New Putter Design

So with my new little club working shop in my garage, I got a little antsy after the Masters. I have been loving my putter for over a year now, but I have been analyzing why I love it so. Here's what I have come up with...

It is pretty simple.
It has no offset. (In other words, the shaft is even with the face of the putter face. Almost every putter you will find has a shaft that has at least one shaft width of offset, where the shaft is in front of the putter face.)
It is face balanced. (it feels balanced to make a stroke with.)

If you have seen my putter, you will recall that it is a bronze cylinder bar with a shaft in it.

I have been admiring putters on tv for a while that I like the looks of a lot better. By saying that I like the looks, what I mean is that they have some sort of line that helps you line up your putt better. This alignment aid is important to me and gives me the confidence to make a good stroke.

However, every time I see a putter that I like, I see that it is offset. The offset putters just do not please my eye. And the ones that are not offset are center shafted, meaning that the shaft runs right into the center of the putter right behind the face. What I don't like about this is that the shaft of the center shafted putter usually blocks some of the alignment line and even looks funky and blocks the view of the back of the ball.

So what I have decided to do is to find a putter that I like the look of. Buy a straight shaft and put a single bend in it that allows the face to hang balanced but has no offset in it. The putter needs to be heel shafted and have a good alignment aid. I also want it to have a solid but soft feel while putting.

After watching Retief Goosen win a couple of weeks ago, I found that I have loved his putter for a while. His putter is a Yes! Tracy Putter. But when I have tried these, they are a little too light and are just a little too thin for my eye.

So after messing around at GolfWorks, I found that Yes! makes a putter that is like the Tracy only not at thin, weighs a bit more, is heel shafted, and has a great feel. I found one that they were selling for $80. On ebay they go used for $150, and the new ones are between $250 and $300. I offered GolfWorks $60 and they took it.

I bought a couple of the cheapest shafts I could find to practice bending in my garage. When I got a bit of confidence, I bought a putter shaft that I liked for $6. I bent it perfectly.

I heated the putter head and shaft and pulled the original shaft. I used quick epoxy to put in the new bent shaft. I took care to line it up really well and let it dry. After drying, I threw a Lamkin grip that I found for $2 at Pro Golf Discount and bought a few of the other day. It is a simple looking grip but has a nice feel and shape.

When I put it together, I was amazed at how cool it looked. I immediately took it into the yard and hit a few putts. The putter is still face balanced, the feel did not change. In fact, because I balanced it well and used a shaft that I liked, I think it actually feels even better. The grip is also a solid grip, not a cushy one. I like the solid ones better. I love looking at the putter over the ball. The alignment aid is easier to aim than ever. I was feeling consistent and accurate over every putt I hit.

I have to say that I am actually pretty impressed with myself. This might be the coolest putter I have ever looked down at. It makes a difference when you have control over every aspect of the design of the putter. I could not have found this combination of look, feel, balance, alignment and simplicity in any putter off the shelf. But it feels amazing that I thought it through and created it.

I will post pictures soon.