The modern putter took shape in 1966, when Karsten Solheim designed the Ping Anser and moved weight out to the heel and toe so the head would twist less on off-center putts. Almost every blade putter since is a variation on that idea. The rest of the story is about inserts, bigger mallets, CNC milling and, most recently, putters built to have no torque at all.
This is part of our GolfRoots history series. If you missed them, start with the history of the driver.
What were putters like before the Anser?
For most of golf's history a putter was a simple blade with the shaft attached at the heel or the center. Some were wood, many were iron or brass, and the famous Calamity Jane that Bobby Jones used was a plain hickory-shafted blade. They all had the same weakness: the mass sat behind the middle of the face, so a putt struck toward the toe or heel twisted the face open or closed and the ball rolled off line and short.
How did Karsten Solheim change the putter?
Karsten Solheim was a Norwegian-born engineer working for General Electric when he took up golf in 1954, at 42. Putting was his weak spot, so he started building his own putters in his garage. His idea was to take weight from the center of the head and put it at the heel and toe. With more mass on the perimeter, the head resists twisting, and mishits roll closer to where you aimed. His early putters made a "ping" sound at impact, which is where the company name came from.
Why is it called the Anser?
According to MyGolfSpy's history of the putter, Solheim sketched the Anser in January 1966. His wife, Louise, suggested calling it the "Answer." The word didn't fit on the head, so they dropped the W. The design patent was granted in 1967. Tour players put it in play quickly, and the Anser shape became the template the whole industry follows. Our Ping Anser spotlight goes deeper on the design.
Ping did not keep the market to itself for long. Once the design patent ran its course, Anser-style blades appeared from nearly every brand. Scotty Cameron's Newport, Odyssey's Anser-style heads and countless others all trace back to Solheim's garage. Shop used Ping Anser putters.
How did Scotty Cameron become the premium putter brand?
Scotty Cameron started out making putters for Ray Cook in the 1980s and then designed for other brands before starting his own company with his wife, Kathy, in 1992. Bernhard Langer won the 1993 Masters with a Cameron-made putter. In 1994 Cameron signed with Titleist, and his milled putters became the premium standard.
Cameron's calling card is milling. Instead of casting the head, the putter is cut from a solid block of steel on a CNC machine, which gives tight tolerances and a consistent feel. Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters with a Cameron Newport, then switched to a Newport 2 GSS that he used for most of his major wins. A Newport 2 is, at heart, an Anser. Read why the Newport 2 is still the standard or see used Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putters.
When did insert putters take over?
Callaway bought Odyssey in 1997, and around 2000 Odyssey launched the White Hot insert, a soft polymer face insert. It gave a softer, quieter sound and a more consistent roll than many cast faces, and it became one of the best-selling putter lines ever. Here is what's behind the White Hot feel, or browse used Odyssey White Hot putters.
What made the 2-Ball putter so popular?
Odyssey's White Hot 2-Ball put two ball-sized discs on top of a mallet head to help golfers aim. It went to tour players in 2001 and to retail in early 2002. Paul Lawrie put one in play and won the 2001 Dunhill Links at St Andrews. A lot of golfers laughed at the look, and then a lot of golfers bought one. The idea itself came from inventor Clark Collins, and Callaway later bought the related patents.
How did the Spider change mallets?
TaylorMade's Spider arrived in 2008 as the Monza Spider. It pushed weight far to the edges of a big, wing-shaped head for very high MOI, or resistance to twisting. J.B. Holmes won the 2008 FBR Open in a playoff against Phil Mickelson with one, and TaylorMade sold far more than it had planned that year. The smaller Itsy Bitsy version followed and became the core of the line, and the Spider X came a decade later. Read where Spider True Path alignment came from, or shop used TaylorMade Spider putters.
What is a zero-torque putter?
The newest twist came from Reno club builder Bill Presse, who developed a lie angle balanced design and patented the Directed Force putter. In 2018 he partnered with Sam Hahn to form L.A.B. Golf. A lie angle balanced putter is built so the face stays square through the stroke on its own instead of wanting to rotate open or closed. J.J. Spaun won the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont with an L.A.B. DF3. See used L.A.B. Golf putters.
Face-balanced or toe hang: which do you need?
Here is a test you can do in the shop. Balance the putter shaft on your finger. If the face points straight up at the sky, it is face-balanced. If the toe drops toward the ground, it has toe hang.
- Face-balanced putters, usually mallets, suit a straighter back-and-through stroke.
- Toe hang putters, like most Anser-style blades, suit a stroke that arcs open and closed.
- Zero-torque designs like L.A.B. are a third option for golfers who fight face rotation either way.
Matching the putter to your stroke matters more than the brand on the head. Still torn between shapes? Read Newport 2 vs Phantom: blade or mallet. That is also why a used putter is a smart buy: you can try different shapes for a fraction of new prices.
FAQ
Who invented the modern putter?
No one person invented the putter, but Karsten Solheim's Ping Anser, designed in 1966, set the shape most blade putters still use today.
Is a Scotty Cameron Newport an Anser copy?
The Newport uses the Anser layout: a heel-toe weighted blade with a plumber's neck hosel. Cameron's versions are milled and finished differently, but the basic shape is Solheim's.
Are older putters still good?
Yes. A putter doesn't wear out the way a driver face can, and shapes like the Anser haven't changed much in decades. Condition of the face and grip matters more than age.
What is MOI in a putter?
Moment of inertia, a measure of how much the head resists twisting. Higher MOI means mishits lose less speed and direction. Big mallets like the Spider have the highest MOI.
Looking for your next putter? Browse all used putters, each graded 1 to 10 with exact length listed. Struggling on short ones? Read about the yips.
