Equipment
How to create your own custom-stamped wedges
Like so many other readers here on GolfWRX, I eagerly look forward to PGA Tour WITB photos each week. One of the most interesting aspects of Tour bags for me (and especially at the Waste Management Open) has always been the custom-stamped wedges and irons, like Pat Perez wedge pictured above. Custom stamping is no longer just for the Tour, however.
Cleveland, Mizuno and Vokey offer different options as well as initial stamping on their wedges and this year Nike is offering it on its irons. But, like many other at-home projects, it’s just so much more satisfying to do it yourself. Let these pictures be a guide to getting started. It’s easier (and could be cheaper) than you think!
Materials
- Stamping kit: Harbor Freight $9.99, Amazon.com $15 to $100.
- Hammer/Mallet: I have a 4-pound mallet and found that to be the most effective.
- Tape: Double-sided and masking.
- Paint (Optional).
Setup
The goal here is to firmly secure the club face to a hard surface. If you have access to a vise, you are in business as most vises have an anvil. If not, just make sure that the clean club face is firmly secured with double-sided tape. You may need someone to hold the club head securely in place while you swing the mallet, which is not as dangerous as it sounds.
Stamping
Identify the area you want to stamp and cover it with masking tape. This serves three purposes: you are able to draw reference lines with a straight edge to make your stamping neat, the imprint shows better on the tape so you can re-align your stamp for successive strikes and the tape absorbs some of the blow, making it less likely that the stamp will “bounce” and create a second impression on the wedge.
Take note of how far apart you are spacing consecutive letters as most first-time projects end up looking a bit like this: “G O L FW R X”
Let’s face it: some guys are better with a hammer than others. If you can make a confident swing at the stamp and create a deep imprint with just one swing then good for you! If not, it’s OK to take multiple swings. In fact, you’ll see Scotty Cameron doing just that if you watch this video from his website. According to Cameron, deeper strikes look “more finished … thin looks dainty and weak.” From my own experience, I have learned it is best to oscillate the stamping pin so that each successive strike drives the stamp from different angles to ensure that the stamping is symmetrical and deep.
Now bask in the glory of your very own “Tour” golf club! Obviously, this will take a little bit of practice. In the spirit of “measure twice, cut once,” you should probably try making a few practice stamps on an old club first. Keep in mind that forged clubs will be much more receptive to stamping than cast ones. Even with the cheaper Harbor Freight stamping kit, I still have not come across a wedge that is “unstampable” though.
Paint is optional and a great way to further customize your clubs. You can find many posts in the forums detailing different user methods. If nothing else, it most certainly brings a smile to my face when I look down in my bag to grab my DIY custom-stamped golf clubs.
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Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype
Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.
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We always get some great photos of some phenomenal putters at tour events and love to share them. Here are a few from the 2024 Zurich Classic that caught our eye and seemed interesting. (And as a reminder, you can check out all our photos from New Orleans here)
MJ Daffue’s Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype
MJ is going with the new Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype this week. The putter is a multi-piece mallet that puts an emphasis on stability with the wings on the back. Daffue’s putter does have a design that differs from retail with a monotone finish, which eliminates the black paint on the aluminum parts that we see at retail. He also has a half siteline milled into the top and an L-neck welded on for some additional toe hang. The face features a deeper milling that should offer a softer feel and slightly quieter sound.
Scotty Cameron T-7.5 Prototype
We spotted a few different Scotty Cameron Phantom models with modified rear flanges. It looks like the straight black flange was cut into a half circle for a little softer look at address. On this T-7.5, you can still see the raw aluminum from the back view, so this might have been a last-minute job to get them out on tour. The semi-circle also has a white line on it, maybe to frame the ball differently.
