In the 1500s a set of clubs consisted of: a set of play clubs, “longnoses”, for driving; fairway clubs or “grassed drivers”, for medium range; “spoons” for short shots; “niblicks” similar to wedges; and a putting “cleek”. These golf clubs were made up of wood with the shafts being made from ash or hazel and the club heads being made from tougher wood like apple, holly, beech or pear. The club head would be connected to the shaft with a splint and then bound with a leather strap.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, founded in 1754, is known as the "home of golf" and has shaped the game’s traditions and rules. Central to its history is Allan Robertson, golf's first professional and a master craftsman of clubs and featherie golf balls. His mentorship of Old Tom Morris, who later became a legend, played a key role in advancing golf's evolution.

At this time it was possible to forge iron into the wooden club heads but it was uncommon due to the fragile nature of the featherie ball. Around 1750 the world of golf saw the first club heads made entirely of iron.

Under Robertson's guidance, Old Tom honed his skills in clubmaking and play, carrying forward a legacy of innovation. Although they parted ways professionally due to the adoption of the new gutta-percha ball, their contributions to equipment, course design, and the growth of competitive play transformed golf into the global sport it is today.

The first metal putter is often credited to the Scottish golf club maker Robert Forgan, who created it in the late 1800s. Forgan was one of the earliest known makers to experiment with metal-headed clubs, particularly for putters, as golf equipment began evolving from the traditional wooden clubs. While center-shafted putters gained prominence in the early 1900s, it's possible that prototypes or experimental designs existed in the 1880s. These early clubs might have featured hickory shafts and metal (plated) heads, aligning with the materials used during that period.

Old Tom Morris developed the "drain pipe" putter in the early 1890s. While Morris conceptualized the design, the actual forging was carried out by Tom Stewart, a renowned clubmaker from St. Andrews. The "drain pipe" putter stands out as one of the few patented club designs associated with Old Tom Morris. Its unconventional cylindrical head was a departure from the traditional blade-style putters of the time, reflecting Morris's innovative approach to golf equipment.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Arthur Knight, the top player at Mohawk Golf Club in Schenectady, NY, identified that his putting was rather inconsistent, not because of his stroke or green reading, but that his putter design was simply inadequate. Technology within the sport was
primitive and almost all the putters available at the time were bladed, heel-shafted designs. The General Electric engineer decided he would take things into his own hands and create a superior, more consistent putter design. He spent the summer of 1902 off the golf course and instead in the workshop constructing a center-shafted mallet putter with a crosshatched face, made from wood and lead.

The early 1900s marked a golden era of experimentation in putter design. Clubmakers began departing from traditional blade styles in favor of new materials and bold innovations. One standout was the Slazenger Mallet, which featured negative loft—a forward-leaning face designed to reduce backspin and promote a true roll on slower, grainy greens. Around the same time, the Crosshead putter emerged with a distinctive "T-shaped" alignment aid, offering golfers one of the earliest visual cues for squaring the face. In 1904, William Mills revolutionized clubmaking by introducing the Standard Mallet, cast from aluminum—a forward-thinking move that influenced mallet designs for decades to come. That same year, the Kempshall Oversize putter challenged norms with a large, rubber-faced head that softened feel at impact. Later, in 1922, the Moorhead Rudder introduced a fin-like rear flange to stabilize the stroke—an early forerunner of modern perimeter-weighted designs. These breakthroughs paved the way for contemporary putter technology, where shape, material, and balance continue to evolve in pursuit of precision and feel.

Bobby Jones travelled to New York and took the opportunity to visit his old friend Jim Maiden at Nassau Country Club. After playing nine holes Jones complained he was putting poorly. Maiden suggested he might have the solution: an old putter he turned to in times of need. It was a simple offset blade with a hickory shaft, forged by Condie and sold by William Winton. The putter was almost 20 years old and Maiden had stamped it with the nickname, “Calamity Jane.”

Jones tried Calamity Jane and loved the feel. He used it at Inwood and won. In fact, he used the original then a replica (Calamity Jane II) to win all thirteen of his Major titles.

The 1940s introduced one of the most iconic and enduring putter designs in golf history—the Bulls Eye, created by John Reuter Jr. Unlike the heavier mallets and aluminum designs of earlier decades, the Bulls Eye was a center-shafted, heel-toe balanced blade with a thin, symmetrical profile that allowed golfers to strike the ball from either side. Its smooth, curved shape gave players a clean look at address and exceptional feedback at impact. Reuter’s innovation gained popularity throughout the 1950s and 60s and became a staple on professional tours. The Bulls Eye putter’s success highlighted the growing importance of feel and alignment in putting, laying the groundwork for the design philosophies that still influence modern putters—including our own convex-faced innovations at Convex Golf. Titleist acquired the Bulls Eye brand in the 1950s, and their official archives acknowledge John Reuter Jr. as the original designer.

Karsten Solheim's engineering career began at General Electric, where he worked on various projects, including aircraft and missile systems during the early days of the aerospace industry.

He applied his engineering principles to golf club design, created the first PING prototype famously naming it after the distinctive 'ping' sound it made when striking a golf ball. Unlike traditional putters, Solheim's design featured a heel-toe weighting system, which improved the club's balance and forgiveness. This innovation helped reduce twisting on off-center hits, significantly improving accuracy and consistency.

