7 Elite Custom & Boutique Putters of 2023

We could probably make a list of 100 custom and boutique putters that are truly awesome, and still leave out some good ones, but we are focusing on seven fascinating custom putters from the 2023 PGA Show from putter brands you should know.

Custom Putter Criteria

It’s difficult to pin down exact criteria for what constitutes a custom, unique, or boutique putter. For this segment of putters, I’m using a very fluid, but relatable definition to categorize these custom, boutique putter: You know it when you see it. 

These putters come from small, up-and-coming (or coming back), or start-up brands, and deliver fine craftsmanship in a unique package. They don't spend recklessly to advertise during prime golf TV coverage or employ a stable of the top professional golfers to use their products.

7 Elite Custom Putters and Putter Brands

Before we take a deeper look at each of these putter brands, and why they made this list, here’s the quick rundown of some of our favorite custom putters from the 2023 PGA Show, and what we liked best about each. 

Makefield Putters

For Golfers Who: Crave a combination of premium feel with predictable distance and line control,  a unique design with sleek styling.

Makefield Putters Specs, Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Supreme distance control
• RCFT face for pure roll
• Customizable weight system to suit every golfer
• Screw-in hosel system gives golfers adjustability
• Easy to set up and align
• Satisfying yet minimal black & white design

Cons:

• Limited in-person fitting locations

Makefield Putters Review

Makefield packs a whole lot of technology into its putters, and most of it is geared towards giving golfers the best possible roll for maximum distance and line control. After testing the whole 2023 lineup of Makefield Putters, I can confirm that there is some serious performance behind all the tech.

“The three main pieces to our putter are the weight system, which is parallel to the ground at the equator of the golf club as opposed to being at the sole of the golf club,” said Nick Biglasco, Makefield’s Director of Brand Development. “We are a low-loft putter. The combination of those two increases forward roll and decreases spin, so you’re going to see improved distance control and improved line control with the technology that’s in our putter.”

With nine interchangeable aluminum and tungsten weights in Makefield's V-S putter head, spanning three weight ports, golfers can customize their Makefield Putter to fit their stroke, tendencies, and typical course conditions. Makefield also offers a screw-in hosel system that allows golfers to change the type of shaft or putter head without replacing the entire putter.

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Zebra Putters

For Golfers Who: Appreciate a throwback putter with premium feel and an attractive price.

Zebra Putter Specs, Pros & Cons

Pros:

• True to the classic Zebra Putter look
• Industry-leading alignment system
• One of the best-feeling putters we’ve tested
• Four head shapes
• Adjustable weight system
• Great value

Cons:

• Players who prefer toe hang must look elsewhere; all Zebra putters are face balanced

Zebra Putter Review

Zebra Putters are back. These putters may be a throwback to the famous flatsticks that won multiple majors and spent decades in the bags of amateur golfers, but they’re a throwback in appearance only. The performance and feel of the new Zebra Putters are definitively modern, and absolutely elite.

Zebra hired Austie Rollinson to design the modern line-up of these classic putters. Rollinson spent nearly 30 at Callaway, including 15 as Odyssey’s Chief Designer. Given the heritage and Rollinson’s design experience, the superior look, feel and performance of the new Zebra’s should come as no surprise.

“(Rollinson) worked for nearly a two-year period to get the product right,” said Simon Millington, President of Golf Brands, Inc., which acquired Zebra in 2020. “We started off with 3D modeling of it, went through several versions of trying to get the weight right, the center of gravity right, the insert. We went through a ton of work and research and development on it with the focus that we want people to pick it up and know it’s a Zebra.”

At first glance, the new line of Zebra Putters are unmistakable. The classic half-moon shape returns in the AIT 1, while Zebra rounds out the line with a fang-style AIT 2, full mallet AIT 3, and the AIT 4, a blade.

