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Adam Scott tests prototype Scotty Cameron Futura X7 putter

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When golfers ascend to the top spot in the world golf rankings, they’re usually playing the best golf of their career, which means they’re generally not looking to make equipment changes. Adam Scott, on the other hand, is celebrating his ascension to No. 1 in the Official Golf World Rankings by tinkering with two prototype putters from his putter make of choice, Scotty Cameron.

Scott made headlines in 2013 when he won the Masters, his first major championship, with what was then a prototype Scotty Cameron long putter called a Futura X, and he has used that putter in competition ever since.

The new putters Scott was testing at the Crowne Plaza Invitational have the name “Futura X7” on their soles, but they are more similar to the original Futura X in name than they are in appearance. Whereas the Futura X was an oversized mallet putter, the X7 prototypes have a much smaller footprint.

At first glance, the X7 is reminiscent of Odyssey’s extremely popular #7 putter, but there are distinct differences. The “fins” that extend from the corners of the putter face are shorter and arc more toward the middle of the putter, and there’s a cut-out cavity behind the putter face that adds a T-shaped alignment aid.

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The two models Scott tested on the putting green at Colonial were a Futura X7, a heel-shafted model with a double-bend shaft, and a Futura X7s, which had a straight shaft positioned in the center of the putter face.

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Like Cameron’s new GoLo 3, GoLo 5 and GoLo 7 putters, as well as the Futura X, the Futura X7 prototypes have aluminum sole plates that give Cameron some discretionary weight to redistribute in the putter head where he sees fit.

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Many of Cameron’s prototype putters never make it to retail for one reason or another, but the initial comments in our forum about the Futura X7 indicate that the putters could be a big seller for Cameron. Keep in mind, however, that Cameron tends to be deliberate with his releases. While Scott’s Futura X prototype eventually came to retail, it wasn’t until about three months after Scott’s Masters victory that it hit shelves.

As for Scott’s future with the new putter, it’s unlikely that we’ll see him make a switch anytime soon. Our boots on the ground tell us that Scott prefered the lie angle of the X7, but the appearance of the X7s at address. You know what that means… more prototype testing to come.

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Futura X7 putter in our forum.

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Futura X7 putter in our forum.

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17 Comments

17 Comments

  1. Rene Thompson

    Oct 14, 2014 at 7:18 am

    When it’s center shafted and available for the LEFTIES, I’ll be tempted, otherwise, yawn!

  2. Peter

    Jul 4, 2014 at 9:49 am

    Scotty “Camera” strikes again. I kid; I use scottys myself.

  3. eric

    May 30, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    Looks like an odyssey 7. Would still like to roll a counter balance version if they make it available.

  4. jcorbran

    May 22, 2014 at 11:26 am

    center shated please

  5. JimmyD

    May 22, 2014 at 9:06 am

    ALL of the broomstick and belly putters will still be 100% legal in 2016. The USGA’s new rule only prohibits using an anchored stroke (although it still allows Kuchar-style putting…) Looks like an epic FAIL by the USGA!

  6. W

    May 22, 2014 at 2:22 am

    All this tinkering has ruined Cameron putters

    • Mike

      May 24, 2014 at 2:05 pm

      How has it ruined them? They still haver vary classic looks and amazing feel. They just seem to be trying out new mallet styles now. I’d hardly say ruined. Innovative may be the word you’re looking for but I don’t know.

  7. Mad-Mex

    May 21, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    Xerox strikes again!! reminds me of the saber tooth,,,,,,,,,,,

  8. Kyle

    May 21, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    Uh he won in 2013 and the putter was released in 2013, right?

  9. Andrew

    May 21, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Like the look of those a lot!

  10. Joel

    May 21, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    Very YES! Sandy-esque I like it though

    • Scooter McGavin

      May 21, 2014 at 10:16 pm

      Exactly my thought. Very Sandy 12-esque, in particular.

  11. adan

    May 21, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    Looks like the Odyssey #7

  12. Ben

    May 21, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    at some point he’s going to have to cut a couple feet off of that shaft and get on with it….

    • Ryan

      May 21, 2014 at 9:08 pm

      Actually, rumor has it that he’s just going to keep the same putter and use a USGA conforming putter stroke.

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

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Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

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With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

 

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play? 

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week. 

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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