes with less face rotation and arc, according to Odyssey. It is listed with 3° of loft, a 70° lie and a 360g head, in lengths from 32 to 35 inches, with a steel shaft and pistol grip as standard (oversize and slim pistol grips are custom options).

Best for: golfers who like a soft, muted feel and want a proven, familiar shape without paying for milling or the newest tech.

Trade-off: if you prefer firm, clicky feedback, a milled face may suit you better. One oddity: at the time of writing the DFX product pages showed £298 at the top while the range page and the page’s own product data both list £149, so check the basket price before you pay.

2. Cleveland HB Soft 2: the near-custom option

Price: RRP £139 in the UK through retailers such as Click Golf; from $159.99 on Cleveland’s US site Shapes: nine models, including the Model 1 blade, 8C, 10.5, 11, 15 and Retreve

Cleveland’s pitch is that you pick a stroke type and a head shape, and it matches the hosel, toe hang, alignment lines and grip to suit. Straight-stroke models get a face-balanced set-up, three-line alignment and an oversize pistol grip; slight-arc models get a single line and a classic pistol grip.

Photo: Cleveland Golf

Cleveland also claims its Speed Optimized Face Technology, with grooves bunched in the centre and spreading towards heel and toe, evens out ball speed on off-centre hits, and that counterbalance weighting keeps the swing feel consistent across lengths.

Best for: anyone who knows roughly how their stroke moves and wants the putter’s components matched to it without a fitting.

Trade-off: we couldn’t find a UK shop on Cleveland’s own website, so British buyers go through retailers, and which models and lengths you can get depends on what they stock.

3. Wilson Infinite: best value for a full range of shapes

Price: £149 on Wilson’s UK site Shapes: nine men’s models from blades (Windy City, West Loop, Michigan Avenue) to mallets (Buckingham, Bucktown, The Bean, South Side, The L, Grant Park), plus four women’s versions

Wilson refreshed the Infinite line in 2024 with what it calls parallel alignment lines (a thicker central line flanked by two thinner ones), a double-milled face, a two-tone anti-glare finish and a midsize, flat-sided, no-taper grip intended to reduce hand and wrist rotation. Wilson’s UK listing flags the Buckingham mallet as a 2025 MyGolfSpy award winner.

Best for: golfers who want the widest choice of head shapes at this price, and players who like a chunkier grip.

Trade-off: the grip is a big part of the design, so if you prefer a slim pistol you may end up replacing it.

4. Wilson Harmonized: the budget starter

Price: £55 on Wilson’s UK site Shapes: X1, X2 and X5

Wilson describes the Harmonized X1 as a blade putter for beginners looking to improve accuracy and feel. At £55 it is the cheapest new putter from a major brand here.

Best for: beginners, a spare for the garage, or anyone who doesn’t want to spend much.

Trade-off: this is a basic putter without the insert, milling or alignment refinements of the models above. Stock on some variants was shown as unavailable on Wilson’s UK site at the time of writing.

Just over budget: Wilson Infinite Zero Torque

If the zero-torque idea appeals, Wilson’s Infinite Zero Torque putters (The 606 and Lakeview) are £229 on its UK site, just over budget. Wilson says the 606 reduces face rotation through the stroke and pairs a no-taper grip with 1° of forward shaft lean.

The Cleveland for most, the Odyssey for feel

For most club golfers we’d take the Cleveland HB Soft 2, because it builds the set-up around your stroke. Odyssey’s DFX is the pick if feel comes first and you like a classic shape, and Wilson’s Infinite offers the broadest choice of heads for £149.

Sources

• Odyssey UK: DFX putters
• Odyssey UK: DFX 2-Ball Blade CH putter
• Odyssey UK: Ai-One Silver putters
• Cleveland Golf: HB Soft 2 putters
• Cleveland Golf: HB Soft 2 Model 11
• Click Golf: Cleveland HB Soft 2 #1 putter
• Wilson UK: putters
• Wilson UK: Infinite Buckingham putter
• Wilson UK: Harmonized X1 putter
• Wilson UK: Infinite Zero Torque The 606
• Golf Today: Wilson introduces the next generation of Infinite putters