3D-Printed Putters and the Science of Feel

What happens when a guy with a Wall Street background decides he’d rather make putters than climb the corporate ladder? For Al Vikmanis, the answer has been a winding path through Arccos, data analytics, custom putter design, metal 3D printing, ferrules, and whatever comes next. The common thread is a willingness to follow the rabbit hole wherever it leads, and a belief that the journey itself is the point.In this episode of The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf, host Matt Considine and co‑host Dr. Kevin Moore (a.k.a. “The Professor”) sit down with Al Vikmanis, Founder of 3DP Design to talk about the science and craft behind modern golf equipment, from why MOI matters in a putter to how sound actually becomes feel, why 3D printing opens up design possibilities traditional manufacturing can't, and why a ferrule can become a surprisingly personal piece of golf gear. Along the way, he gets candid about leaving Wall Street, embracing work that feels meaningful, learning from spectacular failures, and building a career around curiosity rather than a five-year plan.The conversation dives into:Al's early days at Arccos, helping turn enormous amounts of shot data into something golfers could actually useMOI explained without the engineering degree, including why more forgiveness isn't automatically better for every golferHow sound becomes feel in a putter, and why putting with headphones on might be costing you more than you realizeThe unlikely path from smuggling putters into a Wall Street office to teaching himself CAD and eventually 3D printing golf clubsWhy custom ferrules have become a form of personal expression, more like putting stickers on a skateboard than simply changing the cosmetics of a golf clubThe failures behind Al's work, including a collection of enormous 3D-printed mallets that looked like the Starship Enterprise and sounded like tuning forksConnect with our guestsAl Vikmanis —  💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/al-vikmanis-3755671/🌍 Website: https://3dp-design.com/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3dp_design/👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083121141361#Follow The Bag Drop📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebagdrop 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/thebagdropgolf 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBagDropGolfListen to The Bag Drop🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf/id1430328006🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xRWtUBJH8RazdLw14oaGH🎧 Transistor: https://thebagdrop.transistor.fm/Join the NewClub community🌍 Website: https://www.newclub.golf📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newclubgolf/🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/newclubgolf📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@newclubgolf💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/newclubSupport our Partners🐝 NewClub: https://www.newclub.golf🏌️ Titleist: https://www.titleist.com🌐 Golf Blueprint: https://www.golfblueprint.com Connect with Matt & The Professor🎙️ Matt Considine — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/consequential85 | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consequence18/ | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-considine-103bb21/📚 Dr. Kevin Moore ("The Professor") — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/kevcmoore | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevcmoore | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-moore-177b30b3/Chapters00:40 - Welcome to The Bag Drop11:08 - Al Vikmanis joins the show12:12 - From Arccos data to custom putter design18:51 - What Al learned from working at an early-stage startup21:03 - Leaving Wall Street and finding meaningful w