In this Scotty Cameron Special Select Putters review, Joel Tadman gives his verdict on the performance of his custom fitted Fastback 1.5
Scotty Cameron Special Select Putters
Scotty Cameron Special Select Putters Review
Classic, industrial with elegance. That’s how Scotty Cameron himself describes the new Special Select range of putters and it isn’t hard to see why. You can read about the technology here.
The eight models are classic because they feature some of the most popular shapes on tour, many of which have been around for years, while the elegance comes from the premium finish and subtle details that make Cameron’s putters so popular.
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The Newport blades have been made a little more compact and as a result, a thinner stock Pistolini grip has been included to compliment this. To ensure forgiveness isn’t compromised, heavier tungsten weights have been added to the heel and toe to provide stability on off-centre hits.
A view of the Special Select Fastback 1.5 in the playing position
But having been through a custom fitting process testing most of the range, it was the Fastback 1.5 that we ended up with. This mid-mallet shape has a long black sightline to assist with alignment.
With the shallow milling, the feel off the face is quite firm given we use the firmer Titleist Pro V1x ball – This may be too harsh for some but we liked the initial speed and solid sensation it gave us. Scotty Cameron decided not to include an insert to dampen vibration because many golfers are switching to a softer feeling ball so the majority should experience a nice balance of feel and speed with a gentle sound at impact.
The grip has perhaps gone too thin, especially if you opt for one of the larger shapes, I think somewhere between the new Pistolini and the old Matador grip would have been ideal, but the shape of it fitted perfectly in our hands. This gave us good clubface control, helping us to hole out from short range with regularity.
Distance control was also a standout feature, off-centre hits from long range travelled further than expected. Opting for heavier weights, which is an option golfers now have, would boost the forgiveness and also be better suited to golfers with a smoother, slower tempo.
Verdict
Given the options of sole weights, head shapes and how crucial it is to get the correct length, a custom fitting is key to make the most of what is a hefty investment. But the end result is a putter that feels fantastic, looks great in the bag and performs from every distance on the greens.