TP Mills - Post your Putter

upanddown52 · January 4, 2016

Wow. Always been a fan. I was a junior golfer in the 70's when Conrad Rehling was coach at Bama. They always had TPMs in the pro shop and we sort of took them for granted. Later, they were mass produced and we thought, ironically, that it was very cool that they were being embraced by the masses.

I was probably in the 8th or 9th grade hitting pitches over a bunker with a pitching wedge, and this guy comes up and shows me how to open the face and basically hit a flop shot off hard pan with cars parked 20 ft opposite the green. It was David Mills, and I cannot remember if he was playing high school or had already started playing college at the time.

Years later, I ran into him again as the husband of a colleague in law school. In fact, I won a long drive contest for a law school tourney and the prize was a TPM putter, (8802 style) and I used that until I moved to the Carolinas where I met bent grass for the first time on a regular basis.

Will now dig around and try to find that putter and post pics.

Shanti2 · January 4, 2016

Wow. Always been a fan. I was a junior golfer in the 70's when Conrad Rehling was coach at Bama. They always had TPMs in the pro shop and we sort of took them for granted. Later, they were mass produced and we thought, ironically, that it was very cool that they were being embraced by the masses.

I was probably in the 8th or 9th grade hitting pitches over a bunker with a pitching wedge, and this guy comes up and shows me how to open the face and basically hit a flop shot off hard pan with cars parked 20 ft opposite the green. It was David Mills, and I cannot remember if he was playing high school or had already started playing college at the time.

Years later, I ran into him again as the husband of a colleague in law school. In fact, I won a long drive contest for a law school tourney and the prize was a TPM putter, (8802 style) and I used that until I moved to the Carolinas where I met bent grass for the first time on a regular basis.

Will now dig around and try to find that putter and post pics.

Awesome story!

UnderPar18 · January 8, 2016

My first TP Mills will be here soon. Got pics from Dave today after the finish was applied. Can't wait to share the finished product!

13wes13 · January 9, 2016

What finish did you go with?

sevenfourate · January 9, 2016

My first TP Mills will be here soon. Got pics from Dave today after the finish was applied. Can't wait to share the finished product!

Share the pics man......we're an impatient bunch too you know !

fharbist · January 9, 2016

I always absolutely love looking at everyone's Mills putters. I come back to this thread from time to time and it's great to see the additions and really cool stuff (old and new) that's out there...

So to give back a little, here's a snap from David Mills of my latest - still in Tuscaloosa but soon to be heading out here to the west coast. Enjoy!!

UnderPar18 · January 9, 2016

My first TP Mills will be here soon. Got pics from Dave today after the finish was applied. Can't wait to share the finished product!

Share the pics man......we're an impatient bunch too you know !

Fair enough! I'll post final pics once the paintfill is completed. Also the finish looks dark because it was just applied but it's really a satin oilcan finish.

sevenfourate · January 9, 2016

Nice ! Really nice :good:

Much congrats. Hope you putt the living bejeezus out of it............

Frozenghost007 · January 9, 2016

Satin Oilcan on carbon looks absolutely incredible.

UnderPar18 · January 9, 2016

Nice ! Really nice :good:

Much congrats. Hope you putt the living bejeezus out of it............

It's going right in the bag. Thanks for the kind words

sevenfourate · January 9, 2016

Nice ! Really nice :good:

Much congrats. Hope you putt the living bejeezus out of it............

It's going right in the bag. Thanks for the kind words

Great to hear ! Really is fabulous.

I'll get a few pics up of mine in a while if i can find the pictures...........

13wes13 · January 9, 2016

That finish is amazing. That's what's goin on my next Mills

UnderPar18 · January 9, 2016

Anyone use the milling I had done before? Any feedback on it good or bad?

viking_norway · January 9, 2016

UP18, congrats on the new Mills. Was it a long wait for a naked head? Thanks

UnderPar18 · January 9, 2016

UP18, congrats on the new Mills. Was it a long wait for a naked head? Thanks

No not all. Dave did say he has something really big coming up that's going to take a lot of time away so he got mine done before that or else I wouldn't have gotten it for a long time. So who knows what the future times will hold but I really appreciated him making mine a priority before it got busier for him.

Gainzini · January 9, 2016

I never wanted to be lefty ever ... Until seeing some of these amazing left handed handmades.

UnderPar18 · January 9, 2016

I never wanted to be lefty ever ... Until seeing some of these amazing left handed handmades.

