Equipment

Spotted: Charley Hoffman’s one-off Scotty Cameron putter

Published

5 years ago

May 14, 2019

Major championships are major business for players. Everything gets a second look as pros pull out all the stops in an attempt to cement legacies beyond just racking up tour wins.

Pulling out the stops and a new putter this week is Charley Hoffman — a man known for consistently finding his way up leaderboards at majors, and tinkering with putters along the way. As putters go, what we spotted at Bethpage is a complete one-of-one for Hoffman and it has a lot of tech going one with some throwback flair for fun.

First let’s talk the tech: what we have here is a multi-piece, multi-material head designed to maximize MOI. Looking “under the hood” we can see that it is essentially a Phantom X 8 if the Prototype T8 wasn’t already a dead giveaway. BUT there are some big difference that certainly draw some inspiration from Cameron putters from the past.

We have very soft lines and edges compared to the standard retail model, which has already been pointed out in our forums. Our man on the ground confirmed from “the Hoff” and his caddy that soft rounded lines are what he prefers, and as I have mentioned before, when it comes to high ranking tour players and custom gear, all you really have to do is ask.

The other major difference (see what I did there) is the elimination of the black finish (now I’m two for two in tournament references) and the variation on the standard site line. Dark and black finished putters are always hit or miss with players of all skill levels and from this putter, it seems CH prefers the classic aluminium body vs the anodized one. Speaking of classics and aluminium this brings me back to what I said earlier and how this putter will remind some Cameron faithful about a model found in the wayback machine — the Caliente.

Milled from aluminium and having what we would now consider a rudimentary multi-material construction from the top, the spacing of the lines isn’t exactly the same but the flowing nature of the Prototype quickly bring back memories of this putter and if you consider the scale difference between the T8 and the Caliente the alignment appears very close to the naked eye.

From a looks perspective, I’ve never had a personal preference between standard grey “steel” finished clubs and black ones, and if you were to take a look at my putter and wedge collection that would quickly become apparent. For Mr. Hoffman, a guy known more for his prodigious ball striking than putting, this putter change could make a big difference this week and potentially help him turn the page (there I did it – snuck the whole course name into the article) on his major record.

To see more pics and join the discussion check out the forum thread.

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Ryan Barath

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

8 Comments

Rod Brink

May 15, 2019 at 5:31 pm

That Prototype,the Caliente,was probably born from Ray Cook M1-X…I’m sure Scotty remembers that model.

Reply Report comment
Realist

May 14, 2019 at 10:33 pm

He used the cameron red x for years….anybody catch the similarities….with more moi!?

Reply Report comment
Charles Knox

May 14, 2019 at 9:36 pm

One (perhaps two) other notable difference(s): Significantly less offset with what seems to be a bend at a higher point on the shaft. Not just for how the putter looks soled behind the ball, but also pushes the alignment features slightly left of the stock putter.

Reply Report comment
Brandon Wooley

May 14, 2019 at 9:05 pm

I had that Caliente Grand back in the day. I couldn’t putt with it to save my life. In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have left it in the bag for like 6 years.

Reply Report comment
Ab

May 14, 2019 at 3:02 pm

That is the ugliest Alien-baby looking POS putter I’ve ever seen

Reply Report comment
LoveIt

May 14, 2019 at 11:53 am

Like the putter. Hate Matt Kuchar.

Reply Report comment
- Jack
  
  May 14, 2019 at 1:59 pm
  
  I concur. Kuch is a d-bag
  
  Reply Report comment
- Tommy
  
  May 14, 2019 at 2:34 pm
  
  WTH does this have to do with Kuchar and why vent your hate in public?…..BTW, I’m sure he’s going to lose lots of sleep over it.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Limited-edition gear spotted at the PGA Championship

Published

13 hours ago

May 15, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

The second major of the season is here, and with it, custom gear aplenty! Taking inspiration from both Louisville, Kentucky, and host course Valhalla, the OEMs have been having some fun with the designs.

Check out PGA Championship staff bags, some custom kicks, and a very cool putter grip from SuperStroke.

2024 PGA Championship staff bags

Callaway

PGA Championship Staff Bag Giveaway ? See below how you can win the bag and headcovers being used this week by #TeamCallaway at the second major of the year:

-Follow @callawaygolf
-Tag 2 friends in the comments pic.twitter.com/8HbGdPHiFK

— Callaway Golf (@CallawayGolf) May 13, 2024

Cobra

TaylorMade

From the stables to the fairway. ?

This year’s PGA Championship staff bag and accessories pay homage to the Derby City with callouts to the run for the roses, the fastest lap in track history and more.

Dive into all the details of this beauty: https://t.co/afhEVKHWLj pic.twitter.com/8eoP6tDZq1

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) May 13, 2024

Scotty Cameron’s putter cover features the Scotty Dog in Viking helmet

Bettinardi’s KFC-inspired putter covers

Ping’s bourbon-inspired putter cover

Rory McIlroy’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail-inspired Nike Air Zoom Victory Tour 3 shoes

FootJoy x Todd Snyder Mint Julep Premier Series

(Photo courtesy of FootJoy)

Brooks Koepka’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail-inspired Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour shoes

(Photo courtesy of Nike)

SuperStroke’s PGA Championship grip

Check out all of our photos from Valhalla here.

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Whats in the Bag

John Daly WITB 2024 (May)

Published

16 hours ago

May 15, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

John Daly WITB accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.

Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Newton Motion 6-Dot

3-wood: Ping G430 LST (15 degrees)
Shaft: Newton Motion 4-Dot

Hybrids: Ping G430 (17, 22, 26 degrees)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold

Check out more in-hand photos of John Daly’s clubs here.

Irons: Sub70 659-CB (6-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Wedges: Sub70 TAIII (50, 54, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Check out more in-hand photos of John Daly’s clubs here.

Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Milled One T CH
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0

Grips: SuperStroke custom

More photos of John Daly’s WITB in the forums.

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

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Equipment

Toulon Golf collaborates with Valhalla Golf Club for latest Small Batch putter

Published

16 hours ago

May 15, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Toulon Golf has today officially announced its latest Small Batch putter — the Valhalla.

Discussing the putter, Preston Toulon of Toulon Golf said: “This putter is a collaboration with the club at Valhalla and incorporates three of the many things that make the state of Kentucky great – horseracing, bourbon and championship golf. The head of the putter and headcover have several allusions to a jockey’s silk and there are thoroughbreds on the sole.”

Inspired by Toulon’s classic tri-sole Santa Monica design, the company sought to modernize the profile and design leveraging its 904 stainless steel and 6061 aircraft aluminium across the sole. Toulon describes the Valhalla’s profile as “slightly oversized blade whose proportions are meticulously balanced to maintain the look and feel of the Santa Monica, while increasing the putter’s inertia to create one of the most forgiving putters we have ever designed.”

Throughout numerous prototypes, Toulon paid particular attention to the L-neck, with its full shaft of offset, adding a bit of length for better blending with the slightly wider and longer blade.

On the rear of the putter are homages to horse racing in the form of jockey silk diamonds and Churchill Downs-inspired font.

The sole of the putter features a large cavity covered by a 6061 aircraft aluminum sole plate. According to Toulon, this allowed for the addition length to the putter and improved inertia as well as moving more mass to the perimeter for greater forgiveness.

In another nod to Valhalla, Toulon uses a milled watermarked limestone pattern, a reference to stone featured widely on the property.

As with all the Toulon Small Batch putters, the team paid particular attention to the topline thickness and radius to achieve a desired look. “Soft yet crisp was the design intent,” according to the company.