The GolfWRX team is live from this year’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. The “Show Stoppers” segment will highlight our favorite clubs, gear, training aids and trends that have been released at the show, or are set to release in 2014.

At the PGA Merchandise Show, golf companies show off their latest equipment on Tuesday at the PGA Demo Day at Orange County National, and at the PGA Show inside the Orange County Convention Center on Wednesday through Friday. Follow along as we bring you inside the ropes of this year’s events.

Lamkin UTx Golf Grips

Lamkin’s new UTx grips are made from three functional layers. The foundation is a vibration-dampening layer of ACE 3GEN, the middle layer is a moisture-wicking fabric weave and the outer layer is firmer to reduce torque.

The grips are responsive and tacky, and the moisture-wicking fabric does a great job of curbing slickness. They’re available now for $8.99 each in a variety of colors.

Click here to see more grips we spotted at the PGA Merchandise Show.

Oban Kiyoshi “Tour Limited” and Kiyoshi Gold

Oban’s Tour Limited shaft is made from exotic four-axis material from butt-to-tip. The construction also includes 46-ton pre-preg material, making it the most expensive shaft the company has ever manufactured. The bend profile is closest to Oban’s Kiyoshi Black, the company says. It’s available in March are will sell for about $465.

The Kiyoshi Gold is produced using MultiPlex Design Technology to effectively combine a firm butt section and a responsive mid and tip section. It offers a slightly higher launch and spin than the Kiyoshi Purple shaft, making it a good fit for today’s high-spin drivers. It’s available now and sells for around $400.

Click here to see more shafts we spotted at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

SNAG Golf

SNAG (Starting New At Golf) is a fun system of learning development that professionals can use to teach youth golfers and senior players alike. Golfer hit velcro tennis balls to velcro targets with plastic clubs that have oversized club heads. The “Coaching Kit” comes equipped with clubs, targets, training tools, balls, launch pads and an equipment carrier that are designed for 8-to-48-year-old learners.

Over 10,000 schools and 5,000 golf courses utilize SNAG as a training system and entertainment for their learners. The basic “Player Pak” is available in retail for $109, and additional products can be purchased.

Sunfish Golf Headcovers

Sunfish Golf Headcovers are hand-knit from natural New Zealand wool that have a simple design, various color options and a matching pom on top. Covers are offered for all fairway woods, hybrids and 460c-or-less driver heads.

All color options are available in three sizes, and custom logo embroidery is offered in each. Driver covers are sold for $29.993, and fairway wood/hybrid covers are sold for $24.99 each.

The GolfBoard

The GolfBoard is an innovative way to transport golf clubs around the course that compares more to skateboarding, surfing or snowboarding than driving a cart. Combining extreme sports with the world of golf is not only fun, but functional, the company says.

Speed is controlled with a wireless electric remote, while the golfer controls the steering. Golf Board’s dimensions are 50-inches long, 20-inches wide and 10-inches tall, which allows it to easily fit into the trunk of your car. The cart has 4-wheel drive and posi-traction, and is supported by tires that measure 3.5-inches wide and 9-inches stall. A 48-volt lithium battery pack is built into the bottom of the board, and can be recharged in 1.5 hours.

Tour Striker Smart Ball

Insert the Tour Striker “Smart Ball” between your forearms and swing. The device encourages golfers to keep their arms and body working together. It also easily inflates and deflates to allow it to be packed in a golf bag.

Lastly, golfers can optionally attach it to a brace so the ball doesn’t fall to the ground if it were to be release it during the swing. Price and availability is yet to be announced.

TaylorMade 2014 Tour Preferred Wedges

It’s been two years since TaylorMade released a new wedge, but now what we know what they were working on. The 2014 Tour Preferred wedges might be the company’s best-looking wedges to date.

The 304 stainless steel wedges have a raw finish, and a micro-milled face texture that creates more friction at impact for enhanced spin around the greens. They’re available in TaylorMade’s standard sole in lofts of 50 and 52 degrees, but the 54, 56, 58 and 60-degree wedges give golfers a choice of two different soles. Golfers can opt for either the standard sole or the ATV sole, which is substantially narrower than the original ATV sole design for more versatility.

They’re available April 15 for $129 each with KBS Tour’s Tour-V shafts. Click here to see photos of TaylorMade’s new equipment at the PGA Merchandise Show. 

Scotty Cameron 2014 “Select” and GoLo Putters

Scotty Cameron’s new Select putters are what the putter maker calls “a refresh, not a re-do.” The line includes the usual Newport, Newport 2 and Newport 2.5 models, which Cameron said received small tweaks for 2014. But the mallets in the line are a departure from what Cameron putter fans are used to, with aluminum sole plates that project through their flanges to create a crosshairs-like alignment aid.

According to Cameron, the anodized-aluminum sole plates used in the Squareback, Fastback, GoLo 7, GoLo S5 and GoLo 3 save approximately 30 grams of weight from their designs. That weight was used to thicken the faces and cavities of the putters, improving sound and feel.

The putters will be available on April 18 for $349. Click here to see more photos of the new putters. 

TaylorMade 2014 Tour Preferred Golf Balls

TaylorMade’s new Tour Preferred golf balls include a 3-piece “Tour Preferred” and 5-piece “Tour Preferred X.” According to TaylorMade, the Tour Preferred X is similar to last year’s “Lethal” ball, but it feels softer and spins more around the greens.

The Tour Preferred has a similar feel to the Tour Preferred X, but it is designed to offer more spin on long- and mid-iron shots. They’re available now for $46.99 per dozen.

Click here to see photos of TaylorMade’s new equipment at the PGA Merchandise Show. 

On May 30, Scotty Cameron will release two of the company’s most popular putters, its Newport 2 and GoLo 7, in counterbalanced “Dual Balance” models.

According to the company, two decades of high-speed video research with tour players have revealed that the best putters in the world keep the butt end of the putter pointed to the same 1-to2-inch circle in their midsection throughout the stroke. The Dual Balance putters are designed to promote such a stroke, with a 50-gram weight in the grip section of the putters and an additional 50 grams of putter head weight.