You have no idea lol. I've seen so many Super Rats that I have want but being lefty I could only dream. I'm glad us lefties are starting to buy more custom putters! I'm glad custom companies are taking the time to help us out and make us cool stuff

Gainzini · January 9, 2016

Learn how to putt righty ... I can sure help you in the RAT Dept

Splitter · January 9, 2016

The other thread made me thInk about this one. I went from 0 to 3 Mills within 3 months of getting my first one. I've been lucky enough to talk on the phone with Dave, and he sure seems to be one of the good guys.

Gainzini · January 10, 2016

The other thread made me thInk about this one. I went from 0 to 3 Mills within 3 months of getting my first one. I've been lucky enough to talk on the phone with Dave, and he sure seems to be one of the good guys.

ANNNNNND this is my fear ! I've been known to go from 0 - 60 in 3 seconds... Talking strictly putters my car is a pig

Lord Helmet · January 10, 2016

The other thread made me thInk about this one. I went from 0 to 3 Mills within 3 months of getting my first one. I've been lucky enough to talk on the phone with Dave, and he sure seems to be one of the good guys.

ANNNNNND this is my fear ! I've been known to go from 0 - 60 in 3 seconds... Talking strictly putters my car is a pig

Ain't this the truth with many of us.

UnderPar18 · January 10, 2016

The other thread made me thInk about this one. I went from 0 to 3 Mills within 3 months of getting my first one. I've been lucky enough to talk on the phone with Dave, and he sure seems to be one of the good guys.

ANNNNNND this is my fear ! I've been known to go from 0 - 60 in 3 seconds... Talking strictly putters my car is a pig

Ain't this the truth with many of us.

I've gone back and forth on this. Having a collection is cool as heck and gives so much variety, but having a true gamer that you never rotate out is pretty cool as well!

hark114 · January 10, 2016

Just ordered my first mills putter on Monday can't wait to get it. From the looks of everyones putters I except it to be awesome

LoveSick666 · January 10, 2016

Splitter...what model putter is the one with the dots on the face??

DoglegRight · January 10, 2016

I live in Birmingham and several years ago I came across a number of rare handmade and prototype tp mills at a local trade shop. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and took several pictures. I ended up buying one or two of the putters adding them to some Truett handmade putters I already had. I later learned that the putters had been stolen from the Mills shop in nearby Tuscaloosa and I gave the putters I had bought to David because it was the right thing to do. I'll search my computer for some photos of the putters as well as my other Mills that have since been sold off.

UnderPar18 · January 10, 2016

I live in Birmingham and several years ago I came across a number of rare handmade and prototype tp mills at a local trade shop. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and took several pictures. I ended up buying one or two of the putters adding them to some Truett handmade putters I already had. I later learned that the putters had been stolen from the Mills shop in nearby Tuscaloosa and I gave the putters I had bought to David because it was the right thing to do. I'll search my computer for some photos of the putters as well as my other Mills that have since been sold off.

Did he give you anything for the kind gesture? That's super cool of you to do as many may have not. They ever find who stole them?

DoglegRight · January 10, 2016

I live in Birmingham and several years ago I came across a number of rare handmade and prototype tp mills at a local trade shop. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and took several pictures. I ended up buying one or two of the putters adding them to some Truett handmade putters I already had. I later learned that the putters had been stolen from the Mills shop in nearby Tuscaloosa and I gave the putters I had bought to David because it was the right thing to do. I'll search my computer for some photos of the putters as well as my other Mills that have since been sold off.

Did he give you anything for the kind gesture? That's super cool of you to do as many may have not. They ever find who stole them?

David offered at the time but I never took him up on it. I'm not sure of the details other than the putters were stolen from the shop. There were some really unique putters, some of which were clearly never "retail".

I live in Birmingham and several years ago I came across a number of rare handmade and prototype tp mills at a local trade shop. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and took several pictures. I ended up buying one or two of the putters adding them to some Truett handmade putters I already had. I later learned that the putters had been stolen from the Mills shop in nearby Tuscaloosa and I gave the putters I had bought to David because it was the right thing to do. I'll search my computer for some photos of the putters as well as my other Mills that have since been sold off.

Did he give you anything for the kind gesture? That's super cool of you to do as many may have not. They ever find who stole them?

David offered at the time but I never took him up on it. I'm not sure of the details other than the putters were stolen from the shop. There were some really unique putters, some of which were clearly never "retail".