Ugly putter reminiscent of Jack

Tell us about the putters that have worked for you

Bob Warters's picture
Thu, 19 Jan 2012
Ugly putter reminiscent of Jack

Spotting the ugly-looking Orion Golf Blackhawk putter that PGA Tour pro Matt Every used to lead the Sony Open in Hawaii at the weekend reminded me of the over-sized MacGregor Response ZT 615 putter used by Jack Nicklaus to win the 1986 Masters - when he came from several shots back to win at the age of 46.

Nicklaus recalled that it’s the only putter he won one of his 18 majors with that he no longer possesses. Son Steve, who caddied for him that week in Augusta, gave it away to one of his college pals.

Apparently, it’s still languishing in a garage somewhere in the Mid West of America.

Nicklaus recalled: “I remember the first tournament I played with it the thing was so big that the wind would get to it. I had a - I had a six-inch putt at Eagle Trace where the wind was blowing so hard I hit the putt, stubbed it, missed it and left it short.

“I said ‘Oh, man, what have I got this thing in my hand for?’ You couldn’t give it away prior to the Masters.

“But I stayed with it because I rolled the ball so well with it. And once I got used to the lightness of the putter, I could make the ball roll over better with it.

“After the Masters of course we couldn’t make enoughof them. We sold more than 350,000.”

So will Every’s black centre-shafted putter - described by Nick Faldo as ‘a coffee table on a stick’ - ever reach those dizzy heights in sales?

It weighs more than an average putter - 440 grams - but the large, heavy head keeps the putter more stable, he claims.

It was designed by David Kargetta, an engineer who met Every while he was practicing at TPC Sawgrass in the off-season.

“It’s for me, man, and a lot of other guys have tried it out at TPC, too,” says Every. “I’m not the only guy, but they had putter deals and didn’t pull the trigger. If I start playing well with it, maybe it will catch on. If not, I don’t care, as long as it catches on for me.”

The BlackHawk, we’re told, is only available at some green-grass courses in Florida, so getting one may be a challenge. Kargetta has said he plans to sell the putter only through limited channels but no doubt will be in  much-demand when he attends the PGA trade show in Florida next week.

Ever had an ugly putter?

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