The extra weight helps keep golfers from “flipping,” “pushing” or leading the club head with their hands in the stroke, according to Scotty Cameron, the company’s master craftsman.

“The purpose of anchoring a putter is to stop the butt end of the club from moving,” Cameron said. “Now that anchoring will be against the rules, we’ve determined the best way to help golfers regain that stability and control is through Dual Balance, by adding 50 grams to the shaft and balancing that with 50 grams in the head.”

The proper length for a Dual Balance putter is about three inches longer than standard, the company says, and the putters are available in 38-inch lengths, three inches longer than the company’s standard length of 35 inches, however, custom lengths are available. The putters come stock with a 15-inch flat-front Winn grip that has a colored section at the top that indicates proper hand placement. Gripping the putter in that way keeps the 50-gram counterweight above the hands for maximum counterbalancing effect.

“Instead of stopping the butt end (as anchored putters do) we’re able to slow everything down,” Cameron said. “The counterweight in the shaft helps keep the butt stable and pointed at your belly. The additional head weight makes the putter slower and more lethargic without it feeling too heavy. If you only add shaft weight, you actually end up robbing head weight, which makes the head quicker. So you need to balance that out. We have found through our experiments that 50 grams in the shaft and head is ideal for weight, feel and performance. But you have to be careful to maintain the proper shaft flex. It took a lot of testing to make sure we got everything just right with these new models.”

The Newport 2 Dual Balance, which is a blade-style putter, had a head is slightly larger than the conventional model to accommodate for the additional 50 grams of weight.

The GoLo 7, a mallet putter, stores its extra 50 grams of weight under its soleplate, which allows the head size to remain the same as the standard GoLo 7 model.

Both putters sell for $399, the same price as Cameron’s Futura X Dual Balance, an oversized mallet that was released in December 2013.

Specs

Newport 2 Dual Balance 

• Loft: 3.5 degrees
• Lie: 70 degrees
• RH Lengths: 36-to-40 inches (38-inch model is standard)
• LH Lengths: N/A
• Head Material: Milled 303 Stainless Steel with a deep milled face
• Counterweight: 50 grams
• Head weight: 400 grams
• Neck: Single Bend
• Offset: 3/4 shaft
• Grip: 15-inch Cameron Dual Balance made by Winn

GoLo 7 Dual Balance 

• Loft: 3.5 degrees
• Lie: 70 degrees
• RH Lengths: 36-to-40 inches (38-inch model is standard)
• LH Lengths: 36-to-40 inches (38-inch model is standard)
• Head Material: Milled 303 Stainless Steel with a deep milled face
• Counterweight: 50 grams
• Head weight: 400 grams
• Neck: Single Bend
• Offset: 3/4 shaft
• Grip: 15-inch Cameron Dual Balance made by Winn

Futura X Dual Balance 

• Loft: 3.5 degrees
• Lie: 70 degrees
• RH Lengths: 36-to-40 inches (38-inch model is standard)
• LH Lengths: 36-to-40 inches (38-inch model is standard)
• Head Material: Milled 303 Stainless Steel with a deep milled face
• Counterweight: 50 grams
• Head weight: 400 grams
• Neck: Single Bend
• Offset: 3/4 shaft
• Grip: 15-inch Cameron Dual Balance made by Winn

Here is a pic we found on twitter of Scotty Cameron latest release for the tour guys at the Open this week.

Click here to see more pics and read the discussion in the forums

It’s said that scratch golfers are among the top 1 percent of golfers worldwide. They are the Sasquatches of the golf world — often heard about, but seldom seen or played with. Some people think you can recognize these golfers not just by their fluid swings, soft touch around the greens and rhythmic putting strokes. According to a lot of golfers, most good golfers can be recognized with a simple peak into the bag to see what clubs they are playing.

There’s something telling about a golfer’s bag and the clubs in it. Maybe it’s the wear spots on the irons and how old the wedges are. Is there a classic club in there? A Titleist 905R driver perhaps? Does he or she have an old Ping Anser style putter, or rusty Cleveland 588 wedge?

We all play this game because we want to be that golfer, the one who no one wants to play against, the golfer who makes every 5-foot putt he or she looks at and the one who can get up and down from anywhere. It’s time to be honest, though. There’s a solid chance that golfer is never going to be you. You work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and have a wife and children. You aren’t the golf Sasquatch, you just use a Nike Sasquatch (not the tour model, the retail version with the Mitsubishi Rayon’s made-for yellow Diamana).

I’m not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings. Remember, the average handicap of male golfers is 16, which is a really long way from scratch.

Here’s the thing with golf though — when you’re on the course with three other people, even a fairly open course, only those three people (and possibly the three people in the group behind you) are the only ones who will ever see you hit a shot. So does it matter if you are a scratch? Maybe to some. But for most golfers, looking like a scratch golfer will be much easier and more fun that being one.

If I’ve learned one thing from golf, it’s that the golfers who look good on the course also have a tendency to play better. That’s why I’ve created a step-by-step guide on how to build an intimidating bag of clubs, one that will make you look like a scratch golfer. Getting better is up to you.

Click here for more discussion in the “Equipment” forum.

Step 1: Bagging the right bag

Let’s start with the bag. You have a staff or cart bag you say? Great. How big is your fireplace? Go throw it in there.

I’ve played with some great players who’ve had cart bags, but that’s not the point. We want to make this a slam-dunk. You know what a cart bag says about you? It says you like to ride in a cart (and you probably drink beer during rounds too). That means you are probably not a scratch golfer.

Go buy a Ping Hoofer carry bag and thank me later. You get bonus points if you carry it during the round. I’ve never seen a bad player lug a Ping Hoofer around for 18 holes and neither have you.

Step 2: Covering those clubs

Don’t stop there while you’ve got the fire going. Here’s another piece of golf equipment that never hits a shot, but can make a world of difference in how you’re perceived by the golfing community: head covers. No scratch player is going to lose to a guy with a set of head covers that look brand new say “Rocketballz.” You can use TaylorMade RocketBallz products, mind you, just make sure to get a sock head cover for them. Put your Rocketballz under a Rocket Tour and you are in business! (If you don’t get that reference, you are probably one of the golfers that should re-read this).

