For those of you that are regular readers of my work, you already know I have a strong affinity for putters. I equate putters to functional art; the level of detail and complexity varies, and beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. Just like art, love it or leave it, but don’t ever underestimate someone’s passion for a piece they love!
The OG of Custom Milled Putters
All the credit for turning putters into functional art goes to Scotty Cameron, the “OG” of the high-end collectible putter market. His attention to detail and cool finishing touches like custom stamping and unique finishes created a market that never existed.
During the mid-’90s, the putter market evolved as PGA Tour players began making the switch from traditional cast putters to milled designs. By the time Tiger Woods put his famed Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS model into play, nearly everyone on tour was using a milled putter.
For years, Scotty Cameron and Titleist have dominated the putter market, as years went by, several competitors entered the marketplace, but nobody has ever been able to make a real dent. Enter Nick Venson and his company SWAG Golf. Since before Nick was popping pimples, he’s been tinkering in his garage, dreaming up customizations and designs.
Chasing a Dream
Nick’s passion for customizing Scotty Cameron putters at such a young age caught the attention of the master himself, Scotty Cameron. When Nick was halfway through college, Scotty made him an offer he couldn’t resist. So, Nick did what any 20-year-old would do; he dropped out of school and chased his dream. I’m sure his parents just loved the idea!
Nick spent the next 12 years working for Scotty Cameron and later on in that stint Bob Bettinardi, arguably the two best putter makers in the world. Over those 12 years, Nick had the opportunity to work with everyone from elite tour pros to average joes like me. The most important thing Nick learned over that time was what people wanted, all the way from the best golfers in the world to your weekend hacker.
You might ask, what do they want? More importantly, what possibly could the best golfers in the world have in common with even the worst golfers in the world. The answer is simple; they all want COOL SHIT! Pardon my French, but who doesn’t want to look good on the course or have the coolest golf gear. While most amateurs can only dream of having the game of a tour pro, thanks to Nick and SWAG Golf they have a decent chance of having more SWAG!
My SWAG Experience
Enough background, let me get down to the nitty-gritty. Back in April, SWAG released a new putter design called the “Suave One.” After talking to some of the guys from SWAG at the PGA Merchandise Show, I reached out, and they sent me an R&D Suave One milled from Raw Carbon. As soon as the putter arrived, I sent it out to have a Stability Putter Shaft installed.
I tinker with my game all the time and got hooked on using a Stability Putter Shaft during our testing in 2018. If you’re not familiar, check out our article they ended up winning Product of The Year in 2018 and made a huge difference on my average putts per round. Needless to say, when I made the switch to a SWAG putter, I was putting the best I ever have. Nowhere to go but down, right?
Stainless Steel or Carbon
To be completely honest, my putting did go to hell after making the switch to the SWAG Suave One. The biggest problem I had was transitioning to a putter milled from stainless steel to carbon. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the switch to carbon, but it was softer and something that took me several months to get a feel for. When deciding on a SWAG putter, I didn’t think about the impact of getting a Suave One in carbon versus stainless steel, I just really loved the way the raw carbon looked.
I liked the look so much; I kept at it. I knew the problem was with the Indian and not the arrow; I just needed to get a feel for that softer face and the way the ball comes off the putter head. I’ve been using the Suave One for just over six months now, and you can’t pry it out of my hands unless, of course, SWAG wanted to send me a newer version.
For me, the transition time from stainless to carbon took a full 2-months. During that time, I would still go out and have a decent round putting here and there, but the consistency had just fallen off. Going into the 3rd month, I found myself in the middle of green aerification season. At that point I felt I had adjusted to the feel of the carbon, but with the greens so beat up, it was hard to get numbers that proved it. With fall upon us and aerification season over, the greens are running true and my putts per round are back in-line with before I made the switch.
A Lesson Learned
Be careful, making the switch from stainless to carbon. Some people can make it a lot easier than I did, but some will never prefer carbon over steel and vice versa. It all goes back to functional art, find what you like and what works best for you and game the hell out of it!
The Benefits…
Let’s get to the benefits; after all, I titled this article “SWAG …A Putter with Benefits”. I’m passionate about the game of golf; I eat, sleep, and drink golf 24×7. It turns out I’m not the only one. When Nick and his team at SWAG sent the putter, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Six months later I have a headcover collection and a ton of new friends.
Social media has changed things; not only can we follow our favorite brands but we can now connect with fellow enthusiasts. If you aren’t familiar with Facebook Groups, you should check it out, the SWAG Army is in full effect, and you’ll meet tons of great people.
Nick Venson and his team at SWAG have done much more than make collecting cool again; they’ve helped to connect people around the world that grew up watching the same tv shows, playing the same video games, and share a passion for golf and cool shit!
The Future
Will Nick and SWAG do what nobody else has ever been able to and make a dent into the market that Scotty Cameron has dominated? Only time will tell, but SWAG has a better shot than anyone else out there. SWAG knows what golfer’s want and they’re giving it to us, one release at a time!
Rob Spellman, is an avid golfer and publisher of Golf Aficionado Magazine, he is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and the Golf Travel Writers of America.