Compass Golf putters

[putt_for_dough]

Mike shared some screenshots of the design prior to milling. He has been awesome to work with so far. Can't wait for the putter to be done in a week or two!!

[mbwgolf]

Just paid my invoice, I am so excited to see how this putter turns out.

[williaza]

Now I can’t get a hold of him ha 

[BagofToast]

On 6/5/2023 at 2:06 PM, mbwgolf said:

Just paid my invoice, I am so excited to see how this putter turns out.

Me as well, super excited.

[putt_for_dough]

Anybody heard from Mike recently? He told me back on 4/9 that it would be 6-8 weeks, definitely before Father's Day (this putter is a gift for my dad)...now that we've passed the promised finish date, he hasn't responded to anything for 9 days. I'd honestly take any excuse at this point, valid or not.

 

I'm mostly frustrated he hasn't communicated anything and just went dark.

[MattM97]

16 hours ago, putt_for_dough said:

Anybody heard from Mike recently? He told me back on 4/9 that it would be 6-8 weeks, definitely before Father's Day (this putter is a gift for my dad)...now that we've passed the promised finish date, he hasn't responded to anything for 9 days. I'd honestly take any excuse at this point, valid or not.

 

I'm mostly frustrated he hasn't communicated anything and just went dark.

 

He just posted on Instagram this morning. 

[BagofToast]

21 hours ago, putt_for_dough said:

Anybody heard from Mike recently? He told me back on 4/9 that it would be 6-8 weeks, definitely before Father's Day (this putter is a gift for my dad)...now that we've passed the promised finish date, he hasn't responded to anything for 9 days. I'd honestly take any excuse at this point, valid or not.

 

I'm mostly frustrated he hasn't communicated anything and just went dark.

Been just over a week since I paid and haven't heard anything, dunno if I'm supposed to either

[williaza]

I have to admit..I was a pretty tough/bad customer because I changed ideas/models on him like 8 times but the communication this time around has been really poor. 
 

hopefully the putter is still great..I enjoyed my first one.

[mbwgolf]

Has anyone got one in the mail recently or been in contact with mike?

[williaza]

1 hour ago, mbwgolf said:

Has anyone got one in the mail recently or been in contact with mike?

I talked to him last week 

[mbwgolf]

On 7/17/2023 at 1:49 PM, williaza said:

I talked to him last week 

you are a lucky man he hasn’t responded to me in weeks. just requested a refund I have never gotten worse service in my life lol

[BagofToast]

On 7/17/2023 at 12:25 PM, mbwgolf said:

Has anyone got one in the mail recently or been in contact with mike?

Ordered 6 weeks ago and nothing. Considering canceling but trying to wait it out.  

[putt_for_dough]

2 hours ago, BagofToast said:

Ordered 6 weeks ago and nothing. Considering canceling but trying to wait it out.  

*editing my post because I don’t want to insinuate anything or make assumptions without having more understanding. 
 

…long story short, the initial 6-8 weeks I was initially quoted have passed, and Mike hasn’t responded to anything since the missed deadline.
 

Missed deadlines aren’t the end of the world, but the lack of communication and transparency about what’s going on is inexcusable/unprofessional. I went to Mike for my first custom putter and thought I’d be getting the top tier service he promises on his website, but this has been nothing but a headache. 

Edited July 20, 2023 by putt_for_dough

[craigycoch]

Wanted to chime in here to say I’ve been dealing with the same issue as everyone else. I placed my initial order on April 18 and was quoted 6-8 weeks, and then the day after I made a pretty big change to what I wanted after he let me know he could accommodate the more difficult specifics of what I was looking for. Because of this, I was more than happy to give him an extra week or two on this deadline.

 

He finished the putter 2 weeks ago but there were several errors (errors that — if he sent images to me and communicated with me while he was working on it — easily could have been avoided). These errors forced him to completely restart the project.

 

Currently at the 13-week mark and I am assuming he re-started the putter last week after the multiple errors on the first attempt, but haven’t heard from him in a week so I have no idea. I have messaged him every 3 days to follow up and his typical response time is hovering around two weeks.

The bright side is that the first iteration was beautiful, but the error on it was significant. I have full confidence the putter will turn out to be stunning and exactly what I’m looking for, but at this point, I’m assuming I won’t get the putter until late August or early September, which essentially means I missed an entire summer of golf with the club I purchased under the pretense that I would have it by mid-June.

