Quest for the Zone: The Story of Von’s Golf and Gauge Design

I admit it. I’ve always wanted to build a really superb putter. There is something magical about a great flat stick, and though there are plenty of fine designs available I always figured that I could do better. I am not alone. There are more people making putters than there are making all other club types combined. One web site has links to over 100 putter manufacturers. I’ll bet that even the most unrepentant putter junkie can’t name more than 30 of them. What drives these folks? In a world where most people buy putters made by fewer than 10 manufacturers, why do new companies think they can compete? I think that the answer is as American as apple pie: They think they can do the job better. With this ethos in mind, I set out to find two small putter manufacturers who were not well known, but showed promise. My search yielded two simultaneously very different, yet oddly similar manufacturers: Gauge Design (www.gaugedesigns.com) of Solana Beach, California and Von’s Golf (www.vonsgolf.com) of Seattle, Washington.

Jim Von Lossow has spent a life in golf, a high school and college standout, a tour player and finally a teaching pro for the last 18 years. Still, it was his own dissatisfaction that led him to try and build a better mousetrap. Von Lossow says, “Missing putts drove me to design my own putter. I was frustrated at the marketplace in general which did not offer any weighted putter heads, especially for players wanting a shorter overall length club. Many of us use a putter as short as 33" and with the standard weight heads there was no way you could achieve good feel. They were just way too light, so controlling the stroke was impossible. With that in mind I set out on the path I am on today: Making a putter head with classic lines and superior feel, one which has extremely solid feedback and keeps its position throughout the stroke. Our heavy heads were an invention of necessity and have been refined at every turn.”

David Whitlam of Gauge Design has been in the golf industry for more than 19 years. He has worked in retail and marketing, and for companies large (Odyssey) and small (Plop). With his experience and a degree in accounting, Whitlam finally decided to build his own company from the ground up. “In the U.S. we are slowly building up a following. The people who know of us know we manufacture a 100% CNC milled putter from a solid block of material...not like the competition who simply weld on their hosels. Our customers know that they are getting one of the finest machined putters in the industry. Our putters are not cheap nor are they are the most expensive. For some of my tour models and one of a kinds I am getting upwards of $1000. Our regular production models are $285 and $275.”

Let’s face it: The driver and the putter have got to look the part. Maybe it's because we use them the most, or because they are the hardest clubs to master. No matter, if a golfer looks down at his putter and doesn't like what he sees, he's bound to miss more putts than he makes. That said, looks aren't everything. Solid construction and proper design are just as significant. It's important to recall that when Karsten Solheim first started taking his new putter design, what we all now know as the venerable Anser, around to golf courses trying to find converts to his radical heel and toe weighted design the response was universal: The putter was thought to be very ugly.

The now classic shape has become so recognizable, so totally accepted, that only the most stalwart 8802-wielding codger would call the Anser ugly today. Still, its look can be improved. The folks at Titleist and Bettinardi have really upped the cosmetic ante with their embellishments to the humble, cast Anser that old Karsten gave us so many years ago. To my eye, they have chosen to make collectible golf jewelry. I have nothing against their putters (I used a coke-stripped Cameron Santa Fe for years) but it's no secret that their success is built upon looks and image, not performance.

The Von’s putter that I evaluated is called the SS 398. Not surprisingly, its shape is based on the venerable Anser. Its head is quite heavy at 375 grams. The Gauge model that I received is called the GAA2. Its look is rather a cross between a pintail like the Cameron Coronado, a cavity back like the Ping Ally and a little bit of a Kevin Burns 9304. The look is very clean, and the putter features a Gauge Design feature called Aluinser which is basically an aluminum plate that is pressed into the putter’s sole directly behind and beneath the hitting area.

My local course is Robinson Ranch. It was designed and is owned by Ted Robinson and his son, Ted Jr. There are two courses (Mountain and Valley) on the 400 acre piece of semi-arid hills and oak lined canyons. The Valley course is very tough and quite long, with lots of difficult view lines and angles off the tees. The Mountain course is shorter and a bit less demanding, though by no means easy. While the courses are impressive, what really keeps me coming back is their practice putting green. It is amazing bordering on the magical. I have seen guys who have played at some of the very best private clubs marvel at the purity of its roll and its frightening pace (11+ on the Stimp, at least). The good news is that it's pretty mild in terms of its slope and there are some straight putts on it. It is the perfect place to check one's stroke, or one's putter.

Von's putters are unique, custom crafted instruments tailored to each player's particular and specific needs. To Von Lossow, heavier putters mean more control, less wobble and thus greater accuracy. Accuracy leads to more putts finding the hole and then greater confidence. Sounds good to me. The heft of the Vons just feels right, and feels right immediately. On long putts, it's easy to swing the putter smoothly and sense the speed required for the distance and break. On shorter putts, the mass of the head serves to calm the stroke and increase the player's awareness of the head's momentum. Best of all was the buttery feel of this putter and the delightful sound of impact. Both are indescribable, yet they are the best that I’ve experienced. The net result? Good strokes and a good number of putts that found the bottom. What more could you want?