If you want to take your head cover street cred a step further, drive over your head covers a few times with your car. Head covers are like jeans – they look better broken in. As for iron head covers, throw them out because no good player has ever used them. Dings are like divots — if you’re a good player, you can’t escape them.

Step 3: Choosing the right driver

First off, trade in your square driver unless your name is Lucas Glover. Ditto for any driver with a significant offset.

Great players use drivers from all makes and years, so it’s really tough to go wrong. If you want to seal the deal, though, buy a Titleist 910 driver. Great amateur players use Titleist drivers, but you don’t necessarily want it to be too “new” because that has its own implications. The 910 models are in the sweetspot — a couple of years old, but holding strong on Tour.

The aforementioned 905R is another good choice, but it’s been around so long it’s made it into a lot of hacks bags through eBay or used bins. If you have a Titleist 907 and think that’s fine, it’s not. Drive into a bad part of town and leave your door open (I am doing you a favor. You’ll just have to trust me). The 907 drivers were only created because TaylorMade got a Manchurian candidate into Titleist for two years to sabotage them. That’s at least what I read on GolfWRX.

Step 4: Picking a 3-wood

A good 3 wood needs to be old enough that you’ve hit it a lot, like a 1000 times. It also needs to look like it’s made par 5s just line up and surrender to you.

A good 3 wood is your most trusted club, but also one of the hardest clubs to hit. Scour eBay and find a TaylorMade V-Steel, the holy grail of modern 3 woods. You get bonus points if it’s beat to within inches of its life. If it isn’t, just smack it with a rock a few times so it is. Done and done. Actually, while you’re at it, make sure to get the 5 wood too, because great players don’t use hybrids. I don’t know why, but Tiger and Rory don’t use them, so that’s good enough for me.

Step 5: Bagging the proper irons

Irons present the biggest opportunity for posing of any club in the bag. Miuras might mean you are a player, but they also might mean you have a lot of money and just want to play the clubs Tiger used while with Nike, I mean … never mind.

Titleist blades? You might be one of the many 15 handicaps who actually think blades are the best way to improve. I’m not going to judge, actually no wait that’s what we are doing here. In fact that’s the whole purpose of this article. So let’s judge: I don’t trust people with blades. Some golfers with blades are great players, but some guys are trying to appear like great players. I’m trying to give you a chance to not appear like you are appearing, are you still with me here?

Here is what you do: buy a set of Mizuno MP-60s. They are tasteful and elegant forged cavity backs. No one “poses” using cavity backs, and Mizuno somehow manages to be a players club while simultaneously avoiding the pitfalls of being a magnet for wannabes. Your irons better be dinged up too, because nothing says “I like to take drops when my ball is on a root” more then pristine clubs. So bang ‘em up a bit. Scratch players punch out. Guys that get beat by scratch players use their foot wedge and say things like “leaf rule” or “root rule.”

Step 6: Adding wedges

Scratch players pretty much all play the same wedges. I’ve never met one who didn’t have a Vokey or some form of rusty Cleveland in his bag. So when you’re choosing why risk it? Get yourself one of both. I’m thinking a 53-degree rusty old Cleveland 588 and the 60-degree Vokey of your choice.

Step 7: The putter

Probably half the great players you’ll ever meet use Scotty Cameron putters. I’d guess those players make up less than half Cameron’s business, however. Horrific golfers who happen to have great wives use the rest of Cameron’s putters. If you choose to go with a Scotty it had better be an old one because the absolute truth of golf is that guys with shiny putters make absolutely nothing.

If I were choosing (and I am), I’d go with an old Ping Anser style putter. You might be thinking, “Aren’t there like a million Ping Ansers out there? Aren’t most of them in the bags of total hacks?”

The answer is yes, but an old Anser putter in the bag of a guy using MP60s and a Titleist 910 driver — there’s not too many of those. That guy isn’t missing inside 10 feet and you know it. At least that’s why you think when you see his bag.

I shouldn’t have told you all this, because guys with intimidating bags don’t lose. But just by hanging out by the putting green with your new bag, 97 out of 100 of them will think you are the best player they’ve ever seen. Impressing the other three is on you though.

The range is that a way.

Click here for more discussion in the “Equipment” forum.

When golfers ascend to the top spot in the world golf rankings, they’re usually playing the best golf of their career, which means they’re generally not looking to make equipment changes. Adam Scott, on the other hand, is celebrating his ascension to No. 1 in the Official Golf World Rankings by tinkering with two prototype putters from his putter make of choice, Scotty Cameron.

Scott made headlines in 2013 when he won the Masters, his first major championship, with what was then a prototype Scotty Cameron long putter called a Futura X, and he has used that putter in competition ever since.

The new putters Scott was testing at the Crowne Plaza Invitational have the name “Futura X7″ on their soles, but they are more similar to the original Futura X in name than they are in appearance. Whereas the Futura X was an oversized mallet putter, the X7 prototypes have a much smaller footprint.

At first glance, the X7 is reminiscent of Odyssey’s extremely popular #7 putter, but there are distinct differences. The “fins” that extend from the corners of the putter face are shorter and arc more toward the middle of the putter, and there’s a cut-out cavity behind the putter face that adds a T-shaped alignment aid.

The two models Scott tested on the putting green at Colonial were a Futura X7, a heel-shafted model with a double-bend shaft, and a Futura X7s, which had a straight shaft positioned in the center of the putter face.

Like Cameron’s new GoLo 3, GoLo 5 and GoLo 7 putters, as well as the Futura X, the Futura X7 prototypes have aluminum sole plates that give Cameron some discretionary weight to redistribute in the putter head where he sees fit.

Many of Cameron’s prototype putters never make it to retail for one reason or another, but the initial comments in our forum about the Futura X7 indicate that the putters could be a big seller for Cameron. Keep in mind, however, that Cameron tends to be deliberate with his releases. While Scott’s Futura X prototype eventually came to retail, it wasn’t until about three months after Scott’s Masters victory that it hit shelves.

