mallet putter (original)

The original Zebra mallet putter dates to 1976, and by tgigolf.com's account, Dave Taylor invents and introduces the revolutionary Zebra mallet putter that year. The same source credits the design work to Legendary putter designer Austie Rollinson, appointed to design the comeback range, though this is tgigolf.com's reporting rather than anything verified on our end.

Whatever the exact provenance, the 1976 Zebra found its way into serious hands. tgigolf.com reports that Raymond Floyd wins the Masters with a Zebra putter, and that Nick Price wins the Open using a Zebra putter. Two major championships is a notable pair of credits for a single model, and it's the kind of thing that tends to follow a putter into the history books regardless of who shaped the head.

That reputation shows up in the usual places that tally golf's iconic gear. tgigolf.com notes the Zebra was listed in Top 18 Most Famous Golf Clubs in History by Golf.com, and separately in 6 Putter Designs That Changed the Game by Golf Monthly. As the original entry in the Zebra line, this is the putter the rest of the name has to live up to, and the record here is built entirely on how others have written about it since.