The Complete Otey Crisman Putter Identification & Dating Guide

Est. 1946 · Selma, Alabama

If you have an Otey Crisman putter that belonged to you, your father, or your grandfather, this guide is for you. Otey putters have been turning up in attics, garages, gift cabinets, and the back of golf bags for the better part of eighty years. Many of them are misidentified, misdated, or quietly worth more than their owners realize.

We get questions about these putters every single day. So we pulled out a stack of original Otey Crisman catalogs, some of which had been sitting in a Selma showroom for decades, and built the most complete identification reference that exists anywhere. This is that reference. It pulls from catalogs spanning the 1960s through the present, and it covers every model, every shaft option, and every dating cue we have on file.

If at any point you would rather just send the putter to us and let Otey Crisman III look at it himself, scroll to the bottom. The refurbishment service is open and covers return shipping.

Why an Otey Matters

A few facts worth knowing before you start identifying the putter in your hands:

• Founded in 1946 in Selma, Alabama by William Otey Crisman Jr.
• Five Masters Tournament victories between 1947 and 1957.
• At the 1957 Masters, twenty-seven competitors in the field used an Otey Crisman putter.
• More than 600,000 putters sold across the brand's history.
• More than 100 PGA and LPGA victories are associated with the brand.
• A 1993 Golf Digest feature placed the Otey Crisman putter in the same conversation as the most historically significant putters ever made.

The brand is now run by Otey Crisman III, the founder's grandson. Every modern Otey is built by him, by hand, in Selma. The shop produces about twenty putters a week. The lathe is older than most PGA Tour players.

That history is the reason your old Otey is worth identifying properly.

How to Date Your Otey Putter

Three things on the putter tell you when it was made: the head stamp, the grip cap, and the grip itself. Read them together for the cleanest answer.

The Head Stamp

The block-letter pre-1946 stamps are the rarest of all. They predate the formal company. If you see individual stamped letters rather than a connected script, treat it as a serious find.

The Grip Cap

The cap on the top of the grip is a quiet but reliable date check. Most owners have never noticed theirs.

If your putter has the red and black cap, you are holding an Otey from the company's strongest era.

The Grip Itself

Three reads, three answers. Stamp, cap, grip. If they roughly agree, you have your era.

Decoding the Letters and Numbers

Otey codes look cryptic until you know the convention. Then they describe the entire putter at a glance.

Letter Codes

How the Numbers Work

The numbers are the model. They are mostly sequential. The model number tells you the head shape and design.

A leading "2" most often signals the left-hand version of the right-hand model with the same trailing digits. Examples:

• 27 LH is the lefty version of 7 RH
• 24 LH is the lefty version of the Model 4 / Model 51 family
• 212 LH is the lefty version of 12 RH
• 218 LH is the lefty version of 18 RH
• 270 LH is the lefty version of 70 RH
• 264 LH is the lefty version of 164 RH

Two important exceptions: the 21 and the 23 are right-hand blades despite the leading 2. Don't assume.

Reading a Full Code

When you see something like "B20HB," read it left to right as: shape, model, shaft, insert. So B20HB is shape B, model 20, hickory shaft, brass insert. "70HB" is model 70 with a hickory shaft and a brass insert. "70S" is the same head with a steel shaft and no insert.

The Master Otey Catalog

Below is every model we found across every catalog. We have organized it by category. Many of these models have not appeared anywhere else online before.

Mallets

The mallet is the shape Otey is best known for. The Model 70 is the most popular Otey ever made. Most of the brand's championship history was won with a Model 70 in someone's hands.

