Best Milled Putters Review

Whether you’ve been putting for eighteen years or eighteen hours, you’re probably aware that much of what makes a putter feel “right” to you is the sound. In a way, the sound, as inextricable as it is from the feel in other clubs, becomes even more important in putters. With that in mind, in this best milled putters review, we’ll be focusing on the best milled putters, though there are also those with inserts, and the two make for the broadest two categories in this regard.

What Are Milled Putters?

Now, before we move on, we have to clarify what we mean by saying milled putters, seeing as there are two ways people can understand this. The first refers to the process of making the head as a whole, and the discussion here differs very little from the age-old wrangling about the irons. 

Granted, it used to be that milled clubs had much better feel and feedback than their cast counterparts, but with the advances in technology and ever-improving alloys, the difference has become pretty much imperceptible.

The other way people can understand this is referring to the face alone. Basically, as we already mentioned, we can divide all putters into those with milled faces and those with inserts. Why is this important, the uninitiated may ask? 

Well, typically, a milled-face putter will have a louder click at impact, suggesting a firmer feel, and, hence, better feedback. Conversely, insert putters will have a more dampened feel and muted sound, which appeals to those seeking a bit more forgiveness.

Best Milled Putters Comparison Table

Best Milled Putters Review

Seeing as the technology within the same family of putters varies, we decided to be as specific as possible in making recommendations for the best milled putters and really zero in on the model. 

If you’re on the hunt for the most forgiving milled putter, the mallet shaped Bettinardi BB40 might just be the thing for you. As you’re probably aware, Bettinardi specializes in making putters, and they excel at it.

The BB40 is milled from a single billet of mild carbon steel, much like its blade counterpart, the BB1. This makes for a surprisingly soft feel in a milled putter, making it quite forgiving. Coupled with the hexagonal milling pattern, this enables you to get good distance control for a nice tap-in.

Ever since Karsten Solheim’s patent on Anser expired in the ‘80s, there’s been a slew of copies and different takes on it, with lots of them actually coming close to the original. However, the appropriately named Ping Vault Anser 2 is still seen as its true inheritor (and not only because Ping makes it).

The Anser 2 is a part of Ping’s Vault series, and as such, is available in two finishes – Platinum and Slate (we’re leaning towards the latter). The Anser 2 is machine-milled from a single solid block of 303 stainless steel, which gives it a bit of a firmer feel, with a clearly audible click at each impact.

One of, if not the major selling point of the Anser 2, and the entire Vault series, for that matter, is the True-Roll milling across the face, which varies the depth and width of the pattern to even out the speed and increase forgiveness.

Most would go straight for the ER1 classic blade or the ER7 classic mallet, but we fell in love with the ER3, in a way. This blade milled putter is closer to a decent mid-size mallet than its own class if we go by size, and many golfers claim that the flange reminds them of butterfly wings.

This does play part in balancing the putter and enhancing the performance, pretty much on par (pun not intended) with the variable groove pattern across the face – the grooves vary in width, starting wider in the middle and then narrowing down towards the heel and toe. 

This evens out the speed of the ball almost irrespective of which part of the club you catch it with, which is beneficial to distance control.

The Bettinardi Studio Stock Series #28 is a pretty clean-looking blade putter available in multiple flavours – you can get it as heel-shafted, center-shafted, or even in arm lock variant. 

The milled head is softened by the F. I. T. milling, which may trick you into thinking this is a putter with an insert, but don’t be fooled. What you’re looking at is one of the most wanted milled putters on the market. It has a slightly oversized flange and topline, which is great for confidence.

If you’ve read any of our other putter reviews, you’ve probably heard that Bettinardi makes some of the most underrated putters on the market, but Queen B8 is seriously looking to disprove us. 

The B8 milled blade putter is a part of a rather limited series (in the way of variety), which also includes the B9 milled mallet putter. Other than the shape, though, the two are pretty much the same – both are milled from a block of soft carbon steel, and both feature honeycomb pattern milling across the face.

The Queen B8 is surprisingly soft and quiet at impact for its kind, and features a minimal toe hang that makes it playable in all sorts of strokes, both slight arcs and square-to-square putts.

The Odyssey Toulon San Diego, much like the name suggest, is the brainchild of Sean Toulon, along with six (and counting) other putters.

The San Diego is a blade putter, a bit on the pricey side, but that’s to be expected from one of the top tanked milled putters (and milled putters in general, for that matter).

The San Diego have two major selling points – its balance and Deep Diamond Milling pattern across the face, both of which contribute to good consistency control and on point sound at pretty much every impact.

The SeeMore Nashville Studio MFGP2 SS Mallet putter, to give it its full lengthy name, is one of the best ranked milled putters, yet it remains surprisingly little known among the majority of casual golfers. 

The key tech behind the MFGP2 (and any SeeMore putter, for that matter) is the RifleScope Technology Alignment System. Contrary to what you might infer from the name, the system is an exercise in simplicity – a single red dot and two parallel white lines.

On a similar note, the MFGP2 is a center-shafted model, much like an overwhelming majority of SeeMore’s newer models. Still, if you’d like something more traditional, they still carry the Original Milled Series.

Which brings us to our next point – the putter itself is fully milled from a block of 303 stainless steel, making for a nice and heavy head that comes with solid feel and tons of feedback.

Conclusion

All things considered, whether you prefer milled putters or those with inserts, cast or fully milled, the best thing would be to roll as many flatsticks you can get your hands on and see which one helps you sink more putts. Sure enough, this piece of advice is as much helpful as a toddler in the kitchen, but it’s the only piece that won’t lead you down the wrong path.

Here’s a nickel’s worth of free advice, though – if you’re choosing between a cast and milled putter, don’t lose any sleep over it. It’s not the process that matters, but the product, and the choice is pretty much meaningless.

On the flipside, if you can’t decide between a face-milled putter and one with insert, keep in mind that the latter are softer as a rule. So, if you’re looking for a firmer feel, go with the former. Hit ‘em straight!