50 Words or Less
The Astral Putters Blade is an Anser-style putter with truly unparalleled adjustment capabilities. Players can alter the lie, offset, and toe hang across a huge range. Two face materials.
Introduction
Astral Putters is a newcomer to the crowded putter space. Founded by putter restorer and enthusiast Blake Callaway, their mission is to bringing to putters the level of fine-tuned fitting we have for drivers and irons. I tested their unique system of adjustable hosels and adapters to see if this is the key to unlocking superior performance on the green.
Looks
At a glance, the Astral Putter Blade looks like a standard Anser-style putter. A second look reveals that the proportions and shaping are pretty far from the norm while still remaining recognizable. At address, what stands out to me is the thickness of the top line and the relatively narrow space between the rounded shoulders. The sight line is only alignment aid offered.
In the bag, the look is very clean. The sole has a large Astral Putters logo and nothing else. The face is free of branding, and the cavity has only the “A” logo. I do have to note that the quality of the fit and finish is not on par with Swag, Bettinardi, and the like. There are small imperfections across the putter. At $400+, I think this will be an issue for some players.
For those looking for something unique, Astral Putters has a Reserve Series. This line features bodies made of different materials – Damascus Steel and Tempered Steel, as of this writing – for a different aesthetic.
Sound & Feel
Astral Putters offers two different faces for their Blade and Mid-Mallet putters: brass and copper. Changing them out dramatically affects the sound and feel of the putter, which is the purpose.
With the brass face, the Astral Putters Blade is very firm. It’s reminiscent of the old PING putters with a sharp “clink” at impact. While many modern golfers prefer a softer feel, the brass face does offer outstanding feedback through the hands.
Switching to the copper face provided the softer feel that I prefer. There is still adequate feedback, though it is much more muted than with the brass face. The sound of impact is toned down both in volume and character – it’s closer to a “thud.”
Performance
On to the main event: the fitting possibilities in the Astral Putters Blade. As you see above, the “Fit Kit” comes with the putter body, one face, and three hosels. The angle of the hosels varies – the red hosel is closer to straight up and down, blue is the most extreme. Each hosel is reversible and has ten positions per side, meaning that each Astral Putter has sixty possible hosel configurations. Throughout this section, I’ll show several address pictures to give you an idea how dramatically this putter can change.
Because the sheer number of options can be overwhelming, Astral Putters has put together an excellent self-fitting web page HERE. It includes suggestions for where to start based on your current putter preferences and how to adjust the putter based on your miss. Astral Putters also offers remote or in-person fittings to help you get your settings perfected.
One of Astral Putters’ videos talks about how most putter fittings want to put everyone into one of three buckets – lots of arc (or face rotation), some arc, and no arc – and how this broad brush approach doesn’t serve golfers. The Astral Putters Blade lives up to the idea of servicing all the golfers who want more precision in their fit and more options in general. You can create so many interesting combinations of toe hang, offset/onset, and lie that it’s just as much fun to try wild things as to work on dialing in your ideal fit. Changing the hosel position takes one to two minutes – quick enough that it’s not a major impediment to experimentation.
In terms of objective performance, the Astral Putters Blade is a solid Anser-style putter. There’s some forgiveness on mishits, but you need to stay in the center of the face to get long putts to the hole and to keep your mid-range tries on target.
Overall, I really enjoyed experimenting with the Astral Putters Blade. I’ve been through numerous putter fittings, but the Fit Kit allowed me to experiment with combinations I’ve never seen before. For some of those combinations, there are good reasons why they’re not mainstream. Others, however, left me thinking that they could work brilliantly. If you feel like the standard plumbers neck Ansers and double bend mallets aren’t working for you, the Astral Putters Blade could be a breath of fresh air.
Conclusion
If you want a quick way to get into the right “mainstream” putter, visit a Club Champion [learn about their fitting process HERE]. However, if you want a world of options to experiment with so that you can find the precise combination of traits to unlock your best putting, the Astral Putters Blade is worth a serious look. This level of adjustability isn’t for everyone, but the putter-obsessed will love the ability to experiment endlessly.
Visit Astral Putters HERE
Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.