How to choose a disc golf putter: Job, feel, then stability

In short: Here’s how to choose a disc golf putter. First decide its job: Putts close to the basket, short throws, or both. Then pick by feel in your hand (rim depth, bead, plastic). Last, pick the stability: Straight for putting, a bit more fade for throwing.

Choose a putter by its job first, then by feel, then by flight. A putter for putting has to feel the same in your hand every time and fly straight when you push it gently. A putter for throwing has to hold its line when you throw it harder, which usually means a little more fade. Get those three right in that order and the brand barely matters.

If your short putts keep sliding left and you can’t tell whether it’s you or the putter, bring that to Digo. It’s a disc golf app on its way to iPhone: You describe your putts and short throws to it, the way you’d tell a friend, and Digo answers with a putter that suits how you putt, with the flight numbers to look for on the shelf.

Disc golf putters look almost the same on a shop shelf, which is why picking one is confusing. The differences you feel in the hand matter more than the ones you read on the label. Below are the steps in the order that makes the choice easiest, with real putters and their flight numbers as examples.

The examples assume a right-hand backhand throw. For a left-hand backhand or a right-hand forehand, every curve described here goes the other way.

Step 1: Decide what the putter is for

Most players need a putter for two different jobs, and they don’t ask for the same disc.

• Putting. These are the putts close to the basket. You throw softly, and you want the disc to go where you aimed with no surprise at the end.
• Throwing. Short drives and the throws that get you close enough to putt. You throw harder, from farther out, and you want a line you can predict, including how it finishes.

If you play mostly short, open courses, one putter can do both. If you throw your putter off tees or through trees, think about a second one for that (Step 5).

Step 2: Choose by feel in your hand

Hold a few putters the way you’d putt. The one that settles into your grip without thinking is usually the right shape.

• Rim depth. A deeper putter has a taller rim and a fuller feel in the hand. A shallower one feels flatter, closer to a midrange (the next speed class up). Neither is better: It comes down to which one feels steady in your grip.
• Bead. Some putters have a bead, a small ridge on the bottom edge of the rim. Some players like how it gives the fingers an edge to find. Others feel it catch on release. Try both if you can.
• Rim width and top. A thin rim and a flat top feel precise to some hands. A slightly rounder top feels softer to others. Small differences here are what make one putter feel “right.”

A useful test: Close your eyes, pick the putter up, and take your putting grip. If you have to adjust it every time, try another.

Step 3: Choose the plastic

The plastic changes how the putter holds and how long it keeps its flight.

• Grippy base plastic is softer and holds well, even when your hand is cold or damp. Many players putt with it. It also wears faster: Hits on trees and ground scuff it, and a worn disc tends to fly a little less stable than it did new.
• Firmer premium plastic is often slicker in the hand, depending on the brand, but it wears slowly, so its flight stays the same for longer. That suits a putter you throw, since it takes more hits.

Step 4: Choose the stability

Here the flight numbers help. They are the makers’ own ratings and differ a little between brands, so read them as a hint, not a promise. Innova’s explanation of flight ratings covers what each number means. For putters, turn and fade matter most: Turn is how the disc behaves early, while it’s still fast, and fade is how it finishes as it slows down.

Illustrative pathsRight-hand backhand

1. 1JudgeDynamic Discs2401
2. 2PureLatitude 6433−11
3. 3EnvyAxiom Discs3302
4. 4LunaDiscraft3303

For putting: Straight. A turn of 0 to −1 and a fade of 0 to 1. The Judge in the diagram is one example, and the P2 and the Aviar P&A are two more.

For a slower arm: The −1 end of straight. The Pure is still a straight putter, but it drifts slightly right before it straightens out. That can help if your putts and short throws tend to fade early.

For throwing: More fade. A fade of 2 to 3 holds its line when thrown harder and finishes left. The Envy and the Luna in the diagram are examples, and so is the Aviar3.

A faster arm makes any disc fly less stable, so a putter that fades hard for one player can look straight for another. If you throw hard, lean one step toward more fade. If you’re not sure how hard you throw, start with a straight putter and watch how it finishes.

Weight plays a smaller role. A heavier copy of the same mold (the same disc model, like two Judges) usually flies a little more stable. The disc weight guide goes into that.

Step 5: Consider carrying two

Two putters cover most short shots: A straight one for putting and one with more fade for throwing. They don’t have to be different molds. Some players carry the same putter in two plastics, grippy for putting and firm for throwing, so the feel in the hand is the same and only the flight changes.

When you do carry two, keep their jobs fixed. Putting with whichever one is on top of the bag makes misses hard to read. Once you tell it which putter you putt with and which one you throw, Digo remembers each putter’s job, so a later question about a short shot gets an answer about your putters, not putters in general.

If your putts keep missing to one side

A pattern in your misses can point at the putter, not only at your form.

• Putts finish left on soft throws. The putter may have too much fade for your putting speed. Try one with a fade of 0 to 1.
• Putts drift right on firm throws. It may turn a little too much for how hard you push it. Try a putter with a turn of 0, or a heavier copy of the same mold.
• You miss high and low more than left and right. That’s usually release and grip. A putter that feels different in the hand each time adds to it, so go back to Step 2.

A putter for your first bag

If you’re new, start with one straight putter and use it for everything short: Putts, short drives and the throws that set up a putt. It’s the most forgiving disc you can throw, and it shows you a clean release. The beginner discs guide shows how it fits with a midrange and a fairway driver. If you’re wondering why some discs hook and others drift, the understable vs overstable guide explains it.

If you’d rather not piece the rest together yourself, Digo can build a first bag around your putter once it’s out, going by what you tell it about your throws.

The short version

Decide the job, hold a few, then check the fade. Most players end up with a straight, comfortable putter for putts close to the basket and a putter with more fade for throwing. Once you’ve found the one you trust, stick with it long enough to learn it.

Your putters, in one bag

Digo isn’t in the App Store yet. When it is, name your putters and the rest of your discs, and they sit in your bag by kind, ready for the day you ask which one to throw from 80 feet.

Get early access