Tuesday, July 17, 2018

First Look: Scotty Cameron Concept X Putters

Premium Experimental Prototype Models Introduce Dual-Zone Vibration Dampening, Innovative Neck Configurations and Boundary-Pushing, High-MOI Design

It’s time to gather that loose change and head to your nearest Coinstar machine. Some of you may be wondering what the spare cash is for, but the putter lover knows that a call to consolidate couch cash can only mean that new Scotty Camerons are on the way!

Today, Scotty Cameron unveiled his two new Concept X models, the CX-01, and CX-02. The short story on these putters is that they are blades with wings. That’s right; I said blades with wings.

With the Concept X, Scotty Cameron is seeking the perfect marriage between his traditional Newport 2 blade, and a high MOI mallet. The concept is a sound and noble one. Who wouldn’t want a nice and stable putter that retains the sleek design of a blade - as sleek as a blade with wings can be anyway. Cameron isn't the first to give this idea a shot, there have been other high MOI blade/mallet attempts in the past, I’m sure you can list a few, but to be blunt, most of those putters were so ugly that there was little real interest in gaming them.

Will the Concept X putters be the first ones that truly get the blade and mallet marriage right, or will these too end up just waiting in the wings?

Blades with Wings

“Each model features high-MOI producing 'wings' that seemingly melt into the ground at address for added stability and forgiveness.”

Cameron has never lacked for hyperbole. I love that they are out in front of those who would ridicule the non-traditional design, but “melt into the ground,” seriously?

Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of Scotty's unconventional designs. His Futura X is still one of my favorite mallets, occasionally finding bag time to this day. That putter is rad, but it doesn’t melt into the ground.

Apart from melting, the wings do what you'd expect they would. By using lighter materials in the center of the putter, and adding the wings, Cameron was able to increase the MOI of the putter. Conventional wisdom says that this boost in MOI will increase the stability of the putter during the swing, and that should then lead to more putts made or at least more consistent putting.

If it does that, who cares if it melts?

Other Features: Scotty Cameron Concept X

TWO INNOVATIVE NECK OPTIONS:
- The CX-01 features a plumber-like Nuckle Neck that provides one shaft of offset and toe hang like a Newport 2.
- The CX-02’s “Joint neck” will provide more toe hang for those with more of an arcing stroke.
DUAL-ZONE VIBRATION DAMPENING CHAMBERS: The aluminum insert not only removes weight from the body but also helps with tuning the putter for sound and vibration.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN-INSPIRED COSMETICS: The body features a new “stealth gray” finish, and the insert is anodized black. An interesting departure is the lack of finish on the tour dots. Although the dots are milled in stainless steel, I wonder if their raw nature will be prone to rust.

Concept X Lands Soon

The new Scotty Cameron Concept X models will be landing in a North American golf shop near you on August 31 with a minimum advertised price of $599. And you wonder why I had you start hunting for coins. Those of you not in North America will need to wait until September 28th to try these at your local shop.

The timing of this release along with the $600 price point is certainly interesting. We've been hearing for quite some time about a second generation Concept line from Titleist. In addition to drivers and irons, we've been told that the new lineup would likely include both wedges and putters. We've assumed that the putters would come in the form of a unique Cameron offering. The design, price, limited availability of this release, and of course, the name itself, suggests they were meant to be part of that lineup. The full Concept line will eventually come, and when it does, we suspect JP Wedges will figure prominently in the lineup as well.

What are your first impressions? Has Scotty Cameron come up with the next big thing in putters? Will the wings really melt into the ground? More importantly, are you interested in trying one of these out?