Scotty Cameron putter questions. . . . .

So a guy calls today and makes an offer on my putter so I'm back in the market and I've been wanting a SC. I found a few but had a question. I've putted with a newport 2.5 which I really like but also the 1.5 laguna. I like them both a lot. So here's my question. . . . found a california monterey but can't lay eyes on it before buying. Is it gonna putt more like the 1.5 or the 2.5? Also, how durable is the california finish?? I'm really falling in love with the unique look of this putter as compared to most you see. Also, I prefer a large grip on my putter. Can you remove the sc grip without destroying it? Thanks in advance!!

To let you the truth, the Monterey won't be similar to either the Newport 2.5 or the Laguna 1.5 seeing as both of those putters have "flow necks" whereas the Monterey has a plumber's neck. It all has to do with the amount of toe hang a putter has. Toe hang is the angle that the putter head "hangs" as when you balance the shaft on your finger. Face-balanced putters don't hang at all; they face stays parallel to the ground. Putters with a plumber's neck (Monterey) tend to hang at a 45* angle), and putters with a flow neck (anything with x.5 in it) tend to hang more around 60-65*.

The more you open and close the putter face during the stroke, the more toe hang you need. You really don't know what type of toe hang works for you until you try out different putters, and from what it sounds like you fit more into the flow neck putters. This isn't to say a Monterey is a bad choice for you, but just so you know there are big differences between it and the Newport/Laguna you are looking at.

K, good post, my putting stroke is straight back and straight through. Does this help at all in deciding if the monterey may be a good fit?

It might be, but i think that model has a pretty good amount of toe flow. If you fancy yourself a strait back and through putter then a face balanced model would be better.

With a stroke like that a kombi or the fastback would be more suited. I heard a center shafted balance scotty is coming out soon.

The OTR (off the rack) center-shafted club is just a rumor right now. A lot of people think it'll be an IBRM (Inspired By Rory McIlroy) model seeing as he putts with a center-shafted Fastback most of the time and seems like the most likely person to get an IB__ model out of the current Titleist staffers.

Thanks for all the posts. How about the grip? Any way to save the factory grip? And is the cali finish proven pretty durable??

The finish on the California line seems to be hit or miss. SOme people have absolutely no problem with it, and others have said the finish can show wear signs after only a handful of rounds. The honey-dipped finish really isn't a true finish like others where an actual material is applied to the putter; it's the result of a "chemical reaction" when the stainless steel is dipped in some type of solution (can't remember specifics of what it actually is). I know this is a bit off topic, but there is an unlisted option at the SC Custom Shop where they will remove the honey-dipped finish fairly easily.

As for the grip, there are ways to "pull" a grip without destroying it. The pulled grips I've seen usually end up having a pin-sized hole in them somewhere, but it's usually pretty easy to hide it. If the grip is destoyed though, you can buy the California-series grips on scottycameorn.com in the Studio Store.

Thanks for the info!! I think for the price I'm going to get it and give it a try. Even if it doen't work for me, I think I can still not lose on it if I resell it.

The best thing about Scotty Cameron putters is that they hold their value very well. One of the best things you can do is to go check out

www.cameroncollector.com and look through the classified section to see what putters are going for used. You'd be surprised how much people are willing to pay for them.