About Knotty Golf

Welcome! With this page I aim to bring you up to speed on the most commonly asked questions about my putters. In the future I intend to craft more blogs and videos to share the previous work, behind the scenes, on course play and more.

Wooden putter that's crazy? Must be light? 

You would be spot on if I did not add weight to the putters! With only wood and a traditional putter shape, the head would weigh in the ballpark 50-100 grams. With a target weight of 350-400 grams, it becomes necessary to add 300+ grams to the heads. I achieve this by hollowing out a cavity from the face or bottom of the putter and inserting tungsten weights. Due to it's extreme density, the tungsten can fill a smaller space and bump up the head weight to our desired outcome. There are also steel hosels that can be added to tack on an additional measure of weight.

How does that feel though being wooden?

Another valid question, feel is extremely subjective. Through my experience working at a golf store I have hit many putters and will try to explain the sensation relative to traditional putters. Firstly it is certainly more firm than a plastic/rubber insert such as white hot from Odyssey. The category of putters with a soft insert are very dampening and can mute the impact greatly. Not good or bad, just different. On the way opposite end of the spectrum are clicky putters where there is an extremely firm feel with a cast steel and non milled face. These are extremely responsive and you will feel even a slight tap in putt. The wooden putters fall somewhere in the middle but lean towards the firm side. The woods used are high in density and hardness, so they deform very little on a strike and present a well struck feeling on centered hits. This can be hard to gauge as the builder because different woods have different properties. Things such as grain orientation, insert/no insert, and total head weight have effected the feel. Overall, the putters are in the middle of firmness, and bias aside, I find them to feel great. Reminds me of hitting a baseball with a wooden bat.

And the sound?

Similar to the feel the sound differs based on many factors, but they really give a nice thud. Definitely not clicky like a cast club, and not muted from a rubber insert, the putters have a nice deep click when struck well. One of my favorite characteristics is that various parts of the putter sound different, for example when putting around and moving the golf balls and striking with the back of the putter there is often a much higher pitch tone. I would say overall they have a great combo of feel + sound. Very solid, but also responsive to help push you to chase centered putts.

How durable are the putters?

Durability is one of the top characteristics I have been striving to make constant improvements on. There are many things that can affect a putter such as the weather, temperature, other clubs in your golf bag, sand, and general handling. Most of these can be accounted for by simply giving care to your putter. Putting the headcover on is essential. Steel is harder than wood and your clubs will for sure dent the putter is the bag is jostling around. For some other concerns, I have had issues with heat exposure, but I contribute a lot of the failures (cracking, delamination) to improper materials when constructing those prototypes. With this knowledge under my belt, I have been able to use the strongest epoxies and wood grain orientation to enhance the durability of my putters.

I have a few that have been "alive" and in use for a year now with no issues. A few other factors that can affect this is wood selection. I have narrowed down the species that I believe to be the most stable for this particular use, typically ultra dense hardwoods. I am also experimenting with stabilized wood, which is essentially wood that has been saturated with an acrylic material and cured in an oven to produce a water resistant and dimensionally stable material typically used in kitchen knives. It is as close to metal as wood will get.

To cap this off, I have been experimenting with all types of wood finishes and settled on a combination of rubio monocoat oil plus 2c, rubio monocoat sheen, and a top layer of ceramic coating. The rubio products have a few advantages over a film finish such as lacquer or epoxy. Mainly, they preserve the appearance and texture of the wood grain. I absolutely love feeling the grain of the wood and due to the finish soaking in curing rather than being applied on top as a film, these qualities are preserved. Rubio is also VERY easy to fix if there is a scratch or wear becomes apparent. I can simply sand and reapply the rubio mixture which will soak in to the exposed area and seamlessly blend and cure alongside the older finish. This product was originally designed for heavy use on hardwood floors. Lastly, to top everything off I apply a 2 step ceramic coating to increase sheen, scratch resistance, and hydrophobic properties. I have played with the putters in pouring rain to no issue. If issues do arise I will do my best to correct it for you, I am learning as I go. With that said I have confidence that with the right care, these putters will stand the test of time.

What's the price?

As a younger person I am a very price sensitive buyer myself. I understand this is a niche product and there are putters on the shelf for $100 that will do the exact same thing as mine. However, you aren't going to be showing off that $100 putter at work or hanging it at your house with a meaningful design on it. You aren't going to be admiring the craftsmanship and feel and sound of that inexpensive putter. This is functional artwork and the time, care, and experimentation I have put in was no small feat.