Alex Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi SS16 DASS
Alex’s SS16 is made from Bettinardi’s famous D.A.S.S., or double-aged stainless steel, for a softer and more responsive feel. The face has a unique diamond pattern milling and features a logo that I feel like I have seen before, but can’t put a name to. The putter is a classic mid-mallet style with a simple, single white siteline on the top. The sole is clean with just the SS16, DASS, and a green triangle logo on it.
Steve Stricker’s Odyssey White Hot No. 2
This putter has made some amazing putts in its long career! Stricker’s White Hot No. 2 might be in the top 10 of most famous putters in golf. When you see all the dents and lead tape, you know the heel will be up and it will be sinking putts! The soft White Hot insert looks to be in good shape and has less wear on it than the rest of the putter. We don’t know how much lead tape is on the sole, but it has to be multiple layers compacted down over the years.
Doug Ghim’s Scotty Cameron T-7 Prototype
This T-7 should win the award for “best color finish” in this list with its deep chromatic bronze. It looks like Scotty added a cherry bomb dot to the heel of the deep-milled face and filled it with a very dark blue paint. The rest of the putter looks pretty stock with its single site line on the topline and twin site lines down the “fangs” of the putter. Twin 5-gram weights are installed in the sole and the putter is finished off with a gloss black double bend shaft with a fill shaft offset.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic
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Project X’s Denali wood shafts have been seen in more and more golf bags this year as we start off the season. As a refresher, Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin model while Denali Black is for players seeking lower launch and spin.
Denali combines great feel with stability and increased ball speed. Currently, Project X only offers Denali Blue and Black in wood shafts, but we spotted a hybrid shaft in Daniel Berger’s bag at the 2024 Zurich Classic.
The shaft looks to be a Denali Blue 105G – HY in TX flex. No word on details from Project X yet but we can assume that this is a mid-launching shaft that weighs around 105 grams in Tour X-Stiff flex.
Berger has this shaft in his TaylorMade P770 3-iron, likely for some added launch and spin to hold the green from longer distances.
Hopefully, this means we will see some more shafts coming under the Denali name in the future, as I think many of us would like to try one in a hybrid or utility iron!
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic
- Check out in-hand photos of Daniel Berger’s full WITB here.
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Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)
View this post on Instagram A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx) Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)...
Daniel Berger WITB 2024 (April)
Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here. Driver:...
Rasmus Højgaard WITB 2024 (April)
Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)...
Rory McIlroy WITB 2024 (April)
Rory McIlroy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus...
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19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole3 days agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
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19th Hole3 days ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
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19th Hole1 week agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
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19th Hole1 week agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
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Gary
Jun 16, 2015 at 2:14 pm
Instead of using mallet would a impact driver work work?
Kevin
Dec 17, 2014 at 5:18 pm
I used to punch stamp my clubs but the results were not as good as I wanted. So after searching on the internet I found http://www.personaltouchsports.com These guys did amazing work. After going through them I would never punch stamp again!
Corey
Nov 8, 2014 at 1:29 pm
Where can I get that solid dot stamp and what’s the best way to fill in the stamps with paint
nik dallos
Feb 7, 2014 at 10:41 pm
I am embarrassed someone even had to give this tutorial. Next tip, how to tie laces on your shoes. And how to put new grips on your clubs! Man im a negative nantz. Feel free to swear at me and put me down.
melrosegod
Feb 7, 2014 at 4:31 pm
I have stamped a few wedges and I like the “not so clean look”. That said, layer 4 or 5 strips of masking tape to develop an indentation when you stamp. It will help you keep your die in place for multiple hits.
Tony
Feb 7, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Anyone tried this on Ping wedges? Specifically the Tour S’s.
Thx
Jon Deerman
Feb 6, 2014 at 12:43 pm
As a metal worker with stamping experience, I would suggest to practice your technique on an old club or scrap piece of metal. Many first timers (including myself at the beginning) will not place the stamp correctly, causing uneven stamps or even damage to the material itself. (This means you must take a grinder and remove material to take the “bad” stamp away, which could change the feel of your club) As all things with golf it comes with practice, so if you keep at it success will come. Just remember… don’t make your first stamp an attempt to do it on those new Vokey’s or Fourteens.
