Titleist and TaylorMade build their clubs in China and assemble them in Carlsbad, Arizona (though many of their components are manufactured in China), Bettinardi outside of Chicago, PXG in Scottsdale, LA Golf in Anaheim, LAB Putters in Eugene, Edel in Texas, Mizuno in Japan, Evnroll, SeeMore and Cleveland Golf [ironically] in California and Callaway, Odyssey, Ping and others in China. Outside of Bettinardi, not exactly a local touch although we certainly commend all those producing in the United States.

If you’re looking for an exceptionally well-made putter that’s truly local (and at a fair price), you’re in luck as one of the hottest new putter brands in the game is fully manufactured/milled, assembled and shipped from right here in Brookfield, Wisconsin: Meridian.

The Beginning: Duffey’s Destiny

Meridian Putters surged onto the golf scene in the fall of 2021 when area manufacturer and businessman Ryan Duffey made a short run of Ryder Cup themed milled putters at his previous business, Engineering Resource Center.

The small batch sold out quickly and led to another offering – at a 35% discount for Black Friday – that also sold remarkably well over Instagram.

“I made my first mistake by offering 35% off for Black Friday, and we started selling putters… Way more putters than we could make. I didn’t put a limit on it and was sitting there on Thursday going, ‘hey – sale, sale, sale!’ It was fantastic. Then on Friday I was like, ‘this is cool, we’re selling a lot of putters,’ and by Saturday it was like ‘how do I stop this?’ I didn’t know how we’d be able to get everybody their putters by Christmas. On Monday morning I ended the sale, came into the shop and was like ‘guys we’ve gotta find a way to make a lot of putters in three weeks.’ They weren’t too thrilled about that but we ended up getting it done and got them all out before Christmas.”

– Ryan Duffey, Owner/Founder/CEO of Meridian Putters

Recognizing the appetite for their product, it was time for Duffey to change careers.

An avid golf enthusiast, Ryan is a long-time member of Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in Wauwatosa and a scratch player.

Having worked with Nike Golf through ERC he was able to hire one of his former contacts there to design the putters they sell now, including the Charleston, Tybee, Okatie and Key West – the newest addition to their product line.

The first three of these putters are named for cities and towns in South Carolina, his favorite vacation destination. All Meridian orders are fully customizable and milled with pride in the company’s impressive 10,000 square foot manufacturing facility.

Meridian’s success hasn’t stopped at sales volume, but has always extended to the quality and feel of their product. This year, in fact, they received the coveted 2024 Golf Digest Hot List Gold Award for Best Tour Blade and Best Classic Blade.

The pinnacle of golf equipment achievements, Meridian’s milled stainless steel blade putters are on par with $600+ options and are the list’s only Gold recipient under $300.

Ryan gave WiscoGolfAddict Contributing Writer Troy Giljohann and me a tour of their state-of-the-art facility last spring, and you can find more on that and our interview with the company’s Owner, Founder & CEO in this YouTube video:

What’s the Right Putter Style for You?

If you’re new to shopping putters then know that mallets are typically more forgiving, offer more of a sweet spot to help with off-center strikes and usually help better with alignment.

Most professionals and low-handicap players game blade-style putters (eg: Meridian’s Charleston and Okatie models) because they provide more feel and feedback with what most would consider a sleeker design. They are more precise for players with solid putting strokes who are able to consistently strike the ball in the club’s sweet spot. For those skilled players, blades lead to better distance control.

Mallets (eg: Meridian’s Key West model), on the other hand, feature a larger club head that’s usually rounded in shape and have more significant alignment aids (eg: notches, dots, arrows, etc.) to help line up putts. Because their weight is not all in the front of the club (where the ball is struck), they provide less feedback and feel. This can make distance control more tricky but leads to straighter putts especially if you have an imperfect putting stroke (like me).

Basically, if you have a consistently straight putting stroke and are able to take the improved feedback of a blade putter and use it to better measure your rolls, a blade is a great option for you. If you need help getting putts on line and maybe have a little wiggle in your stroke, a mallet-style putter will help straighten things out. If you’re somewhere in between, a mid- or mini-mallet (eg: Meridian’s Tybee model) will provide a bit of the best of both worlds.

Meridian’s Putter Offering

With Meridian Putters, customers can personalize the head style, face milling, finish and stamping, allowing them to create a truly one-of-a-kind piece of equipment that’s optimized for both their golf game and their eye (I do believe that pleasing aesthetics lead to more confidence with clubs, which leads to better performance).

The company features four basic models, which I’ll dive into just a little. They all have a wonderfully soft feel and are especially ideal for playing on golf courses with fast greens.

The Charleston

The Charleston putter, with its classic blade design, is the epitome of precision and craftsmanship. Milled from a single block of 303 stainless steel, the Charleston ensures a soft, consistent feel and reliable performance on the green.

It can be purchased in an endless number of colorways and patterns and features three notches in the back-center to help align shots.

Well-balanced, this is the putter I’ve been gaming over the past year when opting for a blade style (even over my Scotty Cameron Newport 2.0). I’ve found it to have an incredible feel on impact and love the deep blue clubface.

Link to shop the Charleston putter

The Okatie

The Okatie, designed with a sure nod to timeless aesthetics, has a smaller club face that’s almost tubular in shape and brass in appearance. With a single alignment notch, the Okatie is minimalistic in appearance with a luxe feel.

With a head crafted for optimal perimeter weighting, it offers enhanced stability through the putting stroke, making it more forgiving on off-center strokes.

Looking for a classic design with modern technology? The Okatie could be for you!

Link to shop the Okatie putter

The Tybee

The Tybee stands out in Meridian’s lineup for its innovative mini-mallet design, focused on achieving the highest moment of inertia (MOI) for advanced forgiveness and stability.

The Tybee’s general shape helps reduce twisting during the putting stroke and is ideal for players with an arc in their stroke to help achieve better feel and control. I’ve used this putter quite a bit over the past year, as well, and have found it to be forgiving and easy to use effectively.

Link to shop the Tybee putter

The Key West

The newest introduction to Meridian’s standard line of putters is the Key West – their only standard model not named for a South Carolina locale.

While I have not yet had the opportunity to test this putter, the Key West is a milled notchback mallet with a deep footprint and center of gravity and overall bumper shape reminiscent of a racecar (from their website).

As mentioned above, mallets are more forgiving on off-center strokes and can greatly help players with inconsistent putting motions achieve straighter rolls.

Link to shop the Key West putter

Meridian in Our Community

Looking for another reason to buy Meridian? The company has worked hard over the past several years to become an integral part of the golf community, especially here in Wisconsin. Meridian sponsored the 2023 WSGA State Putting Championship at Geneva National, for example, and also helps sponsor the GolfWeek Am Tour.

Whichever Meridian putter you go with, you’re sure to end up with an extremely well-made piece of equipment with beautiful aesthetics and perfect weight and balance.

Why support local? Besides the obvious local economic impact, in this case it’ll get you one of the absolute best products on the market – supported by the industry’s top award for equipment – at a price point that won’t break the bank. So, why not support local?!

Poll: Which is Your Favorite Meridian Putter?

If you were to buy one Meridian putter, which model would you go with?