Putter Toe Hang Chart: Which Putter Suits Your Stroke

The short answer: the more your putter arcs and your face turns, the more toe hang you want. A straight-back-straight-through stroke suits a face-balanced putter, which has none. To find out which stroke you have, film a few putts from behind the ball and watch whether the putter head swings inside and back, or stays on the line.

The ChartOdyssey Ai-ONE toe hang, head by head

Odyssey prints toe hang in degrees on each Ai-ONE page, and says in words what kind of stroke it suits. The heads are listed here from the most toe hang to none, with the center-shafted Square 2 Square at the end.

Every head in the table is listed with 3 degrees of loft and in 33, 34 and 35 inch lengths. All are right-handed only except the #1 CH, which also comes left-handed.

Reading it as Odyssey words it: zero degrees is for the least arc, 16 is for a moderate arc, and 44 and 47 are for the most arc and face rotation. The Double Wide CH is printed at 37 degrees, and Odyssey describes it as a head with minimal toe hang for strokes with less face rotation and arc. If you are choosing by degrees alone, look at Odyssey's words for that head as well as the number.

PINGPING prints a stroke label, not degrees

PING's putter pages for these models give a stroke type, Slight Arc or Strong Arc, alongside the hosel and shaft offset. They do not print a toe hang number.

All four are listed with 3 degrees of loft (+3/-2 adjustment) and a standard length of 35 inches.

Odyssey's degrees and PING's labels are two different scales. There is no way to turn 16 degrees into Slight Arc or Strong Arc, so do not try to line one maker up against the other. Use each maker's own wording for its own putters: Odyssey's degrees and words in the first table, PING's label in the second.

Your strokeHow to read your own stroke

You do not need a lab. Three quick looks tell you most of it.

Film it. Set your phone behind the ball, in line with the target, and record five or six putts of about 8 to 10 feet. Play it back and watch the putter head.

Watch the path. If the head swings back a little inside the target line and comes through along it, you have an arc. If it travels back and through on the same straight line, you have a straight stroke.

Watch the face. In an arcing stroke the face turns open going back and closes coming through. In a straight stroke the face keeps pointing the same way the whole time.

Most golfers sit somewhere between the two. If that is you, the moderate options, such as the 16 degree 2-Ball CH or PING's Slight Arc models, are the natural place to start.

At homeThe finger test

Balance the putter's shaft across one finger, close to the head, and let it settle. If the face points at the ceiling, it is face balanced. If the toe drops, that is toe hang, and the further it drops, the more it has. Our mallet vs blade putter guide walks through the test in full.

A center-shafted putter such as the Square 2 Square balances differently. Odyssey lists its toe hang as 90 Up, which means it balances toe up.

Watch forCommon mistakes

Choosing by head shape alone. Blades usually have more toe hang and mallets less, but not always. In the table, the Double Wide CH is a blade with 37 degrees and the 2-Ball CH is a mallet with 16.

Comparing across makers. Odyssey's 47 and PING's Strong Arc are not on the same scale, so one does not tell you what the other means.

Assuming more toe hang is better. It is a match, not a ladder. A straight stroke in a 47 degree putter may fight the toe hang to keep the face square.

Reading your stroke from one putt. A single roll can look like anything. Judge from several putts, on the same green, at a similar length.

Forgetting length. A putter that is too long or short changes your setup and how your hands move, which can change your arc. See the putter length chart before you judge the head.

FAQQuick answers