Master Scotty Cameron Putters: Worth It or Not? Thread

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by Canuck

........but then again Corey Pavin won with a 80's bulls eye putter this year.

And Furyk won the FedEx Cup last year with a used $30-something putter he got out of the used bin.

I'll pay that much for something like an Edel that is fit to you, but I wouldn't spend that on a Scotty.  Compared to an Edel, the Scotty is just another off the shelf putter.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by RichWW2

Or are you just buying a $50 putter with a $300 dollar name? Or is it something that you can look cool in front of your friends with? "Hey guys, check out my new Scotty Cameron putter. Aren't I the greatest?"

I think the bottom line here is that people should feel free to spend their discretionary income any way they please.

Of course they aren't better than other "high end" putters, and "high end" putters aren't necessarily better than cheaper ones, but that's not the point.

Pride of ownership.

Confidence.

I just want one.

Whatever.

About the same price as a mid range driver. What's the big deal?

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by RichWW2

@Minibluedragon,

So the rumors are true. Good, all this practicing putting to get better was really a drag.  So I can order one of these and just be great. Excellent.

It's just like brand new clubs that cost twice as much as the previous years version make you twice as good.  The world makes sense now.  Who needs practice when you can just buy new stuff that automatically makes you better.

Thank you Minibluedragon. My eyes are now opened.

Yep, all true I'm afraid! I even have some magic sparkly dust that I sprinkle on my putter before a round. I presume it's illegal but then nobody knows I use it to #MakeEverything. Shhh...

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by Shorty

I think the bottom line here is that people should feel free to spend their discretionary income any way they please.

Of course they aren't better than other "high end" putters, and "high end" putters aren't necessarily better than cheaper ones, but that's not the point.

Pride of ownership.

Confidence.

I just want one.

Whatever.

About the same price as a mid range driver. What's the big deal?

This.  It's really not out of line with prices of other top new clubs and sets.

I would not spend that on a putter.  But, I have never tried a top of the line putter.

[RichWW2]

@Shorty,

That's not my issue though.  It just seems to me that it is a little overpriced for what it is.  New drivers and other clubs seems like they can have new technology, bigger MOI, bigger sweet spot, blah blah blah, whatever new idea they come up with to market might actually do something.  It just seems new putters don't actually "do" anything different.  Just slap a high price tag on there because it's new and a "Scotty Cameron".

I'm not telling people what to do with their money.  If you want one and have the money, go nuts.  Buy 10 of them.  Use a new one each round if you want.  Just trying to say that it seems like new putters seem a tad overpriced as their technology doesn't seem to be advancing per se.  Just my opinion though, so it's probably wrong.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by RichWW2

@Shorty,

That's not my issue though.  It just seems to me that it is a little overpriced for what it is.  New drivers and other clubs seems like they can have new technology, bigger MOI, bigger sweet spot, blah blah blah, whatever new idea they come up with to market might actually do something.  It just seems new putters don't actually "do" anything different.  Just slap a high price tag on there because it's new and a "Scotty Cameron".

I'm not telling people what to do with their money.  If you want one and have the money, go nuts.  Buy 10 of them.  Use a new one each round if you want.  Just trying to say that it seems like new putters seem a tad overpriced as their technology doesn't seem to be advancing per se.  Just my opinion though, so it's probably wrong.

But they aren't over priced. That fact that they are the same as a putter costing 1/3 as much isn't the point.

If they were overpriced, SC would go out business. Noone is foerced to buy one.

They set a price and people buy them.

I am not a fan, but I have owned and do own several expensive putters. Some don't feel that great ,including the SCs I have owned and unloaded. Others (particularly Odyssey Black Tour Designs) are incredible. But------an $80 Ping can feel fantastic too.

Your opinion is correct, but their popularity is about anything and everything except technology.

FWIW - if anyone has wanted to try a "fine milled" putter, but thinks they can't afford one, look at the deals on brand new Bettinardi putters on ebay at the moment. Prices are insane. And, I can highly recommend the seller, Proclubs. The BB1 craps all over any OTR Cameron in looks and finish. Feel....well, that depends on your stroke.

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by RichWW2

@Shorty,

That's not my issue though.  It just seems to me that it is a little overpriced for what it is.  New drivers and other clubs seems like they can have new technology, bigger MOI, bigger sweet spot, blah blah blah, whatever new idea they come up with to market might actually do something.  It just seems new putters don't actually "do" anything different.  Just slap a high price tag on there because it's new and a "Scotty Cameron".

I'm not telling people what to do with their money.  If you want one and have the money, go nuts.  Buy 10 of them.  Use a new one each round if you want.  Just trying to say that it seems like new putters seem a tad overpriced as their technology doesn't seem to be advancing per se.  Just my opinion though, so it's probably wrong.

Your opinion is not wrong.  I agree with most of it as well.

The point is all putters aren't overpriced, or cost $350.  Putters are no different than any other thing consumers can buy.  A car, shoes, electronics, sports equipment, etc.  There are all levels of prices and quality and marketing to choose from, at huge price ranges (for essentially the "same" thing).

[Anjew]

People are willing to pay $300-400 for a driver that they are going to use maybe 14 times in a round, so whats wrong with spending the same amount of money for something that you are going to use 30+ times in a round?

