Ask ten good putters how they move the putter and you'll get two broad answers. Some keep the head moving on a straight line back and through. Others let it swing on a gentle arc, like a tiny version of a full swing. Both sink putts on tour every week, so the question isn't which one is "correct" — it's which one matches the way you naturally move. Fight your natural tendency and putting feels like work. Match it, and the stroke starts to repeat on its own.
This guide breaks down the two main putting stroke types — straight-back-straight-through (SBST) and the arc stroke — so you can figure out which fits you, pick a putter that supports it, and groove it with a few minutes of practice at home.
The two putting stroke types, in plain terms
Straight-back-straight-through (SBST). The putter head travels on a straight line away from the ball and back toward the target, and the face stays square to that line the whole time. Think of a piston moving back and forth in a channel. It's the simplest model to picture, which is why so many beginners are taught it first.
The arc stroke. The putter head swings slightly inside the target line on the backstroke, returns to square at impact, then moves back to the inside on the follow-through. The face quietly opens a touch going back and closes a touch coming through — not from hand manipulation, but because the whole stroke rotates gently around your body, the same way a full swing does. Most people's bodies do this naturally. Depending on how much the head moves inside, you'll hear it called a slight arc or a strong arc.
Here's the key truth that gets lost in the debate: a "pure" straight-back-straight-through stroke is actually very hard to do, because your arms hang from your shoulders and want to swing on an arc. Many golfers who think they putt SBST are really making a very slight arc. That's fine. The labels are a spectrum, not two rival religions.
How to find your natural stroke type
You don't need a launch monitor. Try these quick checks:
The relaxed-setup test. Take your normal putting posture, let your arms hang, and make a few easy strokes while watching the putter head. If it wants to drift slightly inside going back, you're an arc putter. If it genuinely tracks straight with no effort, you lean SBST.
The posture clue. Golfers who stand more upright with the hands higher and the eyes slightly inside the ball tend to swing on more of an arc. Golfers bent more over the ball with the eyes directly over it tend to move straighter. Neither posture is wrong — they just encourage different paths.
The effort test. Make ten strokes trying to keep it dead straight, then ten letting it arc naturally. One of them will feel like steering a shopping cart with a bad wheel, and the other will feel free. Go with free.
Match your putter to your stroke
This is where stroke type turns into a buying decision, and it's genuinely useful to know. Putters are built with different amounts of toe hang, and toe hang tells you which stroke the putter wants.
Balance a putter on your finger under the shaft. A face-balanced putter points the face straight up at the sky — it resists rotation and suits a straight or very slight-arc stroke. These are usually mallets. A putter whose toe hangs down toward the floor wants to rotate open-to-closed, which suits an arc stroke; the more the toe droops, the stronger the arc it's built for. These are often blades and mid-mallets.
The simple rule: straighter stroke, more face-balanced putter; more arc, more toe hang. You can putt well with a mismatch, but matching them removes one more thing you have to manage. If you're curious how different head shapes and alignment aids factor in too, our guide to the best golf training aids for putting in 2026 walks through what actually helps versus what's gimmick.
Drills to groove whichever stroke you choose
Whatever your path, the goal is the same: a repeating stroke with the face square at impact. A putting mat makes this easy to practice indoors because the lane gives you a built-in straight reference and consistent roll.
For the SBST putter — the gate drill. Set two tees (or two balls) just wider than your putter head to form a "gate" a few inches ahead of the ball, and another gate at the head's starting point. Stroke through both without clipping them. On a lined mat like the Pace Training Putting Mat, use the printed guideline as your straight track and groove that piston feel.
For the arc putter — the inside-path drill. Lay an alignment stick or yardstick just outside the target line. Make strokes where the head stays inside the stick going back and through, letting the face rotate naturally. You'll feel the arc instead of forcing it.
For everyone — the square-face check. Put a coin or a small dot on the back of the ball and make your stroke. If the ball rolls end-over-end without wobble, your face was square at impact. This is the single most important fundamental, no matter which stroke type you use. For more structured sessions, our 7 putting drills you can do at home and distance-control drills both work for SBST and arc putters alike.
A roll-out, travel-friendly mat works for both
You don't need a dedicated room to practice either stroke. A simple roll-up mat gives you a true surface and a straight reference you can set up in a living room, office, or garage. The 8ft/10ft Portable Putting Mat is a good all-rounder for grooving path and start line, and if you want targets and feedback built in, browse the full home putting studio collection for mats and greens that fit your space.
The bottom line
There is no single best putting stroke type. SBST is simpler to picture and pairs with face-balanced mallets; the arc is what most bodies do naturally and pairs with toe-hang blades and mid-mallets. Find which one feels free for you, match your putter to it, and then spend your practice time on the thing that actually drops putts: returning the face to square, at the right speed, over and over. A few focused minutes a day on a mat at home will do more for your scores than switching methods ever will.