A putter is the golf club designed mainly for strokes on the green.
Putters are built for short, controlled, low-speed strokes that roll the ball toward the hole. Their clubheads usually have a flat, low-lofted face rather than the angled face used by irons or the rounded, powerful design of a driver. Although golfers most often use putters on the putting green, they can also putt from the fringe or closely mown areas around it.
The putter is highly specialized because putting is primarily about direction, distance control, and reading the green’s slope. Its small amount of loft helps lift the ball slightly out of any depression in the turf, reducing bouncing as it begins to roll. Most putters have only about 5–6 degrees of loft.
The putter also has unusual design permissions under golf’s equipment rules. It may have a non-round grip and a bent shaft, features not generally permitted for other clubs. Golfers may legally carry fewer clubs, but a putter is almost universally included because most holes finish with one or more putts.