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- #51
I did a double take when I saw your value and then saw a 550 dollar putter in your signature
Grab it used? They can be had for about your threshold on eBay it looks like. That's awesome.
Your Putter Value (Opinion)
Grab it used? They can be had for about your threshold on eBay it looks like. That's awesome.
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The most I've paid for a putter is $250. I received a Toulon as part of the Odyssey Experience. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have even considered one (at retail, at least) prior to getting it. Now, would pay retail for a Toulon? Probably, but I seriously doubt I would go much beyond that.
Et Tu Brute?
Well-known member
Circa 2011, 2012 even into 2013 there was that Putter Talk forum which was the center of an enormous churn in both putters and putter headcovers at (what I thought at the time) were unrealistic "bubble" prices. I think in the past 5-6 years that bubble has somewhat burst, as it had to.
Maybe my memory is exaggerating but it was like guys might order a boutique putter for $750, wait six to eight months for it then turn around and sell it for $800 a few weeks after it arrived. The use that $800 to pay for the next one they had coming down the pipeline. Some of those dudes at any given point in time had three for for really "premium" putters on order.
I don't know that such a thing is really happening today.
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- #54
I think their margins were much better than that, but I wasn't a part of any of it (flipping makes me
) so i can't really say for sure.Want to be grossed out? Find out what a Scotty golf bag goes for at release and what they sell for on eBay the next day.
Et Tu Brute?
Well-known member
Don't get me started on the "Scotty" thing.
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Do you look at putters differently from other clubs in your bag? - Absolutely
Is your price threshold of a putter higher than it is other elements of the bag? - Most definitely
Does the premium putter market make sense to you? - Not one bit
Boutique one-off putters - does this appeal to you? - Boutique? What qualifies boutique? I've had a couple one offs, but I don't think the brand counts as boutique.
I think value is in the eye of the beholder. I would value a putter that I play well with far more than any of the GSS Camerons I've owned. Compared to the rest of my bag, the putter is the only club I tend to give a hoot about. The rest can be switched at the drop of a hat.
Many of you have seen my collection grow and shrink over the years. I recently did the math, and in 5 years I have put very close to $200,000 into flat sticks. I'm not sure I ever owned that much in insurance value at one time, but there was a point where I had 30+ in my collection valued at a minimum of $3k each
Now I'm down to a select few that I like to look at, one that I play regularly, and a handful of "project" putters. Burnout is a big part of collecting, and that's where I've been in the last year or two. I keep seeing a few putters that I'd love to get my hands on, so the spark seems to be coming back.
Lately my attraction is to classic OTRs and non-designated tour sticks from 1993-1999. Talk about hard to find!
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The premium putter market makes no sense to me. When I started playing golf 6 years ago, you could buy a 009 for about $1000. I bought my first one 5 years ago for $1200. Now you can't seem to touch them for less than $3-4k. It's not like they've become harder to find, in fact it's the opposite. They're not more collectible. The market is saturated.
Then, all of the sudden, these smaller shops popped up (some with help from mommy,) and tried to replicate the success of the collectible market, which was largely dominated by SC. Some of them are turning out some really nice stuff, and others are just ok - but the line that seems to make them "valuable" comes from the price point.
You've got guys like Cody James, and Logan Olsen, APC, SG, and Mann who have priced their creations at an excellent price point to introduce people to the world of putter collecting. They know they're small, and the more sticks they can put in the hands of players who are willing to drop a little more than what they would at Roger Dunn, they better exposure they'll have. Word of mouth is a powerful thing.
Then you have this kid, Lamb, who immediately priced his putters to compete with high end Camerons (Scotty is very obviously his idol.)
I have no problem with expensive putters, but I have no interest in dropping $3,000 on something with zero credibility. I respect his effort to get his stuff in to the hands of tour players, but the one putter he got in to a tour event back fired for him pretty badly (hurting the credibility factor even more.)
Point being, I don't understand how all of these prop shops can operate so differently. From my point of view it seems - without instagram, some of them would be right where they are, making great stuff, and other(s) wouldn't exist at all.
