{"id":896908,"date":"2026-09-18T19:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/896908\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T19:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:58:11","slug":"the-story-behind-tony-finaus-bizzare-hockey-stick-putter-grip-gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/896908\/","title":{"rendered":"The story behind Tony Finau’s bizzare hockey-stick putter grip | Gear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Fully Equipped\u2019s\u00a0weekly Tour equipment report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants),\u00a0GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh<\/a>\u00a0runs you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.<\/p>\n

When Tony Finau<\/a> was spotted trying out a unique split grip broomstick putting method<\/a> earlier this season in Charlotte, a light went off in Tim Wright\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looked like he was holding a hockey shaft,\u201d Wright told GOLF. \u201cAnd yeah, I saw that and my immediate thought was, gosh, my setup would be so much better, you know, might work for Tony.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no shock that Finau\u2019s hockey-style grip clicked for Wright. He\u2019s the founder, inventor and CEO of Caliber Golf, a Wisconsin-based putter grip company. Caliber\u2019s main product is a unique hockey-stick-like putter grip that attaches to a traditional putter shaft and runs nearly down to the putter head.<\/p>\n

A few months later, Finau is using Caliber\u2019s hockey-stick grip this week at the PGA Tour\u2019s Biltmore Championship in what Wright called a \u201cbreakaway moment\u201d for the company, borrowing a hockey term.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a dream, for any golf company that\u2019s out there on that PGA Show floor, just waiting to get recognized on the Tour,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause that\u2019s the ultimate goal is finding something that would work for one. All it would take is one player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finau never actually put the broomstick putter in play, but about four weeks ago, Wright got a call from Finau\u2019s team that he was interested in trying out one of the Caliber grips.<\/p>\n

Wright built a Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset<\/a>, the putter Finau has been using since January<\/a>, with the tackier version of Caliber\u2019s two grip options. He made the putter one inch longer (38\u2033) than Finau\u2019s typical build to allow Finau to experiment on his own with where he wanted to place his hands. Given the weight distribution of the grip, Wright says the feel is significantly altered based on your hand placement.<\/p>\n

Got some other angles from PGA Tour Live and it does appear to be a grip from Caliber Golf, a hockey-inspired grip maker out of Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Saw them at the PGA Show in 2025 and can attest the grip does give a putter a unique feeling of stability. https:\/\/t.co\/sWv5oLHFaD<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2Ba78ZYcnz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jack Hirsh (@JR_HIRSHey) September 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

He sent it off to Finau at his home at Utah and didn\u2019t hear anything until last week. Finau called him directly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinking, \u2018Oh my gosh, Tony Finau is calling me,\u2019 But that could be one of two things,\u201d Wright said. \u201cHe needs a different setup, which is fine, but it turned out he just had a really simple question.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo he said, \u2018Tim, you gotta tell me, is this legal? Because it hasn\u2019t left my bag since I received it. And I just need confirmation.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Wright worked directly with the USGA over the past eight years while creating the grip to ensure it would be legal for play. Wright\u2019s original idea was a hockey shaft, but that proved difficult as hockey shafts wouldn\u2019t deflect equally in all directions is is required of a putter shaft under USGA rules, he said.<\/p>\n

The solution was to create a hockey-shaft-like grip that would be installed over a traditional shaft.<\/p>\n


\n \"PING
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View Product<\/a><\/p>\n

All Finau needed was Wright\u2019s reassurance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe actually said, \u2018You have a really cool product,\u2019 and that is a direct quote,\u201d Wright said proudly. \u201cAnd I loved hearing that because for someone to put something together like this, believed in the product myself. And then I start selling them through the online channel that we have, to hear that at the highest level, it\u2019s pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finau isn\u2019t using a split grip with the putter this week, although Wright says many players, including himself, opt for that. But the unique square shape, Wright said, helps a player stabilize the wrists unless they actively try to rotate them.<\/p>\n

This week in North Carolina, Finau missed the cut after rounds of 78-71 where he lost more than seven strokes tee-to-green, but it provided a huge week of exposure for the small company.<\/p>\n

Dahmen gives Hanna Golf it\u2019s biggest moment yet<\/p>\n

Joel Dahmen is gaming a new Hanna Golf Co. Denver putter this week. <\/p>\n

Spoke with company founder @DoerflerJared<\/a> this morning who said it’s the first time the small boutique milled putter company out of Iowa has had their putter in play on the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n

