New High End Boutique Putter manufacturer: Dancing Astronaut Designs

[Rory4Pres]

Wanted to continue talks regarding this new boutique putter maker that a follow wrxer (TJ) brought to light in another thread that kind of went south.  

 

This new manufacturer runs in the $1500-2500 price range but puts a lot of time and work into each of his pieces.  According to his website, they only plan to make 150-250 putters this year so they are a very small, very limited outfit.

 

One very cool unique attribute is they use 316 Stainless, rather than the ever popular 303 Stainless steel for their putters.  316 is much more difficult to machine compared to 303 and at nearly half the speed, so D.A.D isn't taking any short cuts on their putter designs.

 

Please feel free to chime in with your thoughts, questions, opinions or feedback if you are lucky enough to own one of these.  If you are currently working on a project or previously have, please feel free to share your thoughts on their service as well as your thoughts on their putter compared to previous ones you've owned.  

 

Here's some of their work below along with better examples on their website (https://www.dancingastronautdesigns.com/gallery) 

 

 

[Rory4Pres]

Here is the previous thread for reference:

 

 

[PEI_Golfer]

I can see it going sideways as the price point is a bit far fetched, but obviously not out to sell to the masses.  I just feel I'd much rather have 3-5 putters from other makers for the price of one of these.  More so when it's just a rehashed Anser style, yet again...

[Golfingfanatic]

What's the benefit of using 316 stainless compared to 303?

[LUXOR54]

3 minutes ago, Golfingfanatic said:

What's the benefit of using 316 stainless compared to 303?

Looks like 316 is more corrosion resistant compared to more common 304/303. Might not be that big a difference, but if I'm spending $2000+ on a putter I would prefer it to be as resistant to wear and corrosion as possible.

[lefthack]

Wow, those look incredible. I bet @ $1500 it should take 3 or 4 strokes off my game. But my guess is there are no left handed options. I'll have to stick to my $6 setup.

[Rory4Pres]

Being that you aren't using putters in water, I don't think the corrosion is going to be a major factor either way.  I think the primary purpose is simply offering a higher end stainless steel that will offer a unique feel compared to 303 ss putters.

 

This makes sense to me because it makes you curious to try and when you consider how successful 303 German stainless steel has been in the putter market for that reason, why not try 316.

[Rory4Pres]

1 minute ago, lefthack said:

Wow, those look incredible. I bet @ $1500 it should take 3 or 4 strokes off my game. But my guess is there are no left handed options. I'll have to stick to my $6 setup.

he does lefty too.  

[PEI_Golfer]

8 minutes ago, Rory4Pres said:

This makes sense to me because it makes you curious to try and when you consider how successful 303 German stainless steel has been in the putter market for that reason, why not try 316.

 

I don't think many are casually dropping $2k USD on a putter because they are curious as to how it feels.  Maybe 303 GSS has been the benchmark for so long as it provides good feel and a workable price point.  At like $700 you might get people taking a flier on a unique putter, at this price point, it's only a select target market, not the 'curious' ones.

 

Personally, I find Xenon putters more unique than these, and has Damascus to boot.

Edited March 10, 2021 by PEI_Golfer

[Rory4Pres]

1 minute ago, PEI_Golfer said:

 

I don't think many are casually dropping $2k USD on a putter because they are curious as to how it feels.  maybe 303 has been the benchmark for so long as it provides good feel and a workable price point.  At like $700 you might get people taking a flier on a unique putter, at this price point, it's only a select target market, not the 'curious' ones.

 

I literally dropped a large amount on an all copper head with Lajosi last year because I was curious how it would feel.  haha.  

 

This past December I watched people buy Olson putters made of carbon steel produced to market standards (not custom) for $1650 5 seconds after it went live for sale.  

 

While this may not suite you or me, it's the boutique market and is only focusing on a small limited number of customers.

