"The dumbest money in golf is spent on putters."

[michaeldays]

honestly knock off putters work for some people. My father has tried multiple putters (new scotty camerons, taylormades, and ping) has always came back to his 20 dollar knock off putter that he loves. Choosing a putter is all about feel and what you like. I personally prefer the feel of my scotty cameron but if i found one with better feel that was a knock off i would be fine with using it.

[GingerGolfer]

I think you should have a putter that you are happy with and pleases you. I currently have a putter that I'm not particularly pleased with its looks and it sometimes can be distracting at address and I sometimes lose focus. A lot of people like Scotty Camerons just because they are very pleasing to look at it and when you're over the ball you think "Damn this putter is sexy"

[WUTiger]

Back about 2006, a new Golf Galaxy opened up in St. Louis area. I walked in an looked around. By chance, I saw a vintage Ping Pal putter in the used club rack. I took it out, dropped some balls on their putting area, and proceeded to run in three 10-foot putts.

A teenager working there saw me in action. "We've got a lot of old clubs we're trying to sell off. If you like that one, I'll sell it to you for $35. I'll even regrip it."

Sold! I used it the following season, and then won a putter fitting at my local GG. A couple of tweaks, and I used it for three more seasons.

I later won a Ping B60 in a Christmas raffle, and have used that for two years. But, when the greens are slow, I wish I had the Ping Pal back in the bag.

$35 well spent on a putter!

[Mr Smell Good]

Since you can use the same putter for the rest of your life, I think its one that you could justify spending some money on.  I have a buddy who picked up a rusty Scotty Cameron putter at a garage sale for $20 and sent it to Titleist to have it restored ($75).  He asked them to engrave his name and they said it would ruin the value if he wanted to sell it but he said do it anyway.

My odyssey putter cost $99 and I love it.  Will probably keep it forever unless something changes.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Mr Smell Good

My odyssey putter cost $99 and I love it.  Will probably keep it forever unless something changes.

I purchased an odyssey black #6 putter a few years ago on ebay for probably $150.  I think it retailed for like $200+.  I plan on keeping it forever.

[Slice of Life]

I've been using my Cleveland VP-109 for years now. Cost me like $79 or so...don't plan on swapping it out for anything else anytime soon.

[Heisenberg]

I just made a thread about this...

Went into Sports Authority and a local golf shop.

Tried putters from $30-300.

Just don't get it. I picked up the most expensive ones I could find and they felt no different than the cheap ones aside from grip variance.

I ended up getting a brand I  didn't recognize for $30 because I liked the weight and grip feel. It feels heavier, which I prefer.

Only tried about 20 or so putts with it and have yet to use it on a green. We'll see how it pans out.

I just don't get the allure to spend gigantic bucks on a putter.

All this coming from someone who just started taking golf more seriously though :D

[bplewis24]

I generally find that more expensive putters are heavier than the cheapest putters.  Things may be different these days, but I'm not sure.

However, the way I look at it, I spent $150 on a putter I'll use for 10+ years, so the amortized cost is negligible.  Whereas I've spent probably $200+ in wedges in the last 3 years, and one of them is already needing to be replaced.

IMO, I agree with this thread title for guys who spend money changing their putters every few years.  But if you spend big money on a putter you're going to keep far longer than any other club, it can be well worth it.

[iacas]

The smartest money in golf is often spent a putter that's really well fit for you, because as bplewis just said, you won't be replacing it, so you can amortize the cost over 10, 20, 30+ years.

[Jakester23]

Last year I got ping redwood that was fit to me and its by far the best $$$ I've ever spent on golf. I could replace all of my clubsexcept my putter.

[dbuck]

If one putts side-saddle with a baseball grip, can't get inside 2 feet from 10, and buys a $350-500 putter off the rack thinking it will improve his putting, I would consider that dumb money. If one has a fairly decent stroke and buys a succesion of $30 putters from the bargain bin that won' t allow him to have good, comfortable posture with his eyes over the ball, I would consider that dumb money even though I have resembled that person at times. If a golfer has taken the time through practice and/or instruction to develop a sound and repeatable stroke, then money spent on a putter to allow proper posture and eye position that fits that stroke is money well spent, whether by lucking up on a putter that fits, having a clubfitter modify an existing putter, or by getting a truly fitted putter. Most of us have some economic constraints to consider, but the priority for those constraints is a matter for the individual to decide.

[GaijinGolfer]

I always kind of laugh when I read comments about how expensive putters are a good investment because you could keep it for the rest of your life.  Sure, you could be what percentage of golfers actually keep a putter for 30 years?  Id bet its less than 1%.

[dbuck]

I also do not mean to discourage you fellow club hoes; I am more of a bargain bin club ho. If I see most any PING putter in good condition for $20-30, I will usually buy it whether I want it or not.

[bplewis24]

I always kind of laugh when I read comments about how expensive putters are a good investment because you could keep it for the rest of your life.  Sure, you could be what percentage of golfers actually keep a putter for 30 years?  Id bet its less than 1%.

What do I care about what the percentages are?  My "investment" only counts my pocketbook and my bank account, not everybody else's.  It's not like if 90% of golfers keep their putters for 30 years then I get some of my money back.  If I keep my putter for 30 years, or 10, that's the time I amortize the cost over.  Doesn't matter what everybody else does.

I've had my putter for at least 5 years now, and I'll likely regrip it someday, but that's about it.

[Jeremie Boop]

I was actually looking at trying to get an edel fitted putter, however the 2 places that do fittings are probably 1 1/2 to 2 hrs away. One is at the OSU campus and the other is at a closed country club. Getting actually fitted for a putter and paying ~200 for it is much less of a stupid investment than paying that same amount for a putter off the shelf that you've no clue about how you'll putt with or if it's actually set up well for you.

[dbuck]

I always kind of laugh when I read comments about how expensive putters are a good investment because you could keep it for the rest of your life.  Sure, you could be what percentage of golfers actually keep a putter for 30 years?  Id bet its less than 1%.

I am in that 1%! I have had the putter I use most for 33 years, though several others have come and gone in that time. My second most used putter has been with me for about 20 years.

[Micah]

Totally agree. Went back to a putter I had stored in te corner of the garage for the past 15 years, an old dunlop blade, and threw the white ice mallet in storage and my putting woes were solved. Its whater works and feels best regardless of price.

[k-troop]

The smartest money in golf is often spent a putter that's really well fit for you, because as bplewis just said, you won't be replacing it, so you can amortize the cost over 10, 20, 30+ years.

The smartest money in putters is spent on one that will hinge when it hits a tree, then lock back to a straight position.  I don't care how well your putter is fitted, they all deserve a whack against a tree now and then.