I just spent the most I have ever spent on a putter ($150) on an Odyssey Black Series putter, and I love it. It feels so much better than all of the other crappy $30 putters I have owned over the years. No it does not automatically put the ball in the hole, or correct my line, or wash my clubs or get me a beer, but it does give me a lot of much needed confidence when I am standing over my putts. That's worth a hell of a lot to me, and the guys willing to invest the $350 on the SC putters probably feel the same.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by Shorty

FWIW - if anyone has wanted to try a "fine milled" putter, but thinks they can't afford one, look at the deals on brand new Bettinardi putters on ebay at the moment. Prices are insane.

Bought a Bettinardi BC2 last week and the difference was like night and day in terms of feel off the face and the ability to hit putts a similar difference (previously using a Ping Half Wack-E)

To be fair to mega priced putters there's an argument there to say that the most used clubs should have the most spent on them as you'll be getting the best bang for your buck from them. Assuming a driver is used on 14 holes per round and you pay $300 for one if you normally two-putt everything surely you should be happy to pay around $600 for a good putter? ;)

[RichWW2]

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

To be fair to mega priced putters there's an argument there to say that the most used clubs should have the most spent on them as you'll be getting the best bang for your buck from them. Assuming a driver is used on 14 holes per round and you pay $300 for one if you normally two-putt everything surely you should be happy to pay around $600 for a good putter? ;)

If you're going to go with a $600 putter, you should probably use it more.  The more you use it, the lower the price per putt becomes.  Go ahead and use it for 40, 50, or even 60 putts a round. That does seem counter-productive if you're trying to score well...but screw it. I'm using it for all it's worth. Really get to know those greens. Haha. Would love to see that scorecard...

[MiniBlueDragon]

Getting value for money is always better than scoring well though. 60 putts it is!

[meenman]

Originally Posted by RichWW2

If you're going to go with a $600 putter, you should probably use it more.  The more you use it, the lower the price per putt becomes.  Go ahead and use it for 40, 50, or even 60 putts a round. That does seem counter-productive if you're trying to score well...but screw it. I'm using it for all it's worth. Really get to know those greens. Haha. Would love to see that scorecard...

A $600 putter would get used more - how long do you think a high end putter stays in someones bag vs that new $400 driver that a lot of us tend to buy every 2-3 years.

[GaijinGolfer]

It is a lot of money for 1 club but yes, people do spend that money and have convinced themselves that a Scotty is worth the premium pricetag.  Personally, I could putt just as well with a $70 Cleveland Classic as I could with a $350 Scotty but some people love their Scottys, think they are the best and dont mind paying that much for them.

Honestly though, I think Id much rathar spend $300 for a high-end putter than I would for a new driver that claims to give me more distance.  IMO, the added confidence of a fancy putter would go farther than hyped up claims on a new driver.

[newtogolf]

It's an interesting discussion because you never really see people complain about the price of a driver.  Before my lesson I was looking at all the new drivers and just about every vendor has a $400 model.  People seem perfectly willing to drop $400 on a driver knowing that it will be replaced before the end of the season with a new one promising 10 more yards but will hedge on spending that much for a putter.

We all use a putter more times per round than a driver, we all agree putting is critical to lower scores, but when it comes time to pull out the wallet, people stop and complain about how expensive that putter is.

So why do golfers think this way, is it the fact that putters "just" roll a ball to the cup, that putters don't feature high tech designs and materials or is it that we believe poor putting needs to be fixed within ourselves but believe there's a magic driver that can fix our slice or add more yardage to our drives?

[iacas]

Thread merged into the master thread.

[k-troop]

This logic is starting to wear on me.  I'm hitting my driver at least 35 times tomorrow.  I'm going to make up the stroke difference by only using my putter 10 times.

[dmnoland]

There is only one "perfect" putter, it might be made by Scotty Cameron or it might be made by Zevo. Only you can find that out. Spend an hour several different times trying out every putter you can.

Scottys are indeed works of art and I would love to own a Del Mar but it would never leave the house since I don't want to scuff it up and it's still the wrong one for my game.

Over the last few years I have acquired 5 different putters yet I keep coming back to my 20 year old Ping B60. My putter is really one of a kind and it is the right one for me. I have had it tweaked for length, loft, weight and grip all by a professional clubmaker and putting instructor.

Now all that being said I will set aside my own advice and demo the new Ping Nome when it's released since it just might be my "more perfect" putter.

[RichWW2]

Been thinking about this for awhile now and golf has it completely backwards.  Most people buy brand new clubs with the intent of using them less (less strokes on the course) than they do their old clubs.  So if I buy a fancy new $350 putter, I'm not buying it to use it for 30-35 putts a round.  I'm buying it to use it for 20 putts a round. I think golf may be the only sport in where you purchase equipment with the expressed intent to use it less. So looking at it that way, new clubs, especially putters, should be cheaper since you plan on using them less by hopefully getting better.

I also like k-troops idea of hitting driver 35 times and using putter only 10 times.  This is like the movie "Moneyball" but with golf clubs instead of baseball players.  We may have just revolutionized golf...well done team.