As for Scott’s future with the new putter, it’s unlikely that we’ll see him make a switch anytime soon. Our boots on the ground tell us that Scott prefered the lie angle of the X7, but the appearance of the X7s at address. You know what that means… more prototype testing to come.

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Futura X7 putter in our forum.

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Futura X7 putter in our forum.

After rumors swirled about it last year, Scotty Cameron has officially opened a putting studio in Encinitas, Calif., which offers tour-style Scotty Cameron putter fittings to the public for the first time in the U.S.

The Gallery will mimic the tour-only, research and development studio in nearby San Marcos where professionals get fit for Cameron putters by Scotty and the company’s staff with latest high-speed video fitting tools.

The putter studio is located just north of San Diego and was a surf shop before undergoing a full-scale remodel to become Cameron’s first standalone retail venture. It will be ”part retail space, part high-end product gallery, 100 percent fitting facility,” according to Cameron. Customers will be fit into putters just like the pros have for years with an experience that’s been anticipated by fans, collectors and Cameron himself for some time.

“Opening the Scotty Cameron Gallery is something I’ve dreamed about for a long time.” Cameron said. “I’ve always wanted to have a place open to the public where I can share things that I have created and love. But above all, the Gallery is a place where golfers can come to understand what is happening between the ball, the putter and the player – and how we get those three things to work in harmony.”

Thanks in part to the success of Cameron putters on the professionals tours, which have been used in more than 994 worldwide victories by top-ranked players such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy, Cameron putters have become some of the most sought after clubs in golf.

Above: A photo of Cameron’s limited-edition putters, which sell for high prices among collectors.

Cameron’s retail putters currently fetch prices between $299 and $399 in the U.S., but limited-edition and tour-only models often carry four-to-five figure price tags. Cameron crazies willing to dish out that kind of dough, as well as any golfer who’s been longing for the opportunity to get the Scotty Cameron studio experience, will love this opportunity.

Golfers interested in a putter fitting, which are limited and booked by appointment, can visit the Gallery website or call 760-591-9720 to schedule an appointment.

Pros: The Futura X is tremendously forgiving and crafted with exceptional attention to detail. It’s one of the most stable, consistent high-MOI putters on the market.

Cons: Sells for $349-$399. It’s big and curvy, which might rub traditionalists the wrong way. Feel putters could struggle with the putter’s tendency to swing straight back and straight through.

Who’s it for? Golfers who miss a lot of short putts and/or struggle with distance control. It will work best for those who do not have much arc in their strokes.

Overview

Scotty Cameron has made his mark on the putter world over the years with blade-style putters such as his Newport, Newport 2 and mallets such as his Red X and GoLo. But he’s also taken risks with models such as the Futura, Detour and Kombi.

The Futura X fits squarely in the risk-taking category.

The oversized, high-MOI mallet is made from 6061 T6 aluminum, which is lighter than the stainless steels that are used to make most putters. That allowed Cameron to make the Futura X putter head larger and still have weight remaining to fine tune the putter’s performance and sound.

The rear balance bar of the putter, which juts rearward and toward the back corners of the putter head, has two stainless steel weights on its edges to further improve the putter’s stability. There’s also two stainless steel weights on the front part of the putter’s sole that act as counterweights to better the putter’s balance and feel.

The Futura X comes in lengths of 33, 34 and 35 inches and sells for $349.

A Futura X Dual Balance ($399) is also available. It has a slightly heavier putter head and a 15-inch grip with a 50-gram weight positioned on its butt end to help golfers slow down their transition for a more consistent stroke. According to Cameron, golfers will get the most benefit from a Dual Balance putter when they position their hands about 3 inches below the butt end of the grip.

The red section of the Futura X Dual Balance’s grip is a visual reminder of where golfers should grip the putter. 

The Futura X Dual Balance has a stock length of 38 inches, however, it’s available through custom order in 36-to-40-inch lengths in 0.5-inch increments.

The Review

Regardless of how you feel about the Futura X, there’s one thing you can’t deny; the putter is unbelievably consistent.

Even when you mishit it — and it doesn’t matter if it’s low on the face, high on the face, or on the heel or toe — the Futura X’s distance control seems to be on cruise control. Even better news for golfers who struggle with their strokes is that weighting scheme of the putter, which concentrates the majority of its mass in the back of the putter head, encourages the Futura X to swing straight back and straight through without much effort.

The bad news? For golfers who have some arc in their strokes, the Futura X can be over-controlling. It swings so steady that it can be hard for feel players adjust.

Looks and Feel

The biggest concern we’ve heard golfers raise about the Futura X has been the look of the two stainless steel weights that are located on the back corners of the putter head. It was an interesting choice by Cameron to include the shiny weights in that location, which contrast starkly with the putter’s matte “Frozen Titanium” finish, but it wasn’t a foolish one.

Here’s the deal; the Futura X is long enough from front to back that golfers won’t even see the weights at address. They’ll be focused on one or more of the putter’s plentiful alignment aids, which include:

1. A black line that’s perpendicular to the target line.
2. Two black lines in the midsection of the putter that are parallel to the target line.
3. Mini lines that are between the two parallel lines and parallel to them.

If you’re into simplicity or sight dots, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

As for feel, the Futura X has a clean, crisp “thwack” that some will mistake for stainless steel. We’re not sure if that’s due to the extra weight Cameron added behind the face, the stainless steel soleplate, the weights on the front of the sole, the milling pattern on the face, etc., but whatever was done worked beautifully.

Should I get the Futura X Or Futura X Dual Balance?

Golfers should test both putters, but if they can’t (or can’t make up their mind) it makes sense to buy the Futura X Dual Balance. Yes, it’s $50 more expensive, but the added length will give golfers more flexibility if they decide they want a slightly longer or slightly shorter putter.

From a performance standpoint, the Dual Balance does a nice job of taking the “hit” out of short putts. That doesn’t mean it will fix the yips, but if you’re on the fence it’s probably something you want in your game. Those of you who don’t like the counterbalanced feel will know so immediately, so sorry for these five sentences.