• Model 4 / 4 HB. Large goose-neck aluminum head. Most popular with brass insert and hickory shaft. Soft lead behind the brass insert for weight and feel.
• Model 5. Large flat goose-neck mallet with extremely deep face. Square hosel in hickory and AT, round hosel in others.
• Model 6. Deep-faced goose-neck head. Square hosel in hickory and AT, round hosel in all other shafts.
• Model 7 / 7 HB. Small goose-neck with flange on top to help alignment. Round hosel in all shafts.
• Model 8. Cross between mallet head and blade. Double goose-neck for center-shaft balance. Upright or medium lie.
• Model 9. Center-shaft double goose-neck with round hosel. Available in hickory, steel, glass, and bamboo.
• Model 10. Center-shaft aluminum head. Right or left hand. Square hosel in hickory and AT.
• Model 11 / 11 H. Large mallet with reverse goose-neck. Deep face is fully visible to the eye. Square hosel and shaft.
• Model 12 / 12 H. Flanged straight-neck mallet. Flat top hosel, shaft, and grip.
• Model 16 HB / 16 HBW. Large pear-shaped mallet with straight neck. The HBW version carries walnut lamination as a Super Deluxe.
• Model 17 / 17 H. Large flanged mallet with recessed goose-neck hosel. Full face visible to the golfer.
• Model 18 HB / 18 HBW. Large pear-shaped goose-neck mallet, round hosel only. The HBW carries walnut. Available LH as 218 HB / 218 HBW.
• Model 18 SBW. Ultra-premium steel-shafted mallet with brass insert and hand-tied leather grip. Limited edition.
• Model 19 HB. Long, keen goose-neck head with extremely long neck. Round hosel and brass insert only.
• Model 40. Same head as Model 4, only shorter and more compact. Five-eighths inch shorter in 1960s spec.
• Model 41 / 41 H. Flanged double goose-neck mallet, square hosel. Available in steel, glass, and bamboo.
• Model 44 HB. Long thin mallet with the same goose-neck as Model 4. Squared features to help alignment.
• Model 51. Medium-large goose-neck aluminum mallet with deep face and beautiful balance. One of the most popular models in the 1960s.
• Model 70 HB. The classic Otey mallet. Small mallet with round goose-neck hosel and brass insert. Round leather grip standard. Available LH as 270 HB. The most popular Otey ever made.
• Model 70 ABT. 70 series mallet with square aluminum (Tru-Square) shaft. The tour-favorite shaft variant.
• Model 70 ABR. 70 series mallet with round aluminum shaft.
• Model 70 SB. 70 series mallet with steel shaft and brass insert.
• Model 71 H / 71 HB. Goose-neck model similar to Model 12. Flat top hosel in hickory.
• Model 72 H. Small, deep-faced mallet with round goose-neck hosel.
• Model 73 H. Small pear-shaped head with round goose-neck hosel.
• Model 74 H / 74 HB. Special goose-neck head originally made for square aluminum or square hickory shafts. Works with any shaft.
• Model 75 H. Long, thin slightly goosed mallet with slight offset and flat top grip. Center brass core for weight in 1986 spec.
• Model 77 H. Very small upright head with flat top hosel in hickory. All shafts available except AT.
• Model 95. Large shallow center-shafted head. Double goose-neck round hosel. Face in line with front of shaft.
• Model 99 / 99 H. Center-shaft classic style mallet. Same as Model 9 except no goose-neck. Lead weighting for balance in the 1986 spec.
• Model 164 H. Long, thin straight-neck mallet. Flat top hosel, shaft, and grip. Available LH as 264 H.
• Model 184 H. Long, thin mallet with accentuated goose-neck.
• Model 700 H. Same as Model 70 except no goose-neck. Small straight-neck mallet, round grip.
• Model 720. Same as Model 72 but without the goose-neck.
• Stylist HB. Medium round mallet with shallow face and offset hosel. Brass insert.
• Stylist HD. Medium round mallet with fiberglass face insert backed by soft lead. Soft touch on contact.

Blades

The blade catalog is broader than most owners realize. There are rocker blades, flanged blades, center-shaft blades, gooseneck blades, and a handful of named specialty models that get their own dedicated copy in the original catalogs.

