My Nicklaus-Inspired Custom Putter Project by Clay Long

[jick]

My Nicklaus-Inspired Custom Putter Project by Clay Long, Part 1

 

As a lifelong fan of Jack Nicklaus,it was a no-brainer for me to commission Clay Long to build my next custom putter project. 

 

Long is most famous for designing the oversize Macgregor Response ZT putter that Nicklaus used in his popular 1986 Masters win where he set two records that still stand: the oldest player to win it at 46, and a 6th green jacket. 

 

In Nicklaus' book, Memories and Mementos, he recounted: "I had asked Clay Long, the head of research and development for Macgregor, to make a putter similar to the Ping Pal that Tom Watson was using. Instead, he gave me this contraption that, with a few tweaks, became a high-intertia putter." Nicklaus actually thought at first that it was a joke upon seeing how big the putter was.  

 

He initially struggled putting with it in the wind. "But I stayed with it because once I got used to the lightness of the putter, I could make the ball roll nicely.  After I won the Masters, we couldn't make that putter fast enough.  I think we sold maybe 20,000 of them before the Masters, and eventually sold about 350,000 of them after I won," Nicklaus narrated.

 

Clay Long's wall has a framed replica of the putter along with an autographed photo of Nicklaus' birdie putt on the 17th with the inscription "Clay, thanks for making a great putter." Nicklaus brought Long with him when he started his own golf company.  Long eventually had brief stops creating innovative designs for Arnold Palmer and Cobra, before returning to Nicklaus up until the company folded up in 2011.

 

Today's average golf equipment buyers have probably never heard of Clay Long. Even his Instagram account @claylongdesign has a modest follower count of less than 2,000. Many of these followers are industry insiders: from forum moderators, equipment journalists, R&D people, boutique putter makers, esteemed clubfitters, and even industry legends like Larry Bobka, Tad Moore, Bobby Grace and Kevin Burns. A cursory check of his posts yields a treasure trove of equipment insights, workshop experiments, and historical information. 

 

That brief snippet of Long's impressive golf resume, mostly as Nicklaus' most trusted club designer, was a major factor why he was my choice to build a modernized Nicklaus-inspired putter. 

 

Here's my commentary with numbers corresponding to the numbers in the third/last picture:

 

(1) My starting point was Nicklaus' Wizard 600 putter - a heel-shafted flanged blade model that designer George Low introduced to Nicklaus in the 1962 Phoenix Open. The story was that Nicklaus asked for a single line on top to be added. It was done with a hacksaw and came out off center, so another one was added next to it to center up the two. In his book, Nicklas wrote: "I have no doubt that putter contributed more to my overall record than any single club today."  The putter is now on display in the USGA Golf Museum.

 

(2) This Personal Edition putter is what Nicklaus has been using since 2011.  The double sightline on the topline is still there.  The putter also has a flow neck, perhaps as a nod to his Wizard 600. It is a heel-toe design that evokes the forgiveness of the Response ZT, but in a much more traditional package.

 

(3) The face has circular patterns milled that results in less metal contacting the ball giving a softer feel. The sole provides more information: that it was milled from 303 stainless steel and is one piece milled.  The C/L Design stands for Clay Long who milled only a handful of pieces of this for Nicklaus.  This was a prototype for a future release but the Nicklaus company folded. 

 

(4) From this angle does the putter look familiar? There is a viral video circulating in YouTube from the opening of a Nicklaus course.  In one green, Johnny Miller tells Nicklaus that it is an impossible putt from over 100-feet.  Nicklaus takes out his putter and drills the long putt in his first try, showing off Miller.  This was the putter he was using.

Having these two clubs as my reference, I was all set to contract Clay Long to build me a similar putter.  And as my luck would have it, Mr. Long was working on a milled interpretation of the father of all modern heel-toe putters - the Ping Scottsdale Anser. And that was also the shape I had in mind!

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by jick

[jick]

My Nicklaus-Inspired Custom Putter Project by Clay Long, Part 2

Clay Long's vast equipment knowledge and the folding up of Nicklaus' equipment business meant it was only a matter of time before a major company would hire him.

 

Taylormade Golf had always been dominating the driver market while making inroads in the iron segment.  But for some reason, Taylormade could never crack the code to getting satisfactory market share for their short game implements: wedges and putters.  So they hired Clay Long to fix that problem.