We love the attention to detail Cameron put into the Futura X, such as the high-gloss black paint fill used for the larger alignment aids and the shiny, cherry red accents added throughout the rest of the putter. The simple, circular shaft band is also a nice touch, but as cool as the headcover is it’s just as much of a pain to get off and on as the original Futura headcover. We wonder if there’s a better way.

Also not hot? The Cameron Flat Front Winn grip, which like other Winn grips loses its color and tacky feel quicker than it should. Luckily, it’s a cheap, easy upgrade.

The Takeaway

Grading the Futura X wasn’t easy, because it will be awesome for some players and troublesome for others. Within our own walls, Managing Editor Zak Kozuchowski gushed over the Futura X, while Assistant Editor Andrew Tursky struggled to control his speed. He said it “came off too hot,” and he’s likely not the only better player to think so. It’s no surprise that Zak has more of a straight-back, straight-through stroke, while Andrew’s stroke has quite a bit more arc to it.

For golfers who like face-balanced, high-MOI putters the Futura X is one of the best currently available, and the Futura X Dual Balance is a great option for golfers looking for a bit more assistance with their strokes. These will help far more players than they hurt, and even if you don’t like the way they perform it’s hard not to appreciate the effectiveness and beauty of these designs.

• Models: Futura X7 ($379), Futura X7M ($379), Futura X7M Dual Balance ($399)
• Finish: Silver Mist with black anodized sole
• Shaft Bend, Offset, Hang: Single, One Shaft, Face Balanced
• Loft, Lie: 3.5 degrees, 70 degrees
• Grip: 10-inch Matador Mid Red Midsize (77 grams)
• Availability: October 23

Scotty Cameron’s new Futura X7 and Futura X7M putters are designed to deliver more stability and consistency on the putting green, with a multi-material construction that boosts the forgiveness of the putters.

Futura X7

1 of 5

“The motivation behind Futura X always has been to help golfers make a more stable, more balanced, more consistent, more confident stroke,” Scotty Cameron said in a Titleist press release. “We’ve enhanced those benefits with X7 and X7M through larger, multi-material constructions that make alignment simple. For the golfer, that translates into higher MOI for stability, a bigger sweet spot for forgiveness, easier alignment for a more confident setup, and a better, softer feel.”

Golfers familiar with Cameron’s Futura X5 putter will notice that the X7 shares the same head shape, with the X7 being approximately 10 percent larger.

“The X7 is a line extension of the X5. It has the same head shape, but larger,” Cameron said. “A lot of touring pros requested it be larger. The larger we make it, the more forgiving it becomes with a larger sweet spot. This also allows us to add more alignment lines. The more lines, the easier it is to line up the ball.”

What might go undetected, however, at least until golfers hit a putt with the X7, is the change in construction. The X7 uses what Cameron calls an “aluminum face-sole core,” which is surrounded by a stainless steel frame. Also, since the face of the X7 is made from aluminum, it will deliver a softer feel than the X5, which uses a 303 stainless steel putter face.

“The key feature is the two materials,” Cameron said. “Basically there are two constructions involved here. The feel and sound of the lightweight midsection are married together with the heavier surrounding heel, toe and back to be more forgiving, for better performance.”

Futura X7M

1 of 7

The X7M offers golfers a shape that resembles the X7, but adds what Cameron calls a “Bar-back design” that further boosts the MOI of the putter.

“With X7M, I wanted a round shape with a crisp and sharp look for alignment,” Cameron said. “X7 and X7M have a lot of the same features but the X7M is manipulated and made with a back weight for more MOI – thus the name, X7M, where the ‘M’ stands for MOI. Instead of having big ears and weights in the back [as in the Futura X], which some might call cumbersome, the bar on the back with the weights streamlines the shape. A few tour players also said shadowing on the course can sometimes affect sight lines, so on the X7M I raised the alignment lines and made them even longer.”

The X7M is also available in a Dual Balance model, which uses a heavier head (400 grams) that is counterbalanced with a 15-inch grip and a 50-gram weight installed in the butt end of the putter.

Related

• See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the putters in our forum
• Our review of Scotty Cameron’s X5 and X5R putters
• Our review of Scotty Cameron’s Futura X and Futura X Dual Balance
• Scotty Cameron goes high-tech with new GoLo putters

As Scotty Cameron devotees know, the putter-making maven has been producing limited runs of putters designed for female golfers since 2002. This year, he adds to the My Girl series with Diamonds Are My Girl’s Best Friend, a Select Roundback putter.

Cameron, a father to two daughters and a man whose Cameron Golf International (later absorbed by Titleist) was founded with his wife Kathy, calibrates the putters weight, length and balance to ladies’ specifications.

This year’s My Girl, the 14th flatstick in the series, has a diamond-shaped alignment aid that “pops through” the putter and is part of the 6061 aircraft grade aluminum sole plate — the rest of the putter is made from 303 stainless steel.

The putter’s matte black finish is complemented by the aforementioned rose-petal pink sole plate, as well as a pink Pistelero grip and sparkly gray headcover.

Only 1,250 of these beauties are slated for production.

And for all you putter aficionados in general and Scotty Cameron lovers in particular, take a stroll down memory lane with the My Girl designs since 2002.

My Girl through the years

1 of 12

The Scotty Cameron name garners passionate and widespread attention in the putter market, so when Scotty Cameron releases a new putter, golfers take notice.

And Scotty says his new Select putters look, sound and feel better than ever before. That’s due to a new multi-material construction and face inlays, which look like a face insert but wrap down below the leading edge into the sole.

“We’ve extended the methodology of our proven multi-
material technology to include new stainless steel inlays for blades, as well as aluminum inlays for the mid-mallet models,” Cameron says. “The result is a better look, a better sound, a better feel and a better product.”

The line, which consists of seven different putters, utilizes three different constructions.

The Select Newport, Newport 2 and Newport 2.5 putters use a 303 stainless steel face inlay that’s mid-milled, hand-buffed and bonded to a stainless steel body. It also has vibration-dampening material to reduce vibrations for a softer, more responsive feel.