• Model 1. Thin bronze gooseneck blade with square hosel.
• Model 2 H. Deep-face flanged blade with slight offset. Round grip.
• Model 3. Bronze center-shaft blade. Available right or left hand. Square hosel and shaft in hickory.
• Model 14. Long shallow bronze blade with extra goose-neck.
• Model 15. Bronze center-shaft goose-neck blade. Light head, suited to fast greens.
• Model 20 SP. Thin blade with three-quarter goose-neck. Available in steel, hickory, and glass.
• Model 21 H. Bronze goose-neck blade with broad flange on the sole. One of the most popular blades.
• Model 23 H. Bronze blade with straight neck and flange on back. Square hosel in hickory.
• Model 25. Bronze model with goose-neck and center shaft. Square hosel in hickory.
• Model 26 H. Straight-neck Armour-type bronze blade.
• Model 29 H. Muscle-back center-shafted blade with slight offset.
• Model 30 H. Center-shafted flanged blade with rocker-style heel. Slight goose-neck.
• Model 31 H. Popular straight-face bronze blade with bulge on back to center weight behind the ball.
• Model 32. Bronze blade built to look like a mallet. Mallet-thin metal in the face with broad flat flange in back.
• Model 33 H. Beautifully balanced rocker head in special yellow brass alloy.
• Model 34. Soft Stainless Steel blade. Keen blade with flat top hosel, shaft, and grip in hickory. Tarnish-proof. A premium 1960s configuration.
• Model 35 H. Compact, semi-center-shaft goose-neck bronze blade. Light head, suited to slick greens.
• Model 36 H. Same head as the 35, no goose-neck.
• Model 37 H. Muscle-back slightly goosed bronze blade. Available LH.
• Model 38 H. Goose-neck Armour-type bronze blade. Heavy head good for slow greens. Available LH as 238 H.
• Model 39 H. Center-shaft bronze blade with flange on back. Heavy, perfectly balanced. Good for slow heavy greens. Available LH as 239 H.
• Model 67. Rocker head with the back of the face cut out to increase weight in toe and heel. Larger sweet spot, better balance.
• Model 68. Bell-type head with large flanged sole. Deep face, thin metal at the hitting area.
• Model 69 / 69 GN / 69 DGN. Large flanged blade with open back. Three goose-neck variants. Steel shaft only. Rubber paddle and Pro Only grip standard.
• Model 200 H. Center-shafted flanged blade design with slight offset.
• Model 238 H. Left-hand version of Model 38.
• Model 239 H. Left-hand version of Model 39.
• Model 340 H. Keen bronze blade with flat top hosel, shaft, and grip in hickory. Slight offset. Available LH.
• Cat Eye. Model 67 with a fiberglass eye in the hitting area for soft feel on contact. Right or left hand.
• Eagle Eye. Made with a fluted steel shaft, customizable to any length or lie. Rubber paddle grip standard.
• Golden Touch / Golden Touch H. Beautifully balanced two-way center-shafted blade in special soft bronze alloy. Available LH. Otey's version of the classic center-shafted blade.
• NN1 H. "Square Shooter" head with shorter hosel. Wonderfully balanced. Top-grade hickory shaft. Right or left hand.
• Old Goosie / Old Goosie H. Replica of the classic Scottish blade. Stainless head. Round leather grip standard. Available also in bronze.
• Old Reliable. Thin bronze blade styled like the most popular putter of the 1930s. Round leather grip standard. Steel or Eyeline shafts only. Right or left handed.
• Otey-O-Two. Stainless steel classic flanged blade.
• Silver Touch. Beautifully balanced two-way center-shafted blade in tarnish-resistant nickel silver. A premium 1960s flagship model.
• Square Shooter. Old Reliable made into a rocker blade. Popular in all shafts.
• Square Shooter S. Square Shooter in special bronze alloy. Excellent tone on contact.
• Square Shooter GN. Square Shooter head with slight goose-neck. Steel and glass only.

Super Deluxe Models

The Super Deluxe line is the dressed-up version of the standard catalog. Same head shapes, but with walnut lamination on the back, hand-wrapped luxury leather grips, and french-laquered hickory shafts. These are the Otey gifts. They show up most often in award presentations, corporate gifts, and family handoffs.

• 3 HW. Bronze center-shaft blade with straight hosel. Walnut back.
• 3 HWL. Left-hand version of 3 HW.
• 3 GW / 3 GWL. Glass-shafted variants of 3 HW.
• 15 HW. Bronze center-shaft goose-neck blade with walnut back.
• 15 HWL. Left-hand version of 15 HW.
• 16 HBW. Pear-shaped mallet with straight hosel and walnut back. Same head design as 18 HBW.
• 18 HBW. Pear-shaped goose-neck mallet with offset hosel and walnut back. Flat top leather grip.
• 18 HBWL. Left-hand version of 18 HBW.

