Major championships are major business for players. Everything gets a second look as pros pull out all the stops in an attempt to cement legacies beyond just racking up tour wins.

Pulling out the stops and a new putter this week is Charley Hoffman — a man known for consistently finding his way up leaderboards at majors, and tinkering with putters along the way. As putters go, what we spotted at Bethpage is a complete one-of-one for Hoffman and it has a lot of tech going one with some throwback flair for fun.

First let’s talk the tech: what we have here is a multi-piece, multi-material head designed to maximize MOI. Looking “under the hood” we can see that it is essentially a Phantom X 8 if the Prototype T8 wasn’t already a dead giveaway. BUT there are some big difference that certainly draw some inspiration from Cameron putters from the past.

We have very soft lines and edges compared to the standard retail model, which has already been pointed out in our forums. Our man on the ground confirmed from “the Hoff” and his caddy that soft rounded lines are what he prefers, and as I have mentioned before, when it comes to high ranking tour players and custom gear, all you really have to do is ask.

The other major difference (see what I did there) is the elimination of the black finish (now I’m two for two in tournament references) and the variation on the standard site line. Dark and black finished putters are always hit or miss with players of all skill levels and from this putter, it seems CH prefers the classic aluminium body vs the anodized one. Speaking of classics and aluminium this brings me back to what I said earlier and how this putter will remind some Cameron faithful about a model found in the wayback machine — the Caliente.

Milled from aluminium and having what we would now consider a rudimentary multi-material construction from the top, the spacing of the lines isn’t exactly the same but the flowing nature of the Prototype quickly bring back memories of this putter and if you consider the scale difference between the T8 and the Caliente the alignment appears very close to the naked eye.

From a looks perspective, I’ve never had a personal preference between standard grey “steel” finished clubs and black ones, and if you were to take a look at my putter and wedge collection that would quickly become apparent. For Mr. Hoffman, a guy known more for his prodigious ball striking than putting, this putter change could make a big difference this week and potentially help him turn the page (there I did it – snuck the whole course name into the article) on his major record.

To see more pics and join the discussion check out the forum thread.