Equipment
Club Junkie’s 10 coolest putters on tour this year
With the FedEx Cup Fall upon us and the year winding down, we’re ready to begin taking a backward glance at some of the thousands and thousands of photos our tour photographer snapped this year on the PGA Tour.
There’s no better man for the job of mining forum photos than our Resident Club Junkie, Brian Knudson. And fortunately, BK was up to the task. Here are the 10 most fascinating flatsticks spotted by his equipment degenerate’s eye this year.
Custom Logan Olson: Rory McIlroy
“Olson” might not be a name you are familiar with in the putter world, but Logan has sure made a name for himself with his great-looking putters. Unfortunately for this beauty, Rory never put it into play during a tournament round. The putter has a simliar head shape to the iconic Newport or Anser putters with softer edges and more rounded bumpers. The color is a beautiful bronze that Rory seems to like, we have seen a few of his Scotty Cameron putters in a similar finish over the years. The Olson stamps in the rear cavity are the colors of the Irish flag for a nice personal touch.

Scotty Cameron T-8 Prototype: Charley Hoffman
Hoffman’s custom Scotty takes the Phantom X 8 head shape from 2019 and adds some interesting site lines to it. The whole putter looks to have a matte silver finish and the top features a small center site line flanked by two full-length lines. The face contains a traditional milling with the classic Circle T logo in the heel and the sole features two 20-gram weights. A post-style hosel has been welded on to hold the single bend shaft in place which should produce minimal toe hang.

Ping PLD Tyne 4 CS: Matt McCarty
Ping’s PLD program has produced a lot of great custom putters on tour as well as in amateur bags. Matt’s custom Tyne 4 goes with the center shaft option that is typically used by feel putters so they can really get a good idea of where the face is during the stroke. We can assume this one is milled from carbon steel as the patina finish has settled in nicely with just the perfect amount of rust in the corners. The sole is clean with just the milling lines and the face contains a deeper mill for a softer feel and more muted sound at impact.

Scotty Cameron Oil Can Classic Newport: Aaron Baddeley
The classic Scotty Cameron Newport from 1999 is still in Baddeley’s bag, and it has the battle scars to show for it! The Oil Can Classic putter line was milled from a solid block of carbon steel for a great soft feel, and if you didn’t take care of the oil can finish you got a nice patina like this one here. The face contains a pretty shallow milling that offers great feedback, a slightly firmer feel, and a touch more sound at impact. There aren’t too many 25-year-old putters out on tour but we kind of wish there were!

Hideki Matsuyama: Scotty Cameron “Handcrafted” Proto
We could have probably made this whole list Hideki’s putters but this one just stands out as unique in his vast collection. Taking design inspiration from what looks like the Scottsman 943, Scotty made an updated version. A traditional plumbers neck is welded onto the body right where the heel slants downward. The shoulders on the back have a little more gentle slope to them, and I like how you can see the milling lines running front to back. The topline is a little thicker and makes the site line on the flange a little shorter to my eye. The face has what looks like two permanent weights installed in the heel and toe and the face was then milled for them to blend in.

Blacksmith Wellington: Mike Weir
Another brand that you might not have heard of — Blacksmith’s interchangeable face allows you to adjust the putter to the conditions you are putting on. The Wellington has a very common #7 shape with the fang look to it from address. There is a lot going on when you look down at putter. A thin topline contains a single site dot for alignment, the milling on the fangs is quite pronounced, and then you see the silver material on the rear flange. A short slant neck should give the putter some decent to hang and the face is a smooth steel for a crisp feel and sound.

Scotty Cameron T-9 Prototype: Tom Hoge
We saw a lot of players put a T-9 putter in the bag for at least testing this year. Hoge’s stood out as it had a very cool torched brown finish to it and you could even see some of the blue and yellow hints around the edges and on the sole. The welded plumbers neck gives this mallet some toe hang to feel like a blade but still get the stability mallets usually have. A single, long, site line for alignment is clean and gives the modern head shape a classic look.

Swag Handsom Prototype: Rhein Gibson
You have probably seen Swag’s amazing headcovers and accessories out there but you might not have seen their putters yet. They have been making putters for a while now and their line is anchored by the Handsome line. Gibson’s putter looks to be a mixture of the Handsome One and Handsome Two models. The bumpers are softened but still retain the rectangular shape from the Handsome Two. A deep milling has been applied to the face for a softer feel and Swag’s skull logo is found all over the sole of the putter.

Bettinardi DASS BB0: Ben Baller
While Ben doesn’t play on the professional tours, he loves golf and is a huge advocate of the game. He has a few putters in his collection but the Bettinardi BB0 is only available as a tour part, making them somewhat rare and coveted. His BB0 is made from D.A.S.S. (Double Aged Stainless Steel) that is heat treated twice for a softer and more responsive feel. BB0 putters are defined by their softer, more rounded corners and slightly narrow body. I love the honeycomb milling on the back of the neck, and the face has a very shallow and smooth milling pattern to it.

Scotty Cameron “Zac Blair Special:” Zac Blair
Zac is another big Scotty Cameron guy out on tour and has a collection that could easily comprise this entire list. This special piece takes hints from classic putter designs with the high square toe and stepped flange in the back. The body is thin, and from address there is a site dot that is made from a circle and you can see the Scotty Cameron text on the flange. Out on the toe, there is a Circle L logo that Scotty typically uses with his friends when they lose a match. You don’t see Circle L or Circle W stamps too often as they are reserved for Scotty’s closest friends. The face has a very shallow milling while the bullet sole has material removed to dial in the head weight to the desired spec.

Spot any cooler putters in this year’s tour photos? Let us know in the comments!
Equipment
Neal Shipley, AKA, the “Big Fridge’s,” custom stamping
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.

“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: L.A.B. Purple DF3 with Masters cover
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.

From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Whats in the Bag
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4

3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms

Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80

Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105

Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

heftylefty
Nov 21, 2024 at 2:11 pm
Keith Mitchell’s putter should have made the list, sensational.
Bill Hayes
Nov 11, 2024 at 3:38 pm
Excellent
Frank
Nov 11, 2024 at 2:24 pm
Nice to see Spiders have gone and Ping Anser and Zing type copies still abound. Nothing like the feel of a classic nikel putter with a slant hosel on the slower greens of Scotland. Long live the J blade. Copy that if you can Scotty!