Equipment
Tiger Woods’ personally used 1997 Masters prototype Scotty Cameron putter sells for big bucks
How much would you be willing to pay for a Scotty Cameron putter personally used by Tiger Woods? Well, for someone out there the answer was just short of $23k.
As Golf.com’s Jonathan Wall first reported this week, the putter in question is the Scotty Cameron Newport Teryllium TeI3, and although it didn’t play a role in 13 of Woods’ 14 major victories, it is a putter associated with his very first Masters triumph back in 1997.
The putter sold via Green Jacket Auctions, and according to their description, the flat-stick was not just used by Woods, but it was the prototype version of the Newport TeI3 which he used on his way to dominating Augusta National for his first major victory.
Per the report, this particular putter has a teryllium insert which features 32 vibration-dampening dots that sought to soften the feel of the putter and offset the five screws that were used in the back cavity during the milling process.
As the description on Green Jacket Auctions states, Callaway’s director of fitting and instruction, Randy Peterson was the recipient of the putter before the 1997 golf season, and the flat-stick has “Tiger” stamped in dancing letters on the toe, while “Proto” and “XXX” are stamped on the back bumpers. The last five digits of the Certificate of Authenticity from Cameron (84437) also spells out “Tiger” on the phone keypad.
While $22,784.40 may seem like an inordinate amount to pay for a putter, there is reason to believe that the new owner of the Scotty Cameron Newport Teryllium TeI3 may have got themselves an excellent deal. Two previous Tiger Woods Newport 2 GSS backups (the same model he used on his way to winning 13 of his 14 majors) have been sold via Green Jacket Auctions in the past three years, for totals of $53,146 and $44,401, and comparing this Scotty Cameron putter to those previous models, the auction company states
“With all due respect to those fine putters, perhaps no privately owned Tiger Woods putter holds a candle to the collecting appeal of this specimen.”
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The year was 2012. Gangnam Style ruled supreme, its infectious beats and ludicrous horse-riding dance moves hypnotizing us with their stupidity. Everyone was talking about the Mayan calendar, convinced that the end of days was near. Superheroes soared on the silver screen, with the Avengers assembling in epic fashion. Katniss Everdeen survived The Hunger Games. And the memes! The memes abounded. Grumpy Cat triumphed. We kept calm and carried on.
In much the same way that automotive enthusiasts love classic cars, we at GolfWRX love taking a backward glance at some of the iconic designs of years past. Heck, we love taking iconic designs to the tee box in the present!
In that spirit, GolfWRX has been running a series inspired by arguably the greatest fighting game franchise of all time: Mortal Kombat. It’s not “choose your fighter” but rather “choose your driver.”
Check out some of the standout combatants of 2012 below.
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Nike VRS
Often harshly critiqued during its years releasing golf equipment (right, Phil Mickelson?), Nike’s tenure in the club-and-ball business gets a gloss of nostalgic varnish, with many of its iron and putter designs continuing to attract admirers. Among the company’s driver offerings, the 2012 VRS — or VR_S, if you will — drew high marks for its shaping and toned-down appearance. The multi-thickness, NexCOR face was no joke either.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Callaway RAZR Fit
Callaway’s first foray into moveable weight technology (married with its OptiFit hosel) did not disappoint. With a carbon fiber crown, aerodynamic attention to detail, and variable and hyperbolic face technologies, this club foreshadowed the tech-loaded, “story in every surface” Callaway drivers of the present, AI-informed design age.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Cleveland Classic 310
Truly a design that came out of left field. Cleveland said, “Give me a persimmon driver, but make it titanium…in 460cc.” Our 2012 reviewer, JokerUsn wrote, “I don’t need to elaborate on all the aesthetics of this club. You’ve seen tons of pics. You’ve all probably seen a bunch in the store and held them up close and gotten drool on them. From a playing perspective, the color is not distracting. It’s dark enough to stay unobtrusive in bright sunlight…Even my playing partners, who aren’t into clubs at all…commented on it saying it looks cool.” Long live!
