Equipment
The 4 most important Scotty Cameron putters of all time
I know, I know, that is a heavy title, which is subject to debate and opinion. However, I’m going to do my best to convince you these four putters make up the grand slam of Scottys and are indeed the most important Cameron putters ever built.
I will agree that the argument can be made that any item on this list could be ranked No. 1 for various reasons. Would we have heard about No. 1 without No. 4 or No. 3? Why is No. 1 ahead of No. 2? Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments.
Let’s get to the list.
No. 4: Ray Cook Blue Goose (Designed by Scotty Cameron)
OK, I’m starting off by bending my own rules here. While not a singular putter, this is one of the most important works of Scotty’s career. Ray Cook was an extremely popular manufacturer for a good stretch from the 1960s through 1980s. Scotty Cameron came along in the late 1980s and helped to create one of their most well-known designs, the Blue Goose.
Per “The Art of Putters” written by Bill Vogeney and David Levine, “The Blue Goose was the first mass-produced, 100% milled gun-blued putter.” While this putter was a success, there are probably many Cameron aficionados in 2020 who are unfamiliar with Scotty’s Pre-Titleist roots. We all start somewhere, and Cameron’s early days were spent honing his craft with Ray Cook before moving on to create designs with his own name on them in the early 1990s. While not his best-selling design, the Blue Goose must be on this list for helping create the behemoth that we know today.
No. 3: Tiger Woods’ TeI3 Newport (Used to win the 1997 Masters)
OK, GolfWRX audience, it is time for a math problem: What does 32 white elastomer dots plus one sight dot on the topline plus one “up and comer” that came into the 1997 Masters with a decent amateur record equal? How about one of the greatest weeks in the history of golf? My generation’s greatest player completed his explosion into the golf world wielding a Scotty Cameron Teryllium “Sole Stamp” Newport. Did your heart just skip a beat when you read Sole Stamp? Perhaps you are ready to head over to our Classifieds section to track down a T22 (a great re-release of this classic).
Most folks probably had not seen anything like this beautiful, softened Newport with a funky copper-looking insert in the face. What is that putter he is using, and WHAT ARE THOSE DOTS? I imagine onlookers at Amen Corner might have had those thoughts swirling in their minds while the players were dealing with the swirling winds that could knock their ball into Rae’s creek with relative ease. I would equate this putter to the newspaper strips that my father would use when building a fire in my childhood home: This putter caught fire quickly and helped Cameron really heat up with collectors.
No. 2: Bernhard Langer’s Classic I (Used to win the 1993 Masters)
To continue the beautifully written, Shakespeare-like fire analogy, Bernhard Langer’s (Mizuno) Classic I is the kindling to the wildfire that is Scotty Cameron. These transitional putters in the Classic series are some of the most underrated and undervalued putters in the Cameron market, in my opinion. Scotty’s take on the classic Ping Anser first came in the form of the Classic I. Scotty was working for Mizuno at the time of his development of the Classic I and Classic II, thus Bernhard’s putter was stamped Mizuno for the Darrell Survey results. However, this stamping would later be X’d out after Cameron left Mizuno. Believe it or not, the putter has made it out into the collector world and has been verified and COA’d by the Cameron Authentication department.
It is important to remember our roots as people so that we can see where we came from, and how we have since grown. A similar thing can be said for collectors. It is fun to go back and look at the history of the hobby and of the game. While not a hickory-shafted blade, Bernhard Langer’s Classic One was vital to the success of Scotty. An argument could certainly be made that Cameron’s product was so good that had Bernhard not won the 1993 Masters, someone else would have eventually taken home a big trophy using one of Scotty’s creations. However, we do not know that to be the case and Bernhard did in fact help put Scotty on the map with his victory. From the putter collector world – thank you, Bernhard!
No. 1: Tiger Woods’ GSS Newport 2 (Used to win 14 majors)
This is another putter that most people following this article would assume to make the list. There was however some debate in my own mind about the order of No. 1 and No. 2 on this list. Is the Neil Armstrong of Scotty’s major-winning putters more important than the most popular wand he has ever created? It makes for a good argument that, without Bernhard helping Scotty explode on the Tour scene, Tiger may have never had a Cameron in the bag. Would the GOAT have stayed with the Ping? Would another Anser-style head have caught his eye? The what-ifs are fun to think about but impossible to verify.
What is not up for debate is the importance of Tiger Woods’ run with his vertical stamp GSS Newport 2 on the collecting world. 2000 saw the introduction of the three-dot Pro Platinum and Mil-Spec lines. The small “bomb” on these putters were similar to the large “cherry dot” on Tigers and from there, a new wave of collectors burst onto the scene. Getting a “vertical stamp” became a thing. The red dot was a status symbol.
The beautifully-shaped Bullseye and Studio lines would follow in 2001. While these were not the biggest selling putters of Scotty’s lineup, they brought back nostalgia of the “good ol’ days.” This new wave of enthusiasts was now able to appreciate the shaping of a beautiful blade that is not found in the squarer Newport or Newport 2.