Karsten Solheim’s contributions to golf were not just limited to equipment design. He was also instrumental in promoting the use of scientific analysis in golf, paving the way for the modern, technology-driven approach to the game. His work earned him a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001, recognizing his profound impact on the sport. Solheim's legacy continues through the ongoing innovations of PING, which remains at the forefront of golf technology.

Arnold Palmer's original putter, known as the "Palmer Original," was introduced in the early 1960s. Specifically, the famous "The Original" putter was created by Wilson Sporting Goods and became associated with Palmer during this period. Arnold Palmer used this classic blade-style putter throughout much of his career, contributing to his iconic status in the golf world.

This putter became one of the most recognizable and influential putters in golf history, symbolizing Palmer's style and success on the course.

The use of cast stainless steel in putter heads begins, enhancing durability and consistency in manufacturing. The Ping Pal model was introduced in 1971. Cast from manganese bronze, the perimeter-weighted head featured a shorter blade length and an Anser hosel. It was used to win more than 100 tour events, including six major championships, including the 1988 Masters.

First introduced in 1976, the Zebra featured adjustable weights and the “Stripe” alignment system that gave the putter its name.

Before mallet putters became fashionable, the Zebra was a pacesetter. Players like Nick Price wielded the Zebra to great affect, it remains one of the most popular mallet putters of all time.

The long putter, often referred to as the "broomstick" putter, emerged in the 1980s as an innovative solution for golfers seeking stability in their putting stroke. Unlike traditional putters, which are typically around 35 inches in length, long putters can extend up to 50 inches, allowing players to anchor the club against their chest or chin. This design aimed to reduce wrist movement and promote a pendulum-like motion, thereby enhancing consistency on the greens.​

Today, while the anchoring method is no longer permitted, some golfers continue to use long putters without anchoring, adapting their techniques to comply with current regulations.

The first CNC (Computer Numerical Control) milled putter was developed in 1982 by Dick DeLaCruz. This innovation was part of a collaboration with Callaway Golf, leading to the creation of the "Bobby Jones Billet Series" milled putter. The introduction of CNC milling technology into putter manufacturing marked a significant advancement in the golf equipment industry, allowing for precision and consistency that was previously unattainable with traditional hand-milling techniques.

The Golden Bear lifting his putter in one hand high above his head. That putter was the mammoth MacGregor Response ZT 615. Although there have been larger putters gracing tour pros bags since then, that putter—an oversized blade—was one of the biggest at the time.

In 1992, General Electric engineer Bill Fahy together with his wife Jane, revolutionized golf with the invention of the original Convex Golf putter, earning a U.S. Patent for their cutting-edge design. Leveraging his aerospace engineering expertise at GE, where he contributed patented technologies critical to NASA's Viking space exploration program, Bill applied the same engineering precision and ingenuity to create a revolutionary convex-faced putter advancing the game's equipment technology and performance. His work continued the legacy of GE engineering brilliance in modern golf putter design.

Gaining a reputation as the young putter maker from California whose prototype creation was used to win golf’s greatest tournament, Scotty Cameron began to receive interest from the golf industry’s heavyweights. Introduced to Wally Uihlein, then-CEO of Acushnet Company/Titleist, by well-known teaching pro Peter Kostis after the 1994 PLAYERS Championship, it became clear that Wally and Scotty shared the same vision for quality design and manufacturing. A relationship was formed, and in September of 1994, Cameron Golf International and Acushnet Company became partners.

Tiger Woods wins his first Masters using a Scotty Cameron putter, bringing significant attention to precision-milled putters. Woods won his first Masters title and first major tournament. The 21-year-old demolished the field, finishing 18 under and winning by 12 shots.

The Odyssey 2-ball putter launched a revolution when it burst onto the scene late in 2001. Odyssey placed two round circles, each the diameter of a golf ball behind the putter face to act as an alignment guide. By putting more weight behind the ball, it skidded less off the face.

Since 2002 there have been a number of different versions of the 2-ball but the concept remains the same and the top pros continue to trust it.

The original TaylorMade Spider launched in 2008 and was built with the sole function of creating maximum stability and MOI (Moment of Inertia). MOI is a critical factor in golf club design, particularly in putters, as it measures the club's resistance to twisting upon impact. A higher MOI means the putter is more stable, especially on off-center strikes, leading to more consistent and accurate putts. The TaylorMade Spider's innovative design, with its distinctive perimeter weighting, significantly increased the MOI compared to traditional putters, offering golfers unparalleled forgiveness and making it easier to keep putts on their intended line, even when the ball is struck away from the center of the face.

In a bold move to honor and reimagine his family’s legacy of convex putter innovation, Patrick Fahy reignited the groundbreaking putter design originally patented by his parents, Bill and Jane Fahy. Teaming up with accomplished aerospace engineer Ben Greenberg, they invented and introduced a revolutionary, patent-pending interchangeable putting system. Building on and incorporating the Fahy family signature convex putter face design, the new cutting-edge innovation empowers golfers to customize their putting experience by easily swapping out individual putter components to suit personal preferences, varying course conditions, or specific performance goals. Offering unparalleled precision, adaptability, and control, this modern evolution seamlessly blends the craftsmanship of a cherished legacy with advanced engineering, delivering a truly personalized and superior putting tool for golfers at every level.