madpat2012:Thoughts and advice welcome
if you are having trouble with putting - you would be better off - looking into ways to improve your ability to read the line of putts. it cost you nothing but some time and practice.
it won't matter if you are using a starter putter or the highest end putter in the game - you start a putt on the wrong or bad line - you are likely to still miss the putt - but it just cost you more credits to do so.
while there is some truth in the idea you can buy a better game - it is not an automatic answer - even with better clubs and balls - you still need to learn how to play them - whether that is by remembering how they play after thousands of rounds or spending a little time getting basic mapping notes.
you can also improve your putting somewhat by improving your accuracy into the greens and lowering your ADP - shorter putts can often be easier - especially below the hole - but there are some short 5 foot putts above the hole on c14 greens that are harder than 15 foot putts below the hole. Learn where to leave your approach shots if you can.
a little time and effort and maybe practice even with your starter putter - and once you start to see your putting improve - then it may be possible that a better putter will start to make a difference but it can still depend on your putting style.
some people specifically choose a certain type of putter because they are miss ding putters - whereas other are "ding" putters and find the better high end putters work well for them.
the key or challenge - is knowing your game - where you are at - and what the strength and weaknesses may be - and from there - you can make the best investment with the credits you have to spend.