Taylor Montgomery uses 10-year-old putter that he repaints himself

The East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., combines sheer length with thick rough, which places a premium on the tee ball. But the PGA Championship host venue also threatens par with its uniquely undulating and elevated green complexes, which are protected by deep bunkering and steep run-offs.

One small, short-sided miscue on an approach can leave players with a near-impossible pitch shot to place within gimmie range.

A hot putter can be a cure-all to save pars this week, and few putters run hotter than Taylor Montgomery’s TaylorMade Ghost Spider S putter from 2013 – interestingly, the same year that Oak Hill last hosted the PGA Championship.

Using the decade-old putter, the 28-year-old currently leads the PGA TOUR in putting average, overall putting average, one-putt percentage, and putts per round. He also ranks 3rd in Strokes Gained: Putting.

On Tuesday, GolfWRX.com got an up-close look at Montgomery’s putter, in all of its self-repaired glory.

Montgomery has had the putter since his college days at UNLV, and while he’s had brief stints with other flat sticks, most of his professional success has been with the old Ghost. His putter has a uniquely low-lofted face, measuring between just 1-1.5 degrees, which helps balance out the back-weighted, highly forgiving mallet design. Due to the center of gravity of the putter, a higher loft would launch the ball too high, sacrificing a clean roll across the putting surface. The lower loft, however, helps induce a quicker roll.

Montgomery also likes the putter for how it sits on the putting surface – he has a nearly identical backup that’s in much better condition, but it just doesn’t sit and perform the same.

A decade ago, his gamer was covered in fresh white paint. Now, the putter is covered in layer-upon-layer of do-it-yourself paint jobs, executed by Montgomery himself. In a way, it could be said that Taylor’s TaylorMade putter is indeed Taylor-made. He said he uses white spray paint.

To protect the Surlyn “Pure Roll” insert on the face from catching unwanted paint splatter, he applies common blue painter’s tape.

According to Montgomery, his only real concern is ensuring that the toplines of the putter remain visible and crisp so he can properly align himself to the target. The remaining surface area of the putter is merely cosmetic.

While most of his PGA Championship competitors rely on high-end, custom putter builds, Montgomery is using a decade-old putter that he paints himself and which would fetch on the third-party, used-putter market, approximately $50 to $150.

Say what you will about his re-painting skills, but Montgomery’s craftsmanship has helped him produce more one putts in this PGA TOUR season than any other player.

Montgomery’s putter has seen a lot through the years, but it’s never seen the PGA Championship. Consider it a new endeavor for the both of them.