I Love a Good Barn Find

It’s a well-known fact that I am an absolute sucker for a good barn find story.  I grew up fascinated by stories of classic cars discovered in some random farmer’s barn that were worth fortunes even in states of massive decay due to limited production numbers and rare survival rates.  And I’m not even a car guy!  It’s the mystery, fantasy, and the story of the unique journey that led them to their resting places and later rediscovery that draws me in.  Well the same can be said for cool golf equipment and my latest barn find story is the Scott Readman Concepts ETP putter.

The History of the ETP putter

In 2010, Scott Readman approached a British Aerospace company to make an idea in his head become a reality.  Scott was looking to make a putter inspired by his beloved Scotty Cameron Teryllium Santa Fe.  A heel-shafted flow neck design with a “shaft-over” hosel.  It was important to Scott that the final design was similar to the Santa Fe, but also completely different.

After some sketches and prototypes, the final product was the Scott Readman Concepts ETP putter head you see here.  These heads were two-piece designs with the neck welded on.  Scott would “painfully dress out all of the welding” with files and sandpaper until he had a smooth flow neck.  Once the dressing was complete, Scott would then shape the necks by hand to get just the right shaft offset.  Of course, this could be adjusted prior to finishing for any custom orders.

Lastly, Scott wanted the heads to be both hand stamped and engraved.  Acid etching was used for the engraving and all stamping was done by Scott’s own two hands in his small shop of that era.

One last interesting tidbit – ETP stands for “Edgar the Peaceful.”  Edgar the Peaceful was crowned King of England at Bath Abbey in the year 976, which is what the modern coronation ceremony is based off of all these years later.  Scott’s shop at the time was located in Bath, England so a nice little tie to the region’s history.

The Newly Discovered ETP Putter Heads

Now, the Scott Readman Concepts ETP putter isn’t unheard of to see pop up here and there.  (Actually, to be fair, only 33 heads were produced.)  Don’t get me wrong, as they get older in age and are no longer being produced, you see fewer and fewer surface.  What you don’t see are putter heads from the original batches while Scott and his miller were working out the final designs.  Some of these putter heads may have had very slight issues such as a bad neck placement or sketchy soles.  Either way, while these putters were close to what Scott was shooting for, they were scrapped and the design was further refined until perfectly dialed in.  I’m sure you can see where this going…

Fast forward a decade or so and Scott has unearthed a box of old ETP putter heads.  These heads range from just off the mill to “totally finished” products.  Scott pulled a few of the rediscovered finished heads to keep on his desk and ponder what he would do with them next.  What came to Scott’s mind ended up being inspired by the putters NOT sitting on his desk.  In that box were a bunch of raw blank canvases waiting to be revived.  The decision was made.  Scott would take all of the putter heads, finished or not, and fix them up to be released into the wild.  Whether it’s fresh paint, a new finish, or a total neck replacement, Scott is going to bring them back to life for the public.

The First Scott Readman Concepts Official ETP & the Fight to Preserve History

I mentioned that Scott also found finished putter heads in this box.  Some of these finished heads were from the very first batch of the final ETP design.  In fact, one was actually the very first production head he completed start to finish.  Essentially, this putter was a time capsule from the very beginnings of Scott Readman Concepts.  This ETP putter should be considered a critical piece of SRC history.  When Scott showed it to me, I was extremely happy for him that he found it and it was cool to be able to hold it in my own hands.  Then he told me he was going to strip it down, totally refinish it…and sell it.

This led to an unexpectedly heated disagreement between the two of us.  Ok, I was heated, Scott was just insisting he was going to refinish it more to his updated tastes.  As soon as he left the room, I stashed the putter head in one of my putter covers coming home with me.  Credit to Scott, he noticed it had gone missing fairly quickly.  I fessed up, but I took measures to make sure the putter would stay in its original state.  This ETP head is a key piece of SRC history.  I maintain the position that preserving it is the only reasonable way forward and I will settle for nothing less.

Scott Readman Concepts ETP “No. 2”

The argument/debate mentioned just above led to a fun outcome for me.  Scott being the generous friend that he is said, “wait a minute, I have something else for you.”  What Scott handed me was another ETP head he estimated to be “one of the first half dozen ever fully completed.”  While this putter won’t knock out my gamer SRC putter anytime soon, I’m still proud to have it in my collection.  Knowing the backstory of the ETP model, and this specific head, make it very special to me.

ETP Face Template

One other random thing Scott found in the box was an aluminum face template the British Aerospace engineers used for something.  He still isn’t sure what they used it for, but it’s cool nonetheless.  Knowing I was coming over, and my penchant for barn finds, Scott cleaned it up and stamped it for me.  I was specifically instructed to clarify that since it’s from England, it’s al-u-min-ium, “100% not alu-minum.”  What will I do with this?  No idea, but it’s awesome and I will find some sweet use for it.

Final Thoughts – Scott Readman Concepts ETP Barn Find

So there you have it!  Another interesting barn find by way of my good friend, Scott Readman.  These putters are cool in their own right, but the ETP’s significance to the history of the Scott Readman Concepts brand is what makes them special.  Hopefully when these start hitting the market, they’ll make their way into some killer putter collections where they belong.  I’m not sure how many Scott actually has left, nor how many will be released.  In any case, jump on them when you can!  I’m glad I got my hands on one.

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