Early Years and the Problem of Putting
Otey Crisman Jr. was a golf professional from Selma, Alabama, active in the 1940s. He was known as a strong ball striker but struggled with consistency on the greens. According to multiple golf equipment histories, Crisman began experimenting with putter design to improve his short game.
In 1946, while preparing for U.S. Open qualifying in Birmingham, Alabama, he created a prototype that would define his legacy. Crisman hand-crafted the first model in his shop in Selma, working with a local foundry to cast an aluminum head. He fitted the club with a hickory shaft and introduced a brass face insert to soften impact. The design included two lead weights positioned to the heel and toe, which produced a more centered balance and reduced twisting on off-center hits. This was a highly original approach for its time.
The 1946 U.S. Open Qualifier and the Birth of the “Otey”
At the 1946 U.S. Open qualifying round in Birmingham, Crisman used his new putter and recorded one of the lowest qualifying scores in the country. Reports from clubmaking archives suggest that his performance drew as much attention to the club as to his play. Fellow professionals noticed the feel and balance of the design and began asking for one of their own.
Recognizing the potential, Crisman founded a small business in Selma to manufacture putters under his name. He shaped each shaft by hand, turned and finished the wood, and balanced every club to his own standard. Antique Golf Scotland records that Crisman quickly realized his putter business could be more profitable than playing full time on tour, and by 1947 his workshop was supplying golfers across the professional ranks.
Jimmy Demaret and the 1947 Masters
One of the earliest and most significant victories associated with an Otey Crisman putter came in 1947. Jimmy Demaret, a three-time Masters champion, won that year’s tournament using an Otey putter. His performance included four sub-par rounds at Augusta National, the first time that had ever been accomplished. His total score of 281 gave him a two-stroke victory over Byron Nelson and Frank Stranahan.
The publicity surrounding Demaret’s win elevated the reputation of Crisman’s putters. Word spread quickly among professionals who valued precision and feel. Crisman was still hand-building every club in Alabama, and demand began to exceed his small shop’s capacity.
Adoption Across the Tours
Through the 1950s and 1960s, Otey putters gained steady traction among PGA, LPGA, and amateur players. Various reports suggest that at least six Masters champions used an Otey at some point in their careers, and that in the 1957 Masters, more than a quarter of the field carried one. Although full verification of these figures is not possible because equipment records from that era were rarely detailed, there is consistent anecdotal evidence that Otey putters were common among top players.
Miller Barber, who won seven PGA Tour events and twenty-eight Senior Tour titles, praised the design by saying, “An Otey gives you a live hit. I know where the ball is going every time.” That statement summarizes the appeal of the club’s design. It delivered tactile feedback that allowed skilled players to sense distance and alignment instantly.
Technical Innovations
Otey Crisman’s design anticipated many modern putter technologies. His brass insert softened feel at impact and improved sound feedback. His use of aluminum for the head reduced overall weight and allowed greater control over distribution. The heel-toe weighting created a more stable moment of inertia, which reduced twisting and promoted consistent roll.
Crisman continued to favor hickory shafts long after steel became standard. Each shaft was hand turned and matched individually to the head’s balance. This labor-intensive approach preserved the sense of connection between ball and player that became the hallmark of Otey craftsmanship.
The company’s emphasis on American-made, small-batch production distinguished it from larger brands that embraced mechanized processes. Every Otey was a product of human precision rather than industrial output.
The Ben Hogan and Veterans Story
Some accounts mention that Ben Hogan and Otey Crisman taught golf to wounded veterans after World War II. Research in credible archives and Hogan biographies does not verify this story. Hogan’s postwar period is well documented, including his recovery from a car accident in 1949 and his later instructional activities, but there is no reliable record of a joint teaching initiative with Crisman. This story may have originated as a local oral tradition rather than a documented event.
Champions Who Used Otey Putters
Several notable golfers have been associated with Otey putters. While exact tournament records are incomplete, the following names appear in collector archives, trade publications, and promotional materials:
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Jimmy Demaret
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Doug Ford
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Jack Burke Jr.
