Slighter Putters

[MOJO14]

Hello. I am highly considering having Tom Slighter build me a putter and wanted to get some feedback / opinions about his putters. Are they worth the investment and do they stack up to Mills, SC, Byron putters, etc. Thanks for your input.

[arkstorm]

This is what I think about Slighter putters:

 

A friend of mine is an absolute Slighter fiend. He has three of them, two that are a Newport style head, one that is similar to the SC Studio Design #5 only it is heel shafted.

 

IMHO they are beautifully crafted. However, they just don't feel as solid as other similar putters. I don't know what it is exactly that I don't like about their feel, its difficult to put these things into words. But they just don't work as well as they look.

[Gxgolfer]

Lots of slighter fans out there. Pick one up before "investing in one" as the resale value may not be that good.

[chefsap]

imo great putters, i have a tacoma(newport) style head, and a cameron 009. and the slighter has a great feel comparable to the 009. and if u are geting a custom for ur self why would u care about resale. go for it u wont be disappointed.

[mhighman]

Slighter makes great putters.

 

 

I have a Tacoma, its on his site.... if you click on the Tacoma picture... that is my putter actually.

 

The great thing about slighters... is you talk with tom and tell him how you want it to feel... in my development... we spoke about the putter in over 120 emails and lots of phone calls!

 

The putter is great and its the only putter that has stayed in my bag!

 

I love my slighter!

 

PM if you have any specific questions about them!

 

 

M.

[Tad]

I too love my Tacoma that Tom built for me in June of this year. (32"/360g/Ust frequency filtered shaft/Sound slot/minimum stampings) This was my first custom putter and all I can say its nice to have a putter built to your own specific specifications. I have never had made so many putts and my distance control has really improved. Any of the others you listed surely can build you one that would meet your specific needs. I personally do not think you would be disappointed in a putter built by Slighter. As for "investment", IMO customs are an investment into your game!

 

best wishes,

Tad

[dags27]

MPH,

 

I am finally ordered one, the Tacoma with a sound slot. I told him that i want the same milling as M.Highman and also i want to be at 360g with 32inch shaft.

I've heard great things about Tom that it makes me get a custom putter from him and Besides he is great to work with. He actually put tungsten weight on my Newport on the sole and it is great. It has been in the bag since then and yet i want to have one Tacoma custom putter from him just to get something different. I know that Cameron putters are superb but what the heck, i want to try his putter. Besides it is being built for me so i don't really care for the resale value.

[MOJO14]

MPH, that is a great looking Tacoma you got there.

 

From everyones responses I think I am going to pull the trigger. A early Christmas present to myself.

[mhighman]

MPH,

 

I am finally ordered one, the Tacoma with a sound slot. I told him that i want the same milling as M.Highman and also i want to be at 360g with 32inch shaft.

I've heard great things about Tom that it makes me get a custom putter from him and Besides he is great to work with. He actually put tungsten weight on my Newport on the sole and it is great. It has been in the bag since then and yet i want to have one Tacoma custom putter from him just to get something different. I know that Cameron putters are superb but what the heck, i want to try his putter. Besides it is being built for me so i don't really care for the resale value.

 

 

That is awesome! We worked for a long time to figure all of that out with the millings... I am sure you will like it.. I love mine... Mine is 350g with a 32.5inch shaft LOL.

 

Tom put tungsten in my NP2 as well, also he put a finish that he will hopefully be releasing soon!

 

M.

[dags27]

M,

 

May i asked what the finish? You can PM me with that one. My black oxide SC Newport is starting to wear off. I might be sending this one to the CS for ProPlatinum look.

Yeah i finally trigger one. I like the way he did your milling so i told him that i want the kind of milling as your putter has. I can't wait to have it in my hands though. But i have to wait til February. That's when he said it will be done. Also i am sending my cousin's Newport 2.5 to take the sante fe/flow neck to have weld a plumbers neck instead.

 

Jon

[RobotDoctor]

Personally I would never buy a Slighter putter due to some of the things he has done with other companies putters in terms of alterations.

[golfluvzme]

It was only a matter of time before that one popped up.

Curious to know that some of Cammies greatest creations came after observing similar ideas from a fellow putter maker, to remain nameless. This little tidbit, however, hasn't stopped anyone from purchasing a Cameron, not even me.

I haven't heard concrete evidence of Slighter's mishandlings, but rumors are never short in this game.

I am a Tom Slighter fan. Partly for his craftsmanship in his putters, but more for the fact that he builds his dream business on the side, showing us all that it is possible. Nice to see that happen.

