Looking to get some input on people's experiences getting custom putters made. I currently have a Bettenardi, Piretti, Scotty, and a couple of others but looking to go more custom. (Olson, Tyson Lamb, Byron Morgan are some of the brands I have been looking at - I only like blade putters). Anyone have a custom putter they really like and was very customizable and they didn't have to wait 50 years to see it come in? Thanks!

golffan76706 the problem now is every putter maker is currently taking months if not a year to make custom putters. Are you looking for more of an art custom piece or something that fits your stroke?

dphatt Looking for a gamer. Want it to look sexy on the course but feel is everything to me.

golffan76706 your best option is to get fit for a putter and buy something and adjust the specs to those numbers unless you want to wait

dphatt You are right - wait times are crazy!! I have done some inquiries and tried a couple of places. I am fitted and all that jazz just wondering if anyone had any good brands they're in love with I should look into!

I ordered one from Kingston in 2016. Maybe 3 month wait? I don’t remember. Full customized GSS for like $600 if I remember right. <iframe data-s9e-mediaembed="instagram" allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" onload="var c=new MessageChannel;c.port1.onmessage=function(e){style.height=e.data+'px'};contentWindow.postMessage('s9e:init','https://s9e.github.io',[c.port2])" scrolling="no" src="https://s9e.github.io/iframe/2/instagram.min.html#BN5cjRrBprG" style="background:url(https://www.instagram.com/static/images/ico/favicon.svg/fc72dd4bfde8.svg) no-repeat 50% 50% / 50%;border:0;height:540px;max-width:540px;width:100%"> and I got one from Byron that was turned around fairly fast. I need to dig that one out some time.

I've had them done by pretty much everyone. Like @dphatt stated, be prepared to wait months if not a year or so for a custom piece. If you want a solid gamer, I agree, just buy one that catches your eye and have it adjusted to your specs. To give you an idea of custom wait times I've experienced with some putter makers and comments about each: Scotty - I actually waited almost 5 years for one to be done by the man...it's my favorite putter in the collection, but it was virtually impossible to make happen, it was very pricey, and I don't think that's the route you're looking to go; Olson - Took me 7 months, all money up front, and I know for a fact my putter was one of the "pricier" ones he had done up to that point (and that did not get me any better communication or move me up the line). It's a beautiful putter and putting very well for me, but the communication was terrible and floating that much money up front sucked a bit. Lajosi - back in the day a custom would've only taken a month or two. Now, I'm going on 4 months since I placed a new custom order. He does some great stuff and his putters, to me at least, are more function versus art. He's really a good blend of both at a more reasonable price Byron: He makes some great stuff and turn around time used to be a couple months. I've done everything from a two tone to a Damascus over the years. While I enjoy his putters, I think they are just not as refined as a Scotty 009. Tyson Lamb - I won't touch his stuff, not that you can really get a putter ordered with him if you don't know his people. Wait times I have heard of year(s). However, hard to argue against how good some of his stuff looks. To me, these are the more "refined" and "artistic" style of blade putter makers currently out there. There are others of course, Mills, Black Lab, Artisan, etc. But, I don't put them on the same level as the 5 above. Just my $.02 of course.

Best Custom Putter Experiences

titleistforged

I did Black Lab back in May 2020 and enjoyed everything about the process. Love the putter.

Unsure of their times now/what the wait is like, given the current landscape. Golf wasn't quite as popular in the early days of COVID. So crazy now.

shank_guru

I ordered one from Kingston in 2016. Maybe 3 month wait? I don’t remember. Full customized GSS for like $600 if I remember right.

and I got one from Byron that was turned around fairly fast. I need to dig that one out some time.

DaHOF

I've had them done by pretty much everyone. Like @dphatt stated, be prepared to wait months if not a year or so for a custom piece. If you want a solid gamer, I agree, just buy one that catches your eye and have it adjusted to your specs. To give you an idea of custom wait times I've experienced with some putter makers and comments about each:

Scotty - I actually waited almost 5 years for one to be done by the man...it's my favorite putter in the collection, but it was virtually impossible to make happen, it was very pricey, and I don't think that's the route you're looking to go;
Olson - Took me 7 months, all money up front, and I know for a fact my putter was one of the "pricier" ones he had done up to that point (and that did not get me any better communication or move me up the line). It's a beautiful putter and putting very well for me, but the communication was terrible and floating that much money up front sucked a bit.
Lajosi - back in the day a custom would've only taken a month or two. Now, I'm going on 4 months since I placed a new custom order. He does some great stuff and his putters, to me at least, are more function versus art. He's really a good blend of both at a more reasonable price
Byron: He makes some great stuff and turn around time used to be a couple months. I've done everything from a two tone to a Damascus over the years. While I enjoy his putters, I think they are just not as refined as a Scotty 009.
Tyson Lamb - I won't touch his stuff, not that you can really get a putter ordered with him if you don't know his people. Wait times I have heard of year(s). However, hard to argue against how good some of his stuff looks.

To me, these are the more "refined" and "artistic" style of blade putter makers currently out there. There are others of course, Mills, Black Lab, Artisan, etc. But, I don't put them on the same level as the 5 above. Just my $.02 of course.

golffan76706

DaHOF Thanks man. I’d love to have a collection looking like that!