[PEI_Golfer]

16 minutes ago, Rory4Pres said:

 

I literally dropped a large amount on an all copper head with Lajosi last year because I was curious how it would feel.  haha.  

 

This past December I watched people buy Olson putters made of carbon steel produced to market standards (not custom) for $1650 5 seconds after it went live for sale.  

 

While this may not suite you or me, it's the boutique market and is only focusing on a small limited number of customers.

 

Understood.  Although new head designs are few and far between, I guess I'm just tired of seeing over priced rehashes of something that has been done to death already, in the name of 'boutique'.  I can also fully admit that putters have never been my thing and don't understand the draw for collecting things that look so alike.  

Edited March 10, 2021 by PEI_Golfer

[Kingcat990]

Pretty cool. I don't believe the hype of 304/316. I use it a lot at work. If they were really boutique, they'd do a duplex or hastelloy-C 🤨

[lefthack]

29 minutes ago, Rory4Pres said:

he does lefty too.  

 

Actually one of the folks there is lefty and the one pictured on the site is theirs. I just got a response.

[lefthack]

19 minutes ago, PEI_Golfer said:

 

Understood.  Although new head designs are few and far between, I guess I'm just tired of seeing over priced rehashes of something that has been done to death already, in the name of 'boutique'.  I can also fully admit that putters have never been my thing and don't understand the draw for collecting things that look so alike.  

 

How much technology in putters is yet to be discovered? What sort of mind blowing advancements are you anticipating? As far as blades go, it's pretty much been done. 

 

It's kind of the hammer of the golf bag. There really is only so much you can do with it short of bedazzling. 🤣

[bogeypro]

That's circle T money without the name or resell market.   Hard pass for me. 

[jonradus]

If you have circle t kind of money, you’re already in a different league than us mere mortals. Resale may not be all that high on your list. Getting something new and different may be higher on your list. Do you think a Ferrari owner is sweating a $3,000 brake change and/or a $400 oil change cost? Nope. That kind of money to maintain my wife’s Nissan Murano would be ridiculous. Different leagues.

Edited March 10, 2021 by jonradus

[lefthack]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the folks buying these are not considering resale value. Hell, I bet half of them never see actual playing time. They just sit in a bag in the corner of the study and look pretty.

[cassel191919]

1 hour ago, lefthack said:

Wow, those look incredible. I bet @ $1500 it should take 3 or 4 strokes off my game. But my guess is there are no left handed options. I'll have to stick to my $6 setup.

website says starts at 2,250 and goes up from there, so it would need to be 5 or 6 shots lol. I think they look great, but I couldn't imagine paying that much for a putter.

[PEI_Golfer]

44 minutes ago, jonradus said:

If you have circle t kind of money, you’re already in a different league than us mere mortals. Resale may not be all that high on your list. Getting something new and different may be higher on your list. Do you think a Ferrari owner is sweating a $3,000 brake change and/or a $400 oil change cost? Nope. That kind of money to maintain my wife’s Nissan Murano would be ridiculous. Different leagues.

 

I think you are underestimating the costs of running a Ferrari (obviously depends on what you have).  A carbon fiber brake brake job is like $40k.  McLaren oil changes run around $8k...

 

And honestly, a bedazzeled putter would be more unique that these are...

Edited March 10, 2021 by PEI_Golfer

[TJGolf55]

27 minutes ago, lefthack said:

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the folks buying these are not considering resale value. Hell, I bet half of them never see actual playing time. They just sit in a bag in the corner of the study and look pretty.

You are 100% correct! I have 2 builds in progress that are almost complete. I’m not concerned about resale on these since these were 100% made to my specs and my custom look. I am however a gamer and these will go immediately into play. I wish I had a study! I’m an active duty military Soldier. Yes, I’m single and that’s why I can afford stuff like this. 
 

These putters are not for everyone and with the very limited amount of builds he will be doing not everyone will have one. 
 

