Studio Select Custom Shop Options

Rating: 7 points
Pros: Great new options.
Cons: You still have to pay.

When the custom shop opened on April 1st, 2005, there were far fewer options than there were even yesterday. This new batch of options opens up the door for us to customize new and exciting creations. Many of us collectors have been around to see new color options, stamps, grips and headcovers released... some of which in limited quantities (gold and purple headcovers). Never before, however, has there been a release of options directly suited to one line of putters.

First and foremost is the option to stamp any one of the four custom shop stamps inside the Studio Select cherry dots in the cavity. We have seen tour stamps inside cherry dots before, but until now, this has been unavailable on an OTR putter. The translucent epoxy/paint used to fill the dots after the stamp has been applied is quite stunning eye candy.

Next are the Studio Select Custom Shop headcovers. Wow. There have been varying opinions on the OTR headcover, but these new offerings (with dots in Sublime Lime, Turbo Blue and Red Racer) have to be the coolest custom shop headcovers ever released. My only complaint here is that there aren't 1/500 versions of these covers, which had been typical of new color releases.

Frequent CS customers know that stamping on the bumpers was possible as long as it was properly requested, however this was not a public option. The new option of stamping your first and last name (or nickname) on the bumpers (on certain models) is sure to spurn a plethora of new orders being sent to the custom shop. The quoted wait time for CS orders has held steady at 15 days, and I'm thinking they will be prepared for the inevitable spike in orders.

Also available are the new weight adjustments for Studio Select putters. A full range of 330g to 380g putter heads is now available to suit any swingweight (including belly putters) using stainless, copper and tungsten weights. Dialing-in the weight had previously meant aftermarket modification using lead tape or other, less swingweight friendly, options (e.g. lead powder or in-hosel weights). The Studio Select was designed from the ground up to be adaptable to different weight configurations, and having these available for a fraction of the cost of weight kits that are available for other clubmakers, makes this an appealing option for golfers desiring quirky swingweights.

These new options for the all new Studio Select putters make customization a dream come true. The Custom Shop pricing remains fair for the amount of work involved in these modifications. All in all I'm happy to give the new Custom Shop options a full 7 out of 7 rating.