Why are putters so expensive

[gregsandiego]

On 8/16/2006 at 0:03 PM, greenail said:

Is the development cost high? Materials? How much force does the ball exhert on a putter? Are the shafts special? Is it marketing? Is it a short product cycle? I just can't imagine why a putter would cost so much.

After reading some of the responses, a better question might be: do expensive putters perform better than cheaper ones?

I think it's a 3rd order factor at most.

[dennyjones]

I played golf Saturday with two guys that tried to patent a new putter.   It was a barrel putter with two flat ends.   The USGA wouldn't allow it because of the two flat ends but it could be used for recreational golf.   They said the patent attorney and other legal costs were over $100k.   They didn't have any financial backing so it didn't go anywhere.    Marketing cost would be expensive too.  

Edited May 9, 2016 by dennyjones

[Buckeyebowman]

On 8/17/2006 at 11:01 AM, Everardo said:

There are many professional athletes that are hyper-sensitive in regards to their equipment. Tiger's been hitting the same specs on his club since his college days so he's really in tune with his gear.

Lance Armstrong is another one that comes to mind, his is know to tell if his seat is off by a cm. If fact some of the guys on his team tweaked his bike several times to see if he could really tell the difference or not. On every occasion he road down the road only to turn around and ask who messed with his bike. Back to this thread, like Rusty and others have pointed out your buying mental confidence. People often perceive quality with cost. In reading Karten Solheims biography there is a similar story as to why Ping putter and irons were so expensive when they were first came out.

This is a point. I remember reading a story, I believe it was in George Plimpton's book "The Bogey Man", about Ray Floyd having a set of irons re-gripped at a tour stop at the manufacturer's trailer The guy who did the job put 2 wraps of grip tape under the grips. For some reason I recall his name as "Albie". The instant Floyd put his hands on those clubs he said, "Albie! What did you do? Put an extra wrap on here? These feel fat!" Well, old Albie had to re-grip all those clubs again!

That being said, I don't have that kind of sensitivity. I will say, that back when I was good at this game, If I went to the range and wasn't hitting the ball like I expected to, I could figure out where my setup was off a quarter of an inch here or there and get it back to specs. At my age I don't think one of these super expensive putters would do me all that much good. I play with a putter that cost in the mid 20 dollar range quite a few years ago, that I figure would be about 50 bucks now. I putt at least as well, if not better, than I did 40 years ago!

It's all about finding what works for you. And I'm the kind of guy who's always in the market for a bargain. And I will say that I believe that most golf equipment is horribly over priced! Consider the state of the game these days!

[bkuehn1952]

Unless someone comes up with a unique and conforming design, it is hard to believe that one chunk of metal on a shaft will perform better than another chunk of metal with a shaft.  The "2-Ball" putter is/was a fairly unique design and potentially could assist in lining up a putt and stroking the putt in the proper direction.  There are other unique designs out there that potentially aids a human in lining up and hitting is the proper direction.  The heel/toe weighted putter was unique but to my way of thinking, it is pretty common now. All the Scotties and Berti's that copy the heel/toe weighting don't seem all that more special than some $50 putter with heel/toe weighting. 

We need Dave Pelz to set up a test to see if a Scotty wielded by a machine and then a human performs better than a $50 Intech heel/toe weighted putter.

[Dan42nepa]

I frequently hit the salavation army, thrift stores etc looking for golf clubs and books. I have quite a collection of putters. Amazing some of the putters that I have found for 1.00. This week my putting has been sort of blah.. I put away my ping b60 and started using a Snakeyes 2 putter which is milled. I think it is actually a golf works putter but feels really good. I am putting much better the last 2 days and my touch is much improved. I ended the day today sinking a 15 foot birdie putt. The cost or brand doesnt matter to me just the feel.. Look at Bobby Jones Calamity Jane.

[dave s]

I see many aspects of what goes into the cost and related price of putters discussed already.  I suggest the bottom line is this: 

Maybe 5 years ago it became known that the golfing masses would in fact plunk down $400 for a driver.  That's when putters eclipsed the $200 plateau and since have risen to $300 and above for some manufacturer models.  People ARE jumping in at that price point for putters now.

Remember when a Scotty Cameron Newport was $199?  They're now $349 and up.  You can also buy one Scotty Cameron model for like $800!!!  None of these putters cost more than $200 5 years ago. Now that people are WILLING to spend driver cash on putters, the prices will continue to escalate to the point of diminishing returns for manufacturers. 

dave

[natureboy]

On 5/9/2016 at 8:45 PM, gregsandiego said:

After reading some of the responses, a better question might be: do expensive putters perform better than cheaper ones?

I think it's a 3rd order factor at most.

I think there's more of the 'custom milling' type shops doing putters so that's part of the cost vs. mass marketed models.

To your question about expensive putters there is apparently a placebo effect that may play to the advantage of the expensive putter. A perception of higher quality / design will improve the performance of the person using the putter enough to be statistically significant, but probably not a ton in terms of scoring.