 

Long developed the Milled Grind wedges, which reportedly boosted Taylormade's wedge sales by 400%.  Long was inspired by and took design cues from the 1958 Dynapower wedge that Tom Watson used in the 1982 U.S. Open in Pebble Beach where he had that highlight-reel chip-in on the 17th.  For Long, things came full circle when Gary Woodland clinched the 2019 US Open in Pebble Beach with a clutch chip on the 17th hole using that Taylormade Milled Grind wedge designed by Long.

 

The Milled Grind wedges were also in Tiger Woods' bag in his two comeback wins - the 2018 Tour Championship and the 2019 Masters.  Thus, Clay Long stands alone in laying claim to having designed clubs gamed to win the Masters by both Nicklaus and Woods - who are generally considered the greatest golfers of all-time. 

 

Woods even briefly gamed one of Long's putter designs - the Taylormade Ardmore 3 mallet.  Up to this day, that putter is the only oversize MOI mallet that Woods has ever used in an official tournament.  

 

Unlike Tiger, I was not interested in Long's oversize mallet designs.  I wanted a Jack Nicklaus inspired heel-toe weighted blade.  As fate would have it, Long happened to be working on his interpretation of Karsten Solheim's original Ping Scottsdale Anser known for its features of a flat top line, straight flange, and rounded bumpers. Other manufacturers' versions of this putter shape are instant collectibles from Scotty Cameron's 009 to Bettinardi Golf's BB0 or even Byron Morgan's DH89. 

 

While Long considers himself semi-retired nowadays at 69 years old, he still constantly keeps shooting his age during his casual rounds. He also maintains an online store with some of his original putter and wedge designs up for sale at www.rollyourball.com.  

 

Long also keeps a small CNC mill in his workshop to do prototype work and one-offs as part of consultation work equipment companies seek from him. Even though he has been working with Nicklaus from the days of persimmon woods, Long has always adapted to the times and is actually very adept at CAD programming.  

 

Thus, I got really excited knowing that my custom putter would be fully programmed and machined to my preferences by Clay Long himself in his very own workshop. I'm also sharing here some process pics with my commentary matching the numbered images in the photos: 

 

(5) This putter shape is in its fresh-off-the-mill glory. Long's stock putters have his logo in the cavity and his signature in the sole but I chose differently.  I'm a sucker for signatures in golf clubs from seeing the Toney Pennas, Tommy Armours, Ben Hogans, Jack Nicklauses, Arnold Palmers, and Greg Normans of yesteryear.  So I requested that Clay Long's signature be in the cavity in gold.  This actually also matched my Clay Long Personal Edition irons.

 

(6) This is a welded flow neck.  Since the main part of the head was milled separately, the neck had to be welded on.  Most boutique custom putter makers leave the weld marks on the neck.  I find those unappealing, distracting, unprofessional, lazy, and messy! I requested any weld spots be buffed off, and it was a process that took Long a couple of hours but the end product was a very clean look.  No one would suspect it was a welded neck!

 

(7)  The putter is clamped by a fixture to stay in place while the "Jack Nicklaus double sightlines" are being milled to the topline.  As I mentioned before, Nicklaus' Wizard 600 that won 15 of his 18 majors, and his CL Personal Edition putter that he has used since 2011 both have the double sightlines.  For me personally, one of my first putters was a Achushnet Bullseye flange which also had the sightline on the topline.  Thus, it was just a return to a long lost familiar feeling for me, since I've been putting the last two decades with putters whose sightlines were in the back. 

 

(8)  The sole weights were milled to spec and get my putter to my preferred weight. But just in case I wanted it heavier, I requested for spare weights. I was probably the first  to request spare weights, as Long milled a weight changing tool from scratch just to come with my extra weights.  Now, that is an otherworldly level of personalization and service when he has to manufacture the extra weights and the tool to change the weights just for me!

 

(9) I went for a bead-blasted finish in the entire head, including the face and sole for a non-glare look.  Most production milled putters have a polished face and sole for the nice bling it gives in the display shelf.  I wanted a workmanlike putter so I wanted it dull and satin all throughout.  The middle of the face also has the same milled intersecting circles are Jack Nicklaus' 2011 CL Personal Edition putter.  It really gives it a softer yet solid feel.  

 

(10) Since I already had the CL logo on the face and the Clay Long signature in the back, what else could I put in the sole?  Well, why not a "No Bull" logo?  I thought it fits one of my life mottos.  It also talks about the process and build quality of this putter - no bull in making this! 

