Dave’s Dirty Dozen Putters

I’m going to switch things up a bit today. For the past few weeks, our focus has been on new golf gear. The season reached its apex last week when the MyGolfSpy crew attended the PGA Show in Orlando to discover all of the new golf goodies coming this year.

But I’m going to flip the script today. Rather than looking at more new putters, I’m going to share with you a dozen putters from the past. These putters have remained in my collection long after their “new car smell” dissipated. 

What made these putters “keepers”? Are they the best-performing? Some are. Others have that little something extra that separated them from the hundreds of others that came and went.

New putters are the best. I love nothing more than checking out what the engineers come up with year after year. Some are destined to be forgotten but some are gems. Some of these standouts carry some history, others some mystery, but each has a story to tell.

Byron Morgan Twisted Longneck 006

While this Byron Morgan putter is not the first putter added to my collection, I list it first since Byron was the putter maker who made me a collector. Around the time when I was just learning about the big names in milled putters, I learned there was a guy making putters to order in Huntington Beach, Calif.

I think my first custom Byron Morgan 007 putter cost $300. That included a call from The Dude himself asking me about lie and loft options. Through the years, I bought a few more putters from Byron and had a few more conversations with him. When he passed away a few years back, golf became a lot less cool.

This putter is a 006 long neck with a hand-twisted neck. I love that the twists are a bit uneven as it allows me to visualize Byron twisting it. It is copper plated over carbon steel with just a touch of toe hang. 

The obvious reason this one stays in my collection is that Byron made it for me. I also keep it because I had Byron make it as a celebration for getting tenure. Yes, if MGS was Gilligan’s Island, I’d be the Professor.

Scotty Cameron Teryllium 2 Newport Longneck

While I do have a few recent model Scotty Cameron putters, I tend to gravitate toward the older models. This Tel3 Newport Longneck is my favorite Scotty. I bought it used on Craigslist and fell in love with the feel. To this day, it is one of the best-feeling putters in my collection. 

The polymer-backed teryllium face insert has the perfect combination of pop and softness. I have yet to find another putter that feels like it. I’ve not been able to roll any of the newer teryllium models like the Champions Choice putters. They are all limited runs that quickly sell out and jump in price beyond my budget on the secondary market.

Maybe I’ll find the funds if Scotty makes a Champions Choice longneck. Until then, I’ll keep rolling this delightfully dinged heirloom.

Bettinardi BB56 Armageddon

The Bettinardi BB56 Armageddon mallet is not in my collection because of how it performs. The BB56 is a great-performing putter. It placed third overall in the 2018 Most Wanted Mallet test. I think that is their highest mallet rank to date. It’s a good ball roller.

The story behind the putter is the reason I hold on to it. The BB56 is manufactured out of aluminum, but a special aluminum. This putter is made of the aluminum used as armor in military Humvee doors. You can read the whole story in the link above but here is a quick synopsis.

A father whose son was serving in the military worked at the shop that installed the armor. He saved the window cutouts and when his son came home, they reached out to Bettinardi about turning the metal into putters. As a big military supporter, Bettinardi naturally agreed and the result was this putter.

Carbon Putters Ringo 1/4

Those of you new to MyGolfSpy may not be familiar with Carbon Putters. Back in 2015, most people had not heard of them, either. That all changed when this Carbon Ringo 1/4 won the Most Wanted Blade competition that year.

That win pushed Carbon Putters from stage left into the spotlight. They had a growing presence for a number of years but I have not heard much from them recently. Thankfully, they are still open and still making putters.

This Ringo is one of three Carbon putters in my collection and they are all keepers. I decided to share this one today since it shows how the small guy can take down the giants if given the chance to compete.

Mizuno MP-A302

Though it has not made it to the course in a while, its overall coolness keeps the Mizuno MP-A302 in the collection. Unlike today, back in 2012 when this putter was produced, Mizuno did not have much of a putter presence in the marketplace—at least in the U.S. marketplace.

The six putters in the MP series were sold only in Europe. That was a shame since they were great-feeling putters with a unique alignment feature.

It’s hard not to notice the large white line when you look at the face. What is interesting about the putter is that the front edge of the topline slopes slightly backward. This allows you to see the white face line at address. The combination of the black body and the white line creates a great tool for squaring the putter to target.

TaylorMade Spider GT MAX

With the Spider GT MAX, TaylorMade brought what was essentially a R&D tool to retail. It’s easy for me to envision engineers at TaylorMade using a putter like the Spider GT MAX to explore how shifting weights changes performance. Bringing it to retail allowed golfers to see how weight position affected the performance of the putter and dial in their best configuration.

I hold onto this one for one reason. Any time someone I know says the putter doesn’t matter, that it is the archer, not the arrow, I let them roll the Spider GT MAX. So far, not a single person has rolled the putter the same after I messed with the weight positions. In that way, the putter now is more of a teaching tool.

Odyssey White Ice Bronze Sabertooth

Not every putter in the collection is expensive. I just checked eBay and there are a bunch of Odyssey White Ice Sabertooths for less than $100. Some are pretty hammered, though, so shop around.

The Sabertooth is an odd-looking Odyssey design but I like it. I like it so much that it was one of the two putters I took to Bandon Dunes. It’s “Punchbowl worthy.”

The wide wings keep things balanced and the lines in the center are perfect for alignment. I think the black-and-bronze aesthetics are an improvement over the stock red and silver.

It’s been too long since Odyssey has released a Sabertooth. Maybe they could give this cat the new Ai-ONE treatment.