 

The unprofessional nature of this process — bad response time, a lack of communication while making the putter that has led to several significant errors, you freakin’ name it — has truly driven me crazy given how much I spent. I understand he has a catalog of orders and a lot of responsibility on top of having a full-time job, but this has been an extremely frustrating situation that unfortunately makes me recommend against ordering with him in the future regardless of how amazing the finalized product is. Definitely sad because in my opinion, he does the best mill work out of anyone in the custom putter space.

[putt_for_dough]

6 hours ago, craigycoch said:

Wanted to chime in here to say I’ve been dealing with the same issue as everyone else. I placed my initial order on April 18 and was quoted 6-8 weeks, and then the day after I made a pretty big change to what I wanted after he let me know he could accommodate the more difficult specifics of what I was looking for. Because of this, I was more than happy to give him an extra week or two on this deadline.

 

He finished the putter 2 weeks ago but there were several errors (errors that — if he sent images to me and communicated with me while he was working on it — easily could have been avoided). These errors forced him to completely restart the project.

 

Currently at the 13-week mark and I am assuming he re-started the putter last week after the multiple errors on the first attempt, but haven’t heard from him in a week so I have no idea. I have messaged him every 3 days to follow up and his typical response time is hovering around two weeks.

The bright side is that the first iteration was beautiful, but the error on it was significant. I have full confidence the putter will turn out to be stunning and exactly what I’m looking for, but at this point, I’m assuming I won’t get the putter until late August or early September, which essentially means I missed an entire summer of golf with the club I purchased under the pretense that I would have it by mid-June.

 

The unprofessional nature of this process — bad response time, a lack of communication while making the putter that has led to several significant errors, you freakin’ name it — has truly driven me crazy given how much I spent. I understand he has a catalog of orders and a lot of responsibility on top of having a full-time job, but this has been an extremely frustrating situation that unfortunately makes me recommend against ordering with him in the future regardless of how amazing the finalized product is. Definitely sad because in my opinion, he does the best mill work out of anyone in the custom putter space.

I’m sad to hear that nobody has really had a good experience with him recently. On the plus side, I’m glad to hear he at least gave you proof that a putter was made, even if there were errors. I was worried that his mill broke or that he had completely closed down shop without telling anybody. 
 

At the end of the day, whether this is his only job or tenth side-gig, unless there was an emergency/personal problem or something that made it so he couldn’t communicate for weeks on end, he should be able to deliver the agreed upon product within the timeframe. If he has too much of a backlog, he should close orders or communicate the longer timeline from the start of the ordering process. If he had told me that it would take 20 weeks because of a backlog, summer vacation, his other job responsibilities, etc, and I still chose to pay him, then no problem! The sad part is that he led me to believe that if I paid him (a lot of money!!), then I’d have something to show for it within 6-8 weeks. He prides himself on being a perfectionist, but his communication and business process are making it impossible for his awesome work to shine through, even leading to errors as stated above. 

[craigycoch]

Well, I heard back about a day after I posted the above message. Here’s what he said:

 

“Hey [redacted]. Been dealing with machine issues that are just piling up and I have to take a step back to see what I want to do to be able to continue making putters. So I can't really commit to a timeliness for re-running the putter. 

Not sure if you would consider taking the first attempt as is and maybe workout a partial refund.

 Otherwise, I can give you a full refund and then once I get things back on track, I can reach out and see if you want to try again. 

Third option would be to send you the putter as is for now and once things are back up, I can make the changes and do a swap with you. 

Appreciate your patience. Let me know what you think.”

 

I then gave him how I would like to proceed with the situation, he read it, I messaged again the day after, he read it, and then messaged again just confirming we can do what I mentioned, and he read again—all with no response.

 

Really hope he is alright and taking care of himself. I’m sure he is in a stressful situation, so hopefully he is able to get himself out of the bind that the number of orders he accepted has put him in given the machine issues.

[putt_for_dough]

16 hours ago, craigycoch said:

Well, I heard back about a day after I posted the above message. Here’s what he said:

 

“Hey [redacted]. Been dealing with machine issues that are just piling up and I have to take a step back to see what I want to do to be able to continue making putters. So I can't really commit to a timeliness for re-running the putter. 

Not sure if you would consider taking the first attempt as is and maybe workout a partial refund.

 Otherwise, I can give you a full refund and then once I get things back on track, I can reach out and see if you want to try again. 

