Mallet Putters,
Built for Forgiveness

Blades have a narrow, traditional head profile and typically suit players with a more arcing stroke. Mallets have a wider, heavier head that positions more mass away from the center, making them more forgiving on off-center hits and better suited to players with a straight-back, straight-through stroke.

Generally, yes. A mallet distributes more mass away from the center of the head, which increases the moment of inertia (MOI) — the putter’s resistance to twisting when the ball is not struck exactly on the sweet spot. Higher MOI means straighter roll, more consistent distance, and fewer three-putts from slight misses.

A full-size mallet. Forgiveness on a putter comes down to MOI — how much the head resists twisting on an off-center strike — and MOI rises as mass moves further from the center of the head. A full mallet, with weight pushed to the heel, toe and back, generally keeps more mass out there than a compact mallet or a blade, so it turns least on a mishit and holds its line and pace best when you miss the center. The trade is feedback: the more forgiving the head, the less it tells you about where you struck it.

Ashdon's mallet designs — including the G-360 M5 and M6 — use geometric mass distribution to give you the largest sweet spot Ashdon makes. If you want the most forgiveness, start there. The free fitting guide matches you to a specific model based on your stroke and height.

Yes — though the wording deserves a correction. The USGA doesn't approve or endorse equipment; it evaluates clubs for conformance to the Rules of Golf. All Ashdon putters are designed to conform to USGA and R&A equipment rules and are legal for tournament play at all levels. Every mallet in the Roundabout and Bermuda Triangle lines is included. The Roundabout Series geometric head design was first patented in 1994 (U.S. Patent US5599241A, expired 2014).

Balance the putter shaft across a finger and let the head hang. If the face points straight up at the sky, the putter is face balanced. If the toe drops toward the floor, it has toe hang. Face balancing means the head resists rotating open and closed through the stroke, which is what you want if your stroke travels straight back and straight through. Most mallets are face balanced or close to it.

MOI stands for moment of inertia, and it is simply a measure of how hard something is to twist. On a putter it describes how much the head resists rotating when you miss the center of the face. It goes up when mass sits further from the center of the head, which is why a wide mallet with weight pushed to the heel, toe and back resists twisting more than a compact blade. The practical effect shows up on mishits: a higher-MOI head turns less on a strike off the toe, so the ball starts closer to your intended line and loses less speed.

You trade some feedback for stability. A compact blade telegraphs exactly where on the face you made contact, which skilled putters use to self-correct. A mallet damps that signal because the head twists less — which is the entire point, but it does mean mishits feel more like good strikes. If reading your own contact matters to you, a compact mallet or a blade will suit you better than a full-size mallet.

Most golfers play a putter that is too long. The right length puts your eyes over or just inside the ball with your arms hanging naturally and your shoulders level. By height as a starting point: over 6 feet is usually 36 inches, 5 feet 8 to 6 feet is 35 inches, 5 feet 4 to 5 feet 8 is 34 inches, and shorter players are typically 33 inches or less. Posture shifts this, so treat height as the starting point rather than the answer.