Edited May 12, 2016 by natureboy

[Dan42nepa]

Also people see the pros using custom scottys every week and think that MUST be the answer.

[gregsandiego]

1 hour ago, Dan42nepa said:

Also people see the pros using custom scottys every week and think that MUST be the answer.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there less complex physics involved for putting than for any other shot?

 

[parman]

They are probably given the circle T putters or paid to play them. No putter is worth 2-3K+ unless it's gold plated. If they were so popular why do so many players use different putters? It's all just the propaganda pushed by golf manufacturers. Odyssey putters are not that expensive and I see a lot of them on the PGA tour. Remember all pros do not use "tour" putters. Some even use OTR putters. It's like Arnold Palmer said about the secret of golf, "It's 6 inches, between your ears." 

[Patch]

32 minutes ago, parman said:

They are probably given the circle T putters or paid to play them. No putter is worth 2-3K+ unless it's gold plated. If they were so popular why do so many players use different putters? It's all just the propaganda pushed by golf manufacturers. Odyssey putters are not that expensive and I see a lot of them on the PGA tour. Remember all pros do not use "tour" putters. Some even use OTR putters. It's like Arnold Palmer said about the secret of golf, "It's 6 inches, between your ears." 

I tend to agree with your "propaganda" statement. Some, not all, golf equipment manufacturers is one area of golf that is lacking the integrity the game is associated with. 

What you posted about Palmer also has merit. Just too bad he used the word "secret".......

[acerimusdux]

Funny thing is, I read this thread title, and I'm thinking "yeah, why are they all $30-$40?" 

 

[StevenR84]

 

3 hours ago, parman said:

They are probably given the circle T putters or paid to play them. No putter is worth 2-3K+ unless it's gold plated. If they were so popular why do so many players use different putters? It's all just the propaganda pushed by golf manufacturers. Odyssey putters are not that expensive and I see a lot of them on the PGA tour. Remember all pros do not use "tour" putters. Some even use OTR putters. It's like Arnold Palmer said about the secret of golf, "It's 6 inches, between your ears." 

For the pros it depends on who you are. Look at Rorys putter. Looks just like a 009 and a guy like DJ who plays TM everything, except putter. It's all about what they feel comfortable with. Worth is all determined by what people are willing to pay for items. Post recession, people are willing to pay a little more for some of these items. Also, if you are to resell a Scotty, it will hold it's value better than an odyssey/ping. I currently game a ping Cadence TR Anser 2 and have hit Scottys side by side and got a better feel off of them than mine no doubt. I felt my confidence grow in the store as i settled in over those putts. A mental edge is just as good as an actual performance edge in this silly game we love.

On 8/16/2006 at 4:19 PM, SubPar said:

Gary Player won majors with a putter he paid $25 for. It was marked $5 and when the clerk heard him express interest in it he marked it up while Player was looking around the store.

Pulled up a few different calculators, and after the price tag, that 25 in 1961 (masters win) Player paid what equates to about 198 today. So that could have had a bearing on his performance as he paid top dollar for a putter and had a little mental edge.

[Ernest Jones]

Because if they were cheap, no one would truly believe that they are magical...

[parman]

On May 12, 2016 at 10:59 AM, Patch said:

I tend to agree with your "propaganda" statement. Some, not all, golf equipment manufacturers is one area of golf that is lacking the integrity the game is associated with. 

What you posted about Palmer also has merit. Just too bad he used the word "secret".......

He was asked, What is the secret of golf?" His answer was, "Six inches, between your ears". So Palmer did not say, "secret". Just to clarify everything.

I think anything over $500.00 for a putter is probably too much. I have paid more for a putter but not 2-3K. I've run Bridgeport Mills and automated Mills. You just program them and they do all the work. Carbon and stainless steel are sold by the ton. 

I will never understand pros and their putters. Tiger ditched one that won tens of millions for him. VJ Sing was cruising along with a long putter. He comes out to a tournament one day with a Japanese Bettinardi, regular length. He wins! The next week he uses the same putter and wins! The next week he comes back out with the long putter and does not win. Can anyone explain that to me? It totally blows my mind. If I won two tournaments in a row with the same putter, regardless of brand or looks, you couldn't pry that putter out of my hands.  Go figure. 

[DrvFrShow]

Because putting boils down to 3 things: 1) can you read a green? 2) can you judge the speed of the green? 3) can you make a smooth stroke?

If you can do those three things you could putt with something from Goodwill. If you're missing one of those things, you'll suck at putting.

[saevel25]

27 minutes ago, DrvFrShow said:

Because putting boils down to 3 things: 1) can you read a green? 2) can you judge the speed of the green? 3) can you make a smooth stroke?

3) Start the ball on your intended target line ;) 

[longdrive23]

I use my 20$ craigslist bought putter (flat stick) for a few years now. I got a 200$ odessey putter (offset shaft and a semi circle shaped) at a tournament and tried it out - did not like it at all.

Happy with my 20$ putter as long as i can manage to take it back in a good line and put in a smooth stroke. 

I dont believe expensive putters help improve our game (non pros) :)