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Titleist 910
While there’s no disputing Titleist’s “Titleist Speed” era of drivers perform better than its 2010s offerings, sentimentality abounds, and there was something classically Titleist about these clubs, right down to the alignment aid, and the look is somewhere between 983 times and the present TS age. Representing a resurgence after a disappointing stretch of offerings (907, 909), The 910D2 was a fairly broadly appealing driver with its classic look at address and classic Titleist face shape.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
TaylorMade RocketBallz
The white crown. The name. You either loved ‘em or you hated ‘em. TaylorMade’s 2012 offering from its RocketBallz Period boasted speed-enhancing aerodynamics and an Inverted Cone Technology in the club’s titanium face. Technology aside, it’s impossible to overstate what a departure from the norm a white-headed driver was in the world of golf equipment.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Ping i20
Long a quietly assertive player in the driver space, Ping’s i20 was more broadly appealing than the G20, despite being a lower-launch, lower-spin club. Ping drivers didn’t always have looks that golfer’s considered traditional or classic, but the i20 driver bucked that trend. Combining the classic look with Ping’s engineering created a driver that better players really gravitated toward. The i20 offered players lower launch and lower spin for more penetrating ball flight while the rear 20g tungsten weights kept the head stable. Sound and feel were great also, being one of the more muted driver sounds Ping had created up to that time.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
GolfWRXers, let us know in the comments who “your fighter” is and why!
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/29/24): Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Krank Formula fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft.
From the seller: (@well01): “Krank formula fire 10.5 degree with AUtoflex SF505. $560 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Rory McIlroy WITB
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X 7.0 (4-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB) Buy here, Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-K @59) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X3 Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour
Ball: 2024 TaylorMade TP5x Buy here.
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s WITB in the forums.
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Shane Lowry WITB
- Shane Lowry what’s in the bag accurate as of the Cognizant Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (8.5 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 70 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X
Irons: Srixon ZX Utility (3, 20 degrees) Buy here, Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5) Buy here, Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-PW) Buy here.
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X (3), KBS Tour 130 X (4-PW)
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID) Buy here, Cleveland RTX Full Face (58-8) Buy here.
Shafts: KBS Tour Wedge X Black
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour Z Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV Buy here.
The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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Barkley Chuck
Feb 23, 2019 at 3:25 pm
Always wondered what club Elin used to pound some justice into the old Tigre’!!
Charlotte
Feb 22, 2019 at 3:44 pm
Does this make my Studio Stainless Newport worth more? Its the same look without the insert. Feels great. Just a little heavier than the Newport 2.
passerby
Feb 22, 2019 at 10:09 pm
no sir cuz nothing related or relevant.
Jamie King
Feb 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm
If your local golf course had this putter and rented it…would you pay $200 to play a round with it?
JP
Feb 22, 2019 at 7:15 pm
I won’t pay a $200 greens fee! Screw renting ANY putter. I like mine just fine.
Big Ern
Feb 22, 2019 at 10:45 pm
Amazing question!
Depends though if it were some 1/2 kept joint with greens that look similar to a cheetahs fur or a top notch place like a TPC course. If at the latter i definitely would fork over the $200.
Jacob McCain
Mar 14, 2019 at 3:45 pm
I have played a round with one of Tiger’s backup putters. It’s very nice but I wouldn’t pay $200 to do it.
Tim
Feb 22, 2019 at 2:57 pm
I didn’t use it either.
In fact, Tiger and I didn’t use for the EXACT same amount of time!
How much does that add to the value?
Some people…
toyzrx
Feb 22, 2019 at 2:56 pm
What about the PING longneck Anser he used to win US am against Trip Keuhne? Probably was 1995 or 1996, but I bet that thing is pretty valuable too.
Sean
Feb 22, 2019 at 12:36 pm
Article is a little misleading. This is not the actual putter used to win the 97 Masters. The auction listing describes it as the prototype given in 96 before the actual Te3 putter was provided which Tiger went on to win the masters with.
