Talking about older putters

[DavetheDuffer]

What is the attraction when it comes to older putters?  Do they, or at least some of them, continue to perform as well as today's newer offerings?  I know much of their effectiveness comes from the guy on the grip, but does the technology really make the guy on the grip a better putter on the green?  I still see great reviews about the Ping Karstens and Callaway's Bobby Jones putters and many folks saying they prefer those over some of the $450 marvels of today.  In the end does it come down to just what feels best when adding one to the bag?

 

Thanks for entertaining an old guy thinking out loud.

Edited July 21 by DavetheDuffer

[Foozle]

23 minutes ago, DavetheDuffer said:

What is the attraction when it comes to older putters?  Do they, or at least some of them, continue to perform as well as today's newer offerings?  I know much of their effectiveness comes from the guy on the grip, but does the technology really make the guy on the grip a better putter on the green?  I still see great reviews about the Ping Karstens and Callaway's Bobby Brown putters and many folks saying they prefer those over some of the $450 marvels of today.  In the end does it come down to just what feels best when adding one to the bag?

 

Thanks for entertaining an old guy thinking out loud.

I am in the camp of believing that a putter is a flat stick and it's performance, given the limitations of the person holding it, are down to how it sits and feels. Age is not a determining factor.

I have been practicing with this Benny putter and it putts beautifully! People, in particular technology geeks, may laugh but it is going in the bag!

[SnowbirdTom]

I can put well with either of these, which is shocking me.  🙂 Seriously, I've used the LAB DF-3 with my modern gear and the Ping Anser from ~1968 with about the same degree of proficiency.  I make more than I miss with either. The LAB won me a $115 skin on Friday, making a twisting 30 footer for birdie on a nasty par 3 in competition. The Anser helped me shoot a 41  with 6 one putts last Monday in league play's front nine including a 25 footer for birdie. It's the operator, not the tool.

 

[bcstones]

Putting effectively is all about the golfer & practice, practice, practice....you can putt effectively with any putter with practice, learning the eccentricities of that putter...the same goes for any club. All the techno-babble about swing weights, etc. is just "babble" - that's just the business of golf, to make you think you need to have the latest & "best" to play better golf (the more expensive) - pure bovine scat.

My go-to putter is my first ever putter, it was in my first bag of clubs, circa 1957 Hillerick & Bradbsy Grand Slam Mars 70 (similar to the R.T. Jones' Calamity Jane blade putter).  I've played with any number of putters - the Ping Doc 17 has the closest feel to my H&B Putter. I have too many Ping putters (all need to find good homes), my "fun" putters - the Ping Pong & the Ding-A-Ling Ping putters, MacGregor's Spur & the Jerry Glynn modified Spur that Hogan used, Otey Crisman, the original Ray Cook, John Letters Crookneck, and others (I do have to clull this herd 😂)...each time I play one of those putters against my H&B, I have to get used to the differences between the 2.

 @Jiggered has a couple of excellent videos on his YT channel focused on the "myth" of fitting & a couple more where he takes out totally non-fitted/matched clubs & plays them.

[Maine Golfer]

Its a thrill to save par or make birdie with something under $30 that was mostly likely made before the 1970s. I'm not out to impose what others play, but I get a kick out of getting good results on the cheap

 

[tripanfal]

You know, I think I am attracted to the simplicity of them - and the endless complexity that’s hidden just underneath. It’s like putting itself - at one level it’s hit ball with stick at another level it’s deeply complicated interaction of physical systems and psychological processes. The simplicity makes older putters seem approachable and actually experimenting with them is fun, while the complexity of the minigame itself remains challenging and rewarding to try to master. So, to me, what I want out of a putter is data - I want to see how it reacts to different forces I can apply and how those forces affect the line and speed of the ball. I have never been concerned with getting strokes off the card, but I have as a nice bonus. Older putters (primarily solid metal putters with flat milled faces and fewer hosel designs but not entirely) are affordable enough that I can try lots of different styles/materials while I develop my stroke and I feel they speed up the process because they don’t prioritize forgiveness above all else. I have, since I started my old putter journey, gotten to where I am pretty decent with a ton of them but the real treasure is that I have found the couple or three I am good with - thanks Karsten. 

[Jiggered]

All putters are a weight on the end of a stick.

 

But I'd say this; in recent years I've only used a modern putter once, that was a TaylorMade Spider, don't know what model. But I can tell you that it was very stable through the stroke, in that it didn't feel as though it would come back to the ball other than how I'd lined it up (and I holed more of those tricky 5 to 10 foot putts than I normally do).

The same can't be said for a true blade putter, and when I say true blade I don't include mallets or Anser styles. When I use a true blade I really have to concentrate on returning the face square to where I set it up, and ensuring that I strike the ball on the sweet spot.