 

(11) Fluted shaft!  If you don't know what it is, then Google it.  They don't make these anymore.  "Mr. Long, I have an odd request that you probably can't do but I'll ask anyway - can I have a fluted shaft if my putter if you still have those?" is what I asked him as a long shot Hail Mary prayer.  He said I am in luck because he still had 5 brand new ones of these laying around which he remembers having kept for Jack Nicklaus for future putter requests.  I never even knew Nicklaus preferred fluted shafts, and now I was dipping into Clay Long's reserved stock for Nicklaus himself! This just made the story of this putter more compelling. 

 

(12) When presented with the grip options Long had on hand, I chose something to match the shaft - something no longer in production! It was a Royal Grip perforated wrap that is Made In The USA.  After all, Nicklaus himself always putted with wrapped grips - although his grips were mostly genuine leather.  So it was still with the Nicklaus inspired theme.  The simple white putter cover is great and matches well with the mostly black paintfill.

 

All in all, it came out to be a pretty great putter.  This was 100% customized to all my requests - from the placement of the logos, to the finish, to the type of neck, to the head weight, to the new old stock shaft and grip, to the sightlines, and the great communication with a lot of history lessons in between.  I just got a putter inspired by Jack Nicklaus and created by perhaps Nicklaus' favorite club designer who to this day still gets Christmas cards from Nicklaus every year!   But this is by no means a wall hanger for me.  This is a gamer to be used an abused on the course - just as Mr. Long would want it! 
 

Edited April 26, 2021 by jick

[MattM97]

Nice information and really nice putter. Clay is doing some cool things in his little shop and getting better and better with every putter. I like watching his trouble shooting and process on Instagram. 

[Medson]

👍

[SylvesterLundgren]

I didn’t know anything about clay long, very interesting insight. I also didn’t know about his work with the milled grind wedges either. I just picked up a Ardmore 3 as well so in thought I have a clay long too lol.  Appreciate your post 🙏🏻

Edited April 25, 2021 by SylvesterLundgren

[Duffer222]

Simple perfection!

[mogc60]

Awesome looking putter...but those irons!!!! Oh my those look incredible. 

[Eeecc]

Thanks for all the wonderful history 

[jick]

It's been a while since I posted in Golfwrx putter forum....

..I didn't know a section Putter Mods and Micro Putter Artisans existed so maybe I posted this in the wrong page? Hopefully the mods can rectify this is I made a mistake..

[Mustard_Tiger]

I love it!

[jh19]

Love it!

[the bishop]

Very cool and unique item.  Thanks for sharing.

[j.a.]

Amazing putter and story! 😃👍

[Wild Turkey]

Thanks for taking the time to share all of this history.  I honestly have not heard of Clay Long.  I love all of the little details you shared from Nicklaus reserved fluted shafts to, hiding the welded neck and even the no longer made Royal wrap grip.  Congrats on your new sled!!

[jick]

On 4/25/2021 at 10:25 PM, SylvesterLundgren said:

I didn’t know anything about clay long, very interesting insight. I also didn’t know about his work with the milled grind wedges either. I just picked up a Ardmore 3 as well so in thought I have a clay long too lol.  Appreciate your post 🙏🏻

Appreciate you taking time to read it!

 

On 4/26/2021 at 3:33 AM, mogc60 said:

Awesome looking putter...but those irons!!!! Oh my those look incredible. 

The irons are CL-90.  It's an original design by Clay Long for the Japanese market circa 1990.  If you notice the bullet in the muscle - it's reminiscent of the Wilson Dynapower.  I guess that is a heavy influence on Mr. Long as that's also what he did with the Milled Grind wedges with that red false bore through in the wedges.

7 hours ago, Wild Turkey said:

Thanks for taking the time to share all of this history.  I honestly have not heard of Clay Long.  I love all of the little details you shared from Nicklaus reserved fluted shafts to, hiding the welded neck and even the no longer made Royal wrap grip.  Congrats on your new sled!!

I just felt Mr. Long is not as recognized as he ought to be and I was very excited about this putter!  I guess my excitement made me write something very very long, so I truly appreciate it when people like you really read it through.  Thank you so much!

