Zebrawood Putters: The Striped African Hardwood That Turns Heads

Pick up a Zebrawood putter and the first thing anyone says is some version of "what IS that?" The bold, dark stripes running through a golden tan background look almost painted on — but that's just how the tree grows. No stain, no dye, ever. In my shop, Zebrawood is the wood I reach for when a putter needs to be impossible to ignore.

Signature Design · The Obsidian Grain

Obsidian Grain — Zebrawood Zero-Torque Woodrich Regal

$310 — full Zebrawood stripe running the head

CNC-machined to exact tolerances, hand-finished in the shop — and ready for your custom engraving on the top and sole (+$40 at checkout).

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Where Zebrawood Comes From

Zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis) grows in the rainforests of West Central Africa, mainly Gabon and Cameroon. The trees are tall with a striking heartwood: pale golden-yellow with narrow, dark brown-to-black streaks that run the length of the board. Quarter-sawn, those streaks line up into the even "zebra stripes" the wood is named for.

It's a dense, stiff hardwood — noticeably heavier than domestic woods like Walnut or Cherry. That density matters in a putter, because weight you can position is weight you can use.

What Zebrawood Brings to a Putter

Three things make Zebrawood a favorite on my bench:

The look at address. Stripes running across the top of a mallet create a natural alignment effect — your eye follows the grain. Several customers have told me the stripes settle them over the ball the way a painted sight line never did.

Density where it counts. Zebrawood's weight lets me hit head-weight targets without overloading the internal lead pockets, keeping the balance of the head exactly where the design wants it.

A firm, lively strike. As a face wood, Zebrawood is on the firmer end — a crisp, solid feel with the warm, organic sound only wood gives you.

How I Work With It

Zebrawood is coarse-grained and can be stubborn under hand tools, but it machines beautifully on the CNC. The interlocked grain means I pay attention to feed direction to keep the stripes crisp at the edges. Once it's sanded out and sealed under our weather-tough finish, the contrast between stripe and background deepens — finished Zebrawood looks even bolder than raw boards.

On the face, we laser engrave the strike area to a consistent, carefully chosen depth. That engraved texture grips the ball at impact and starts it rolling sooner — less skid, truer line — and against Zebrawood's striping it looks fantastic.

If you want to see what this wood becomes in a finished club, the Zebrawood builds in our putter collection — from full-stripe Woodford mallets to the Obsidian Grain zero-torque — show its whole range. No two are ever striped the same.

From the Shop

Pick Your Putter — Every One Can Be Engraved

The Savanna — Zebrawood & Tigerwood FATTY

$305

Design Yours

Woodrich Regal — Zebrawood & Wenge

$270 · One of a Kind

Design Yours

FATTY — Zebrawood & Walnut

$299 · One of a Kind

Design Yours

Add custom engraving to any putter for $40 — just select the option on the product page.

Zebrawood FAQ

Is Zebrawood durable enough for a golf putter?

Yes. Zebrawood is a dense African hardwood, harder than Hard Maple, and in our putters it's protected by a weather-grade finish. It handles real rounds, bag chatter, and weather without trouble.

Does the stripe pattern affect performance?

Not directly — but the visual alignment effect at address is real, and the wood's density lets us place weight precisely for a high-MOI, forgiving head.

Will the color change over time?

Slightly. Like most exotics, Zebrawood mellows with UV exposure — the background tan warms a bit while the dark stripes hold. The contrast stays striking for the life of the putter.

The Bottom Line

Some woods earn their place with subtlety. Zebrawood earns it by being unmistakable — and backing the looks up with the density a precision putter head needs. If your putter is going to be one of a kind, it might as well look the part.