What makes Gauge Design Putters better than others?

[XoMartel]

I saw GD Hand grind tour zero putters looks like scotty cameron line.

i'm wondering how does GD putter compare to other big name putters like SC and Bett's or the new comer Yes?

i'm more interested on the feel and balance and face during stroke.

Thanks in advance.

Xo Martel

[MCsub]

Well, I currently own a Bettinardi custom tour BB18, and recently acquired a M3+ and the very limited SM490A tuned by Golds factory.

To compare apples to apples, I will leave the M3+ out of the comparison. But before I do, I will comment that it is extremely well made in terms of the machining and assembly. And very solid at impact - not as soft as the others but more solid.

The BB18 and SM490A are both blade style. The Bettinardi has a short neck connection to the heel and the Gauge has a slant neck w/ full offset. Obviously, they are different setups. Quality wise, I could not say which one is better constructed. They are both superb. I have never held a tour Cameron, but the retail ones are not made like these two samples IMO. But they also cost hundreds less, so maybe it is not fair to say.

The feel is actually similar between the two - soft and crisp. The Gauge is softer; the Bettinardi almost feels "springier". I tend to like very little offset on my putter, and that is why I selected the BB18. The Gauge is more of an experiment for me.

Putters are so personal in choice. Many guys probably have junk putters and are awesome. But I am a huge fan of quality in anything, and as far as putters go,the Gauge is certainly in the league of the Bettinardi.

[MCsub]

To specifically address one of your thoughts, the SM490A is perfectly face balanced while the Bettinard is toe heavy a good bit. I have never had a problem putting w/ the Bettinardi, but that is one thing I was going to explore in terms of feel.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Well I'm going to answer because I know what they do first hand, but first I am going to say I am bias in regards to Gold's Factory and Gauge Japan. Lets not confuse Gauge U.S with Gauge Japan its obvious who is the creator and who produces the fakes. Here are some reasons why I love these putters so much:

- They are 100% made in Japan, The Japanese are meticulous people in regards to their work and take a lot of pride in what they do, At the moment Japanese salary's are high and the people who make these putters are well trained not out sourced employees to save a buck.

- The steel is purchased from Sumitomo or if forged, from Himeji, This means it costs more than and it has a better quality than your average Chinese, U.S, or Mexico purchased materials

- Most of them have CNC milled flat faces, This is an extra step, they all have milling marks first but then they are removed to provide less variables and a more solid click feel with the putter. I was once told by David Whitlam, Just use a cast putter if you want flat faces, that is the mentality of GD U.S.A compared to Japan. save money and besides you cant get the exact proper loft if the putter is casted :)

- Due to the quality of work only a certain amount of putters can be made per month, no two designs can be made in the same month unless they train another team/maker from scratch how to do this. this month black M2 center shafts, next month more Tour Zeros & Iron heads the month after that Eldik-N type and the month after that the proto Tubu adjustable weight putter

- The Designs are built on Auto Cad first then a plaster mold is made and the final changes are hand cut with an exact knife to produce the perfect design, Also GD Japan always sends the protos to several schools and research facilities to do stress testing and quality assurance inspections for several months before the production model is made or it is given to a pro.

- The little things like putter lofts made for todays modern ball, a Teflon coat instead of a black dye, neo mallets with a degree open face, metals selected with a standard of mineral content that only sumitomo can provide, or when the heads come in they all have the date made, the exact weight down to the . , and name of the person and employee number of the who milled or grounded the head.

- They also put a sticker on the face if the putter is nano casted and not forged SS304, SS303, SM490A, or GSS. Some of you already know this because the retail eldik has a nano cast sticker on it brand new over the plastic.

- The Tungsten they use is high grade and only a limited amount can be purchased in Japan with a license to obtain. Tungsten in the U.S is severely low quality and highly regulated by law due to people making cop killer bullets and weapons. Military grade tungsten is what GD Japan uses, the only other company off the top of my head that uses this grade quality is Never compromise Voodoo because its purchased and built in China where tungsten laws are different. Many companies built in the U.S or Mexico etc use Heavy or Hyper metal instead of tungsten. In regards to GSS putters they are ordered from Germany as a huge block costing a ton of money then shipped to Japan, sent to get cut up to the proper size, then shipped to Himeji to be milled and manufactured. buying by the big slab is the only way to ensure the high grade GSS, strange part is they have no interest in selling the GSS material putters they would rather give them to the pros for free in japan.

In regards to feel, my opinion has a lot has to do with the finish of the putter, the shaft type and grip, because feel is for the most part vibration and sound while these three variables affect it most. GD Japan uses NS pro 130g, 150g, with Ion grips to get best success. What I have personally found is that milled flat faces provide more of a click and crisp feel while milled faces feel softer or a crunch feel. I do offer the choice of milled or flat when ordering a completely custom putter from me, Its actually easier for them to do a milled face putter because its one less step to go through.

