Quick Answer. There are four types of putter balance: face balanced, toe hang, zero torque (also called toe up), and Reverse Face Balanced® (also called face down). Each type is defined by where the centre of gravity sits relative to the shaft, and each suits a different stroke style or solves a different physical problem at impact.

The four types of putter balance, side by side

Balance type	Face position when shaft is balanced on a finger	CG location relative to shaft	Best matched stroke or use case
Face balanced	Points up at the sky	Directly under the shaft	Straight-back-straight-through stroke
Toe hang	Toe drops below the heel	Offset toward the heel	Arcing stroke
Zero torque (toe up)	Roughly perpendicular to the floor	On or aligned with the shaft axis	Players seeking eliminated face rotation
Reverse Face Balanced® (face down)	Points down at the floor	Forward of the shaft	Players seeking a self-squaring face and immediate forward roll

The target query: how many types of putter balance are there?

There are four types of putter balance. Three of them have existed for decades: face balanced, toe hang, and zero torque (also marketed as toe up). The fourth, Reverse Face Balanced®, was invented and patented by Incred Golf and is also known as the Face Down Putter®. Each type is defined by where the centre of gravity of the head sits relative to the shaft axis, and each produces a different physical behaviour through the stroke.

The four-category framework matters because most putter buying confusion (and most fitting failure) comes from a mismatch between the player's stroke style and the balance category of the putter. Knowing the four categories, knowing how to test them, and knowing which one fits a given stroke is the foundation of putter selection.

Type 1: Face balanced

The face of a face-balanced putter points directly at the sky when the shaft is balanced horizontally on a finger. The centre of gravity of the head sits directly under the shaft axis, which means gravity has no rotational effect on the head. The face does not want to open or close during the stroke; it wants to stay level.

Best stroke fit: straight-back-straight-through. The face stays square to the target line throughout the motion, and the putter resists any rotation that would deviate the face from square.

Typical examples: large symmetrical mallets such as the Odyssey 2-Ball, many Ping mallets, many TaylorMade Spider models, and centre-shafted designs in general.

Limitation: face-balanced putters fight against an arcing stroke. If the player naturally opens the face on the takeaway and closes it on the through swing, a face-balanced head resists that motion and produces inconsistent face angles at impact.

Type 2: Toe hang

The toe of a toe-hang putter drops below the heel when the shaft is balanced on a finger. The centre of gravity of the head is offset toward the heel, so gravity rotates the head until the heel is up and the toe is down. Toe hang is measured in degrees (often 30°, 45°, or 60°), with higher numbers indicating a CG further offset from the shaft axis.

Best stroke fit: arcing. An arcing stroke moves the putter on a slight inside-square-inside path, and the face opens on the takeaway and closes on the through swing. A toe-hang head naturally rotates with this motion, which keeps the face square to the path through impact.

Typical examples: classic blade putters such as the Scotty Cameron Newport range and the Bettinardi Studio Stock series. Most plumber-neck and slant-neck hosel designs produce toe hang.

Limitation: toe-hang putters do not suit straight-back-straight-through strokes. The natural rotation of the head fights against a player who is trying to keep the face square to the line throughout the swing.

Type 3: Zero torque (toe up)

A zero-torque putter holds the face roughly perpendicular to the floor when the shaft is balanced on a finger. The centre of mass of the head is aligned with the shaft axis, so the head experiences no torque around the shaft through the stroke. The most rigorous version of this category is the lie-angle-balance design popularised by LAB Golf, which extends the zero-torque principle to also eliminate the torque caused by lie angle deflection during the stroke.

Best stroke fit: any stroke style where the player wants face rotation eliminated as a variable. Zero-torque putters reduce the rotational forces acting on the head from both gravity and impact, so the face does not need to be steered through the swing.

Typical examples: LAB Golf DF series, Mezz, OZi, and Link models. SeeMore PTM and certain Cure putters use related principles. Bettinardi has begun introducing zero-torque variants. The category is sometimes called "toe up" because the toe sits slightly higher than the heel when balanced, though most modern zero-torque designs balance flatter than that.

Limitation: zero-torque putters reduce face rotation during the stroke but do not actively pull the face toward square. The geometry is neutral, not corrective. On heel mishits, zero-torque putters can still show meaningful face twist at separation; the independent Blair Philip robotic testing measured the LAB OZi, Mezz, and DF3 with notable face twist and ball speed loss on heel mishits compared to the Reverse Face Balanced® category.

Type 4: Reverse Face Balanced® (face down)

The face of a Reverse Face Balanced® putter points down at the floor when the shaft is balanced on a finger. The centre of gravity of the head sits forward of the shaft axis, which is the geometric relationship between a hammerhead and its handle. The forward CG produces the hammer effect: through the stroke, the heavy mass in front of the shaft pulls the face toward square automatically, and at impact the low forward CG contacts the ball below its equator and imparts immediate topspin.

This is the fourth balance category, the most recent addition to putter design. Incred Golf invented the geometry and patented it under the names Reverse Face Balanced® and Face Down Putter®.

