Tour Trending Putters

There’s been a growing trend on the PGA Tour of players switching to longer putters. From Rickie Fowler to Viktor Hovland and Will Zalatoris, some big names in golf have gone away from the traditional 35” or less putter, and instead are opting for longer 36” to 39” putters, armlock, or broomstick putters.

So why are these world-class players choosing these longer putters? First and foremost, every golfer is looking for something that gives them confidence on the green. Secondly, players are influenced by PGA players too. When they see something working for another player, they think it could help their game out too. That combination, along with some other factors is what’s allowed these longer putters to become such a trend on the PGA Tour and other professional circuits. 

Perhaps the most famous example of a specific putter becoming a trend among players is that of the Odyssey Versa Jailbird. Last summer, the Odyssey Versa Jailbird became quite the sensation on the PGA Tour after Wyndham Clark (U.S. Open), Keegan Bradley (Travelers Championship), and Rickie Fowler (Rocket Mortgage Classic) all won using the putter and doing so in 3 consecutive weeks.

This putter was unique for multiple reasons. First of all, it was built longer than a traditional putter, measuring 39”. It also featured a longer grip that allowed players to grip down on the club, creating more stability through the stroke. But perhaps the most intriguing part of the attention this putter was receiving was that it wasn’t a new release from Odyssey, as the Versa line came out in 2014. Nevertheless, it worked for those players, and soon golfers of all skill levels wanted their own Versa Jailbird. Not only did Callaway start re-releasing the Versa Jailbird, but in their newest line, the Ai-One series, they have multiple versions of the Jailbird, from the Ai-One Mini Jailbird to the Ai-One Cruiser Jailbird. 

Another prevalent model that’s continuing to make some noise among the professional ranks is the L.A.B. MEZZ.1 and MEZZ.1 MAX Broomstick. Adam Scott is the one who brought L.A.B. Golf to the forefront with his MEZZ.1 Broomstick, putting it in his bag during the 2019 PGA Tour Season, and hasn’t looked back since.

But it still took a few years for others to employ an L.A.B. Golf putter in their bag, and you can probably point to Lucas Glover’s resurgence last year as the performance that helped L.A.B. and their putters take off, at least on the PGA Tour. Glover hadn’t won a PGA Tour tournament since 2021 and decided to switch to the L.A.B. MEZZ.1 Broomstick in the middle of last season. He had ordered it from L.A.B. with the “Adam Scott Specs”, and it didn’t take long for Glover to find success after the switch, as he won the Wyndham Championship and FedEx St. Jude Championship in back-to-back weeks.

While several other players are sporting the L.A.B. MEZZ.1 Broomstick these days, the biggest name to switch to one recently was Will Zalatoris. After missing all of last season due to injury, Zalatoris returned this year and came back with a new putter. He had played armlock putters in the past but now has switched to the L.A.B. MEZZ.1 Broomstick. If you’ve watched Zalatoris play enough his putting stroke, especially on short putts, has improved dramatically since switching to the MEZZ.1 Broomstick.

The longer putter trend doesn’t stop there either, as Viktor Hovland, the reigning FedEx Cup Champion also plays a longer setup, rolling a 36” PING PLD Milled DS72 with a longer WINN 15 “Long Pistol” Grip. These are just a handful of players opting for these longer putters, and with manufacturers now all specifically designing longer putters, it’s a trend that will likely continue throughout 2024 and beyond.