Cabinet maker crafts wooden putters out of maple, oak & walnut

An avid golfer who owns a custom cabinetry businessin Calgary has found a way totransfer his woodworking skill set tothe green.

Todd Landsiedel, a self-described tinkerer who is always looking for a project, has started making putters out of maple, oak and walnut instead of the usual steel, titanium or brass.

The venture is called Blockhead Custom Putters, andLandsiedel told the Homestretch on Aug. 19 that when he uses the clubs, there is a noticeable difference in his game.

The golfer said he shot two of his best games whileusing one of his own wooden putters.

"The feel and the sound off of them are amazing," Landsiedelsaid. "They're far more responsive; you can feel the ball off of the face of the club, and the putt is a real true roll they work unbelievable."

'I can't sit still'

Landsiedelsaid he has an instinct to keep busy and seek outlets for his creativity, and it has previously led him to buildmemory boxes andminiature grandfather clocks.

Eventually he decided to take on a new challenge:makingan old-fashioned woodenputter with a flat face and a metal shaft.

"I can't sit still, and I started doing little projects in my home shop,"Landsiedelsaid. "One day, I decided I was going to try to mould a putterand that just intrigued me. And I just kept going."

Landsiedelhas since completed about 28 of them, and in a variety of shapes and sizes some that he describes as looking like a bullet, and others that are smaller and more traditional.

Trying to make putters appealed to him more than other clubs, he said, because the sheer variety sparked his imagination.

"[Other clubs] don't change that much through time," Landsiedelsaid. "It gives me a multitude of creations so I thought there was a lot of room to do creative stuff with putters."

What's next

After using the wooden putters in his own golf game and liking the result,Landsiedelsaid he is getting ready to start selling.

Blockhead Custom Putters will have a baseline price of around$175, but Landsiedelsaid that custom ordersand high-end woods will be negotiated with the seller.

And even while ironing out the business side,Landsiedelknows what project he is embarking on next.

"I'm getting into a child's line," he said. "You know, fun ones, that are going to be far less expensive."