More Golf putters turning heads with distinctive design, hefty price tag

When it comes to golf equipment connoisseurs and collectors, there are usually two types: the kind who collects and uses, and the kind who collects and then builds Fort Knox around his or her prized possessions — and don’t you dare breathe in the same space as these works of art. Things won’t end well if you do.

Hardcore golf club collectors are like that, much like car collectors are about their prized four-wheeled possessions that never touch the road. For the most part, I get why some golf equipment hoarders are a bit stuffy about their schwag. Some golf clubs are considered works of art, better-suited as eye candy than to be used on the golf course. And who’d want to risk getting a valuable art piece dirty or scuffed up?

This brings me to a conversation I recently had with noted equipment designer Bruce Sizemore, who has more than 20 years in the industry creating products for, among others, Copper Stix and SuperStroke. Sizemore recently opened Detroit-based golf equipment shop More Golf, and his new line of premium putters — they start at an eye-popping $2,500 apiece — represent another level of design, customization and craftsmanship.

With putters priced over five times what typical high-end putters cost, More Golf’s Detroit Collection — only 99 putters will be made in the Motor City for the collection — features models created with what’s called “Mokume Gane,” an ancient Japanese art form dating back to the 16th Century. According to the company, this meticulous metal-making method was used to construct ornate hilts on Samurai swords. The more ornamentation featured on a Samurai sword, the more gifted the Samurai owner.

Sizemore’s Mokume Gane putter inserts are crafted from 14 layers of copper and silver to create a distinct look and feel that stands out in the industry. Each layer starts as a sheet of precious metal that is meticulously prepared, stacked, and fusion bonded at its virtual melting point. Through heating and pressure, the molecular structure of the copper and silver is bonded to form a solid billet.

The rest of the putter is 100-percent CNC-milled from 303 Stainless Steel and comes with a prototype putter shaft from Oban and cowhide grip made from BestGrips. Laser engraving and customized lofts/lie measurements are all made to order.

“There won’t be two putters in the Detroit Collection that are exactly the same,” said Sizemore. “I wanted to make something that is truly emblematic of Detroit’s growing community of creatives and freethinkers. The Detroit Collection is a testament for what it means to think way outside the box and push equipment design beyond its modern-day limits.”

Due to the uniqueness of each putter — combined with a hefty price tag — Sizemore admitted there’s a better chance one of his Detroit Collection putters ends up on the wall or resting next to an office desk than ever seeing a Bermuda green.

“I don’t expect these putters to actually be put to use on the golf course,” said Sizemore. “I mean, nobody is saying you can’t or shouldn’t, but they’re definitely crafted for the collector who cherishes the exquisite design and exotic materials and processes that went into making each one.”

Sizemore also noted these putters can’t be picked up at a retail shop and will need to be reserved on the More Golf website (moregolfusa.com). And if $2,500 for a putter is too rich for your blood, Sizemore is poised to create an array of more affordably priced golf products in the not-too-distant future.

“The Detroit Collection is how we’re introducing More Golf to the world,” said Sizemore. “We’re planning to introduce some products that we think will change the way we think about golf equipment — forever.”

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