Today, I wanted to mess around with something I’ve had my eye on for a while – a persimmon putter. Yeah, you heard that right, a putter made from persimmon wood. I’ve always loved the look of those old-school wooden clubs, and I figured, why not try to make one myself?
So, first things first, I needed some wood. I managed to get my hands on a decent-sized block of persimmon wood from a local lumber yard. It wasn’t cheap, but hey, you gotta pay for quality, right? Then came the fun part – shaping the head. I grabbed my trusty saw and started hacking away, trying to get that classic putter shape. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, let me tell you. Persimmon wood is pretty hard, and it took some serious elbow grease to get it even remotely close to the shape I wanted.
After what felt like hours of sawing and sanding, I finally had a rough putter head. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. Next up, I needed a shaft. I picked up an old steel shaft from a broken club I had lying around. I’m no expert, but I figured it would do the job. Getting the shaft to fit into the head was a whole other challenge. I ended up drilling a hole in the head, hoping I wouldn’t screw it up. After a bit of fiddling and a lot of wood glue, I managed to get the shaft in there nice and snug.
Working on the Finer Details
- Sanding: I spent a good chunk of time sanding the head down, trying to get it as smooth as possible. I started with a rough grit sandpaper and gradually worked my way up to a finer grit. It was a slow process, but it was worth it in the end.
- Finishing: Once the head was smooth, I applied a few coats of polyurethane to give it a nice shine and protect the wood. I let each coat dry completely before applying the next one. It looked pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.
- Grip: The last piece of the puzzle was the grip. I just grabbed a standard rubber grip from the local sports store and put it on. Nothing fancy, but it felt good in my hands.
Finally, after all that work, my persimmon putter was ready to hit the green! I took it out to the local course and gave it a try. It felt amazing! The weight was perfect, and the ball rolled off the face beautifully. I even managed to sink a few long putts with it. Sure, it wasn’t as forgiving as my high-tech putter, but it had a certain charm that I couldn’t resist.
Building this putter was definitely a challenge, but it was also a lot of fun. It’s not every day you get to make your own golf club from scratch. And you know what? I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It’s not perfect, but it’s a unique piece that I’ll cherish for years to come. And who knows, maybe I’ll even start a new trend – persimmon putters for everyone!