2002 might be the year that collectors really began to see the Tiger effect in the retail market. This was the first year that we saw the “My Girl” and was also the debut of the first stainless steel putter that Cameron sold in mass, the “Studio Stainless.” Who remembers the colorful sole of the Studio Stainless? Did you have a “green dot down”? Were you able to get a “beach”? These became important questions, and folks had now been seeing Circle Ts around in different places. Being that one of the best stretches in golf history had taken place two years prior, and knowing that the author of that seemingly immortal feat was using a Scotty Cameron, it became “required” that to be at the top of the putter community, you needed to have one for yourself.
Were there other companies and makers creating great products? Yes, there definitely were. People have long-collected items in the golf world. From hickories to steel and Scottsdale Ansers to Tour Newports, this hobby is not new. However, the beauty of Cameron’s art and the genius of his marketing, aligned with the timing of Eldrick helped escalate our world into what we see today. Scotty helped to show new things that could be done outside of the box and this has led to another wave of collectors and makers that are after fancy dots, creative finishes, custom stamping, and limited headcovers.
Some golfers still feel that paying $300 for a putter is outrageous—and perhaps when comparing the characteristics of function with another brand—it is. However, some collectors will not bat an eye at spending $7,000 on a GSS. Even this $7,000 price tag is “low” when compared to $17,000 Damascus steel models.
Scotty Cameron deserves his place in history as one of the most influential people the game of golf has ever seen. As collectors, we owe him a debt of gratitude for his contribution to our chase, and I for one am very appreciative of his work and the journey on which it has led me.
(Featured image, image 1, image 2, image 3 from Scotty Cameron Authentication Registry)
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.
We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.
From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.
“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.
TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°
TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
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- Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-SB09, 56-LB08), TaylorMade MG4 TW (60-TW11)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
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The duke of dudes
May 19, 2020 at 5:47 pm
Many moons ago, a story surfaced that Tiger Woods putter is actually a cast and surfaced milled copy of Mark O’Meara’s PING anser 2.
That’s the reason his backups which are milled, don’t feel the same.
Freddie C.
May 19, 2020 at 12:34 am
What a way to make a living being a putter copycat, the man has never really had to think about designing anything. Put a Ping answer in the mold and engrave Scotty on the sole and bam ???? it’s the greatest creation to mankind…..
Gery Katona
May 18, 2020 at 11:42 pm
Back in maybe 2005 I was at Fairway Golf in San Diego. They were (are?) a Scotty Tour putter distributor. I got to know the people there and it helped that I worked for a Japanese company and we both knew some other Japanese guys in common. They had one of Tiger’s back-up’s of his 14 major winner for sale and asked me if I’d to roll a few balls! I can’t tell you how nervous I was. I think I hit 4 balls and I recall how soft (quiet, firm, solid) it felt. It was just a moment in time, but something I’ll never forget. They were asking $35K.
Benny
May 19, 2020 at 4:05 pm
Gary awesome story. Thanks for sharing!
XEROX
May 18, 2020 at 8:07 pm
And which of these is he responsible for designing ENTIRELY by him?
Benny
May 18, 2020 at 7:35 pm
Sorry boys but one more, watch this (which has been erased from Camerons website and Golf Channel) and at 5mins .04 seconds Cameron describes “I added red ink to the holes so they wouldn’t rust”….
Stainless Steel does NOT Rust. So why would Crazy expensive German Stainless Steel rust?????
JB.? Anyone?? Its all marketing fellas…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NI9w-vvDR9o
Benny
May 18, 2020 at 7:25 pm
Here is the article Espn did and Cameron states he built him a GSS years later. After the initial NP2.
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/18544732/golf-tiger-woods-scotty-cameron-world-most-famous-putter
Benny
May 18, 2020 at 7:16 pm
Every other GSS Cameron says GSS on it except Tigers.
You will not find any article in the 2000’s say Tigers putter is GSS.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/winnersbag20050615
https://www.golfchannel.com/article/golf-channel-digital/whats-bag-tiger-woods-1
JB- What makes you so right it is GSS?
JB
May 19, 2020 at 10:36 am
@Benny – I never said it was GSS. I only said that it was definitely not carbon and definitely not pro platinum. I agree that the whole GSS business is a marketing scheme made to sell putters for 8-10 grand each on the gallery site.
Benny
May 19, 2020 at 2:24 pm
Understood JB. I agree with your statement as well as everyone elses. Cameron won the lottery. But I am sure there were many ups amd downs as well. But just like LAMB and PXG built their market Scotty has his. If it wasn’t for Tiger beleiving in him and his putter he wouldn’t be much today. This is why GSS is such a fraud term. But he marketed it perfectly and with having the ability to call Tigers putter GSS he now can sell those putters for $10k and be sold out in minutes.
Marketing and making wants over needs is where it is at. When you do it right and find it you can make millions!
Benny
May 18, 2020 at 7:03 pm
JB- this is just me adding up the peices mate. Like why does Cameron specifically say he needed to add red printer ink to the 2 holes so they wouldn’t rust?