 

So why do I continue with these old putters when a modern putter is so much more stable?  Because I enjoy using them and the satisfaction I get when I have a good putting round.

 

[Hickory4ever]

I learned to play with a Bullseye putter and still game one most of the time. Putting has always been a strength. Since going on my vintage quest, I try a lot of putters for fun and like to even try my friend’s latest gizmo. I do well with almost all centre shafted putters. My Schenectady putter from the early 1900’s is as good as any putter that I have tried.

 

Newer does not mean better. For me, the putter needs to feel right and have the goldilocks weight. I don’t like any offset and I can tell if I like a putter after a few putts. 
 

Playing an old Bullseye or Otey Crisman plays with my buddies heads. Watching me make more putts than they do with their latest tech gizmo is very satisfying. It is also quite cost effective 😀.

[J-Blade]

23 hours ago, tripanfal said:

You know, I think I am attracted to the simplicity of them - and the endless complexity that’s hidden just underneath. It’s like putting itself - at one level it’s hit ball with stick at another level it’s deeply complicated interaction of physical systems and psychological processes. The simplicity makes older putters seem approachable and actually experimenting with them is fun, while the complexity of the minigame itself remains challenging and rewarding to try to master. So, to me, what I want out of a putter is data - I want to see how it reacts to different forces I can apply and how those forces affect the line and speed of the ball. I have never been concerned with getting strokes off the card, but I have as a nice bonus. Older putters (primarily solid metal putters with flat milled faces and fewer hosel designs but not entirely) are affordable enough that I can try lots of different styles/materials while I develop my stroke and I feel they speed up the process because they don’t prioritize forgiveness above all else. I have, since I started my old putter journey, gotten to where I am pretty decent with a ton of them but the real treasure is that I have found the couple or three I am good with - thanks Karsten. 

Love my old J-Blade. It's been in my bag for going on 30 years now. It belonged to my late dad. 

[tripanfal]

4 hours ago, J-Blade said:

Love my old J-Blade. It's been in my bag for going on 30 years now. It belonged to my late dad. 

I have an awesome little collection of J Blades now - Ping’s most underrated of the era in my opinion.  (Edit to add: the torched one is the first one - which I picked up because I thought if it’s good enough to pick as your handle I will give it a try.) 

Edited July 23 by tripanfal

[J-Blade]

Those J Blades look great. Mine looks like the top right one in the first photo. 

[DavetheDuffer]

Great stuff guys, those are some beautiful old soles there, thanks for indulging me.  I still have the first putter I ever bought, an Old Master W609 that I got in Hawaii, 1980.  It still plays well although the plating is starting to peel.  I have a Cleveland Classic 7, a Ping C67, and recently picked up a Callaway Bobby Jones BJ2.  While I've done well with each of them in their own time, the BJ2 is amazing.  I did some time with it yesterday on the putting green and I must say the balance and feedback are tremendous.  Short putts, long putts, the feel and ability to put the ball next to the cup if not in it is wonderful.  I know these aren't the stars of the 60's and 70's, but they certainly aren't spring chickens.  Compared to some of the new putters I've tried including a LAB, a TaylorMade Spyder, and a couple Pings, I just feel so much more comfortable with the BJ2.  

[elwhippy]

Simpler designs. My 1995 Anser 30th is getting a run out this morning.

[sheepdawg]

I always loved the look of the Ping Zing and My Day. I putted with a 1970 My Day for at least 15 years. Then around 2005 I went to a 2 Ball blade which lasted till around 2021. Last year this old 2002 Odyssey Tri Hot 2 made it into my bag. It's got the look and ain't going anywhere.

 

[Stephen8802]

I probably have 30 or 40 putters, maybe 50. They are as old as pyratone shafted Iron Masters and as new as a current Bobby Grace. The newer putters absolutely make putting easier and more accurate for me. Especially high MOI mallet types, but also my Scotty Newport. I'm putting better now with modern putters than I ever did in my prime, the only part of my game that is better.

 

That being said, I still have a range of styles behind me in the office that I putt with everyday. 20 or so are heal-shafted classics, 10 or mallet styles from the 80s-2020s, and a few answer styles, both metal and ceramic. I may putt better with a more modern high MOI mallet, but the older putters are still a lot of fun to putt with. I usually putt during boring calls when I don't have to speak and will use multiple putters per session. I'll putt 15-20 balls and then switch to another style. A TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs is in my bag, but putting with my '64 8802, 345 8813, Iron Masters, or 80s/90s Clevelands and Old Masters is pure joy. 

 

The attraction to older putters is that playing them makes me happy. Unless you are playing for money or competing seriously, what other reason is there to play any club?