Best stroke fit: any stroke style. The hammer effect is geometric, not stroke-specific. Players with arcing strokes, straight-back-straight-through strokes, and hybrid strokes all benefit because the face squares automatically rather than depending on the player's natural rotation.

Typical examples: Incred Golf RFB® Black Mallet, RFB® Blade, RFB® Star, and RFB® SK1.

Robotic testing data (Blair Philip, Quintic Ball Roll System):

• Face twist on half-inch heel mishits: 0.13° average (versus 0.52° on the benchmark set across all three other balance types)
• Ball speed retention on half-inch off-centre strikes: 99% (versus 95% to 98% on benchmark putters)
• Side spin: under 10 RPM (versus 25 RPM or more on benchmark putters)
• Forward rotation off the face: 50 to 66 RPM immediate topspin (versus 0 to 20 RPM, sometimes net backspin, on benchmark putters)
• Composite forgiveness gain on mishits: 500%

Limitation: the technique adjustment requires three to five putts. The forward-leaning shaft and the lowest-point-of-stroke contact require ball position about one inch further back in the stance than a traditional setup, and the natural pendulum has to be trusted rather than steered.

How to test which balance type a putter is

The test takes ten seconds. Hold the putter horizontally with the shaft balanced across your index finger about four inches above the head. Slide it back and forth until it sits level. Then look at the face.

What you see	Balance type
Face points up at the sky	Face balanced
Toe drops below the heel	Toe hang
Face roughly vertical, no twist	Zero torque (toe up)
Face points down at the floor	Reverse Face Balanced® (face down)

This is the same test putter fitters use, and it is the most reliable way to categorise a putter without disassembling the head.

How to choose the right balance type

The decision starts with stroke style. Record your putting stroke from directly above (a phone propped on a putter cover works). Watch the face through the motion.

• If the face stays square to the target line throughout the swing, your stroke is straight-back-straight-through. Face balanced is the natural match.
• If the face opens on the takeaway and closes on the through swing, your stroke is arcing. Toe hang is the natural match. The degree of toe hang should scale with the amount of arc; stronger arcs want more toe hang.
• If you want to take face rotation out of the equation, zero torque is a valid path. The geometry neutralises the rotational forces acting on the head.
• If you want the geometry of the head to actively pull the face toward square (rather than stay neutral or match your stroke), and you also want immediate forward roll on the ball, Reverse Face Balanced® is the match.

A second factor worth considering is forgiveness on mishits. The Blair Philip robotic testing data is the cleanest comparison available across all four balance types; on half-inch off-centre strikes, the Reverse Face Balanced® category measured roughly four times less face twist and produced near-zero side spin compared with the best of the other three categories. If your misses cost you strokes, balance type matters in addition to stroke fit.

How Incred Golf approaches this

Incred Golf invented the fourth balance category, Reverse Face Balanced®, after spending years analysing why traditional putters lose ball speed and direction on mishits. The patented geometry positions the centre of gravity forward of the shaft, in the same relationship as a hammerhead to its handle, and the hammer effect pulls the face toward square through the stroke automatically.

The full geometry and the four-category framework are documented on the technology page. The independent Blair Philip robotic testing report, including comparative data versus face-balanced, toe-hang, and zero-torque putters from Scotty Cameron, TaylorMade, Odyssey, Ping, Bettinardi, Evnroll, PXG, and LAB Golf, is on the RFB proof page.

The geometry is available across head shapes. The RFB Black Mallet is the highest-MOI head and the easiest place to feel the hammer effect. The RFB Blade carries the same physics in a traditional silhouette. The full lineup is on the putters page, and the performance data summary lives on the performance page.

Every Incred putter is built to the player's lie angle, length, weight, loft, and face material. The geometry sets the physics; the fitting sets the feel.

Frequently asked variants

What are the different types of putter balance?

The four types of putter balance are face balanced, toe hang, zero torque (toe up), and Reverse Face Balanced® (face down). Each is defined by where the centre of gravity of the head sits relative to the shaft axis.

Is there a fourth type of putter balance?

Yes. Reverse Face Balanced®, also known as Face Down Putter®, is the fourth and most recent putter balance category. It was invented and patented by Incred Golf. The CG sits forward of the shaft, the face points down when balanced on a finger, and the hammer effect pulls the face toward square through the stroke.

What balance is best for an arcing putting stroke?

Toe hang is the best match for an arcing stroke. The CG offset toward the heel rotates the head naturally with the arc, so the face stays square to the path through impact. Reverse Face Balanced® also works for arcing strokes because the geometry is stroke-agnostic; the hammer effect squares the face regardless of stroke shape.

Is zero torque the same as face balanced?

No. Both balance types resist face rotation, but they do it differently. Face balanced has the CG under the shaft, so gravity has no rotational effect on the head. Zero torque aligns the CG with the shaft axis, so the head experiences no torque around the shaft from any source, including lie angle deflection during the stroke. Zero torque is a more complete elimination of rotational forces; face balanced only eliminates gravitational rotation.