Each head has the unmistakable alignment stripes, and all four putters are face balanced. The face features a multi-layer insert, with a milled aluminum insert of top of a polymer layer, which combine to produce excellent sound and feel. Each putter comes with two 15-gram weights in the head, which golfers can swap out with Zebra’s 10 or 20-gram weights.

After hitting putts of various with Zebra Putters, particularly the AIT 1, I found it to be one of the best-feeling putters and easiest to set up and align at the 2023 PGA Show.

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Indi Golf Putters

For Golfers Who: Prioritize consistency, forgiveness and feel in a modern-looking package.

Indi Golf Putter Specs, Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Extremely forgiving on off-center strikes
• Sets up and aligns easily
• Superior distance control
• Variety of head shapes and toe hang options

Cons:

• Sharp lines and bright accent colors may not suit every golfer’s taste

Indi Golf Putter Review

Indi Golf putters feature an ultra-light body made of aircraft aluminum, book-ended with heavy tungsten weights to create maximum forgiveness and the largest possible sweet spot.

“We put the weights on the end and that really prevents the head from twisting and is going to give you a really consistent distance,” Zane Breier of Indi Golf told GolfLink. ”If you’re looking at typical one-piece putters or typical milled putters, you’re going to probably lose 20 to 25 percent of your distance if you miss the center. With our putter, you’re going to get a lot more distance control, you’re only going to be 5-10 percent short if you hit it off the heel or toe.”

RELATED: 7 Cool Products From the 2023 PGA Show

Testing the Indi Golf putter was a treat. On top of being easy to set up and stable through the stroke, it gave great feedback at impact. From a makes-and-misses standpoint, Indi Golf’s Allison putter beat every other putter I tested at the PGA Show, albeit testing was very high-level.

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LA Golf Bel-Air Putter

For Golfers Who: Want a premium, custom, high-end, high-performance putter, regardless of the cost.

LA Golf Putter Specs, Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Sleek black styling
• Maximum forgiveness
• Excellent feel
• Descending Loft Technology in the face
• Extremely stiff LA Golf graphite shaft
• Fully customizable colors and engraving available all over the putter

Cons:

• $2,500 price is more than most golfers can pay for a putter

LA Golf Putter Review

I previewed and tested the latest offering from LA Golf at the 2023 PGA Show, the blade-style Bel-Air putter. We’ll get to the price later, but for now let’s focus on the product itself.

The all-black finish makes this one of the best-looking putters I’ve seen. After stroking a few putts, I can confirm the feel and performance certainly lived up to its stellar appearance.

It wasn’t until after I held the putter head and perimeter tungsten weighting separately that I truly appreciated how unique this putter is.

Holding the carbon putter head by itself felt as light as a couple pieces of mail. The tungsten weights, on the other hand, felt like a roll of quarters. LA Golf Chief Design Officer Jeff Meyer sums it up in more precise terms.

“Utilizing carbon fiber, the density of it is about 1.5 grams per cc (cubic centimeter), where stainless (steel) is about 7.8 grams per cc,” Meyer told GolfLink. “ Basically the body is 50 grams. You can utilize tungsten in the heel and toe, these are 17 grams per cc.”

On the Bel-Air putter, those weights plug into the very end of the heel and toe. That means that somewhere around 85% of the weight of the putter head rests on the extreme perimeter of the putter head, resulting in insanely high MOI.

In addition to the unique build of the Bel-Air putter, the face features descending loft technology, with 4, 3, 2, and 1-degree of loft on the face, from top to bottom, ensuring a consistent roll. 

“Whether you hit an ascending or descending blow, it’s going to launch at the same angle,” Meyer added.

You may know LA Golf for its shafts, which are popular on the PGA Tour. LA Golf putters come with extremely stiff graphite shafts that resist twisting and are arguably some of the best-performing shafts in golf.

We don’t know exactly how much the Bel-Air will cost once it is officially available through LA Golf, but the current LA Golf Putter runs a cool $2,500, and we expect the Bel-Air to be in the same neighborhood.

