Make A Putter!?

Hi.

Well i was just wonderin would buildin a putter be simple? as you can buy heads and the shafts, and juust get a grip sounds easy 2 me but along the line do i need to trim things etc? and use certain tools? if so can someone please advise me to making you first club site? Thanks Steve

Steve - use the search function on this site - search for 'building clubs'

Ok thanks, just another thing, is there any sities that sell the things i head? like golfsmith.com, if there is, is there one in the uk?

It's not quite as simple as it may seem, unfortunately. It isn't difficult and you only need some basic tools but you do need some clubmaking expertise and experience. For example, you need to know the trim spec for the shaft you're using, you need to know the total weight of the putter you want, the length you want it.

If you're doing it for fun and want to experiment then cool but if you want to assemble it to play with, I'd buy the components from golfmith.com (for example) and get them or your local pro to assemble the club for you. I'm sure your pro won't mind if you watched him assemble it.

I don't know of any on-line "shops" like Golf Smith in the UK. I know a number of club makers though ...

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

I was thinking of making it for fun, then maybe sometime later i would try and learn the more technical stuff, if it were for fun use, were can i get my componets? still golfsmith?

Yeah, golfsmith is the way to go if you want quality components. If you want knock off components, try:

www.rangergolf.com

Thanks, so what do i buy? the head,shaft and grip but what other things / tools do i need? and would i need a straigh shaft if its a ofset hosel?

If you do it yourself, you need a saw to cut metal, you need glue to fix the shaft and head together. You'll need tape and petrol to put the grip on. You'll need some cleaning materials as well. Gloves (like surgical gloves) are also useful. You need lead to weight it correctly, hosel plugs and a ram rod.

The type of shaft you use depends on the head you select. Some have different bores, some have different recommended shafts. Some heads require specific shafts and tips. You also have to careful that the butt width of the shaft will fit the grip you select.

I suggest you select the components and then send the "shop" an e-mail for them to check your order that the components are compatible.

Also try www.dynacraftgolf.com. I use their irons and I sometimes carry thier wedges and I custom fit their equipment at the Studio. If you buy your components from them and send them an e-mail, they will make sure everything is correct without a problem.

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

Thanks! ill look into gettinf my components then start from there

Well, you'll need a vise (and a bench to mount it to). You'll also need a shaft clamp to protect your shaft from your vise.

Now then, for your putter, you'll need the following components:

Grip
Putter head
Shaft

To attach these pieces together, you'll need:

Golf Club Epoxy - this is the glue that holds the shaft in the head. Please buy golf club epoxy - regular epoxies don't have the shear resistance to keep heads on shafts (not that you'll be swinging that hard with a putter, but you might want to build other things).

Sandpaper - some coarse grit, and some really fine grit. I like to prep my shaft with a couple passes of coarse grit, then finish up with fine grit.

Rubbing Alcohol - to clean the prepped shaft and hosel.

Grip tape - to hold your grip on. This comes in two types - solvent activated and water activated. If you buy the solvent activated tape, you'll need to buy some grip solvent.

Acetone - to clean up any epoxy mess.

Oh - go to your local plumbing shop and buy a pipe cutter (aka tubing cutter). This will allow you to cut your shaft. Conversely, you could buy a hacksaw.



Golfworks.com sells kits that have pretty much everything you need (epoxy, grip, shaft, tape). You'll still need a vise and cutting device.

Thanks alot all of you for the help, now its just time and see how things turn out, if its good ill give you all a prototype to try

Putters are tricky things at the best of times DNA, the best intro to clubmaking is a mid or short iron you can get a cheap head for 10 pounds and a shaft for £15,a decent grip will rush you £3. Maybe if you want a new wedge you could try and make one up, that way you will know if you got it right when you use it.

Snake eyes gear from golfsmith is as good as component bits get.

D.