The Vons SS 398 is a clean and pure looking putter. There is something about it that says, "Hey, laddie...I'm here to help you put the ball in the hole...make a good stroke!" The face is smooth and free of the Cameron and Bettinardi favored, if somewhat ostentatious, "Milling Marks." The Vons is finished in a tool-like satin that creates no glare even in the brightest sunlight. Really, it reminds me of a fine German tool that you’d find in a velvet-lined, hardwood tool box. There is no plating to wear out or get damaged by fertilizer (can't the boys at Titleist make a truly durable finish?). All in all, the Vons is a serious looking putter for the serious player. The Vons can be had in either steel or bronze, and with a choice of three different hosel lengths.

The Gauge Design GAA2 is an exceptionally attractive and elegant putter. The lines are straight without being sharp or abrupt and the finish is impeccable. On close examination I was unable to find a single burr or tool mark on the entire putter. That’s really quite amazing, and a first in my experience. The sole of the putter is cambered six ways in an attempt to guide the player to setting the blade behind the ball with the loft and the lie as they are intended. Though I did not measure it, the lie of the Gauge would appear to be a couple degrees more upright than either the Vons or my reference Ping Anser. I like the theory of the Aluinser (at least I will assume that this is the theory, as it makes intuitive sense to me.). The idea in putting is to roll the ball toward and into the hole. When a putter (as most do) positions mass beneath the ball and to the rear of the flange, the momentum of that mass tends to cause the ball to skid a little following impact. Since the Aluinser plate is lighter than the steel of the rest of the head, there’s less mass beneath the ball so there’s less initial skid effect.

I found the Gauge GAA2 very easy to align squarely behind the ball. The sole cambers took a bit of getting used to though in the end I’m sure that they did help. The GAA2 didn’t quite have the buttery smoothness of the Vons, instead its feel was crisp, with lots of pop. Solidly hit putts rolled very tightly and held their line exceptionally well. While the clean look and precise feel made straight putts easy, I had a somewhat more difficult time getting the break and speed of putts right with the Gauge. Still, this should be seen far more as a reflection of my skill (or lack thereof) rather than a failing of the putter. The fine Gauge Design web site shows a wealth of other models. The GAA2 is but one of many, and I have no doubt that I might have found another of their models more in line with my own style. Still, taken on its own, the Gauge Design GAA2 is still very much a winner.

Von Lossow and Whitlam both have their own views about the putter market, which comes as no surprise. I asked both of them whether they has any particular influences, or, dare I say heroes in the business. Von Lossow says, “Karsten Solheim without a doubt has affected golf and putters in a profound way. His innovations and skills have produced a never before seen array of putter heads, shapes and materials. He is my hero when it comes to putter design, development and playability. All the rest of us have taken his lead and bumped it up the next level. His foresight and engineering skills brought a better club to the masses and it has allowed so many more of us to enjoy the game even more.”

Whitlam’s take is a bit different, but he too credits Solheim and another well known, one might say even mythic, figure in putting circles. “Why try to reinvent perfection? People refer to Cameron’s stuff as Camerons. I call them all Ansers because that is what they are. Cameron was not a great influence in terms of design or originality, but I respect the guy because he was one of the first to go large with pricey putters. After all golf happens to be one of the greatest marketing games in sports: What Cameron was able to do was make a great putter pretty. Not better, just prettier. Ping has not quite figured that out. But, that’s not their market now is it? It all started with Karsten, but Cameron is the reason that I am able to sell a few putters in the U.S. for $300 to $1000, not Karsten.”

Still, Whitlam is not too cynical. He obviously is proud of Gauge Design’s success so far. “This has been the greatest experience I could have ever wished for: I am at the helm of my own ship and steering it in the direction that I want. I am in an industry that is a blast, though it doesn’t pay the best. I have seen people come and go. The unique thing is that everyone is always trying to better their game.”

Does the world really need another putter company. let alone two? Von Lossow thinks so. “Oh heck yes, we can always use another good putter in the marketplace. Golfers will hear of the latest new sensation and quickly flock to it. Golf is such a fickle game, one day in the penthouse, the next in the outhouse. We need new products to keep our spirits up and to give us all hope that we too, one day, will play like the pros we see on TV. We all want that magical day on the greens when the hole swallows up the ball with such ease and we get an inkling of being in the zone.” That must be it, the quest for the zone.

There’s just no logical reason to get into the business of making putters. But, despite all of our best efforts there’s no logical reason for our love of golf, save for its essential and timeless beauty. Putters are like that too. We see and judge them as ugly or beautiful, as useless or essential. Very often the slightest curvature or line will catch our eye, just as when we see a car that we like and then we’re hooked. Feel is even harder to quantify. Is it a function of mass? Is it a function of materials? Or, could our perception of feel be affected by the sound a putter makes when it strikes the ball? For me, I know that this is essential. I need to hear the pureness of impact as well as feel it. The perfection of being in the zone is its scarceness, its inescapable brevity. Von Lossow and Whitlam are just trying to make your stay in The Zone that much longer and that much sweeter. I guess that’s reason enough.