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The Runner Putter

For Golfers Who: Love to tinker with their equipment, appreciate data, and want an adjustable putter.

The Runner Specs, Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Sliding weights on rear track give golfer adjustability anytime
• App that gives instant feedback you can use
• Three head and three shaft options
• Reversible base allows the putter to be left-handed or right-handed

Cons:

• Large putter head to incorporate weights may turn some golfers off

Runner Putter Review

From the moment you lay eyes on it, it’s clear the Running is one of the most unique putters of today. The entire range of Runner putters feature larger than normal heads. That’s because the back of the putter head has a track with two sliding weights, allowing you to move your putter’s center of gravity, a unique feature among today’s putters.

Adjustable weights are great, but they don’t mean much unless you know what to do with them. Don’t worry, Runner has you covered there, too. With the accompanying app, you can use your phone’s camera to track your putting stroke, and get instant feedback. From there, tweaks those weights and roll a few more. Repeat this process until you know you’ve found the best of the up to 200 different weight configurations.

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Fine-Tuned Putters

For Golfers Who: Want an in-depth, custom fitting to find the best configuration from over 30,000 options.

Fine-Tuned Putter Specs, Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Find the perfect putter for your stroke
• Ability to adjust your Fine-Tuned Putter as needed in the future (instead of buying a new one)
• 30,000-plus putter combinations allows you to dial in every spec of your putter

Cons:

• Access to a Fine-Tuned fitter could be a challenge

Fine-Tuned Putter Review

You don’t simply walk into a pro shop and snatch a Fine-Tuned Putter, and you certainly don’t pick one up from Amazon, or anywhere on the internet for that matter. No. You set up a custom putter fitting, and let Fine-Tuned’s Quintic Ball Roll Research System and high-speed camera analyze your putting stroke to guide you to the ideal putter configuration - from over 30,000 options - for your stroke. Your fitter will build that putter then re-evaluate your stroke using the same technology, and continue to fine-tune your putter until you’ve found the perfect fit.

It doesn’t get much more custom than that.

The Fine-Tuned system includes various options for head shape, alignment lines, weight, neck offset, rotation axis, loft & lie, length, and grip. Once you dial in each of these specs, you’ll wonder how you ever used an off-the-rack putter to begin with.

FINE-TUNED FITTING

Meridian Putters

For Golfers Who: Appreciate an elegant and traditional design, great feel, and an accessible price.

Meridian Putter Specs, Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Classic style and look
• Premium feel
• Accessible price
• Customizable milling and finish options are rare at this price point

Cons:

• Limited selection for left-handed golfers
• No adjustable weight system

Meridian Putter Review

As I made my way through the putting green at the 2023 PGA Show, I snagged a Meridian Putter and began hitting 10-footers, with no context on the brand, price, or technology in the putter.

Given the classic look and premium feel of the Meridian Putters I tested, I knew the brand appealed to the traditional golfer. Players who want the blend of a classic look and top-of-the-class feel would naturally gravitate towards Meridan Putters, and I assumed I had just tested a $400-plus putter. 

When I wandered over to Meridian’s booth, I was shocked to see the MSRP of $249 on three of their most popular heads, and just $149 on the bullseye-style Edisto model.

Even more surprising is the fact that for that accessible price, golfers can add several customizations. When you order a Meridan Putter, you get to choose from three finish options, including raw unpainted, black coated, or blue coated. You also choose your face finish from three options, including vertical grooves, including the fly cut, horizontal grooves, or the Meridian cut.

Further customization options include your preference of top line, and stamps and logos on the toe, heel, sole and back of the putter.

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The Custom Putter Craze

Golfers love custom and boutique putters because they offer a rare escape from the cookie-cutter clubs that occupy the other 13 spots in their golf bag. There’s no doubt that custom-fit drivers and irons provide superior performance to their off-the-rack counterparts, but nothing adds personality to your golf bag the way a custom, boutique putter does.