The Select Newport 2 Notchback has a 6061 Aircraft Grade Aluminum face inlay anodized in gunmetal gray. The lightweight face is bonded to a heavier stainless steel body, leading to perimeter weighting that boosts moment of inertia (MOI), a measure of forgiveness.

The Select Newport M1 and M2 mid-mallet style putter also use a 6061 Aircraft Grade Aluminum face inlay, but the material goes down into the sole and pops up through the back cavity to create the sight line.

The body of the putter is made from Stainless Steel, providing perimeter weighting and higher MOI. According to Titleist, the putter is made to stabilize straight-back and straight-through strokes.

Also, each of the putters has two interchangeable stainless steel weights in the heel and toe, a glare resistant finish and comes with a red matador grip.

Read more about each of the new Scotty Cameron Select putters below, which will be available on April 8. All putters will sell at retail for $410, except the dual-balance putter will sell for $425.

Newport

• Heel-and-toe weighted
• Plumbing neck
• 303 stainless steel face inlay
• New sight line
• Shorter, rounded contours

Newport 2

• “Legendary low-slung” heel-and-toe weighted
• Plumbing neck
• Longer, angular contours
• 303 stainless steel face inlay
• Flange sight line

Newport 2.5

• Longer 2.5 profile
• Short flare neck
• 303 stainless steel face inlay
• Flange sight line

Newport 2 Notchback

• Angular blade with mechanical contours
• Notched Flange
• Flowing single bend shaft
• 6061 aircraft grade aluminum face inlay
• Flange sight line

Newport M1 Mallet

• Rounded, flowing mid-mallet
• 6061 aircraft grade aluminum wrap-around face inlay
• Sweeping single-bend shaft
• Pop-thru flange alignment

Newport M2 Mallet

• Rectangular, boxy mid-mallet
• 6061 aircraft grade aluminum wrap-around face inlay
• Flowing, single-bend shaft
• Pop-thru flange alignment

Newport 2 Notchback DB

• 400-gram head (50 grams heavier than the other heads)
• 50-gram weight in the butt end of the 15-inch long grip
• 38-inch standard

Golf is great because people of all shapes, sizes and ages can play and enjoy it. In that case, however, not every golfer fits into a 34- or 35-inch putter like you’d think when scanning the putter racks at your local golf shop.

If you do happen to fit into a “standard-length” 34- or 35-inch putter, then maybe you don’t know that most people playing a 33-inch putter are doing so with a putter that’s been cut down to size. The problem with that is shortening the putter without adding weight back will affect swing weight, overall weight and ultimately, feel and performance.

“When we pioneered the adjustable sole weight system, it became possible to match the putter head weight relative to the length for a balanced stroke,” said Titleist Master Putter Maker Scotty Cameron. “Cameron & Crown models are purpose-built 33-inch designs, not manipulated 35-inch putters, with two 20-gram weights to ensure the swing weight and feel of these putters are consistent with their longer counterparts.”

With Scotty Cameron’s new line of putters — called Cameron & Crown — the aim is to give juniors, women and shorter athletes an opportunity to play a line of putters designed specifically for them. And the head models featured in the Cameron & Crown line are some of the most popular heads from his other lines.

The Cameron & Crown line will consist of the Select Newport 2, the Select Newport M2 Mallet, the GoLo 5 and the Futura X5R models. Each of the putters will measure 33 inches, and will come with a White Matador putter grip that measures smaller in diameter than Cameron’s Matador grips that now come stock on all of his other current models. The smaller grip is said to better match performance, feel and weight.

Cameron & Crown putters will be available in stores (MSRP $410) in Canada and the U.S. on September 23, and the rest of the world on October 21.

See below for more photos of each putter, and click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the Cameron & Crown putters.

Select Newport 2

1 of 8

• Heel and toe weighted
• Plumber’s neck
• 303 stainless steel head and face inlay
• Available in both right- and left-handed versions

Newport 2 Left-handed version

1 of 7

Select Newport M2 Mallet

1 of 7

• 303 stainless steel body, 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum face-sole technology
• Flowing single-bend shaft
• Pop-through sight line as seen in the Newport M2 from the 2016 Scotty Cameron Select line

GoLo 5

1 of 9

• Made from 303 Stainless Steel with 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum sole plate and pop-through sight line
• Parallel and perpendicular sight lines

Futura X5R 

1 of 15

• Made from 303 Stainless Steel with wingback for more MOI and forgiveness
• Aluminum sole flange

See what GolfWRX members are saying about the Cameron & Crown putters in our forums. 

We spotted three new Scotty Cameron putters at the Sony Open in Hawaii this week, where they’re being testing by PGA Tour players. Titleist is yet to announce any new Scotty Cameron models, however, so we can’t confirm if or when these putters are coming to retail.

Each of the mallets (T5MB, TMS and T6M) has a multi-material design and color scheme similar to Scotty Cameron’s current line Futura of putters, which includes the X5, X5R, X7 and X7M models.

T5MB

TMS

T6M

Related: See all our photos from the 2017 Sony Open. 

Scotty Cameron is best known for his blade-style putters, but in recent years the putter maker has seen an uptick in the popularity of mallet style putters like his GoLo and Futura X – both on the PGA Tour and with golfers everywhere.

For 2017, he’s releasing a new take on one of his most iconic designs called the Newport 3, as well as seven new Futura mallet putters that he says offer golfers “high-tech with high quality.”

Newport 3 

The Newport 3 is the latest addition to Scott Cameron’s Select putter line. It’s heel-shafted, mid-mallet that’s inspired by the company’s Newport head shape and uses a flow neck with a three-quarter offset to create “maximum toe flow.”

“Fans of our classic, heel-shafted mallets like the Del Mar 3.5 and the GoLo 3 will love the melt-into-the-ground, flowing lines of the Newport 3,” Cameron says. “When you look at the entire Select family, the Newport 3 is the perfect, curvy small mallet that just fits in conceptually between the Newport 2 Notchback and the mallets.”

Despite its old-school roots, the putter offers new-school tech with a multi-material design that makes the putter more stable and forgiving. The putter face is made with a lightweight 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum inlay, which is fused to a 303 stainless steel body to make the putter more forgiving.