_____________________________________________
Side note: I was just talking to someone about acquiring a Rebar Rat, and was wondering to myself if it was worth the price. It's a putter I've always wanted, and I don't think there are more than 3 of them in the world, but would I value it more than what I paid for it? That is the ultimate question.
Is your price threshold of a putter higher than it is other elements of the bag? - Most definitely
Does the premium putter market make sense to you? - Not one bit
Boutique one-off putters - does this appeal to you? - Boutique? What qualifies boutique? I've had a couple one offs, but I don't think the brand counts as boutique.
I think value is in the eye of the beholder. I would value a putter that I play well with far more than any of the GSS Camerons I've owned. Compared to the rest of my bag, the putter is the only club I tend to give a hoot about. The rest can be switched at the drop of a hat.
Many of you have seen my collection grow and shrink over the years. I recently did the math, and in 5 years I have put very close to $200,000 into flat sticks. I'm not sure I ever owned that much in insurance value at one time, but there was a point where I had 30+ in my collection valued at a minimum of $3k each
Now I'm down to a select few that I like to look at, one that I play regularly, and a handful of "project" putters. Burnout is a big part of collecting, and that's where I've been in the last year or two. I keep seeing a few putters that I'd love to get my hands on, so the spark seems to be coming back.
Lately my attraction is to classic OTRs and non-designated tour sticks from 1993-1999. Talk about hard to find!
_____________________________________________________
The premium putter market makes no sense to me. When I started playing golf 6 years ago, you could buy a 009 for about $1000. I bought my first one 5 years ago for $1200. Now you can't seem to touch them for less than $3-4k. It's not like they've become harder to find, in fact it's the opposite. They're not more collectible. The market is saturated.
Then, all of the sudden, these smaller shops popped up (some with help from mommy,) and tried to replicate the success of the collectible market, which was largely dominated by SC. Some of them are turning out some really nice stuff, and others are just ok - but the line that seems to make them "valuable" comes from the price point.
You've got guys like Cody James, and Logan Olsen, APC, SG, and Mann who have priced their creations at an excellent price point to introduce people to the world of putter collecting. They know they're small, and the more sticks they can put in the hands of players who are willing to drop a little more than what they would at Roger Dunn, they better exposure they'll have. Word of mouth is a powerful thing.
Then you have this kid, Lamb, who immediately priced his putters to compete with high end Camerons (Scotty is very obviously his idol.)
I have no problem with expensive putters, but I have no interest in dropping $3,000 on something with zero credibility. I respect his effort to get his stuff in to the hands of tour players, but the one putter he got in to a tour event back fired for him pretty badly (hurting the credibility factor even more.)
Point being, I don't understand how all of these prop shops can operate so differently. From my point of view it seems - without instagram, some of them would be right where they are, making great stuff, and other(s) wouldn't exist at all.
_____________________________________________
Side note: I was just talking to someone about acquiring a Rebar Rat, and was wondering to myself if it was worth the price. It's a putter I've always wanted, and I don't think there are more than 3 of them in the world, but would I value it more than what I paid for it? That is the ultimate question.
I think if I had the expendable income for it, I'd probably go off the rails buying every custom one off putter I can get my hands on. I absolutely LOVE having something custom and different than anyone else. As it is, I look for deals on super clean used putters. I've owned a few tour issue putters and really don't regret buying them. I regret selling a couple of them though.
I tend to keep it very simple. I usually don't buy new putters. I just try to find something fairly unique but in super clean shape. The Piretti I purchased last week is an off the rack CWII but it's an early model, and SUPER clean. It was a trade in club and I got it for an absolute steal. The Cameron Fastback I game is a putter I got in trade here on THP like 3 years ago. I had no intention on keeping it til I saw how clean it was in person, and then rolled it a few times. I did buy a tour fastback a few months back. I hated the feel of it so it had to go.