Third option would be to send you the putter as is for now and once things are back up, I can make the changes and do a swap with you. 

Appreciate your patience. Let me know what you think.”

 

I then gave him how I would like to proceed with the situation, he read it, I messaged again the day after, he read it, and then messaged again just confirming we can do what I mentioned, and he read again—all with no response.

 

Really hope he is alright and taking care of himself. I’m sure he is in a stressful situation, so hopefully he is able to get himself out of the bind that the number of orders he accepted has put him in given the machine issues.

I received a very similar response/options on Saturday, gave him my preference, and haven't heard back yet. He mentioned that he's optimistic about having things smoothed out within the next couple of months, but plans change...I'm grateful he's reaching out and trying to tie up loose ends as best as he can, given his current situation.

[craigycoch]

Well, he agreed to a 50% refund plus the putter. Then, if after testing it I don’t love it, I can either send it back for a full refund or send him the 50% he refunded me at a later date to have him make the putter exactly how I wanted it.

 

All in all, a good deal. Having said that, he has gone back to reading my instagram messages and not doing anything about it. Have told him my paypal info and my address — no refund processed nor any info on when he might be shipping it.

 

It’s to the point where I am more excited to be done with dealing with the headache than I am to receive the actual putter. Super disappointing given that I was over-the-moon excited to send him $600 just 3 short months ago.

[williaza]

Want to be fair here. I ordered a Compass in Jan of 2022. Got it in March and it was good work..not great..but very good for $500 

 

I too have went through the disaster with him starting in April. I asked for a refund and after another long process finally got it..he promised me one of his stocks for free (IF that happens I’ll appreciate it greatly) 

 

having said all that..I’d look at Hudson Made..he seems to be getting more full time..like the looks of his milling and his communication and prices have been good.

 

I plan on putting a deposit down with him soon 

 

good luck to everyone 

[craigycoch]

On 7/27/2023 at 8:32 PM, williaza said:

Want to be fair here. I ordered a Compass in Jan of 2022. Got it in March and it was good work..not great..but very good for $500 

 

I too have went through the disaster with him starting in April. I asked for a refund and after another long process finally got it..he promised me one of his stocks for free (IF that happens I’ll appreciate it greatly) 

 

having said all that..I’d look at Hudson Made..he seems to be getting more full time..like the looks of his milling and his communication and prices have been good.

 

I plan on putting a deposit down with him soon 

 

good luck to everyone 

Would you mind sharing with us your process from start to finish with him? He has been ducking my messages, leaving me on read when I ask him about shipping and getting my refund. It has been so frustrating because he could have an amazing business if he actually gave a s*** about making things right with customers but to me, it seems like he couldn’t care less about it. Sending a $300 refund on PayPal and shipping a putter out is literally a 20-minute process at most. Aggravates me to no end that I’m approaching the 15-week point and have been ducked at every step along the way for nearly the last 2 months…

[williaza]

6 hours ago, craigycoch said:

Would you mind sharing with us your process from start to finish with him? He has been ducking my messages, leaving me on read when I ask him about shipping and getting my refund. It has been so frustrating because he could have an amazing business if he actually gave a s*** about making things right with customers but to me, it seems like he couldn’t care less about it. Sending a $300 refund on PayPal and shipping a putter out is literally a 20-minute process at most. Aggravates me to no end that I’m approaching the 15-week point and have been ducked at every step along the way for nearly the last 2 months…

Ordered from him last year..liked it would have done a second..but he went away last summer..seemed like he was done 

 

this winter he posted he was back for stock. He told me he wasn’t taking customs yet but then he posted a few customs. 
 

masters Friday I reached out told him what I wanted and he said sure he would invoice me. 
 

didn’t hear from him for like 3 weeks. I reached back out and asked if he wanted to do it but I needed it by June 20th. He said no problem. Paid him. I did change the design a few times but then he stopped communicating and leaving me on read. 
 

as we got to June 20th and I had very little contact I said just refund me. He agreed. Then for the next like week or so every other day he would say he was going to send the refund the next day and didn’t. He finally sent it through PayPal but it never posted to my account. Couldn’t get a hold of him and PayPal said it was an issue with his bank account

 

finally we worked it out and he said he’s send me a stock because he felt bad and that’s the last contact I had 

[craigycoch]

3 hours ago, williaza said:

Ordered from him last year..liked it would have done a second..but he went away last summer..seemed like he was done 