Can't please everyone, how much fun would that be?

Just my 2-cents!

LaMont in AZ

[DB MACHINE]

Personally I would never buy a Slighter putter due to some of the things he has done with other companies putters in terms of alterations.

 

Robot Doctor, I think the opposite, and agree wholeheartedly with Golfluzsme, about Scotty learning his craft in this same way, and others have before and undoubtedly will after him. I also liken the fact that Slighter is doing custom work on other existing product to that of other industries, and trends, like custom motorcycles, or hot rods, for instance. Take a classic harley and customize the hell out of it, and improve it in every aspect you can (some performance, some cosmetic) until it becomes yours.

 

I have personally been doing this kind of work for several years now, and even had a top ten player on the PGA TOUR use one of my first creations, shoot 64 in his first round ever with it and finished top five, two weeks in a row! (I made the original head and the customized alterations too, so I think I can rightly take all the credit too!)

 

No matter what "foundation" you start with, this customization approach can yield some really, really cool results, and I believe add even more value if the nbew creation is better than what it started as (have you seen some of the prices for custom bikes and hot rods!) In fact, I will be showing some of my newest creations on this site in the near future, so keep an eye peeled for my avitar and new posts).

 

Now back to Slighter's work. He does great work from everything I have seen, (I do think he could use a better logo though, IMHO), is apparently great to work with, great customer service I hear, and, like Golfluzsme said, is living a dream that many of us golfnuts can totally relate to or many others only begin to dream about. Hats off to Slighter and continued success! Cheers! :drinks:

[sergizmo]

I have never putted with one, but performance and craftmanship wise the reviews are almost universally positive.

 

I just wish he would stop with the cherry dots, circle T's, and dancing letters. It appears as though he is trying to make his putters look like tour Camerons, instead of looking to build his own brand identity. IMO this slightly "cheapens" what would otherwise be fantastic putters.

[Hairpie]

I have never putted with one, but performance and craftmanship wise the reviews are almost universally positive.

 

I just wish he would stop with the cherry dots, circle T's, and dancing letters. It appears as though he is trying to make his putters look like tour Camerons, instead of looking to build his own brand identity. IMO this slightly "cheapens" what would otherwise be fantastic putters.

 

The cherry dots, circle T's, and dancing letters are due to customer requests, not because Tom wants to....I believe this is called "Customer Service"......

[jcigars]

LaMont in AZ...that putter looks great IMO :cheesy:

[golfluvzme]

I think that the red dots with the darker red dye look very cool, so I got one. The dancing letters, I love my larger stamps in the cavity, also look cool. The "T" inside the circle, well, the whole process of getting one made makes a person feel almost as if they were a tour player, so go with it.

I don't agree with all of his stamp jobs, but who am I to judge. I spent the bucks, got beyond what I was hoping for, and will remain a Slighter fan for life. The best part is that we all have the right to post our views, no matter how different.

God Bless the USA!

LaMont in AZ

[xxio]

I have never putted with one, but performance and craftmanship wise the reviews are almost universally positive.

 

I just wish he would stop with the cherry dots, circle T's, and dancing letters. It appears as though he is trying to make his putters look like tour Camerons, instead of looking to build his own brand identity. IMO this slightly "cheapens" what would otherwise be fantastic putters.

 

The cherry dots, circle T's, and dancing letters are due to customer requests, not because Tom wants to....I believe this is called "Customer Service"......

 

 

Yes, the customer requested it but Slighter can still say "I'm sorry but I don't do that type of stamping because it would make my product similar to an already established logo. If you want to take off weight we can do it in several ways".

 

Being in a market where Asian products and US products are being marketed, let me give an example. My dad has a Toyota Landcruiser US version. The local version is noticeably different from the outside because spare tire is placed behind and not under the vehicle. The Asian version of the Lexus looks exactly the same as my dad Toyota on the outside and is 80% the same on the inside. If he changed all the logos/decals he could probably fool someone into thinking and eventually buying it as a Lexus. Even if not him than the guy he sells it to will sell it to the next guy as a Lexus. Not exactly the same but still a similar predicament.

 

I know specific refinisher who specifically says that. I have respect for this guy. He will refinish and remill just as good as anyone but refuses to put dots, Ts, pooping dogs, etc.

 

IMHO the Slighter Logo is actually quite nice.

[RobotDoctor]

There are people just about directly accusing Tom Slighter of customizing Cameron putters using Cameron's Circle T stamps to raise the resale of those putters on Ebay and sites like that. If this is true then this is what I am taking about. If it is not true, I appologize to Tom Slighter.