The Otey III's

Designed and manufactured by Otey Crisman III directly. Larger heads, deeper faces, superb balance, and oversized leather flat top grips while still feeling like the traditional Otey mallet.

• 310 HB. The largest in the line. Squared heel and toe to help alignment. Square double-goose hosel that putts and feels like a center-shafted putter.
• 320 HB. A long, thin, conventional deep-faced mallet with offset hosel and oversize Newman grip. Great feel with strong eye appeal.
• 330 HB. A reduced version of the 320 HB. Deep face, smaller head.

The MS Series

The MS Series blends the traditional beauty of a hickory-shafted Otey with modern performance touches. Each putter is handcrafted from the soft Otey alloys to deliver a solid, soft touch. Deep face for solid contact and overspin. Multiline alignment. Face-balanced head for square position throughout the stroke.

• MS1. Round, deep-faced mallet with offset hosel and soft Otey alignment grip. Available in left hand. Available as a "Long Otey" double-goose-neck face-balanced putter up to 54 inches.
• MS1D. MS1 with a walnut lamination on the back of the head. The walnut adds beauty and enhances feel and alignment. Available LH.
• MS2. Semi-mallet with the popular "B" shape head.

The Klik Series

A 1960s family of beautifully balanced, steel-only putting tools. The weight is placed in the toe and heel for perfect balance and a large sweet spot. The face is thin in the hitting area for better feel and control. Rubber paddle and Pro Only grips standard.

• Klik 1. Flanged on top. Sand-blasted top and back to reduce glare.
• Klik 2. Flat wide top for easy alignment.
• Klik 3. Same face and head as Klik 2, with an extremely goosed shaft.
• Klik 4. Double goose-neck, keen steel shaft, little offset.
• Klik 5. Klik 2 goosed to look and feel like a center-shafted blade.
• Klik 6. Klik 4 with a straight medium-stiff steel shaft.
• Klik 7. Straight hosel center-shaft model. Easy to align.
• Klik 2L, 4L, 6L. Left-hand designs of Klik 2, 4, and 6.

Left-Hand Models

Left-hand Oteys are rare. Most production was right-hand. The numbers below are the dedicated lefty model numbers. Several of these are typically referenced only by their stamping convention (the leading "2"), but they are full models in their own right.

• Model 22. LH version of Model 21. Broad goose-neck blade with broad flange on sole.
• Model 24. LH version of the Model 51 family. Large goose-neck head, flat top hosel in hickory and AT.
• Model 27. Small goose-neck head with flange on top. Similar to Model 77 right hand.
• Model 212 H. LH version of Model 12.
• Model 218 HB. LH version of Model 18. The classic lefty mallet.
• Model 218 HBW. Walnut-back deluxe lefty mallet.
• Model 238 H. LH version of Model 38.
• Model 239 H. LH version of Model 39.
• Model 264. LH version of Model 164.
• Model 270 H / 270 HB. LH version of Model 70. The most popular left-hand mallet Otey ever made.
• Model 340 H (LH). LH version of Model 340.
• Golden Touch H (LH). LH version of Golden Touch.

Utility Clubs

Otey did not stop at putters. The catalog also carried chippers, jiggers, and wedges. These are not as widely known and almost never get identified correctly when they turn up.

• Model 20 / 20 HC / 20 HP. Bronze goose-neck chipper, chrome plated in some eras. Available also as a putter (20 HP). Hickory, steel, and glass shafts.
• Do Jigger / Do Jigger H. Stroke-Saver. No-scuff stainless steel chipping iron with rounded front edge and radiused sole. Made with 4, 5, or 6 iron loft. Stainless or bronze head.
• H 150. Classic dotted-face brass wedge. Soft bronze head with dot punch scoring for short pitches. Sixty-degree loft standard. Heavy, ideal for award use.
• S 150. Heavy steel-shafted brass wedge in popular style.

Specialty and Period Pieces

• ELO. Milled brass putter from Everett Ogden, distributed through Otey Crisman in the mid-1980s. Listed in the 1986 catalog sheets.
• Right Angle Putt Trainer. Indoor putt trainer accessory from the 1960s. Porous canvas, eleven-and-a-half feet long, nine inches wide. Markers on the canvas to analyze stroke errors. Included an exclusive Rol-Back cup.