[skraly]

I had Lamont Mann at Mannkrafted do something similar for me.  I’ve always done well with a heel shafted, flanged putter like an 8802.  I have several different putters of that design.  What I didn’t have, and could never have, was a George Low Wizard 600.  I could never have one because I’m LH and the Wizard 600 was never available in LH.  I contacted Lamont about doing something like this and he was all on board.  We started with the basic Wizard 600 design and made a few tweeks to modernize it.  He had a Wizard 600 on hand so it was easy to work from that original.  My main worry was weight.  The original Wizard 600 head weights about 310 gms.  Quite light by modern standards.  I wanted 335-340 gms.  This is the head weight of a Cleveland Ben Crenshaw designed by that I had Tom Slighter modify for me with tungsten weights.  So after discussion with Lamont we made the following changes.  First, the head would be 5% larger than the original.  Not enough difference to notice visually but giving a little extra weight. It also resulted in a slightly thicker face which gives a very solid feel on impact.  He also added 4 tungsten inserts on the sole.  These changes brought the head weight to 340 gms.  I chose a brushed, nickel finish and fine face milling.  I’m not a big fan of deep face milling.  Purely a personal preference.  Lastly, the original Wizard  600 uses an inserted shaft.  I really like the Wilson headspeed putter shaft for this type putter.  The headspeed is an over the hosel design.  He didn’t have a headspeed to use but he did have several of the original Bullseye, fluted, putter shafts.  He had purchased these as new, old stock at some point.  He told me these feel much like the headspeed and it turns out that is quite an accurate assessment.  So I have this beautiful, one of a kind, LH, Wizard 600ish clone.  I have used it for the last 5 years and still haven’t found anything to best it.  It doesn’t mean I haven’t tried and used some other putters.  This is WRX after all.  But I always come back to this one.

Edited April 28, 2021 by skraly

[golfluvzme]

Clay Long is an unsung legend that I have come to know a bit about and love the fact that he still produces putters.   Jick, that putter you had made is SWEET!!!  It is awesome to hear that you were able to have as much input as you were.  The part regarding the shaft choice was quite personally interesting.  I had a gentleman reach out to me, a few months ago with a stash of shafts that were taking up space in his garage, still in the original cardboard case, from the 90's.   They are the fluted tip, with flutes a little longer than those found on the old flare tip or .395 tip Bullseye shafts.  Finding them in .355 tip was an absolute treat.

Love the looks of your new wand and I hope that it treats you amazingly well. 

I know that in the past, you and I have exchanged notes over at PutterTalk.com, but my memory is shot and I am lost to say just exactly what ideas we shared.  If you think of anything that we might need to cover, please reach out here, via PM and say, "HI!"

Be well and enjoy that lovely new stick!

LaMont in AZ

[jick]

On 4/30/2021 at 7:23 AM, golfluvzme said:

Clay Long is an unsung legend that I have come to know a bit about and love the fact that he still produces putters.   Jick, that putter you had made is SWEET!!!  It is awesome to hear that you were able to have as much input as you were.  The part regarding the shaft choice was quite personally interesting.  I had a gentleman reach out to me, a few months ago with a stash of shafts that were taking up space in his garage, still in the original cardboard case, from the 90's.   They are the fluted tip, with flutes a little longer than those found on the old flare tip or .395 tip Bullseye shafts.  Finding them in .355 tip was an absolute treat.

Love the looks of your new wand and I hope that it treats you amazingly well. 

I know that in the past, you and I have exchanged notes over at PutterTalk.com, but my memory is shot and I am lost to say just exactly what ideas we shared.  If you think of anything that we might need to cover, please reach out here, via PM and say, "HI!"

Be well and enjoy that lovely new stick!

LaMont in AZ

Yes I am sure we have gotten in touch. It could have been with my involvement with the Pinoygolfer forum back then as I think they made a group order with you.

 

Also, over a decade ago, I started a topic here called "The Fall of the Cameron Empire" when I predicted many independent putters makers will spring up and challenge the premium $300 milled putter market, as during the time of my post, Cameron had the monopoly on $300 putters. I think that post got deleted, but an archive copy of it was shared in other forums. But today, my prediction is reality. There are so many players now in the high end putter market. So you could have remembered me for that.

 

In 2011, I attended the Bettinardi Summer Social, flying all the way from the Philippines. Some guys recognized me and said "you're the one who wrote about the fall of the Cameron empire, I want to shake your hand."

 

Over the years, I had the privilge of getting custom one-of-a-kind putters by Bettinardi, Byron Morgan, and David Whitlam all of whom I have met in person and seen their facilities. So to get something from Clay Long is almost like icing in the cake.

 

So far, the putter has been very m good too!

[nova6868]

Bumping this old thread because Mr. Long is still putting out some really nice stuff. He just finished some "active face" heads that have a metal insert with a hinge across the top. Not sure if it actually works to reduce backspin/skid but he knows what he's doing and nice to see some innovation in the boutique putter market. They look great. His shaping on the heads is excellent.

 

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by nova6868

[MattM97]

Also for anyone who wants to easily see his work the new Wilson Staff putters were designed by Clay. 

 

Obviously not the same as his work above but a good idea of what it would be like.