[xxio]

There are people just about directly accusing Tom Slighter of customizing Cameron putters using Cameron's Circle T stamps to raise the resale of those putters on Ebay and sites like that. If this is true then this is what I am taking about. If it is not true, I appologize to Tom Slighter.

 

 

No accusations to Tom Slighter. For me the thing is Tom Slighter may be the nicest guy to deal with. Maybe too nice since he won't refuse a customer's request.

 

It is the customer who MAY do the immoral/unethical transaction after. This however won't completely absolve Slighter because it was still his work and he could have said no. Think of art forgery. It would be ok to approach someone to copy a Mona Lisa, but when you ask the artist to put Da Vinci's signature at the corner it is up to the artist to put his foot down.

[Hairpie]

There are people just about directly accusing Tom Slighter of customizing Cameron putters using Cameron's Circle T stamps to raise the resale of those putters on Ebay and sites like that. If this is true then this is what I am taking about. If it is not true, I appologize to Tom Slighter.

 

I have yet to see any copies of a Scotty Circle T done by Slighter...someone can correct me if I'm wrong....

[tbowles411]

All three of my Slighters are great. Great guy to deal with, and he definately excels at customer service. He's definately a busy guy with the putters. He is running 8-10 weeks on a putter right now since he has so many orders running.

[reebus]

There are people just about directly accusing Tom Slighter of customizing Cameron putters using Cameron's Circle T stamps to raise the resale of those putters on Ebay and sites like that. If this is true then this is what I am taking about. If it is not true, I appologize to Tom Slighter.

 

I have yet to see any copies of a Scotty Circle T done by Slighter...someone can correct me if I'm wrong....

 

I agree with this statement. I collect Camerons AND have ordered two putters from Tom.

 

I have yet to see a Circle T, Pooping Dog, Sole stamps ground off, or the word "Tour"

added by him to any cameron putter. All of these would be, in my opinion, direct attempts

to create a counterfiet tour Cameron. He hasn't done this.

 

I find it funny that when Scotty Cameron is accused of being a "rip-off" artist

for copying classic designs of other putter-makers, the Cameron fans are quick

to point out that, "no one owns the rights to those designs, if they did, then there would

be copyright infringement lawsuits flying all over the place". "Scotty is improving on a classic

design". I agree with these people by the way. But if this is the case, then what Tom is

doing is no different. People want to have a customized putter and Tom is providing a service

to those individuals that Titleist, or Cameron can't or won't.

 

People like the Cherry dots. Heck, it's been suggested that Scotty got the idea from

the 35mm Camera line Leica (SP?). As far as dancing letters, come on, aren't we picking

nits now?

[lumbee1977]

I have my first Slighter, a Portland being built right now, and I think the customer service is unmatched. It is amazing how much better people treat their customers/clients when you can tell they are doing something they are passionate about.

 

The ability to “dream” up anything, a putter, a motorcycle, a car, and have it built from scratch by a craftsman is just a wonderful experience. I spent 20 minutes on Photoshop and came up with these designs:

 

 

Tom response (by email and phone within 48 hours) was, “Cool looking putter, I can make that happen”. As a customer that is all I want. Like others have said the “rip-offs” are not Tom riding the coattails of other manufacturers. They are customer request being filled to the last detail.

 

 

Just my take.

 

-BDL

[jcigars]

I love the sole !

[dags27]

Nice putter BDL! Love the sole! Very Very sweet looking.

[mhighman]

Hey,

 

My answer to the finish question... sorry for the delay on that... but its the satin finish and the sole is brushed!

 

and the whole same crap that always comes up.....

 

CHERRY DOT... Scotty got this from his Leica Camera I believe... The CIRCLE T "CT" whatever... TOM HAS NEVER EVER DONE!

 

when asked to... Tom states how much respect he has for other putter makers... especially Scotty. He will not TOUCH the CT. NEVER EVER EVER.

 

Lamont says it best when, you have to start somewhere. When Tom released the Tacoma... people said he was copying the newport...... WRONG.... look at the tacoma... the bumpers are extremely different along with the width of the putter!

 

Wasn't TP MILLS the first to stamp his name on the front of the putter? I think so... please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Stop with the slandering Tom's name with stuff that can't be backed up.... I have an email address of a LOSER that will stamp a CT on ebay.... and it isn't TOM's I know that....

 

Just enjoy the different putters that these great putter maker's come out with... be it their own design or a take on someone elses....