Also why was Tigers 2000 putter the only GSS Cameron mentioned for 5 plus years?
You can also go back to many articles about Tigers putter never being detailed as GSS.
BillyG
May 18, 2020 at 6:05 pm
I have a SC American Classic III Bullseye that I would part with because it just doesn’t putt or feel that great. However, I can’t get my money back, so it sits in a corner with a really nice head cover. My original Bullseye putts better and feels better. That is probably just me since I grew up playing Bullseye. How about an article that ranks the SC head covers?
Delbert
May 18, 2020 at 3:48 pm
I have a SC American Classic III Bullseye and don’t need it. My old Bullseye original putts better. One other effect of SC is very expensive hardcovers.
Ty Webb
May 18, 2020 at 1:58 pm
“Scotty Cameron deserves his place in history as one of the most influential people the game of golf has ever seen.”
This comment is a joke! Scotty is like the Wizard of Oz. The guy literally has stolen putter designs from everyone that came before him. Bob Bettinardi milled all of his putters in the beginning days at Titleist because Scotty had 0 clue how to run a milling machine. After Bettinardi stopped Titleist for a time was casting putters and millig over them to look milled. Dan Ashcroft was the one coming up with designs like the Futura not Scotty. The guy is a fraud.
Robert Hartnett
Sep 15, 2020 at 11:27 pm
A good point. I am reading ‘Harvey Penick’ by Kevin Roberts, where it says that the Blue Goose putter was designed by Jack Burke Sr. ‘…with Tracy Parks, an inventor and friend.’ That would be some time before 1924.
Steve C
May 18, 2020 at 12:32 pm
I enjoy playing golf, and I enjoy reading about golf related subjects. However, to some extent, putters are just putters. Either someone can putt well, or they can’t. A $50 putter vs. a $500 putter is NOT going to change that fact. Heck, While playing my best golf many years ago, 2 handicap, I was using a putter that I may (or may not) have liberated from a putt-putt golf course during the 1970s
George
May 18, 2020 at 1:18 pm
I disagree!! A putters weight , feel and balance make a huge difference. At least for me!! Hit em straight!!!
Imafitter
May 18, 2020 at 4:35 pm
LOL! When I was 12 I went to Putt-Putt every Saturday morning. Used to win a lot and bought the putter I always used for $5. Still have it!
jgpl001
May 18, 2020 at 12:31 pm
It always amuses me when guys balk at paying $300 for a putter and don’t bat an eye lid when shelling out $500 for a driver and maybe an extra $250+ for an exotic shaft on top
Clay
May 18, 2020 at 11:36 am
Scotty make wonderful putters, beautiful stuff. But I am sure T.P. Mills was making milled black oxide carbon steel putters long before the Blue Goose came along. Spaulding produced those designs in mass as well.
Pingfan
May 18, 2020 at 11:21 am
On a per-item basis, Scotty Cameron must have made WAY more money than Karsten Solheim ever did from Ping Anser and Anser 2-shaped putters.
Imafitter
May 18, 2020 at 12:31 pm
Ping sold the Anser series for $50-$70 ea back in the day. A current Cameron costs under $50 to produce. Retail mark-up is 10-12%, and the rest is marketing. A pro can make a putt with any putter. But they get them free and most get paid to have a particular brand in their bag.
Francis
May 18, 2020 at 11:00 am
What is Scotty’s best selling putter line? Gotta be the pro platinums, right?
Imafitter
May 18, 2020 at 10:26 am
So who actually milled Cameron in the early days? Wasn’t it Bettinardi, who also made Mizuno putters? I’m also sick and tired of putter designers taking credit for designs by Ping. Too bad their patents expired or these “designers” would be flipping burgers.
Will
May 18, 2020 at 12:57 pm
Bob Bettinardi made the Classic 1 and Tigers first Masters winner.
Acemandrake
May 18, 2020 at 1:11 pm
“The next new Scotty Cameron design will come out when the next Ping patent runs out.”
Anonymous
Benny
May 18, 2020 at 10:10 am
Great article but when did Cameron actually release GSS putters? Wasn’t it 4-5 years after Tigers putter was received?
Why would Cameron have needed to “add red printer ink to the 1gram holes so they wouldn’t rust”?
Sure Tigers putter is extremly valuable but its not GSS. Its Pro Platinum which is a finished carbon. Carbon rusts, Stainless Steel does not unless its heavily mixed with carbon.
Cameron has tried getting Tiger to replace this putter dozens of times. Why? Because GSS is his biggest seller and whats makes them the largest profit.
Luckily Tiger has gone along with Cameron these last 10+ years sayings its GSS. Maybe Tiger was paid or maybe its just out of kindness. Either way there is a lot more to this story and its about marketing.
JB
May 18, 2020 at 10:30 am
@Benny Tiger’s putter is definitely not carbon and definitely not pro platinum. Not sure where you got your info, but it’s incorrect.
Stanley
May 18, 2020 at 9:28 am
I have the classic I putter. It’s in decent shape. It doesn’t have any sight lines or dots on it. It’s a great putter. Still feels as good as anything.