ForeLeft

DaHOF Tyson Lamb - I won't touch his stuff, not that you can really get a putter ordered with him if you don't know his people.

Wasn't aware he even made putters...haven't seen anything on his IG other than a #ThrowbackThursday in the last 2 years.

ckay

I've had the following made:

1- Scotty Camico Newport back with RP was still taking orders. Placed the order, forgot about it, and then got the call one day for details confirmation. Don't recall the timeframe but it was definitely over a year. Worth the wait.

2- TP Mills true handmade by David. Worked with Jay. Money up front and Jay was communicative from what I can remember. Took about 10-12 months, just randomly showed up at home one day. Worth the wait

3- Byron. Super communicative, and very fast turnaround. Probably about 6-8 weeks. Cool putter, but a little too "fresh off the mill" for me. I think Tai has the best examples of Byrons.

ForeLeft

I have ordered 7 custom putters from Bettinardi, as well as owned gallery/tour putters from Cameron (009), Olson (retro blade), Artisan (0117), and Swag (Suave 2 - from Don't Give a Putt).

I don't think anyone truly offers a "great custom experience." Prices are through the roof, with limited options for what they cull "unlimited custom experience," lead times are often 3x of what quoted (but that's the golf industry as a whole right now).

As others have mentioned in this thread, and with my experience, I don't think getting a custom is a good option. Once you get it, you always see another one and think, "I wish I would have done that" and instantly lose the appeal of your current wand and want something different.

I think the best option is staying patient for something that checks "most" of the boxes, and adjust to your specs.

Let's be honest, we will never be fully satisfied with a putter.

ckay

ForeLeft I agree with a lot of this. The excitement is the process and waiting for it. Once it arrives, you'll fondle it for a while and then you get over it.

The only putter I kept of the three I had made is the Camico, and I don't know where it is. It is either in my closet at my parents' home, in my dad's golf bag, or my brother's. It definitely wasn't on any of the racks in my room when I was there last. That is definitely a putter I won't get rid of though because I can't order anything from Scotty any longer. Probably a circa 2005-2006 putter, 4 digit COA.

ForeLeft

ckay I agree with a lot of this. The excitement is the process and waiting for it. Once it arrives, you'll fondle it for a while and then you get over it.

Couldn't have said it any better myself. Each Bettinardi i got, i emailed the tour/custom guy and said "This is never leaving my bag!", 2 weeks later, ordering my next custom.... 2 of the putters never even saw a real putting green, if you can believe that.

Owned a charcoal mist 009 which was unreal...loved that thing, and wish I never sold it. However I felt guilty owning a putter worth that much when we could have been using the money in other ways at that point in my life, so ended up moving it. Would probably grab another if the right one came across my eye today. Leftys are hard to come by however. Not many cool ones pop up (if they even pop up) on Wednesday Gallery releases.

DaHOF

ForeLeft Giphy - Teacher Yes GIF by The official GIPHY Page for Davis Schulz

Eddie

Not to intentionally be a contrarian, but I would say find the putter maker you like the most, and throw budget out the window and layout your dream putter.

I can’t imagine ever playing a round without my custom, and now that I have that and have committed to it, I putt better with that than any other putter. I buy far less experimental putters than I used to and have gotten so used to my custom I have been able to really focus on my mechanics which has made me a better putter.

illest

Eddie I want to get a proper putter fitting for this exact reason. Get the right specs and get it custom made into exactly what you want.

DaHOF

Eddie Quit it. You are a disgrace to all of us club hoes. What happened to you?

shank_guru

Eddie I had a few fittings over the years by green grass pros. Results have been fairly consistent that point me to what toe hang, length, loft and lie work for me. I’ve taken that and had putters made with specs that are recommended. Just takes working with a pro to figure it out.

KentonQ

I don't know how custom you are trying to get, but I had a great experience with Artisan. I wasn't able to do the fitting in person, but had several calls with John and sent video of my stroke to match the putter build to me. There are a decent number of head shapes available now in either stainless or carbon and any neck can be used with any head. Adjustments were made to weight, lie, loft, alignment aid, even down to the amount of offset of the slant neck to work best with my ball position (which I had never heard of or thought about, but it plays a part in alignment/face angle/start line). You can choose all the engravings, paintfill, finishes, etc. as well. I also had hand polishing to soften the lines a bit. It also includes a custom headcover.

I couldn't be happier with the purchase. I believe it took 8 weeks from purchase date to delivery, but I'm sure that will vary based on the level of customization. I also ordered mine in December, so I imagine there was a heavier than normal order volume at that time.

denamart88

I did a little bit of research and found out a few years ago that i could have a Byron Morgan putter made in carbon steel, with the finish, and stamping i wanted for about $400, which at the time was like telling me, you can have a custom putter for $50 more than a OTR Scotty Cameron. So i went ahead and ordered it over the winter. About 6 weeks later i had it, and it has been in my bag for well over 7 years. Really enjoy it, got it bent flatter than ordered and the guy put some dings on the neck, but not too bad. When I get it refinished, I am getting them removed. Spoke with Byron and he will do a refinish too, so it will still be factory.

bigjohntripod

Gotta go +1 for Artisan. Went to the facility and it was an excellent experience. Turn time was maybe two months, less than 1k.

side note, that putter is in timeout right now after today’s round. Sitting in my car all day, hot sun, that’ll teach’em 🖕