 

PM me with any questions you have about Tom and I will try my best to answer them the way tom would... or better yet... stop slamming him and ask him yourself. He would love to explain to you that he has the utmost respect for Scotty. He thinks David Mills is a superb craftsman along with byron... I haven't asked him about anyone else...

 

Rant OVER.

 

 

M.

[xxio]

Putter shapes and designs will always be similar. There have only been a handful of ground breaking designs in the past 10 years. There is no argument there.

 

The picture of his putter above in fact shows that Slighter's putter on their own are great. I don't question the stamping he puts own his own putters. He could put a CircleT on his own putters if he wants and make it stand for "T"om. I love the dancing Slighter logo as well. If Slighter made a Carbon Steel putter I probably would have one by now.

 

I'm not an avid SC collector If he just restored a SC putter to it's original state, just put intials, or remilled, refinished or even made to a different finish it wouldn't really bug me.

 

Most know the origin of the all SC dot. SC should put out a putter than has a dozen dots and call it an "Inspired by Leica"

 

It is Slighter's aftermarket alterations on SCs that I question. Ok no Circle Ts and Pooping dogs. Let's just focus on the Cherry Dot then. When you see a dot on a SC model that you know didn't originally come with a Cherry Dot what would you think?

 

Personally my naive-clueless-about-Camerons self would think rare or tour, at least more $$$ than normal.

 

I guess the main issue is still with the intent of the customer who requested it regardless of who made the dot.

 

It is just that Slighter's quality work just provides an avenue for possible fraud, unless full disclosure is made by the guy who requested the cherry dot.

[pm hacker]

Hey,

 

My answer to the finish question... sorry for the delay on that... but its the satin finish and the sole is brushed!

 

and the whole same crap that always comes up.....

 

CHERRY DOT... Scotty got this from his Leica Camera I believe... The CIRCLE T "CT" whatever... TOM HAS NEVER EVER DONE!

 

when asked to... Tom states how much respect he has for other putter makers... especially Scotty. He will not TOUCH the CT. NEVER EVER EVER.

 

Lamont says it best when, you have to start somewhere. When Tom released the Tacoma... people said he was copying the newport...... WRONG.... look at the tacoma... the bumpers are extremely different along with the width of the putter!

 

Wasn't TP MILLS the first to stamp his name on the front of the putter? I think so... please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Stop with the slandering Tom's name with stuff that can't be backed up.... I have an email address of a LOSER that will stamp a CT on ebay.... and it isn't TOM's I know that....

 

Just enjoy the different putters that these great putter maker's come out with... be it their own design or a take on someone elses....

 

PM me with any questions you have about Tom and I will try my best to answer them the way tom would... or better yet... stop slamming him and ask him yourself. He would love to explain to you that he has the utmost respect for Scotty. He thinks David Mills is a superb craftsman along with byron... I haven't asked him about anyone else...

 

Rant OVER.

 

 

M.

 

Whew!! Well said Mitch and I could not agree with you more. To the Slighter Bashers and rumor spreaders:

 

Tom would never nor will do a CT, pooping dog or a Tour stamp. Why? He stated that it would compromise his integrity and his respect for Scotty. This is the reason why I decided to have Tom build 3 putters that are currently in my collection. I have nothing but respect for this classy man. As far as the Cherry Dot...well let's just say there are very noticeble differences to differentiate from "TOUR".

 

BTW, lumbee1977...that Portland looks sweet!!

[xxio]

Tom would never nor will do a CT, pooping dog or a Tour stamp. Why? He stated that it would compromise his integrity and his respect for Scotty. This is the reason why I decided to have Tom build 3 putters that are currently in my collection. I have nothing but respect for this classy man. As far as the Cherry Dot...well let's just say there are very noticeble differences to differentiate from "TOUR".

 

BTW, lumbee1977...that Portland looks sweet!!

 

 

Again I have no problem with Slighter not doing the CT, pooping etc....then why doesn't he do the same with the Cherry Dot. If he can refuse the other stampings associated with SC, what makes the Cherry Dot different?

 

I am not questioning the man's integrity. I question that he is making himself an avenue for fraud. Tom is by all accounts a great individual, but the person requesting the Cherry Dot might not be as noble as him.

 

BTW for full disclosure I am not a avid SC fan or collector. I'm more of a Bettinardi man. And even a Mills fan before a Sc fan. That is why if someone with a decent rep/or a secondary buyer with a great who he himself has been unknowingly duped approaches me with a GunBlue Newport with a Cherry Dot, stupid me might think it is tour and fall for it.