The actual 97 Masters putter is priceless IMO and likely sits in Tigers house (hopefully mounted : )
Nachos
Feb 23, 2019 at 12:26 pm
Thanks for this, the price seemed low. That and why would it sell for less than backups?
Tom
Feb 22, 2019 at 11:17 am
How much are his personally used bimbos going for?
JP
Feb 22, 2019 at 2:24 pm
You asking to buy or just a short term lease?
Tom
Feb 22, 2019 at 3:00 pm
Good point, JP!
DonJuan
Feb 22, 2019 at 10:49 pm
Short term lease maybe 150 miles or less. Not looking for love
dat
Feb 22, 2019 at 10:33 am
Considering how much the regular tour models go for, this isn’t a bad value for a high end collector.
GOLFFRR
Feb 22, 2019 at 10:06 am
I was able to sit in on a speech that Scotty Cameron did and he told us about the story of how the dots came in to play in those putters. It all started with Tiger getting a putter from him that was too heavy for his liking. Tiger needed it lighter and needed it overnight. Scotty couldn’t re make a putter so he though he would drill some holes in the back. Once he did that he noticed it was rusting, so he went to local store and bought some caulking and put it in the holes to stop the rust. he went and won that week and the putter was all over TV the rest was history 🙂
Jon
Feb 22, 2019 at 11:32 am
There’s other stories about Scotty and tigers putters. The actual gamer tiger has used for 13 major victories was supposed to ship out the day that Scotty had finished it. Tiger wanted the head to play exactly 350 grams. The putter came off the mill at 353g (or so not sure on exact #s) so Scotty decided to mill a couple grams out of the back of the face because he knew that tiger would be able to feel the extra weight. Tigers putter was the first of nearly every tour putter after his to have a ‘tour dot’ yet the reason for tigers red dot in the cavity is not to distinguish it from retail model it’s so that it plays the right way. The cool thing is that Scotty has made over 20 back ups for tiger over his career in the identical configuration and not one of them has ever gone into play. Because they, “Don’t feel right.” That’s why tigers putter looks so beat up, because he won’t use another one. There’s also been multiple times where tiger has thrown the Scotty at his golf bag or slammed it off the ground and bent the hosel way out of whack and Scotty has had to drop what he’s doing and fly to wherever the tournament is to fix the alignment/ set up of the putter. I couldn’t imagine what his actual putter would sell for considering one of the back ups that weren’t good enough for tiger have sold for over $50 grand.
Benny
Feb 22, 2019 at 5:59 pm
Great info Jon and exactly right. But here in lies the issue… Scotty shaved that weight with those drilled dots to sehd 2 grams. One on the face/ heel and other in the cavity. But Scotty said “to keep it from rusting he used red printing ink for the dots and lettering”.
How does GSS rust?? (Stainless steel does not rust)
It doesn’t, so that means Tiger’s real putter is carbon underneath the finish.
But to push the GSS line and sales Scotty and Tiger have stated for ever its GSS when the real putter is a Pro Platinum finish.
This was the only stainless like finish Scotty had at that time.
Its all marketing boys and the video where Scotty explained all this has been removed from their site.
I have also seen pics of Tigers putter from 2013-2015 seasons where it looked brand new. But the real TW NP2 is all banged up.
IMO I believe its not just 1 putter and instead he has used a handful of these to win but kept secret so that Scotty can market his $10k GSS putters.
Jacob McCain
Mar 14, 2019 at 3:42 pm
Stainless steel does rust. Especially if you’re a tour pro who uses it as a tool and don’t take care of it. let it sit in the rain for 10 minutes then put a cover over it and don’t dry it off. It’ll rust for sure. Not nearly as badly as carbon but still will have rust spots. Also Tiger’s putter wasn’t 350. It was 335 or 330 originally. Due to remilling to get dings and such out it’s down to about 325 now.