Putter design

Putting is the most precise aspect of the game of golf. The putter must be designed to give the
golfer every technical advantage including smooth stroke, good glide, sweet impact, and bounce-
less topspin ball launch as well as every technique advantage including perfect fit as
to shaft angle and length.
The striking face of a putter is usually not perpendicular to the ground: putters have a small
amount of loft, intended to "lift" the ball out of any depression it has made or settled into on the
green, which reduces bouncing. This loft is typically 5–6°, and by strict rules cannot be more than
10°. The putter is the only club that may have a grip that is not perfectly round; "shield"-like
cross-sections with a flat top and curved underside are most common. The putter is also the only
club allowed to have a bent shaft; often, club-makers will attach the shaft to the club-head on the
near edge for visibility, but to increase stability, the shaft is bent near the clubhead mounting so
that its lie and the resulting clubhead position places the line of the straight part of the shaft at the
sweet spot of the subhead, where the ball should be for the best putt. This increases accuracy as
the golfer can direct their swing through the ball, without feeling like they are slightly behind it.
Many putters also have an offset hosel, which places the shaft of the club in line with the center
of the ball at impact, again to improve stability and feel as, combined with the vertical bend, the
shaft will point directly into the center of the ball at impact.