BestGrips Putter Shoe and Grip +Laser Etching... and... TIFFANY BLUE LEATHER

[RookieBlue7]

Recently, Zach posted here about the availability of Tiffany Blue leather being back at BestGrips... And when he posted it, my antenna went up and it was almost instantaneous that a message was fired off to him.  We started chatting about the leather and what was possible and I simply asked him if he could laser etch it (we're talking he'd just got the leather in and mocked up a sample).  He explained to me he hadn't yet done a test piece with laser etching on it yet, but he was certain it would take the etching.  Not that I really minded if he couldn't etch it, cause it's TIFFANY BLUE LEATHER for crying out loud... And if you've been around here long, you know I've got a fetish for Tiffany Blue golf stuff.

But, with that said, he did a test piece and said it'd take the etching just fine.  So I then began kicking ideas around in my head.  I came up with something a little, shall we say, edgy and different that I wanted.  I couldn't really decide what to go with, but I wanted to keep it simple both for laser etching purposes and because I didn't want it to be something Zach would want to kick my ass for later because it was complex.  So I started looking for images that were crisp lines and simple yet would be different and cool.  I've been inspired by my grandfather and he was in the service during WWII (I'm fortunate that he's still around at 92, soon to be 93 years old).  And being as he was in the service I wanted to pay tribute, but not with the traditional stars and stripes, because everyone does stars and stripes.  I looked for an iconic image that was representative of the war effort.  That's when it hit me.... Killroy.   The iconic image that surfaced during WWII on ship assembly lines.  My grandfather rode on one of those ships to the battlefields, and what better way to pay tribute than to use an iconic image.  So the Killroy image was a go, and I found the one that was used on the WWII memorial wall and that was that.  The grip was decided.  I wanted Killroy dancing on it.

Next was a little tougher, the PutterShoe.  I wanted something that was going to set my cover off and make it different.  I've had a fascination with tattoos lately (though I have none, and won't have any, I've been fascinated by the artistic side).  So then I started looking for my sketch I did for my best friend's first tattoo before his tragic death.  I still haven't found that image, and if I do, Zach will have another order, but for the time being, I couldn't find it.  So I went in search of images that have fascinated me lately.  I started searching for different things then thought of it, and a lightbulb went off.  Day of the Dead Girl.  BOOM, idea set, now to find the perfect image.  I ended up sending Zach several I liked and told him to pick the one he thought would etch the best and turn out the best on the cover and to pick the placement.

Let me say, upon arriving from my birthday round of golf today, I yanked open the lid of the mailbox (I'd been anticipating this delivery for a few days) and there it was.  The package from BestGrips.  I TORE into it like a kid on Christmas morning.  There, in all their beauty were the grip and headcover.  But it doesn't end there.  Zach threw in a BestGrips poker chip, and for good measure, he threw in a handwritten note that said Happy Birthday.  I'd just mentioned it casually, but it was a nice touch from Zach to throw in that note.  


Now that you've got the experience of ordering read, I must say the grip and PutterShoe was EVERYTHING I wanted and then some.  Zach nailed every aspect.  I told him to pick placement for the images and he picked it out beautifully and executed the cover and grip flawlessly.  The etching is crisp and I'm sure the pictures below won't do them near as much justice as for the sheer beauty they are in person. But I tried to capture the detail as best I could with my Nikon DSLR and hopefully that comes across here.  That said, I've yet to install the grip and I will after dinner, but for now, I'm stoked, impressed and in awe at just how damned good these things turned out.  And I must say, Zach is a top notch guy and the work is top notch as well.  Everything is better than I imagined it and I can't wait to put both in play.

[whiskey golf]

Those look great, the Tiffany Blue looks awesome in the natural light.

[RookieBlue7]

It really is even better in person

[ACcustomX]

Those Look Amazing!

[The Dansome]

Happy birthday

 

those look awesome!

[hckymeyer]

Not my cup of tea (except for the color) but I can certainly appreciate the thought and craftsmanship that went into it.  Glad you got something you love the look of and a great example of of how much you can do with the laser etching.

[kygolfer1980]

Love the customization options Zalbert can make happen.  Happy Birthday Rookie!!

