FIELDREPORT
Balanced argument
Titleist’s putter master craftsman S otty Cameron seems to have taken a little while to be sold on the merits of counterbalancing. But his two latest fl tsticks suggest he is at last convinced. Titleist’s club product and fitting manager, Richard Temple, explains how they fit into the brand’s 2014 putter line-up
Wullkotte, once recalled how he’d force a wooden dowel into the butt end of Nicklaus’ driver and woods, drill a hole in it and fill it with molten lead. Nicklaus reported feeling the added weight in the handle allowed him to stabilise his hands for a steady acceleration through the ball. Today, of course, with the anchoring ban set to kick in in January 2016, counterbalancing – increasing the club’s stability by adding weight to both ends – is all about putters. And while the club may be different, the underlying premise is not. “Our Dual Balance putters are for people whose hands can get busy during the stroke,” echoes Richard Temple. “They represent the best way to replicate an anchored stroke without anchoring.” Dual Balance is Titleist putter master
J
Scotty Cameron’s preferred term for counterbalancing. His first such putter, the Futura X, was launched late in 2013, but has now been joined by representatives of the brand’s other two families – Newport 2 for the Select blades, and the #7 for the GoLo mallets. All three come in standard lengths of 38in, with options from 36- 40in, and feature heads and grips some 50 grams heavier than standard.
10 SGBGOLF
ack Nicklaus won all 18 of his majors with counterbalanced clubs. His clubmaker, Jack
“These putters are based on the
premise that with the world’s best putters, the butt stays very neutral throughout the stroke –whatever putter and method they use,” Temple continues. “It points into the midriff on both the backswing and throughstroke. When the stroke breaks down, the putter’s butt moves away from that area. That creates inability to deliver the face square at impact. “Anchoring eliminates the issue. With Dual Balance your regular grip and stance puts the grip’s weight above the hands, and that has a similar effect. It helps mimic what you get out of an anchored putter, and is the fi st stage in findingan alternative.” Scotty Cameron is perhaps a little
late to the counterbalancing arena; Odyssey’s Tank was launched in March 2013, and TaylorMade’s Daddy Long Legs a month later. But then Titleist as a brand have never hidden their preference for being best
rather than first. Temple himself cite extensive research and Scotty Cameron’s perfectionism in understanding the benefits o counterbalancing for the wait – and argues with some justification that wit the ban still 18 months away, there was no need to rush Dual Balance putters out.
Titleist’s club product and fitting manage , Richard Temple
Neither is there any bashfulness about the £279 RRP of the three Dual Balance putters, a figure that doubles the price o several rival counterbalanced products. “Of course there are going to be some people who are put off by this pric point,” Temple concedes. “But Scotty Cameron is not about producing mass produced product at lower price points, he’s about making the best putters. The design, research and materials, plus his eye for detail, makes these super-
Scotty Cameron is
not about producing mass produced product at lower price points, he’s about making the best putters
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48