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Arnold Palmer
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Bob Goalby
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Cary Middlecoff
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Paul Runyan
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Rick Massengale
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Ben Crenshaw
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Tony Lema
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Carol Mann
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Mickey Wright
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Nancy Lopez
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Babe Didrikson Zaharias
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Chi-Chi Rodriguez
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Gary Player
These players represent multiple generations of champions. Even if not all used the putter in official play, many owned or tested an Otey model during their careers. The list underscores the respect the brand commanded in professional circles.
The Hickory Feel
The defining feature of every Otey putter was its “live hit.” Hickory, as a shaft material, transmitted vibration and feedback directly to the player’s hands. Combined with the brass insert, this gave golfers an unusually clear sense of contact. Crisman’s craftsmanship relied on subtle shaping rather than heavy finishing or weighting. Players described the feedback as immediate and precise, producing confidence on the greens.
Seventy years later, the principles of that design still influence putter engineering. Modern inserts made from polymer or composite materials serve the same purpose that Crisman’s brass insert did in 1946: improving touch and sound while maintaining consistent energy transfer.
Production in Selma
Crisman’s workshop in Selma became a small but influential operation. Family members and local craftsmen helped shape and finish the clubs. Production volumes were modest, but the quality was consistent. Otey putters were sold throughout the United States and were known for their craftsmanship and durability.
Each putter carried the distinctive “Otey” stamp on the sole or head. Collectors recognize several models, including the popular mallet shape with flared sides and the center-shafted brass-insert blade. Vintage examples often retain original hickory shafts and leather grips.
Transition and Continuation
As golf equipment evolved through the 1970s and 1980s, larger manufacturers like Ping, Wilson, and Titleist introduced high-volume cast putters with perimeter weighting and synthetic inserts. Otey remained a smaller maker focused on traditional design and workmanship.
The brand continued to operate into the 1990s, producing limited runs for collectors and players who valued the handmade approach. Over time, the company passed to Otey Crisman III, who maintained the family legacy and revived the brand with new models inspired by the original prototypes.
Today, the Otey Crisman name endures as a symbol of precision and craftsmanship in golf’s artisan tradition. A small operation in Selma continues to produce hand-built hickory and steel-shafted putters in tribute to Otey Jr.’s original vision.
Recognition and Legacy
The Otey Crisman putter remains part of golf’s craft heritage. Collectors and historians regard it as one of the earliest successful mallet designs. Its combination of aluminum, brass, and wood embodied innovation at a time when most putters were still simple forged blades.
Several golf museums and private collections include Otey models as examples of mid-century American ingenuity. Auction listings frequently feature restored or original Otey putters, often emphasizing their balance and historical significance.
A 2025 feature by Alabama Public Radio profiled the Crisman family and their continuing work in traditional clubmaking. The report described how Otey’s techniques are being preserved and taught to new generations of craftsmen in Selma.
The Broader Impact
Otey Crisman’s work influenced not only the design of putters but also the broader understanding of balance, weighting, and feedback in clubmaking. His approach prefigured the scientific methods that modern manufacturers now use to measure face rotation, impact dynamics, and center of gravity.
By prioritizing feel over mechanics, Crisman represented an era when craftsmanship and intuition guided innovation. His designs proved that technological progress could coexist with artistry. The “live hit” that golfers described remains one of the highest compliments a putter can receive.
Lasting Appeal
Today, an original Otey putter represents more than a collectible item. It is a tangible connection to golf’s postwar transformation, when independent craftsmen shaped the equipment that defined a generation of champions. The simple, elegant form of Crisman’s design still appeals to golfers who appreciate precision over branding.
Restored Otey putters often perform well even by modern standards. The combination of balance, soft feel, and feedback allows players to develop a smoother stroke and better distance control. Many contemporary golfers who try a vintage Otey describe the same sensation Miller Barber mentioned decades ago—the sense that the club tells you exactly where the ball is going.
Conclusion
Otey Crisman’s career began with the pursuit of a better putter for his own game. That pursuit evolved into one of the most respected independent brands in golf history. His work bridged the gap between traditional craftsmanship and forward-looking design, influencing generations of players and manufacturers.
From Selma workshops to the greens of Augusta National, the Otey Crisman name became synonymous with precision, feedback, and authenticity. Seventy-plus years after the first mallet left his bench, the putters that bear his name still capture the qualities that define golf at its best: skill, simplicity, and connection between maker, tool, and player.