How a collar sits
The ring goes on before the head pretends it is finished
A ferrule shoved down after the epoxy has skinned will never sit. This is the order we use on Tuesday through Saturday. It is slower than a mall install. It is also why our collars still look like collars in September.
Square against the shoulder
Before we cut, we set a small square on the hosel shoulder and read how much of the old ring is proud or shy. That number, plus a color code, goes on the ticket. If you want a different sit than the old one, say it now. After epoxy, “a little shorter” is a new job.
Pull only when the ring is married
Some ferrules slide. Some have been heat-welded by a previous installer with a heat gun and optimism. We do not heat-gun a graphite tip to save four minutes. If the ring is married, the head comes off and the old collar is split on a block, not twisted against the fibers.
Tip prep, then ID
The tip is abraded to the length that will live in the hosel, not a millimetre extra “for luck.” We pick collar ID against that tip, dry. A dry collar that needs a hammer is the wrong ID. A dry collar that falls off under its own weight is also the wrong ID. Friction should hold it for a mock sit.
Turn the outside
On the lathe, OD comes down until the ring is a hair proud of the hosel paint, then a last pass to flush. We stop when the paint line is a line, not a cliff. Amber collars show tool marks more than black. Tess checks color under the same lamp we used at intake.
Epoxy window, then fillet
Toledo summer humidity shortens the working window. We mix smaller batches in July than in January. The ring goes on, the head goes on, alignment is checked, then we wipe the fillet with a solvent that does not frost nylon. The club hangs. It does not ride home in a trunk while the joint is still plastic.
Overnight, then a sit photo
If we opened the joint, you pick up the next open day. We shoot a sit photo against the square and keep it with the ticket. If the ring moved overnight — rare, but Erie air is a meddler — we recut before you leave, not after you notice on the first tee at Ottawa Park.
What you bring
The actual gamer, not a cousin
- The club whose collar failed, even if it embarrasses you
- The rest of the set if you want color match — a phone photo lies about amber
- Any old ferrule you already popped off (we can still read the ID)
- A note about whether it lives in a trunk, a garage, or a hallway
What you do not bring
A request to “just heat it”
Heat-gun installs are how graphite tips get glossy and then fail. We will not do a four-minute heat shove to match a YouTube clip. If you need the club tonight for a league at Highland Meadows, say so at booking. Sometimes we can turn without opening the joint. Sometimes we cannot. Honesty beats a ruined tip.