[RoverRick]

 And if you've been around here long, you know I've got a fetish for Tiffany Blue golf stuff.

 

Thanks for the review, and a special thank you for not listing all your fetishes. 

[SeeRed]

Wow- those look great!

[RookieBlue7]

Continuing this review with part II now...

Today, I actually had time to install this grip and give it a test run on the Scotty Newport Beach II CS Prototype.  Included in the package was a note from Best Grips that basically said if your installer has no experience installing leather grips or using air to install grips, make sure they understand their instructions and the install process.  I personally install all of my grips and I've been using air for a long time.  No brainer for me on who was doing the install.  

So I blew the old grip off the Scotty.  I recently swapped the shaft out for a UST Frequency Filtered shaft, and the grip was blown on.  The install for me was simple. I cranked up the compressor and blew the old grip off.  I next put a little soapy water on the existing masking tape (I always put one layer of masking tape under my grips on my putter, not build-up tape, but masking tape).  Once the soapy water was on, I set the regulator at 18 PSI and the Best Grips grip blew right on.  Simple as that.  Checked alignment and had to adjust it 2 millimeters to the right to square it up.  She's on, and I can begin rolling putts immediately.  

I rolled 50 putts briefly inside the house and let me say that the feedback on this BG is identical to the feedback I've been used to with my normal rubber grips or the cord grips I use at times as well.  The leather is stretched taut over the underlisting, and the stitched back ensures it stays tight.  So the feedback is identical to that of a rubber grip.  This isn't like a Winn or any of the other leather/vinyl grips out there that kill feedback, no the Best Grips didn't alter feedback one bit from what one would be accustomed to with rubber.  The added bonus is I generally build a reminder rib in my putter grips that don't have them, but the stitched back is the reminder rib on this grip so doing that build-up was unnecessary.  BONUS!!!

All in all, I'm stoked to get this sucker out to the course and give it a roll on the green.  I also wanted to compare the Tiffany color here to the Tiffany color that Scotty uses, as he was one of the first that used the color and my fascination with the color has grown from there.  The color is SPOT ON with Scotty's Tiffany color.  And to prove it, I included my TCC cover as a reference for the color.

Now as far as the Putter Shoe is concerned, I also put it on the Scotty today.  The fitament is a little more snug than Scotty covers, not front to back, but side to side.  This, in my estimation, is due to the Best Grips Putter Shoe having more padding than the AM&E covers Scotty uses.  The putter fits well inside the Putter Shoe, and the velcro seals it up nicely and doesn't allow the heel of the putter to slip out due to it stretching nearly all the way top to bottom on the opening. The leather is much softer and more plush than AM&E's typical vinyl that's used on the vast majority of Scotty's covers.  I'm impressed with the quality and fitament of the Putter Shoe and look forward to seeing how many second looks and head turns I get from it.

 

 

[PlaidJacket]

Fancy shmanchey. Problem is my game isn't good enough to carry such swag. They sure are purdy.

[whiskey golf]

Nice review, those will definitely grab attention from other players.

[Jgolf]

Wow!

 

The grip (and head cover) are absolutely beautiful...

 

I'm feeling jealous/inspired

[BestGrips.com]

Thanks for posting this Rookie. Really enjoyed this project!

[GolfSpy WD]

That is so freakin nice looking. Great writeup Rookie.

[SeeRed]

I've decided I NEED a laser etched putter grip!

[Paul S]

I've been meaning to get this post up, but I've been busy. So, here it is. It may not be as fancy as Rookie's, which looks really incredible, but it's unique and nobody else has one. I had Zalbert cook me up a puttershoe to accompany the new major leaguer pistol grip with red stitching. For the puttershoe I went with custom engraving, and before I get to the pictures I would like to mention that Zach has been great to work with. Customer service is beyond exemplary, and I'm proud to be able to support Bestgrips.com!

 

 

 

[Mr_Theoo]

That looks awesome Paul!

[Kor.A.Door]

I shouldn't look at this post, cause every time I do I get more excited to see what BestGrips (zach) has in store for me.

[whiskey golf]

The headcover looks great.

[Kor.A.Door]

So I got a message from Zach the other day, apparently I will be receiving the very first putter shoe that will have both custom embroidery, and Laser etching, it's gonna be cool.