Doerfler said Dahmen has\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/hZ5ZqNXa02<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jack Hirsh (@JR_HIRSHey) September 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Finau isn\u2019t the only big name giving a small brand huge exposure this week.<\/p>\n

Joel Dahmen<\/a> is also marking the PGA Tour debut of boutique putter maker Hanna Golf Co. by gaming a custom version of their Denver mallet this week at Walnut Cove.<\/p>\n

Founder Jared Doerfler told GOLF it was the biggest moment in the three-year-old brand\u2019s short history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no monetary value attached to this, and you know if he does well, sure, maybe you get a few orders here and there from it. I don\u2019t really care,\u201d Doerfler said. \u201cThe fact that we have somebody on the PGA Tour playing our putters, that\u2019s the coolest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dahmen and Hanna have actually been connected since Doerfler quit his job in 2023 to launch the brand out of his garage in Iowa, with just one CNC milling machine and no knowledge of how to use it. Dahmen purchased a putter through the company\u2019s website just weeks after their launch with no prior contact. Doerfler wasn\u2019t even sure it was really him.<\/p>\n

It was the PGA Tour winner and Netflix\u2019s \u201cFull Swing\u201d favorite<\/a>, who about a month later said he used the putter to shoot 60 in a casual round. Since then, short of putting the putter in play on Tour, Dahmen has been a supporter of the brand, helping Doerfler make connections in the industry and even using Hanna Golf putters in sponsor-related appearances.<\/p>\n

But late last month, Dahmen decided he wanted to test several putters during off time between the Wyndham Championship and this week. He reached out to Hanna to build him a putter for that test, but the small team would only have about a week and a half to turn it around.<\/p>\n

Doerfler and his team put in a 17-hour day milling and creating a modified version of the Denver mallet for Dahmen to test. Dahmen loved the basic shape of the Denver, and had putted well with it in the past, but needed some visual adjustments. Hanna changed some corners and the top-line tool paths to make the putter appear more narrow, adding a Battleship Grey finish.<\/p>\n

Those changes ended up being a winner and Dahmen told Doerfler just before he started his round on Thursday that the putter was going in the bag.<\/p>\n

\u201cDays like yesterday were pretty cool, probably the coolest day of my professional career,\u201d Doerfler said Friday. \u201c[Joel] really came up the ranks and was a huge underdog. And he\u2019s been really successful in what he\u2019s done. And I think he just kind of sees that in us a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dahmen opened with a 33 on his front nine Thursday, but slowly backed up and will miss the cut. <\/p>\n

Doerfler didn\u2019t see the putter going in the bag as being the ultimate goal though. There\u2019s still more to do to establish his brand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not winning. I don\u2019t think [it\u2019s] success, but I just think it\u2019s part of the path to success and part of the journey,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the biggest milestone we\u2019ve ever had by far, and it just validates where we\u2019re at in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check this out<\/p>\n

This section is dedicated to cool photos we\u2019ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven\u2019t had a reason to share yet. This week, check out Jacob Bridgeman\u2019s TaylorMade Qi4D 9-wood, which is bent to a 7-wood spec.<\/p>\n

\"Jacob
\n Jacob Bridgeman\u2019s 9-wood is a 7-wood spec.<\/p>\n

Jack Hirsh\/GOLF<\/p>\n

Odds and Ends<\/p>\n

Some other gear changes and notes we\u2019re tracking this week.<\/p>\n

Srixon launched new golf balls on the PGA Tour this week<\/a> with promotional videos that seem to indicate one is a new Z-Star Diamond <\/a>\u2026 Titleist \u201csplit arrow\u201d Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls appeared on the USGA conforming list<\/a> \u2026 Neal Shipley has a new Ping i240 4-iron this week with reduced offset \u2026 At the BMW PGA Championship in England, Adam Scott switched to the new Titleist GTS2 driver<\/a> from his longtime GT2 \u2026 Nicolai Hojgaard has a new Odyssey Ai One Milled Eight T<\/a> with a custom butane finish in the bag this week \u2026 Tommy Morrison switched to a silver Odyssey TRTL double bend and Callaway Chrome Tour golf ball on his own on the Korn Ferry Tour \u2026 Shane Lowry switched to a double bend putter hosel<\/a> before his Irish Open win \u2026 Billy Horschel<\/a> and Brice Garnett switched into Odyssey\u2019s TRTL prototype.<\/p>\n