I tend to keep it very simple. I usually don't buy new putters. I just try to find something fairly unique but in super clean shape. The Piretti I purchased last week is an off the rack CWII but it's an early model, and SUPER clean. It was a trade in club and I got it for an absolute steal. The Cameron Fastback I game is a putter I got in trade here on THP like 3 years ago. I had no intention on keeping it til I saw how clean it was in person, and then rolled it a few times. I did buy a tour fastback a few months back. I hated the feel of it so it had to go.
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- #59
Thats my other thing, the idea of making a profit or looking at putters as "investments" is insanity to me.
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Need to spend more time in Japan and Korea. If anything it's on the rise.
I remember acquiring two Tour Rats back in 2016 as part of a trade for a different stick. I figured I could flip them, and make a small profit over the value of the putter I traded. I think I ended selling one for $1500, and one for $1200 - a year prior they were trading at $2500-3000. It was painful. They seem to be on a rebound, but I won't take that risk again.
There are some that have paid off handsomely, however. Just the other day, I got an offer for $6000 from Japan on my Blue Pearl (not blue pearl mist) industrial Timeless. I paid $2500 for it a few years ago. Not gonna sell that one anytime soon.
-CRW-
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I did a double take when I saw your value and then saw a 550 dollar putter in your signature
Grab it used? They can be had for about your threshold on eBay it looks like. That's awesome.
Heroes deal. I paid $125 I think? Something like that, and definitely under $200. Before that I had a used TM Spider Tour Black that I picked up for around $150 and it looked brand new. Before that was a new Cleveland Elevado (first gen) that was something like $150.
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- #62
haha dude I would have sold in a heartbeat.
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- #63
Yeah, the Asian market is for sure still CRAZY. And companies like Kronos have really dug in there to establish themselves. For sure a different beast.
You're a strong man lol!
I got an offer I couldn't refuse on one of my Lambs and let it go. No regrets so far!
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Life is too short for regrets. The point is to enjoy what you have, regardless.
- Staff
- #66
This, is why you and I will get along just fine next week!
$9000?!?!? That gives me anxiety...
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I watched a guy at the Scotty Cameron gallery buy 2 DSS twistys. I think they were $21k each.
Holy crud! It was exciting enough for me watching Kang drop 10k at the gallery. I was like ???
I'm tight as a tick on dracula...no way I would drop even 2 grand on a putter...i guess when you have over 40k to drop...you arent really worried about money
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I got a used Works utter for $50 and my wife told me I couldn't buy another one for x number of years. I am still waiting on her to tell me what the value of x is!
JayB
Well-known member
a "premium" scotty in my eyes is nothing more than dutch tulip mania. there just isn't anything other the the badging that makes them terribly special. I could justify the premium price on some of the boutique putters (like a Lamb) that really are pieces of art as much as a club.
That said, the gamer will always and only be a COTS unit that is function over form....
That said, the gamer will always and only be a COTS unit that is function over form....
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Do you look at putters differently from other clubs in your bag? I sure do. It's the most personal club in the bag and is used the most. I have to have something I like to look at and like the feel of.
Is your price threshold of a putter higher than it is other elements of the bag? It used to be but after spending way too much over the years I'm getting a little more frugal. Especially after losing money on resale too often.
Does the premium putter market make sense to you? In most cases, yes. I think some premium offerings get high prices just because of the name on the stick in some cases instead of for what it actually offers.
Boutique one-off putters - does this appeal to you? Absolutely. I'm waiting for the day I can afford to create or find something completely custom that I absolutely fall in love with.
Is your price threshold of a putter higher than it is other elements of the bag? It used to be but after spending way too much over the years I'm getting a little more frugal. Especially after losing money on resale too often.
Does the premium putter market make sense to you? In most cases, yes. I think some premium offerings get high prices just because of the name on the stick in some cases instead of for what it actually offers.
Boutique one-off putters - does this appeal to you? Absolutely. I'm waiting for the day I can afford to create or find something completely custom that I absolutely fall in love with.
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- Moderator
- #74
They sell big money putters basically every week on their gallery site. Seems like 3-6 every week.
They sell big money putters basically every week on their gallery site. Seems like 3-6 every week.