These are a completely different market than your typical resale putters or CT putters that are bought and sold on here. This is a custom Anser style putter. He will literally do anything you want and has over 60 different inlay options. He is also super knowledgeable when it comes to putters. The idea is to have that “1” putter that you can love and play for years...  
 

He’s a golf enthusiast living his dream! I applaud him!!!  When I retire I’d love to live my dream and do something I’m passionate about as well.  

[Ms307nm]

42 minutes ago, jonradus said:

If you have circle t kind of money, you’re already in a different league than us mere mortals. Resale may not be all that high on your list. Getting something new and different may be higher on your list. Do you think a Ferrari owner is sweating a $3,000 brake change and/or a $400 oil change cost? Nope. That kind of money to maintain my wife’s Nissan Murano would be ridiculous. Different leagues.

You hit the nail on the head. Couldn’t of said it better. 

33 minutes ago, lefthack said:

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the folks buying these are not considering resale value. Hell, I bet half of them never see actual playing time. They just sit in a bag in the corner of the study and look pretty.

These guys get it! Although I’m gaming my putters from this guy. The 316 feels amazing on top of looking nice. 
 

here are some inlay choices from Sean. 

[Rory4Pres]

52 minutes ago, jonradus said:

If you have circle t kind of money, you’re already in a different league than us mere mortals. Resale may not be all that high on your list. Getting something new and different may be higher on your list. Do you think a Ferrari owner is sweating a $3,000 brake change and/or a $400 oil change cost? Nope. That kind of money to maintain my wife’s Nissan Murano would be ridiculous. Different leagues.

Ferrari oil changes run $4,000 or $5,000 last I heard.  haha

[bogeypro]

49 minutes ago, jonradus said:

If you have circle t kind of money, you’re already in a different league than us mere mortals. Resale may not be all that high on your list. Getting something new and different may be higher on your list. Do you think a Ferrari owner is sweating a $3,000 brake change and/or a $400 oil change cost? Nope. That kind of money to maintain my wife’s Nissan Murano would be ridiculous. Different leagues.

That's not the best analogy....  it's the age old value proposition question:  why would you spend that much coin?  History... No.  Name recognition... No.  Resale... No.  Uniqueness... Depends on if you think his designs are that much different or is he is doing something that noone is doing it can do. Craftsmanship... You could say yes.  

 

So... For me, it's a hard pass.  I can't justify spending that on this brand. I could justify it on a circle T because it has more value to me, based on the questions above. 

 

 

[Rory4Pres]

1 hour ago, PEI_Golfer said:

 

Understood.  Although new head designs are few and far between, I guess I'm just tired of seeing over priced rehashes of something that has been done to death already, in the name of 'boutique'.  I can also fully admit that putters have never been my thing and don't understand the draw for collecting things that look so alike.  

his site won't let me copy pics but it does look like they have at least 1 other head shape.  I'm not sure if he does anymore styles but I'm wouldn't be surprised.

 

I understand what you are saying though, the anser/anser 2 heads are used all the time.

[DFS PFD]

Definitely a need for this, hardly any boutique putter makers out there. And their "limited" production will run approximately $500,000 in gross sales, very clever. 

Edited March 10, 2021 by DFS PFD

[lefthack]

14 minutes ago, TJGolf55 said:

You are 100% correct! I have 2 builds in progress that are almost complete. I’m not concerned about resale on these since these were 100% made to my specs and my custom look. I am however a gamer and these will go immediately into play. I wish I had a study! I’m an active duty military Soldier. Yes, I’m single and that’s why I can afford stuff like this. 
 

 

This is kinda what happened with my KZG build. Initially it was to try out then possibly flip. But then after looking at the resale, I thought if I'm going to be stuck with them, I should at least like them. So I bought the blade short irons to make a combo set.

 

If I sold them I would likely break even. But right now I'm excited to get them built and played. At first I thought there's no way they would ever be my gamers, but now I'm not so sure.