SuperStroke Fatso Putter

I’d wager that every single one of you reading this is familiar with SuperStroke grips. Did you know that, back in 2011, SuperStroke also made putters? SuperStroke had a whole line of putters designed by renowned putter maker Bruce Sizemore.

The SuperStroke putter line consisted of blades and mallets, including the Fatso mallet you see here. This milled aluminum mallet looks like a bike pedal but it rolls the ball well. The bright orange finish is nothing short of spectacular.

So why did SuperStroke stop making putters? I believe it was because their putter grips exploded in popularity. At that point, SuperStroke needed to focus on being a putter grip company so putter making was discontinued.

Bettinardi QB15 Custom 

Last fall, a few MyGolfSpy staffers were invited to check out Bettinardi’s new Studio B location just south of Chicago. Chris Nickel and I went through the whole putter fitting process. The fitting process was high-tech and enlightening.

Going into the fitting, I thought I knew exactly what my putter specs would be. The data told me I was wrong. After a little loft and lie adjustment, the Queen B 15 proved to be the perfect match. Once we figured out the model, a quick trip to the Customs Room made this QB15 Dave’s QB15.

Yes, I have hit balls with it. It’s very fancy and it performs.

L.A.B.Golf Directed Force 2.1

I was not an early adopter of the L.A.B. Golf Directed Force putter. I thought it was too ugly to be good. I saw them at a demo day and just walked away. Sometimes even someone who is typically open-minded can fall victim to hubris.

As per everyone, once I rolled a L.A.B. Golf putter, I realized how good they actually are. The Mezz.1 Max looks like a giant staple but it rolls so pure. That was my gateway L.A.B. Golf putter.

After that, I had to try the DF2.1 and I found that it, too, rolled the ball tremendously. The only thing that keeps it out of the bag is its size. Now that L.A.B. Golf has announced the smaller profile DF3, bag size may no longer be an issue.  

Spalding Designed by TP Mills 15

There was a time when I was obsessed with these TPM Spalding putters. I had a network of thrift stores that I would hit weekly in search of these beauties. At the time, I didn’t even know who TP Mills was, I just knew these putters had interesting shapes and rolled the ball well. I even dabbled in restoring them for a bit until I realized that I was terrible at restoring putters.

For a 40-year-old putter, this one has held up very well. I’ve not had it on the course in a while but it still gets time in the garage and on the backyard Synlawn putting green. TP Mills made some great putters, as did his son David.

I ended up keeping just this one, donating the others (and my polishing wheel) back to the thrift store.

PING Ketsch

I don’t know that the PING Ketsch is the last putter that I would ever part with—that’s probably the Byron 006 twisted LN. The PING Ketsch would likely be second to last, though. This putter’s performance in Most Wanted testing is part of MGS lore.

Though it seems improbable, the PING Ketsch made 100 percent of the putts from five feet during testing. Granted, the tester pool was smaller in those early days of Most Wanted putter testing, but the PING Ketsch just dominated the other putters.

This putter was released without much, if any, promotion that year. I happened to see it on the PING website and got one for testing. As it turned out, the combination of milled aluminum and the first-generation TR grooves proved to be dynamite.

The dominance of the PING Ketsch was historical for MyGolfSpy putter testing. PING thought so as well, chronicling the putter’s performance in their historical book, And The Putter Went PING.

Putters can be Pokemon…

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour of “Keeper Corner” in my garage. More than once, I’ve reflected on my propensity for putter procurement (along with my addling addiction to alliteration). In terms of playing golf, a person only needs one putter. If that’s your mindset, I understand it. I just don’t necessarily agree with it.

Some putters are for rounds when the conditions are nice, others for the sandy days. There are fast-greens putters and there are shaggy carpet putters. I suppose I could adapt my stroke to the various situations but I’d rather just grab a different flatstick. I view it like wearing a jacket when it’s cold. I could just shiver for warmth but why?

Collecting is a funny thing that we humans do. Perhaps there is a well-researched psychological explanation for the practice, perhaps not. I just know that people get interested in collecting things. My mom is a button collector. I don’t really see the attraction but it brings her joy and that is what is important.

For her, it’s buttons; for me, it’s putters. I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into my horde.

FAQ: Dave’s Dirty Dozen Putters

How do you decide which putter to play with?

If I have putters in for testing, that decision is made for me. I always want to get new designs out on the course for an actual round. Rolling balls on the practice green gives you insight into a design but so does needing to make a six-footer for par.

Do you have any bucket list putters for your collection?

These days I’m curiosity-driven. I’d like to pick up a modern Scotty Cameron teryllium putter to see how it compares to my vintage one. I’d also like to roll putters from the newer putter makers like Cody James, Tyson Lamb and Logan Olson. People often wonder who will be the next Scotty Cameron but I’d like to find the next Byron Morgan.

Does the putter you play really affect your score?

Yes. Fit influences performance. Go spend the day in a shirt two sizes too small and tell me how all shirts are the same. It’s the dude, and the duds.

What putter releases are you looking forward to in 2024?

We’ve seen the majority of the big releases but there may be some other ones lurking out there. What are they? I’m not sure. I have some questions about releases that could happen. Will Odyssey release a retail “Rickie” Jailbird? Will TaylorMade continue their TP Reserve milled putter line? Will we see a retail Toulon putter line? Will Scotty release more Champions Choice putters, specifically a Newport LN? Will L.A.B. Golf continue their tour expansion in 2024?