When comparing a G.D Japan to Scotty Cameron, More work and better materials go into them than even the Ct's. S. Cameron makes the Ct's with his own hands, that is great! Gauge Japan's owner who is also a master at hand crafting putters does the same except that they are not for sale and for pro's use only because he can only do 1-2 a month with the level of quality he expects. The retail Scotty's are all made in China with low quality materials and shipped to the U.S to be stamped, finished and assembled. Scotty and Gauge Japan are very close and have been since scotty worked for Mizuno years ago in Japan. Scotty is making a killing with his markup vs cost. good for him. Having an item made in Japan costs almost double than what it would in the U.S and much much more than if made anywhere else.

To end this I would like to say what each of us already knows, a putter is still a putter it really depends on the stroke and line, If your really into quality I highly suggest Gauge Japan or Gold's Factory putter but if cost is an issue you can easily get the same outcome with almost anything else. Spend the money on putting lessons and it will pay off more than a new putter or be a Ho and drop me a Pm :whistle:

[MCsub]

Wow... great response Chris. Thanks for the info. BTW, what are the major differences between the steels - 303, 304, GSS, & SM490A? Obviously, I love the latter, but wonder the major differences.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

I suggest just doing a search on google for the basics of the steel, I would love if someone could do a researched golf topic article on this but I'm no expert. I do know that SS303 is different depending on who you buy it from and what form it arrives in. Some companies have strict mineral requirements while others provide a more cost effective alternative. I too like SM490A, its not too expensive and is actually used in low grade form for building frames etc. Your SM490A is a gem and I found another one hidden in a box at gauge, it had a sticker price of 180,000yen :surprize: :surprize: thats 1700.00 I did some bargaining to take if from them for a lot less cause it has the Golds Factory stamp on it and they are trying to get away from association with Sasaya of GF. Good stuff so far its a better feel than any GSS I have putted with.

[hornyjuan]

Do you work with Gauge personally? Seems like you know alot of info about Gold's Factory and Gauge Design. Great info though and Japanese workmanship is definetly the best in the world.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Used to be the U.S rep till i found out about the truth, I dont work for Gauge Japan at all just support the real company over the fraud product.

[Breal]

Man! Chris thats the best info I have heard to date. I was a Cameron person but after I received a Gauge putter, i will never go back. There the best putters ever. Thanks for the great great info.

[XoMartel]

TSG, thanks for the great explanation about GD putter.

i've heard and read a lot about the difference of japanese made and us retail products. mostly about the material used in japanese is much better overall, despite being an improvement or enchancement type clubs.

i personally have spend great deal of time on choosing my clubs and especially putter. my built is nos normal so i'm strugling with finding the right putter for me.

i like scotty cameron newport 2 which i bought retail, but it's not cosistent enough for me to break that 2 putts per hole.

my other putter that i trust is ben hogan, i cannot feel the club and speed always an issue on less than 10 feet putt. but they does help me break 2 putts per hole, i believe the design help prevent twisting.

i noticed that price of GD putters are beyond normal price. so i might have to consider it more before making a purchase. i am curious if you could suggest me a putter (no need to be latest model) that has firm soft feel and as affordable as possible on GD putter line. maybe smoething that made me notice the difference and become a GD lover :smile2:

Thank you again,

Xo Martel

[+TourSpecGolfer]

The ones that are fairly safe on the wallet are the, Eldik, Silver version Tour One, Zero, & Three and most of the silver mallets. It depends on what your looking for a neo mallet, mallet, or anser style putter. To me the GD is known for their anser putters. Your still looking at 250 - 300 on any of these.

[XoMartel]

i'm probably looking for anser style.

TSG, from your japan pics.

is the order of zero, one and three from left to right?

i see from the catalog, it's not in the right order?

what's the diff between those 3 models?

and what's the difference between the tour and silver?

i'm also curious how much extra does the black version cost?

Thanks again,

xomartel

[+TourSpecGolfer]

i'm probably looking for anser style.

TSG, from your japan pics.

is the order of zero, one and three from left to right?

i see from the catalog, it's not in the right order?

what's the diff between those 3 models?

and what's the difference between the tour and silver?

i'm also curious how much extra does the black version cost?

Thanks again,

xomartel

Go to the gauge Japan website please and take a look at the prices and styles. Its actually right to left but i posted the opposite direction.

[jonny5]

The ones that are fairly safe on the wallet are the, Eldik, Silver version Tour One, Zero, & Three and most of the silver mallets. It depends on what your looking for a neo mallet, mallet, or anser style putter. To me the GD is known for their anser putters. Your still looking at 250 - 300 on any of these.

So the black version are more expensive than silver?

[+TourSpecGolfer]

The ones that are fairly safe on the wallet are the, Eldik, Silver version Tour One, Zero, & Three and most of the silver mallets. It depends on what your looking for a neo mallet, mallet, or anser style putter. To me the GD is known for their anser putters. Your still looking at 250 - 300 on any of these.

So the black version are more expensive than silver?

The reason why they are more expensive is because they make a small amount of the black ones compared to the silver ones. Some of the black ones have black or silver ingots also.

[XoMartel]

i scored a deal with Mcsub on his slightly used eldik.

if i like the feel, i might be interested on the anser type GD later on.

Thanks for all your replies TSG, and in a way thanks for bringing Japanese GD putters to us market. (eventhough i didn't purchase it directly from you, i bought it from a guy who bought it from ya :smile1: )

can't wait to try it :)