Eric Johnson
Feb 6, 2014 at 1:05 pm
Jon – good reminder. It was my experience that the spacing of the pins was difficult at first (instinctively I placed the stamps too far apart) and that the depth of the stamp was not uniform. It was when I struck the stamp from several different angles that I saw the best results. Any other suggestions from your experience?
Jon Deerman
Feb 6, 2014 at 2:37 pm
Don’t be afraid to swing the hammer harder then you think, it is steel and most of the time this is a problem leading to a dreaded double hit. (Same stamp, same location but slightly off) On ease of use, there are metal stamp holders which allow a number of pins(They very from size to price, ebay being the best source), will allow you to stamp it in one swing. You may have to go over a few of the stamps but it will be quicker. If there is a missed hit, rock the pin until it settles in the previous stamp, and rock it slightly to the unmarked area hitting it with the hammer. On spacing it is good to have a lined up one after the other method. The gaps between the pins are usually what size it is (1/8″ Stamp should have 1/8″ between letters). A cost effective approach is to put a light coat of removable metal paint marker (around $5) on the bottom of your pins, placing them where you would like to see them on your clubs. This should create a template for better spacing.
zack
Feb 5, 2014 at 6:03 pm
I have cleveland cg14 wedges and find them to be un-stampable. I was wondering if anybody has stamped a cg14 wedge before and can give me any tips
Eric Johnson
Feb 5, 2014 at 7:44 pm
Zack –
CG14 are the same wedges I use and have had success stamping them all (I have 5!). I would guess that your wedges are not set firmly enough in place or your hammer/mallet is not heavy enough.
Mark
Feb 5, 2014 at 4:34 pm
What size stamp should I buy? 1/8″ ?
Eric Johnson
Feb 5, 2014 at 5:58 pm
Yes 1/8″ is the size you normally see
John Moriarty
Feb 5, 2014 at 3:55 pm
You do not ruin the finish when you stamp into it. Also instead of masking tape us double sided tape where you are going to stamp. You can press the stamp in by hand first and it leaves a mark of the letter. It allows you to plan out a bit better. Also when you hammer away the stamp won’t slip since it’s held down by the tape.
Roberat Upton
Feb 5, 2014 at 2:52 pm
Frankly, that cheap square font on those punches looks amateurish, cheap and nasty to me ? Why would you want to de-value a relatively expensive club like that ?
Jack
Feb 6, 2014 at 3:09 am
Roberat, tons of golf pros have it done, so maybe we just want to be like them? I’ve not done it personally since it does affect the resale value.
Nate
Feb 7, 2014 at 4:16 pm
When I did mine I purchased a Comic Sans set of stamps instead of the block font (believe its Courier). There are also some design stamps people might find interesting, like a bird or clover. My vokeys get a clover for each chip-in or hole-out.
Anthony H Melia
Dec 27, 2020 at 10:22 am
Great idea, like a college football helmet! I’m stealing this.
Monster
Mar 30, 2014 at 8:59 am
Roberat, It is meant to look that way. Its personal, A wedge is to be used until the grooves are gone. They are not for real sale. Next time you’re working on the game, Put your driver down and Go practice some wedges.
Chris
Feb 5, 2014 at 2:50 pm
I always love the phrase “it is not as dangerous as you would think”
Kevin Hefner
Feb 5, 2014 at 2:33 pm
What happens to the plating on the wedge, if it is chrome plated or a black wedge?
Eric Johnson
Feb 5, 2014 at 3:03 pm
Kevin – I have had no wear issues stamping chrome plated and raw clubs. I personally have not stamped any darker finished clubs but cannot foresee any danger to the club’s integrity. If you’re worried about rust then I’d be sure to fill in your stamps with paint. Good luck with your “wedged” haha