The Classic Collection

Mounted gift and award pieces produced under OC III's stewardship.

• Putter Award Board (PAB). An Otey putter mounted on a custom hand-finished wall plaque with a brass engraving plate.
• Tissue Dispenser Award Board (TAB). A plaque-mounted brass tissue fixture with engraving plate.
• Otey Cane and Otey Walking Stick. A bronze rocker blade putter head, contoured to fit the hand, mounted on a firm hickory dowel. The walking stick variant runs forty-two inches.

Shaft Options

The shaft itself is a date and identification cue. Steel was the standard. Hickory was premium. Several other shaft types appear in older catalogs and are now nearly unobtainable in original condition.

• Steel (S). The standard shaft. Listed in every era.
• Hickory (H). Mountain hickory. Standard length thirty-five inches; up to forty inches by request.
• Bamboo (X). Bakelite-impregnated, hexagon-shaped, six pieces of bamboo laminated into one shaft. Resists moisture and temperature swings. A 1960s premium option.
• Fiber Glass (G). Listed primarily in the 1970s catalogs.
• Square Aluminum / Tru-Square (AT). Square aluminum shaft. Made famous on the 70 ABT.
• Round Aluminum (AR). Round aluminum variant.
• Eyeline (EL). A two-piece aluminum shaft with a solid alloy lower section and a hollow grip section. The shaft has a gunsight groove down the center for alignment. A 1960s innovation.

Grip Options

• Two-tone leather (1960s standard)
• Round leather
• Flat top leather
• Rubber pistol
• Rubber paddle
• Rubber Informer (tread pattern)
• Newman oversize reminder grip (Otey III 320 HB standard)
• Hand-wrapped burgundy leather (current)

What Your Putter Might Be Worth

We do not assign valuations. Values shift with condition, era, model rarity, and current collector demand. What we will say is this: many authentic Otey putters are sold below their actual collector value because the seller could not date them or could not match the head shape to a model number. With this guide, you can.

Pay particular attention to:

• Pre-1946 individual block-letter stamping
• 1947 to 1949 Phillips head screw cap
• Bronze, nickel silver, and stainless steel heads (Silver Touch, Otey-O-Two, Old Goosie)
• Bamboo, Eyeline, and aluminum shafts in original condition
• Super Deluxe models with intact walnut backing
• Left-hand examples in any era

Original leather grips, intact head stamps, and uncracked shafts always matter.

Refurbishment by Otey Crisman III

If you would rather not guess, send the putter to us. Otey Crisman III handles every refurbishment personally. He learned this work from his father. The lathe is the same one his grandfather used.

What We Can Do

• Reshaft in hickory
• Regrip with the original style hand-wrapped leather
• Polish or recondition the putter head
• Replace the wood backing on a Super Deluxe (no charge for backing replacement on a Super Deluxe at the time of any other service)
• General restoration appropriate to the era of the putter

How to Send Your Putter

Pack the putter so the head is protected. Wrap the head in bubble wrap or a soft cloth, then box it. Include a note in the box for Otey to read. Tell him what you want done. Tell him what you do not want touched. If the original grip has sentimental value, say so. If you want it to look like the day your grandfather first carried it, say so. Otey reads every note. He decides nothing without your input.

Mail to:

Otey Crisman Putters
106 Red Berry Ct. Prattville, AL. 36067

Return shipping is on us. Once the work is done, your putter is shipped back at no cost to you.

Get Started

Visit oteythree.com to start the refurbishment process, ask a question, or send a photo. We respond to every inquiry.

A Note on This Guide

This is the most complete public reference on Otey Crisman putters that we know of. We built it from original catalogs spanning the 1960s through the present. Every model, code, and dating cue listed above is documented in the source catalogs. We did not invent anything. If you spot something we missed, send us a photo. We will add it.

The brand has been quiet for a long time. It is not quiet anymore. If you have an Otey putter, you are holding a piece of golf history. We would like to help you understand exactly what you have.

Otey Crisman Putters · Est. 1946 · Selma, Alabama · oteythree.com