I am going to be transparent when it comes to pricing and cost because you can go google the exact components I use and see the real prices, so I see no reason to gatekeep this information. At a very base level it costs around $100 to construct a putter in raw materials and probably 6 hours of my time. Grip prices can range from $7 to $40, shafts range from $10-$150, hosel is an extra $20, tungsten weights (300g) is around $50 per putter, wood can be $3-50, and then add in an extra $10 for epoxy, finishing supplies, sandpaper, etc.

I like to tell folks my putters start at $400 and then we can see what you want and the price will be adjusted from there. For special alignment aids, or laser cut inserts the price will go up, or for upcharge shafts or other components. I am willing to work with you and be a fair businessman. Quantity also plays a role, if you come to me and think you can get 10 people at your country club to get a putter there is some amount of discount available with wholesale opportunities. If there is a problem with finances on your end please don't hesitate to reach out I am happy to be accommodating I want to share these putters and my craft not hold it behind a huge paywall. Best way to work through this is reach out, fill out the consultation form and have a chat with me.

What options are available?

Good news is I am such a golf nerd I am looking to experiment and try anything! I can certainly do traditional putters (32"-35"), but also have experimented with the counterbalance such as a Jailbird replica, and also armlock. I think a broomstick would also be very cool but I have yet to craft one. If you have the desire for a non traditional putter we can talk through it as they can certainly fall of the tracks much quicker. For example to build an armlock properly there needs to be heavier head weight, higher loft, and higher lie angle. This is more so the general build type but there are component options that vary as well

For grips it is fairly self explanatory, we can use just about anything we can get our hands on, and I am happy to give advice through the entire build as well. Through the golf store experience and hundreds of regripped sets I have learned the ins and outs of grips. Shafts can be variable as well with steel and graphite offerings, multiple finishes from chrome to brushed chrome, matte black and glossy black. There are even some upcharge shafts that are a glossy green chrome among others. For the connection point to the club there are options to use a straight shaft, single bend, double bend, plumbers neck hosel, and slant neck hosel. Lastly, for head shapes I can do anything from a blade to a small mallet so long as we can fit the weight inside and the structure is not compromised. All of this can be worked out in a discussion

How are they actually made?

This is the fun part! I hate selling, I wish I could create new putter models and machine only, but sales are necessary. For each putter I initially start with a larger shape in mind and try to come up with how I want the putter to look, whether it is a mimic of another putter or an entirely new design. I then proceed to look at various images of putters for inspiration and components that I find appealing, and move onto the modeling process. This consists of using Fusion 360 to create a 3D model built to specs and size. With the model I then also use Fusion 360 to create tool paths, essentially instructions for the CNC to follow. A single putter may have 10-20 separate tool paths to end up with a polished finished product. There are clearing paths, finishing paths, paths for inlays, pockets for weight, and more. I need to machine the putter from both sides which poses a challenge in itself. All of the tool paths also need to be tested to ensure proper programming was done. It is quite an involved process.

Once the putter is machined I need to add the weights and epoxy on a "cover" to close the cavity where the weights were added. I have been able to disguise this as a face plate or also a base plate with various graphic options. The cover also must be machined to spec and this if often done as the last finishing pass removing just a small layer of wood from the face or the base. The putter needs to be sanded, finish applied, epoxied to the shaft, and lastly the grip installed. This is the best part when everything is complete and I can try the creation for the first time. 

I have been filming and documenting much of this process and will be sharing videos on YouTube surrounding the entire process. I aim to start from the beginning and talk through each project thus far, sharing knowledge and entertaining content along the way. A career of this work sounds lovely.

What else is offered?

In addition to the putters I make ball markers, divot tools, bag tags, jewelry, wall art, signage, board games, mirrors, lamps, & whatever else. With golf related things I also have desires to do club building and assembly with a focus on the small details. I would love to help assemble a set of irons with custom ferrules and special grips all set to a certain swing weight. Eventually I want to offer golf lessons as well. If any of this sounds interesting shoot me an email or fill out a form. 

I am signing off for the day and hope to keep editing this entire site and social media platforms with time. I appreciate you going through all of this.

Cheers,

Roscoe Martin 8/28/24