If a driver is a club that informs the joy of long hits, putter is a club that takes care of the substance. The frequency of using the putter for 18 holes is about 25 to 40 times, and it is always important to finish the hole or rounding, so the putter is important. There is a saying that among the father’s 14 clubs, the only thing Charlie Woods’ son Tiger Woods can’t touch is the putter.
Like other clubs, putters have undergone various design changes and numerous models have been released, among which we introduce five putters who have been unprecedented hits, leading to significant changes in history.
‘ Disaster Jane helped Bobby Jones at the Grand Slam
Disaster Jane is a putter used by Bobby Jones, who is revered as an adult in golf. A lifelong amateur, Jones won all four major tournaments in 1930 and is the only person in golf history to achieve a grand slam.
Jones retired at the age of 28 after winning the US Open in 1923 and the US Amateur Championship in 1930. The putter who shared all these victories was diffuser Jane. The diffuser Jane, with some offsets and a hickory shaft in the form of a blade head, was made by a Scottish man named Robert Condi. Initially, William Winton, a London golf club dealer, owned the putter, but later acquired by a Scottish golfer named Jim Maiden. In 1920, when a close friend, Jones, complained about putting, Maiden recommended using the putter.
The putter named Disaster Jane is Maden. Disaster Jane is the nickname of Martha Jane Canary, a pioneer woman active in the United States in the late 1800s. After retiring, Jones worked as a consultant for Spalding, a golf club manufacturer. Spaulding produced numerous putters bearing the name of disaster jane from 1932 to 1973. Despite a huge number of disaster jane being sold and many winning moments, no one but Bobby Jones has won a major with this putter. The Disaster Jane Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Tour Championship, the final round of the PGA Tour season. Eastlake Golf Club, where the Tour Championship will be held, was Bobby Jones’ home course.
- ‘Bull’s Eye’ applied to the center shaft of the pendulum concept
It is often said that the putting stroke should have a pendulum movement like a pendulum. John Reuter, an American teaching pro in the 1940s, also thought of this concept. After struggling to develop a new putter, Reuter created his first model, The Sweet Strokers, and later put out a modified Bulls Eye.
At that time, most putters had the shaft inserted into the heel, but the bullseye was a center shaft with the shaft installed almost in the center of the head. Thanks to this design, which was unconventional at the time, the Bullseye had an excellent moment of inertia against an off-hit ball. Also, the face made of soft brass had excellent feel and feedback at impact.
After putting the Bullseye putter on the market in earnest in 1949, when Lou Warthham won the Phoenix Open with this putter in 1951, the Bullseye began to draw attention as well. In 1958, Reuters began mass-producing the Bullseye in collaboration with Acushnet. In the early 1960s, it was so popular that one in four tour players used the bullseye, and it was loved for a long time. Bob Charles, the first left-handed major champion, Tom Kite, who won 19 times on the PGA Tour, and Cory Pabin, who won 15 times in his career, were representative players who used this putter.
- ‘Ping Answer’, which won more than 500 major tours around the world
No other putter has been as successful as the Anser, developed by Ping founder Karsten Solheim. The Answer putter marked the birth of the Ping Empire. So far, he has won more than 500 victories on major tours around the world.
When Ping Answer was first released in 1966, the market reaction was lukewarm. But the following year, when Julius Boros won the Phoenix Open as an answer, he gained explosive popularity among players. Then Solheim also quit GE and founded his family’s company, Ping.
Answer is also the beginning of the modern putter. The technology that is still applied to modern putters, such as the cavity bag dug out from the back of the head, perimeter weighting that redistributes the surplus weight to the surrounding area, and the low center of gravity, originated from the answer putter. When the design for the Answer putter expired in the 1980s, numerous imitation products were poured out. The prototype of Scotty Cameron Newport 2 used by Tiger Woods is also Answer.
- Nicklaus’ MacGregor Response, the most major wins
One of the greatest scenes of all time at the Masters is Jack Nicklaus’ birdie putt on the 17th hole in the fourth round when he won the championship in 1986. After a successful putt, Nicklaus was delighted by holding up the MacGregor Response ZT putter with his left hand.
Nicklaus was 46 at the time, when everyone said his prime was over. In fact, it hasn’t won since 1984. Nicklaus, however, shot a 65 on the final day of the 1986 Masters, beating Greg Norman and Tom Kite by one stroke and winning his 18th major. In particular, he boasted an exciting putting feeling to the point of showing 1 putt six times in the second half only.
Developed by Clay Long, the Response ZT had a cavity back design with a large aluminum head. ZT is an abbreviation for Zero Twist, and it has excellent stability. However, it was not popular because of its large head. Then, after Nicklaus’ masters victory, it became famous and sold about 350,000 copies.
- More than 5 million units sold ··· ‘Two Balls’ created the Odyssey myth
The important thing in a putter is accurate alignment and feel. The Callaway Odyssey Two Ball, released in 2001, was a revolution. The design of two balls of the same size as the actual balls behind the head enables intuitive alignment. By putting more weight on the back, the skid phenomenon in which the ball slips in the beginning is also dramatically reduced. The insert on the face gave a soft and sure shot feel.
As soon as the two-ball putter appeared on the market, it attracted a lot of attention from both players and the public. Between 2002 and 2003, for every four putters sold, one was a two-ball putter. Beyond simple popularity, it led to a phenomenon called the popularization of mallet putters. ‘Eternal golf empress’ Annika Sorenstam also used a two-ball putter in her prime. As a lesson pro, Michael Block, who achieved good results at the PGA Championship, a major tournament in May of this year and became a ‘rapid star’, still uses a two-ball putter.
It has been more than 20 years since the two-ball putter was released, and various versions have been released during that time, but the basic concept still does not disappear and various variations are made. Over 5 million two-ball putters have been sold so far.
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