 

Would I have paid retail for these same clubs? Not unless I won the lottery. Then I would buy one of these putters, too. 🤣

[Rory4Pres]

3 minutes ago, bogeypro said:

That's not the best analogy....  it's the age old value proposition question:  why would you spend that much coin?  History... No.  Name recognition... No.  Resale... No.  Uniqueness... Depends on if you think his designs are that much different or is he is doing something that noone is doing it can do. Craftsmanship... You could say yes.  

 

So... For me, it's a hard pass.  I can't justify spending that on this brand. I could justify it on a circle T because it has more value to me, based on the questions above. 

 

 

 

First off, the $2500 new circle T's on scotty's site are always sold before you can get them, then offered a week late for $3500+ on the secondary market.  Those same putters at the $2500-3000 initial price are quite bare, not much additional machining, hand work, etc...

 

Most new circle t's in premium quality (009, masterful, timeless, etc) with hand work, are usually $5500+ on the resale market where one could actually be obtained.

 

So considering you get more handwork, and by all accounts quality, at 25-40% the cost of a quality circle T, I don't think it's a bad option for those that can afford it.

 

I think they fit nicely in around the Olson market, but slightly better.

[Rory4Pres]

8 minutes ago, Rory4Pres said:

 

First off, the $2500 new circle T's on scotty's site are always sold before you can get them, then offered a week late for $3500+ on the secondary market.  Those same putters at the $2500-3000 initial price are quite bare, not much additional machining, hand work, etc...

 

Most new circle t's in premium quality (009, masterful, timeless, etc) with hand work, are usually $5500+ on the resale market where one could actually be obtained.

 

So considering you get more handwork, and by all accounts quality, at 25-40% the cost of a quality circle T, I don't think it's a bad option for those that can afford it.

 

I think they fit nicely in around the Olson market, but slightly better.

 

 

I will also note, you get a stock circle T, not a custom made one that is designed and built to your exact design, headweight, loft, lie, shaft, and grip.

 

I've heard custom Scotty's run around $12k +/- for perspective.

[jonradus]

1 hour ago, PEI_Golfer said:

 

I think you are underestimating the costs of running a Ferrari (obviously depends on what you have).  A carbon fiber brake brake job is like $40k.  McLaren oil changes run around $8k...

 

And honestly, a bedazzeled putter would be more unique that these are...

 

52 minutes ago, Rory4Pres said:

Ferrari oil changes run $4,000 or $5,000 last I heard.  haha

Ah. You guys found me out. No, I don’t own a Ferrari and I don’t know what they cost to maintain. I assume it’s more than my Murano and RDX though. Lol.
 

Seriously though, I don’t think anyone is buying a DAD to flip it and profit. Or even to try it out, then sell it and try to make some of their money back. That money is gone and forgotten soon thereafter. Like when you remodel a kitchen or bathroom...money is instantly gonzo. Shoot, if I didn’t just blow a bunch of money on a bathroom remodel, I could have bought multiple DAD putters and circle t’s instead. Not sure the wife would approve of that though...

Edited March 10, 2021 by jonradus

[Rory4Pres]

7 minutes ago, jonradus said:

 

Ah. You guys found me out. No, I don’t own a Ferrari and I don’t know what they cost to maintain. I assume it’s more than my Murano and RDX though. Lol.
 

Seriously though, I don’t think anyone is buying a DAD to flip it and profit. Or even to try it out, then sell it and try to make some of their money back. That money is gone and forgotten soon thereafter. Like when you remodel a kitchen or bathroom...money is instantly gonzo. Shoot, if I didn’t just blow a bunch of money on a bathroom remodel, I could have bought multiple DAD putters and circle t’s instead. Not sure the wife would approve of that though...

Is a bathroom remodel going to help you make more birdies?  No...See this is where you have to tell the wifey you need to be smart with your money.  Whatever is left over in the bank account after the custom putter order can be "wasted" on a kitchen or bathroom remodel.  

 

One could argue that the old bathroom "worked" fine.