It’s no surprise that the new Scotty Cameron Special Select range is causing a stir in the golfing world. With heaps of new technology handcrafted into the original classic designs and a reduced price point, Scotty Cameron has catered for all types of players with eight diff erent styles to suit any level of player. With newly introduced 100% milled stainless steel heads designed in the U.S, streamlined profiles which allow the product to sound and sit better, as well as ‘performance balanced weighting’ to enhance stability and strike, this new range covers all bases. Our gear specialist Jordan Smith headed over to Emirates Golf Club to try the new range with Titleist’s Stuart Taylor, who has worked closely with the ever-popular Scotty Cameron products over the years.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
PERFORMANCE BALANCED WEIGHTING
AFTER hitting several different lengths of putts with a variety of putter styles, I needed to know why this line felt better than the Newport 2 I’ve had in the bag for the last ten years. The most noticeable change for me was the weighting. As soon as I had a practice stroke this new model stood out. When trying to perform the perfect arc motion under pressure, this can be challenging, but with the new performancebalanced weighting technology this felt like riding a bike with stabilisers. Cameron has incorporated tungsten for the bladed putters and stainless steel for the midmallets, producing larger sweet-spots and enhancing stability.
WHAT’S NEW?
100% MILLED STAINLESS STEEL CONSTRUCTION
In the words of The Craftsmen himself: “There’s nothing quite as pure, as a solid milled putter.” Scotty Cameron has dedicated his life to creating a truly special putter through art, science and innovation allowing you to have a product that feels right in your hands and appeals to your eye. Each product has been designed and milled in the U.S. from a block of 303 stainless steel for ultimate performance and playability, enhancing sound and a soft feel. I tested the putters with Titleist Pro V1x balls. The face felt fi rm, the difference in sound wasn’t as noticeable for me but the sweet-spot defi nitely felt larger as my bad putts still rolled nicely and it was easier to get my longer putts in the ‘bin lid’ zone to avoid three-putting.
QUIETER HANDS WITH THE PISTOLINI PLUS GRIP
The new Special Select putters come fresh off the shelf with the new Pistolini Plus grips. This unique addition is in cement grey and has been slightly changed from the original grips to build up the lower hand portion of the grip; but why has Cameron changed this? Stuart Taylor from Titleist explained: “This style of grip promotes less rotation that helps keep the hands quieter. This is what the Tour players prefer, having moved away from thicker grips – quieter hands will lead to a consistent stroke and holing more putts.”
LOOKS
The new sleek profiles have Cameron’s art looking sexier than ever. Whilst maintaining the traditional overall head weight, there Is noticeable changes to the face, height, neck position, hosel depth, flange thickness and the sole weight technology allows the putters to sit better and perform better. Cameron has also incorporated a tri-sole design into the bladed products which provides a self-soling feature at address for a mouth-watering view of the top line when stood over the ball.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The new range is impressive throughout all eight styles. I personally loved the Del Mar and the Newport 2 – which I believe has to be the best Scotty Cameron putter of all time. Both putters gave good feedback. For example, I initially missed the first batch of putts to the right. Stuart put me into “toe-balanced” Del Mar which helped me square the face at impact to straighten up my pushed putts.
Based on the feedback from my session with Stuart, and having such an old version of the Newport 2, I would probably look into upgrading having felt the difference in the weighting. This would certainly give me the confi dence on the course over the short putts being able to trust my stroke. Finally, the main positive is that the price point has reduced! Yes, you heard it right. We’re always talking about how products are progressively increasing in price, making the game even more expensive, so it’s nice to have some good news that the prices have slightly decreased, making a good product even more attractive.
