Equipment

Titleist launches 2018 Scotty Cameron Select putters (2018 PGA Show Demo Day)

Published

6 years ago

Jan 23, 2018

Note: This story will be updated with in-hand photos from Demo Day as soon as possible. See all of our photos from the 2018 PGA Show Demo Day here.

Titleist has launched its new line of 2018 Scotty Cameron Select putters that have new “four-way sole balancing,” along with other refinements compared to its previous Select putters. Also, as we spotted earlier in January, the 2018 line includes a blast-from-the-past Laguna model.

The last full launch of Scotty Cameron Select putters came in 2016, with a line extension of mostly mallets that came in 2017. Now, the new 2018 line features seven new head shapes that include blades and mid-mallets.

Each of the new putters — Laguna, Newport, Newport 2 and Newport 2.5 blades, Fastback and SquareBack mid-mallets, and a heel-shafted, mid-mallet Newport 3 — are made with multi-material constructions. As with the previous line of Select putters, the new putters have either 303 stainless steel face inlays or 6061 aircraft grade aluminum inlays, and stainless steel bodies.

According to Titleist, refinements have been made to sight, sound and feel for the 2018 Select line. Here’s what Titleist has to say about each of those improvement categories:

Sight: “Contours and sight cues were refined to enhance alignment opportunities and instill confidence. Scotty focused on thinning topline appearances by giving each a slightly rounder radius. Plumbing neck dimensions, edges and angles have been squared up for a cleaner look from address.”
Sound: “Improved sound and feel are the result of up to 30 percent more vibration dampening material connecting face inlays with putter bodies. The connecting screws are slightly larger to account for the increased material and the surface compression necessary to produce the softer sound, while preserving the feedback demanded by the best players in the world to aid in distance control and diagnosing mishits.”
Sole: “For the first time ever, Scotty has introduced a four-way balanced sole
design for a faster setup and easier alignment at address. The balance point of each 2018 Select putter’s sole has been shifted forward to account for the weight of the shaft and grip and their impact related to how the putter sits at address. This results in a putter that sits perfectly square at address to promote easier alignment on virtually any lie.”

Scotty Cameron says that this line of putters, and the refinements that went into them, are a collection of everything he has learned through his years of putter making.

“Everything I’ve learned from refining and redesigning Newport-style putters over the last two decades has gone into this 2018 Select line,” said Master Craftsman Scotty Cameron. “I always strive to raise the bar by incorporating new materials, milling and manufacturing techniques. I’m at the point with the Select line of putters that now I’m hyper-focused on the finest details. Tour players pick up on things most people don’t but those details can make a big difference in how a putter performs.

Scotty Cameron also discusses the four-way sole balancing design, and how it’s made to help golfers find better alignment.

“We’ve reengineered the sole to account for the shaft and grip weight by actually moving metal in minute increments to help the putter align perfectly. I call it four-way sole balancing because we’ve balanced the putter from face to cavity, and from heel to toe.”

The putters, which will sell for $425 starting on March 23, have a raw, stainless finish that is bead-blasted. They come with two, customizable stainless steel heel-toe weights, and Black/Silver Matador mid-size grips.

Below is a more in-depth look at each of the putter models, as described by Titleist. See what GolfWRX members are saying about the putters in our forums.

Newport: The iconic “three-step” Newport shape was designed to sit evenly at address and enhanced with four-way balanced precision milling. Updated graphics extend Scotty’s iconic three red dot theme to the face heel and sole.
Newport 2 (right- and left-handed): With subtle refinements to topline radius milling, the Newport 2 appears slightly thinner from address for a Tour-preferred setup favored by the world’s top players.
Newport 2.5: The Newport 2.5 employs softer milling of the flare neck that provides players with 3?4 shaft offset and higher toe flow, while incorporating the line’s four-way sole balancing setup and improved vibration dampening material connecting the face to the body.
Newport 3 (right- and left-handed): The heel-shafted Newport 3 brings together a teardrop shaped design with high toe flow. Flange milling has been smoothed for more sculpted contours with updated four-way sole balancing and improved vibration dampening. A left-handed Newport 3 option joins the 2018 Select line, offering a heel-shafted, higher toe flow small mallet option to the line.
Laguna: Scotty’s newest, re-engineered Laguna brings back a popular head shape with 2018 Select line technology, including a mid-milled stainless steel face inlay, four-way balanced sole milling and improved vibration dampening technology.
Fastback: The 2018 Select Fastback features a single milled flange line giving it a cleaner, Tour-preferred look at address while allowing for more vibration dampening material to be placed between the sole and the flange of the putter. The 6061 aircraft grade aluminum face-sole inlay has been refined to allow for weight to be distributed to the perimeter of the putter head for enhanced forgiveness.
Squareback: Scotty’s 2018 Select Squareback has a milled sightline for a clean look at address. The milled line versus prior pop-through alignment allows for more vibration dampening material to be placed between the sole and the flange of the aircraft grade aluminum face-sole. This design also extends our multi-material methodology with softer contours, subtle shape refinements and a new face-sole configuration.

See all of our photos from the 2018 PGA Show Demo Day here.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

8 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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