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Most golfers probably assume that, once a putt is struck, the golf ball immediately begins rolling end over end toward the hole. That’s certainly a logical assumption. To the naked eye, it certainly appears that the ball reacts to being struck in exactly that way. But, in reality, the ball does not begin its journey to the hole by rolling instantaneously after impact.
Slow motion video has captured the immediate aftermath of a ball being struck by a putter and has revealed that, for the first 20 inches or so, the golf ball actually goes slightly airborne and then skids before it begins its true roll.
Unfortunately, as you might have guessed, this initial jump-and-skid of the ball can be detrimental to the overall putt. The longer the ball stays in the air and skids, the more speed it loses and the more likely it is to veer off its line.
What can be done to counteract that?
As with many age-old golf woes, help has arrived in the form of modern technology. Advances in the construction of putter heads and faces have yielded new designs that are specifically engineered to reduce the negative impact of a skidding putt by getting the ball to begin an end over end roll much sooner. One of the primary putter manufacturing processes that produces these beneficial results is known as “milling” and we will spend some time here describing the milling process and searching out the best milled putters that you can buy.
Without going too deeply into the actual physics that dictates this, the reason that you’ll generally get better results from putts that start rotating sooner is governed by a theory called the “Conservation of Angular Momentum.”
Angular momentum says that the momentum created by an object in motion (in this case, a golf ball), will keep that object in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. So, if the ball starts skidding, there is no angular momentum until the ball contacts the ground and starts to rotate.
OK, enough with the physics!
What this means, in layman’s terms, is that there actually is merit to the idea that you will hit better putts if the ball gets on the ground and starts rotating sooner.
The term milling as it pertains to putters is actually used to describe two different manufacturing processes.
The first applies to the milling of the entire putter head, and describes a method in which the whole head is created out of one single block of metal, usually steel. The excess metal is then removed using a computerized milling machine until what remains is the putter head. This is analogous to a sculptor starting with a large block of marble or wood and creating a piece of art by chiseling or carving away material until what is left is his final design.
The second milling process is the one that is more commonly referred to nowadays. This process utilizes milling on just the face of the putter. The aim of face milling is to produce a perfectly flat surface, and one that features various etched patterns. These etched patterns are meant to produce both a softer feel and a more muted sound.
Proponents of the milling process for putters cite the more exacting standards that can be achieved versus other non-milled putters. Using computerized milling devices, designers can create products within extremely minute tolerances with very precise outcomes. They point out that whenever any item is machined from a single piece of metal, it will perform better than putters made from multiple pieces.
The putter market today is generally divided into two camps: milled putters and insert putters.
Insert putters are different from milled putters in several ways but, most noticeably, they utilize an “inlay” that is placed in the face of the putter. This inlay, or “insert,” is made from a different material than that of the main part of the putter head itself. The most common marketing claim made by manufacturers of these putters is that the insert softens the feel of the ball against the putter face.
Many companies make and sell insert putters, but the market leader is clearly Odyssey. In the other camp, there are several companies that manufacture milled putters, with the most recognizable name being Scotty Cameron.
Typically, the cost of a milled putter is higher than the cost of other putters in the market. The primary reason for this is that, as described above, the process used to design and computer-mill a putter head is so much more labor intensive and time-consuming. Many consider the instruments created from this milling process to be the cream of the crop as far as putters go, and often look at them as a piece of art.
And there is no denying that there is a certain prestige that goes along with having a Scotty Cameron or a Bettinardi putter (or one of the others in this family).
There are many milled putters on the market that you can choose from. We’ve taken a look at all of them and are offering the five below as the ones that we feel are the best:
Some of you may remember a highly rated putter from many years ago called the Guerin Rife. The Guerin Rife putter was the first to actually employ technology aimed at making a golf ball begin rolling end over end almost immediately after contact. Sadly, the Guerin Rife putter went out of production, but the Guerin Rife folks are back with a vengeance with the Evnroll line of milled putters.
The Evnroll putters actually do live up to their hype in this regard. Independent testing has shown that these incredible putters outperform all other putters because of their unique Evnroll groove technology. Conventional putters, when mishit, result in putts hit shorter than intended and which frequently veer offline. Tests showed that Evnroll putters, when mishit, not only travel the same distance as a center-face hit, but they stay impressively on line, actually resulting in more putts made.
The Evnroll line consists of several different models, but we particularly liked the ER5 Hatchback. This is a remarkable putter and comes highly recommended.
As we mentioned above, Scotty Cameron putters are instantly recognizable on the golf course. The Newport model has been around for many years, but in designing his new 2018 Select line, Scotty Cameron said that his focus was on refining the “Sight, Sound, and Sole” of this venerable model.
Among the more noticeable changes he has made is an increase in the vibration dampening material, resulting in a slightly softer feel at impact and slightly different acoustics. The Select Newport is a blade design, similar in style to its predecessors, but improved this year with several modifications that make this classic a must-have for any golfer looking for a quality milled putter.
Bettinardi has been producing precision milled putters since the early 90’s. They are also very proud of the fact that all manufacturing of Bettinardi putters is done in the U.S., from their facility just outside of Chicago.
There are several different Bettinardi models available, some of which are blades and some of which are mallets. We’ve selected the BB56 for those golfers who prefer a mallet style putter. It is milled from a single block of 6061 aluminum and features an extremely high MOI (Moment of Inertia). MOI is a feature that limits the amount of twisting a putter face does when balls are struck somewhere other than on the precise sweet spot.
A couple years ago, Ping introduced their first line of putters in their Vault series. This year, they have come out with the follow-up models in this line, which they have dubbed “Vault 2.0.” They are determined to let consumers know that this new series is not just a re-hash of the original putters in the Vault line. They have incorporated several improvements, along with a few new models.
One of the improvements is what they call TR grooves, precision-milled face technology that provides full face forgiveness for off-center hits. They have also added a customizable set of weights that can be ordered when you buy the putter, to make it either heavier or lighter based upon your preference.
The Vault 2.0 putters come in 3 optional finishes, so you can choose the look that you like best, either Stealth, Copper, or Platinum. The new Vault 2.0, Dale Anser putter honors the iconic design that Ping has offered for many years.
As we mentioned in this article, Odyssey is the market leader in selling Insert putters. Recently, however, they have ventured into the Milled putter space, with the introduction of the Toulon line of putters. Their stated intention: take the battle directly to Scotty Cameron, the market leader in milled putters.
There are several models in the Toulon line. We are recommending the Toulon San Diego model, another classic Anser style blade shape that is milled from a solid block of soft 303 stainless steel. The face features the “Deep Diamond Milled Groove” pattern that is common to all the Toulon putters. Odyssey claims that the horizontal grooves in the middle of the 'diamonds' are there to improve the roll.
These putters also have a removable soleplate that allows them to vary the weight of the putter head. This is a great entry by Odyssey into the milled putter market.
Golf drivers nowadays can cost upwards of $400 - $500. And golfers routinely pony up these large sums for a club that is used, at most, 14 times in any given round of golf. Why then is there a reluctance to make a similar investment in the putter, a club that you will use as much as two and a half to three times as often?
Modern technology has allowed designers to create putters that can literally help you take strokes off your scores. The putters we have highlighted above can make you a better golfer. They are some of the best milled putters available