 

this winter he posted he was back for stock. He told me he wasn’t taking customs yet but then he posted a few customs. 
 

masters Friday I reached out told him what I wanted and he said sure he would invoice me. 
 

didn’t hear from him for like 3 weeks. I reached back out and asked if he wanted to do it but I needed it by June 20th. He said no problem. Paid him. I did change the design a few times but then he stopped communicating and leaving me on read. 
 

as we got to June 20th and I had very little contact I said just refund me. He agreed. Then for the next like week or so every other day he would say he was going to send the refund the next day and didn’t. He finally sent it through PayPal but it never posted to my account. Couldn’t get a hold of him and PayPal said it was an issue with his bank account

 

finally we worked it out and he said he’s send me a stock because he felt bad and that’s the last contact I had 

Jesus… did you ever actually receive the refund???

Edited July 29, 2023 by craigycoch

[williaza]

1 minute ago, craigycoch said:

Jesus… did you ever actually receive the refund???

Yes sorry if I didn’t make it clear..he issued a refund to me through PayPal on a Monday 26th.

 

Came up pending..PayPal said it could take 5-7 business days…after 7 business days it still was pending..he said he didn’t know why. PayPal said they automatically retry a second time..still pending

 

he agreed to send me personal refund on Venmo (he did it like 4-5 days after the day he told me he was going to do it) and after me asking him everyday with no response 

 

than after the second 5 days the PayPal went through and I sent the second $500 back to him 

 

not to pile on but the most annoying part was one day at like 12pm EST he said the money left his account..I still didn’t have it..i messaged him back literally 30 seconds later got left on seen. So I called PayPal CS and waiting for like an hour on hold to talk to someone to get the refund policy. That’s when I was told the original error was because of something with his bank  
 

I felt like that’s something he should have done or at least responded 

[BagofToast]

Just canceled today, responded within an hour. 

[craigycoch]

[zip7111]

Is the putter in the post above a custom they made for you?  Looks really good!  

[craigycoch]

On 8/5/2023 at 7:46 PM, zip7111 said:

Is the putter in the post above a custom they made for you?  Looks really good!  

Yep, it is! It is truly beautiful. Having said that, it doesn’t fit my eye quite like my current gamer, so I’m actually considering selling it.

Edited August 9, 2023 by craigycoch

[Z1ggy16]

O man Mike is stepping up his game... copper inlay's now, that really changes things.

 

Despite his horrendous communication, his quality to price ratio really can't be beat. My suggestion to anyone who sees this is to order from him (if you're in a cold season area like me) around Nov or Dec and just forget about it. Putter will randomly show up by the start of next season and you'll be happy as hell.

 

I already have 2 putters from him and I am 100% always considering a 3rd. Seeing the copper insert is making me think a little champions choice/Tei3 clone is in order.

[putt_for_dough]

I finally received a putter from him, and I have never felt more conflicted...on one hand, it honestly feels better than pretty much anything I've ever used. The balance, the sound, the feel, the setup...all phenomenal. I've owned anything from old BeCu B60s/Ansers and TeI3s to a newer Del Mar, Phantom 5.5, PLD Anser 2, Taylormade Spider, and a bunch of others in between. This one beats them all. I was shocked, but I love the "soul" of the putter. 

 

On the other hand, it's heavier than I ordered, the shaft is 34" rather than 35", the paint fill and finish are completely different colors than what I ordered, and it just feels like he rushed something out to get it off of his hands (and when I say rushed, this was 2 months later than promised...essentially twice the time he initially committed to). On top of that, he has not responded to anything or followed up on the previously promised discount that was offered secondary to the problems we had up to this point.

 

...Am I impressed with the putter? ABSOLUTELY. Can I use the putter? Not in its current state. It's too heavy for me, too short, and I'd have to put more time/money into it to get it to what I initially ordered in the first place.

 

Despite all this, if Mike ever figured out how to communicate even SLIGHTLY better, I would 100% order 2-3 more putters from him sheerly due to the awesome feel and relatively good value for what you're getting. On the other hand, I paid hundreds of dollars more than an off-the-rack putter for a custom, and I didn't get anything close to what I ordered...so I'll be requesting he fix it, or I'll be filing a claim with PayPal.

[putt_for_dough]

If anybody hears from him or places an order in the future, please let us know! I'm praying he can work through his struggles and stay in business. He has more potential than just about anybody out there