Putters and Price. Why so expensive?

[GaijinGolfer]

In the case of a company like Edel, high level of custom fitting, a putter designed to fit your eye (literally) and you'll potentially never need to buy another one.

Until the putter starts, "acting up" and causing you to miss putts, at which point it ends up at the bottom of a pond just like every other putter.

[meenman]

You could spend $500 for a putter and it would still be the cheapest club, per use, in your bag.

A putter gets used more times than any other club in your bag - also the putter could stay in your bag for life.

It makes a lot more sense for those that worry about price to buy an expensive putter rather than a $400 driver that normal people will replace in 2 -3 years.

[PirateJim]

I've got a pretty expensive putter in my sack.  I don't have any real doubt that I could putt just about as well with a pretty wide range of putters at 1/2 to 1/3 the cost.

However, there is the matter of balance and "feel" which is hard to measure, but I think it really makes a difference for at least some of us.  The actual sensation that is transmitted up the shaft, along with the sound the putter makes contacting the ball vary considerably from one putter to another and these factors add up to something that I believe is very real, though hard quantify.  In the case of big putter manufacturers like Ping and Odyssey there are variations in this sensory facet among their range of products that may  otherwise appear much the same when looking down the rack.  I believe this is the reason for the various inserts and face millings.  When you find a putter that "just feels good" getting past the price tag gets easier if your personal budget can swing it.

[MS256]

The putter I use is an off brand putter that I bought at a yard sale for $1 when I first started playing golf. I bought others over the first few years I played, trying to "buy" my way to better putting.

A couple of years ago I had a long, drawn out, contest between every putter I had in the closet to see which actually made the best rolls (for me). I made up my mind that I was going to be unbiased during the contest. To my surprise the "worst" putter I had (and had long ago abandoned in favor of "more expensive") won hands down.

I sold all of the other putters the next week.

[boogielicious]

I have three putters that were ~$300 new.  I paid $75 for the Ping Redwood, $90 for the Mizuno/Bettinardi and $95 for the Scotty Cameron Newport Beach on e-bay.  All three were adjusted to my fit by a Pro fitter for ~$5-10 per club.  The fitting was $75.  Because I know my fit numbers, I can get most putters adjusted to my fit for $5 to $10 at any good shop.

If you really like a putter and know your fit, you can find used ones for much less.  Putters depreciate faster than cars.

[GaijinGolfer]

You could spend $500 for a putter and it would still be the cheapest club, per use, in your bag.

A putter gets used more times than any other club in your bag - also the putter could stay in your bag for life.

It makes a lot more sense for those that worry about price to buy an expensive putter rather than a $400 driver that normal people will replace in 2 -3 years.

Unless youre really good at chipping.