Putters are something that are near and dear to every golfer’s heart… as long as they are cooperating. If you are struggling with your putters, it’s never a bad idea to get a new putter to get some new mojo flowing. Considering the quality of putters that you can buy for under $50, it’s not a bad idea to have a couple of putters so that you can rotate them every now and then, especially when a putter gets cold.
There are some great putters out there for under $50. I want to be clear, though, you can’t find any of these brand new for under $50. They will all be slightly used. New putters that are under $50 are typically very cheaply made, and they don’t feel too great at impact. Avoid these at all costs. Cheap putters have a very hard feel and sound at impact, as opposed to a quiet and soft feel at impact with a higher quality putter.
When it comes to putters under $50, I’d encourage you to stick with the tried and true putter brands, like Odyssey, TaylorMade, Ping, Cleveland, etc. The more expensive putter brands, like Scotty Cameron, Edel, etc don’t have any putters that you can buy for under $50.
To make this article as helpful as possible, I’ve split it up into many different sections.
In short, insert putters have a softer feel. Milled putters feel a little more firm but some think that their distance control improves. Sight dot putters are great if you are more focused on hitting the center of the putter face, not needing the line to help guide your aim. A naked putter is for if you prefer having no sight line or sight dot on your putter.
Scroll to whatever one is more prevalent to what you are looking for! All links and photos that you click on will take you to the respective eBay listings for the putters. You can then look at “sold listings” on the left hand side of the screen to see what they have sold for on in the past 3 months.
Best Insert Putters Under $50: Odyssey White Hot Pro
Hard to go wrong with a basic Odyssey putter. They are the most popular putter brand in the world, and for very good reason. They consistently produce great performing putters with lots of different designs to fit your eye. With the Odyssey White Hot Pro models, my personal favorite is the basic blade, which is the #1 model. I also really like the #7 model, but they are typically a little more than $50. You can also get an earlier version of the Odyssey White Hot Pro’s if you want to go cheaper.
These putters have an insert face, so the ball will feel softer at impact than a milled face. Many people like to think that insert putters and milled putters act differently when it comes to distance control. My personal opinion, along with many others, is that there is no difference. You simply have to get used to what you are putting with and adjust.
The Odyssey White Hot Pro line is all sight line putters, as they don’t offer any naked putters or ones with sight dots. In all though, this series of putters performs really well and is really popular among golfers of all skill levels.
Best Milled Putters Under $50: Cleveland Classic
If you would love to have a Scotty Cameron, but your wallet would hate you, you need to look into Cleveland Classic Putters. They have very similar milling and weighting as the much more popular Scotty Cameron putters do. The putter balance is great, and they have nice head covers too. Overall, just very solid putters at a huge discount compared to similar putters.
My personal favorite one, which just so happens to be one of the cheapest ones, is the Cleveland Classic 1 Putter. The design is so professional, and it feels great at impact. I could (and I have before) putt all day with it. I’m a huge fan of the small profile and single white sight line. I’ll admit: I have a weird love for milled putters. I just love the look and feel of them. I often times rotate between a milled putter and an insert putter, but I always find myself missing the milled feel after just a couple of rounds.
Even though I prefer a milled putter face over an insert one, there are still tons of guys that prefer inserts. You truly need to putt with both to be able to make up your mind based on feel and results. One is not better than the other per se. It all depends on what you are comfortable with and what sound/feel you prefer.
Easiest Putter to Aim Under $50: Odyssey Rossie
If you are looking for a mallet putter, you are probably doing that because you want a putter that is easier to aim and easier to keep steady. Blade putters, on the other hand, can often be difficult to aim, and they are encouraged to open and close more in the putting motion due to the toe weighted balance.
A mid- mallet like the Odyssey Dual Force Rossie is a great putter for under $50. There are also many other different Odyssey series with the Rossie model. Obviously the older models will be cheaper. With a Rossie, It is very easy to aim and make sure the “lie” of the putter is correct. When putting, if the putter toe is too high in the air, the putter is actually aiming a little to the left. If the heel of the putter is in the air, the putter is truly aiming a little to the right, leading to a lot of putts that you think you just “pushed”. This alignment system of this putter ensures that your eyes are directly over the ball and that your putter is perfectly flat on the ground. Otherwise, the top lines wouldn’t align with the bottom lines. That is by far the biggest benefit of this putter.
The fact that this is more face balanced is also a big plus if you are trying to make a more straight-back, straight-through putting motion. The face is encouraged to stay square to the target line for as long as possible, as opposed to opening and closing more like a blade would.
Best Sight Dot Putter Under $50: Nike Method 001
If you are looking for a putter with only a sight dot, the Nike Method 001 putter is your best pick. It is a steal at under $50, and it feels great at impact. I’ve only putted with it on a putting green indoors, but I was a huge fan of it and will definitely consider picking it up one day. It can be a little difficult to find one in decent condition for under $50, and shipping might bring it over $50. However, I’ve seen several sell for under that price in the past few months on eBay.
Personally, the idea of a sight dot putter makes a lot more sense to me than a line putter. The ideal putting motion should, in my opinion, have some arc to it. If you check the best putters of all time, nearly all of them had a prominent arc putting stroke. Biomechanically, this is really how the putting motion is supposed to be.
This putter, unlike a putter with a sight line, encourages you to have a more arced stroke, as you are not bogged down by the straight line on the putter always pointing to the target. For that reason, you might find that your putting motion feels more free with a sight dot or naked putter.
Best Naked Putter Under $50: Wilson 8802
Ah, you know you are a good player when you are playing with a naked putter. Naked putters, in my opinion, are not used as much as they should be. I think people get a little too caught up when they have a sight line on their putter. They always have to make sure that line is pointing where they want the ball to go. This tightens up a lot of putting motions. At a time when tension is the worst killer, I think naked putters and sight dot putters should be way more common.
Anyway, the best naked putter for under $50 is the Wilson 8802 putter. This was my first love when it comes to naked putters. Such a great look at address. By far the slimmest putter I have ever used (besides the Bullseye that is). I felt like my putting stroke was very loose and fluid. I was a lot more athletic as opposed to technical when I was putting with the Wilson 8802. I relied more on natural instincts and focused less on aligning a sight line perfectly to my target line.
All in all, an absolute steal for under $50. I foresee myself using this putter for hundreds of more rounds in my life, and I’m very lucky that I found it on clearance many years ago. In hindsight, I could have gotten it for a tad cheaper if I bought in online.