“We’ve extended the methodology of our proven multi-material technology to include the aircraft grade aluminum inlay, which allows me to design more of the weight into the sculpted back flange, as well as get the sweet feel the inlay produces. The result is an extension to the Select family that pulls together the entire line.”

Like other Select putters, the Newport 3 also uses two removable, customizable stainless steel toe and heel sole weights, a stepless steel shaft and a Red Matador Mid-size grip. The Newport 3 will be in stores March 17 and sell for $379.

2017 Futura Family

With its seven new Futura putters, Scotty Cameron sought to combine the best characteristics of the company’s GoLo and Futura X putters. The result was several new putter head styles – from mid-mallets to larger, high-MOI mallets – that feature multi-material constructions.

Unlike the new Newport 3, the 2017 Futura putters use Scotty Cameron’s wrap-around face-sole construction, which allows the putter heads to be made larger and more stable, while improving the consistency of sound and feel.

“This new Futura line blends my ideas about high-performance putter designs with my longstanding ideals that high-tech should always be high-quality,” Cameron says. “What we’ve pioneered with our multi-material technology allows me to design properly-weighted larger putter heads for more stable setups to give mallet players more confidence over putts.”

Names, Prices and Photos

The Futura models are labeled by number (5, 6, 7). Higher numbers indicate a larger putter head, and the numbers are paired with a one- or two-letter abbreviation of their general design:

• CB stands for “cavity back”
• MB stands for “muscle back”
• W stands for “wing”
• S stands for “straight shaft”
• M stands for “MOI”

The putters come with two removable, customizable stainless steel sole weights, stepless steel shafts and Black Matador Mid-size grips.

See photos of each 2017 Futura putter below. They’ll be in stores March 17 and will sell for $379 each with the exception of the Futura 6M Dual Balance ($399), which uses a 50-gram heavier head that’s counterbalanced with a 50-gram grip weight – as well as a longer, larger grip — to offer golfers more stability.

Futura 7M

Futura 6M

Futura 5W

Futura 5S

Futura 5CB

Futura 5MB

In August 2016, Scotty Cameron announced a new line of putters called Cameron & Crown that were designed specifically for an underserved group of golfers: those who use a 33-inch putter. The line included five signature Cameron models that were optimized for their shorter lengths, which is about 2 inches shorter than most putters.

“The release was well received,” Scotty Cameron said about the original Cameron & Crown launch, and the putter maker is adding to his short-putter line with four new models that will be available starting June 16 and sell for $379 each.

“I’ve always said that the length sets the eyes, and the eyes set the path,” Cameron said. “For those men, women and juniors who need a shorter putter, it gets their eyes in the right position to make a proper stroke while maintaining good posture and balance.”

Cameron & Crown Futura 6M

1 of 2

The four models — Newport, Mallet 1, Futura 5MB, Futura 6M — are a mix of Cameron’s most popular standard-length putter models. The biggest difference, aside from their length and cosmetics, is that they use heavier putter heads that optimize their swing weight, feel and balance at their shorter lengths. They also use a smaller-diameter, grey Scotty Cameron Matador grips.

In July 2016, Justin Thomas visited Scotty Cameron’s Putter Studio looking for a new flatstick. He wanted a compact mallet putter that would work for his arcing putting stroke, which required a custom solution from the Scotty Cameron team.

“We welded a flare neck to a Futura X5 Tour putter and sent him on his way,” Scotty Cameron said. He went on to win three events, reporting back that some of his buddies wanted a putter like his. The wheels started turning from there.”

Justin Thomas' Putter

1 of 7

The “turning wheels” inside Cameron’s head led him to create an all-new putter inspired by Thomas’ request, the Futura 5.5M. The new putter is about 10 percent smaller than the Futura 7M putter that it resembles. Unlike the 7M, however, it has what’s known as toe hang, or “toe flow,” a design that tends to work well for golfers with arcing putting strokes.

“To achieve [toe flow], I created a leaned over, stainless steel half-neck spud off the topline that accepts a single bend shaft,” Scotty Cameron said. “This is an elegant way to give the player a full shaft of offset and also offer a clean view of the entire leading edge of the topline. The proportion is right. The weight is right. And now we have a mallet with more toe flow for players who like that arcing feel in their stroke, but want more forgiveness.”

Like the rest of the Futura putter line, the Futura 5.5M ($379) has a multi-material construction of 6061 aircraft aluminum and 303 stainless steel. Its wrap-around face sole design pushes weight to the perimeter of the putter head for added forgiveness. It’s available in stores August 25 in North America and September 25 worldwide.

After a nearly seven-year hiatus, Ryuji Imada has finally returned to the PGA Tour; he’ll be teeing it up this week at the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The last time we saw Imada play in a tour-sanctioned event in the United States was back in 2015, and while he played in the 2021 Zozo Championship in Japan, he’s largely stepped away from the professional game.

Imada, who was born in Japan and is currently 45 years old, captured his lone PGA Tour victory in 2008 at the AT&T Classic in a playoff against Kenny Perry; Imada also won the 2000 Buy.com Virginia Beach Open and the 2004 BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs on the then-Nationwide Tour.

During Tuesday’s practice round day at Pebble Beach, Imada was greeted with hugs and hellos from fellow players and caddies; he was all smiles catching up with old friends.

He also showed up with a bag full of unique clubs, including an old Titleist Scotty Cameron Bullseye, a new set of Proto Concept (Proto-C) irons, and a lob wedge with a particularly unique grind on it. When Imada arrived to the range on Tuesday, he was carrying a handful of new fairway woods and drivers to test out, too.

While he was knocking some of the cobwebs off on the range at Pebble Beach, GolfWRX caught up with Imada to see what he’s been up to since we last saw him.

“To tell you the truth, not really much,” Imada said. “Been spending a lot of time with my daughter, and that’s about it. Just taking her to school, picking her up, taking her to other after school activities, and by then pretty much the day’s over.

“But yeah, I am [excited to be back out here]. I haven’t played an event in the U.S. in about 6 or 7 years. It’s good. It’s very fresh. Seeing all the old faces I can, it brings back memories.”

