In
the early 1960's T.P. Mills was a scratch golfer. He believed
he could design and produce a putter that would be superior
to the one he used. That was the start of the T.P. Mills Co.
Today that same desire still motivates the T.P. Mills co.
to make a better putter. Starting with little more that basic
hand tools and unformed blocks of carbon steel. T.P. Mills
began designing shaping and building true handmade putters
that would lead a whole industry. For over 40 years the T.P.Mills
co has set the standard by which all carbon-steel putters
are measured. Along the way the company has collected a filing
cabinet full of patents. T.P. Mills Co. designs continue to
be copied by putter manufacturers to this day.
T.P.
Mills began tinkering with putter design in the early 1960s
at a time when the putter was the cheapest and possibly worst
designed club in the golf bag. Having tried putting with all
the most popular models of that day, he began his work to
design one that was better than current models of the time,
thus enabling average golfers as well as professionals to
improve their putting. Little thought had been given to the
function of most putters from a scientific standpoint. The
center of gravity or the "sweet spot" was not marked
on most putters or if marked was not placed in the proper
spot. Also, the putter shafts used were basically the same
shafts used in wood and iron clubs, just cut to shorter lengths.
The
former aviation instructor and U.S. postman started correcting
these problems by designing his own grips, special shafts
and putter models by paying particular attention to the above
mentioned as well as weight, loft, lie, hosel design and the
size and shape of the flange. The correct balance of the putter
is very important to the Mills Co., something that is often
over looked in many of today’s putters. If you already
own Mills handmade you have a virtual "mastermodel"
because no two have ever been created exactly the same. "Every
putter I make is different in that it is suited to the individual,"
Mills has always said. The perfect balance and fit of a Mills
handmade putter is born out in their use to win many of golf’s
major championships, and virtually all of the PGA Tour events
and many of the top amateur tournaments around the world.
T.P.
Mills’s handmade putters have been treasured by Five
presidents of the United States as well as Prime ministers,
national and foreign dignitaries, celebrities and nearly every
tour player that has graced this great game. The T.P. Mills
company has letters of gratitude from such people along with
the accompaniment of personal checks, payment for the clubs.
Let there be no mistake, T.P. Mills was responsible for taking
a club that sold for $35 to $45 and through great craftsmanship
and originality turning it into something that sold for several
hundred even thousands of dollars. T.P. Mills turned putter
manufacturing into putter designing and then into the art
of making a putter. Many of the top putter designers of the
last 20 years are collectors of T.P.'s work. Yet, T. P. and
David will be the first to say that there is no magic wand.
"Its still the puttee’ more than the putter,"
"But if you get the putter where you like the feel of
it, the weight, balance and loft are right for you, the "sweet
spot" is where it should be and the shaft flex is correct,
that’s as far as you can go."
Today
the T.P. Mills Co. runs under the leadership of T.P.’s
son David and his talent and craftsmanship are well recognized
among the top PGA tour players and amateur players around
the world. And whose handmade models have won many current
PGA Tour and European events ensuring the family a proud tradition
of making handmade's one at a time. The Mills family continues
to design and develop new models with each one being a putter
of precision craftsmanship that many believe cannot be matched.