Speaking of old faces and memories, Imada still has the same putter in the bag he used throughout the majority of his PGA Tour career: a classic Titleist Scotty Cameron Bullseye.

“I think I got that putter about, I wanna say at least 15 years ago,” Imada said. “I can’t remember where I got it, but I think I just saw one on the putting green and I started putting with it, and it felt really good. I asked to have it, and it’s been in my bag ever since. I actually have another putter that I switch to sometimes – I switch between two putters – and the other one is probably a little bit older. Every time I feel I’m not putting well, I just switch over. But yeah, the [Bullseye] putter has been good to me.”

Of course, not every club in Imada’s bag is 15+ years old. At Pebble Beach this week, he’ll be gaming all-new Proto-C C01 blade irons and a custom Proto-C lob wedge.

“I’ve known (Masashi Kamoda, brand rep from Proto Concept) for a longtime, and he’s been a good friend of mine. He asked if I wanted to give the product a try, and as soon as I hit em, obviously they’re great looking clubs and they setup perfectly for me. I’ve always used blade irons growing up, probably up until almost 30 years old. They’re great looking, and surprisingly they’re very forgiving. I’d been playing cavity backs for the last 10 or 20 years, but these are probably more forgiving to me than the ones I’ve had before. I get more height with the middle irons, a little bit more spin, and they feel really good, they look good, and that’s all I can ask.”

The Proto-C C01 blade irons are unique because they incorporate a 25-gram titanium rod into their forgings, helping to enhance feel and sound. Also, since the titanium rod helps shift CG in the heads – to Imada’s point – they help induce higher launch angles and more forgiveness.

While Imada is playing stock C01 irons, his wedge grind is far from typical. To learn more about his special grind, I caught up with Kamoda, who represents Proto-C and works with Imada on his equipment.

“He’s picky on the wedges…he likes 61.5 or 62 degrees of loft, even though it says 60. He doesn’t like to have bounce on the back of the wedges, but he wants bounce on the front. It’s like 12-14 degrees of bounce on the front, but on the back it’s negative bounce. He likes to have light swing weights, around C7 or C8, and a shorter length: 34.5 inches.”

Being that most lob wedges are around D2-D5 swing weight and 35 inches in length, Imada’s wedge is especially short and light.

As for the rest of his setup, Imada fills out his bag with Jucie wedges (47 and 51 degrees), NexGen fairways (3 and 5 woods), NexGen hybrids (3 and 4), and his driver is still undetermined.

“I’ve been pretty much out of the golf business for awhile, so I’m gonna find out [what driver I’ll be using],” Imada said. “I’ve heard good things about Stealth. I know they’ve done really well this year ever since they came out. TaylorMade’s always made good stuff, and I’ve been using TaylorMade drivers the past 8-10 years or so, so hopefully it’ll be an easy switch for me. I haven’t even seen the head yet. When I found out I was coming, I wanted to give them a try so I got in touch with some TaylorMade people and asked if I could try some out.”

It’s been a long time away from the PGA Tour for Imada, so we’ll give him some time to test the new stuff out. Should we see Imada again, though, we’ll make sure to get an update on how the driver testing went.

With new perspective on life inside the ropes, Imada is tampering expectations when it comes to his results this week. When I asked him how his game is at the moment, he replied, “That, we’re not going to talk about. We’ll see how it goes. If I can make a few birdies, it’ll be a good day.”

Birdies or not, Imada will certainly have one of the most interesting gear setups in the field this week.

To see Ryuji Imada’s full bag setup at the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, click here!

I noticed something odd on the practice putting green on Tuesday at the Riviera Country Club ahead of the 2022 Genesis Invitational.

Or, at least, I thought it was odd for a brief moment in time.

Charl Schwartzel was experimenting with two different putters during a practice session on Tuesday, so I stopped to observe for a minute. The first putter was a gold Ping Vault Voss 2.0 putter, and his caddie was holding the other option. There was nothing noteworthy going on so far, and I nearly lost interest, although I was mildly curious to know what the other putter was.

Schwartzel then handed the Ping putter back to his caddie and began putting with the other option.

He laid the putter down behind the ball, and I thought to myself, “Wait, what?”

There was an upside-down Wilson logo in the back cavity of his putter head. I was standing a bit far back, so I couldn’t quite understand what was going on. It didn’t look like a Wilson putter, and even it was, why would the logo be upside down?

Well, when I looked a bit closer, the answer was obvious.

It’s absolutely not a Wilson putter, as you can clearly see above, and I felt dumb for thinking it was even for a fleeting second. While testing out his 2007 Scotty Cameron Catalina Classic putter, Schwartzel added a bit of weight to the putter head using Wilson lead tape he had in his golf bag.

As per the product information on tennisnuts.com:

Wilson Lead Tape allows you to customize your tennis racket by adding weight for more power and stability. Furthermore, by adding weight, you can improve your performance and match your racket to your style of play. The tape has clearly marked measurements by inches for easier use and easy application. This means you can accurately apply the tape for even application.

• 2 X 50cm strips (approx. 19.5 grams each)
• Each inch weighs 1 gram, with clearly marked measurement by inch

I didn’t immediately pick up on the fact that it was lead tape, because this specific lead tape is actually made for tennis. Usually, the lead tape you see on PGA Tour clubs is completely gray with no logos. Schwartzel’s Wilson-made tennis lead tape, obviously, is more brand identifiable.

I’m not huge into tennis, so I learned something very important today: Golf is not the only sport that uses lead tape to fine-tune weighting and enhance performance. Also, Wilson’s tennis lead tape is actually easier to measure out exactly how much weight you’re adding.

Golfers, take notes.

Additionally, upon further inspection of his putter, Schwartzel uses all-gray lead tape directly below his Ping putter grip. This placement can help counterbalance the putter by reducing swing weight.

For more of our photos from the 2022 Genesis Invitational, check out the link here!

Also, check out the link below to listen to our recent podcast interview with the owner of an Instagram page dedicated to lead tape application on golf clubs (@leadtapechronicles).