Scotty Cameron is known for making some of the most sought-after putters ever. Tiger Woods’ iconic Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putter is known throughout the world of golf and Woods’ success with that model is one of the main reasons the Newport in particular is regarded as one of the best putters ever designed by the master craftsman from California.
While I’ve always been someone who tends to sway more towards the looks and feel of a blade putter, I’ve recently been having a hard time with my stroke. So I took the Scotty Cameron Long Design Phantom 11 putter onto the golf course to see if I could regain some confidence with the flat stick on the greens.
While we have seen some more obscure mallet style putters released by Scotty Cameron over the past few years, the brand is known for its traditional looks while introducing technology as the R&D team see fit. The new Long Design putters come in the way of the Phantom 11 mallet which I have tested and a Squareback 2 model - both of which are longer, counterbalanced alternatives to the original version of those particular putters.
The Long Design Phantom 11 is certainly a step outside the norm when it comes to Scotty Cameron putters. The Long Design name is fairly self explanatory, with this putter measuring in at 38”. The longer shaft plays slightly stiffer than that of a regular putter shaft and the counterbalanced design has been implemented to quieten a players hands during the putting stroke and to encourage a stroke made from the larger muscles in the shoulders.
I found this worked wonders for me almost instantly and I saw a dramatic increase in holed putts from inside 10ft. The increase in length means this putter comes with a 17” grip that feels amazing in the hands and I naturally felt my wrists become less active throughout my stroke. As someone who typically plays with a 34” putter and traditional pistol grip, the feel of the Long Design Phantom 11 did take some getting used to. The heavier and much larger head made distance control fairly difficult initially but I did see this improve as the round progressed. The 303 stainless steel is the same used in the Scotty Cameron Select putters that I love, so that was a nice, familiar feeling when out on the course.
The improved stability on offer from this mallet style putter largely comes from the heavier, removable 25g weights screwed into the sole helping increase MOI and forgiveness but it was the large arrow style alignment aid on the top of the putter that I noticed had a large effect on my aim inside 10ft. I often struggle to match up a line on my ball and a single line on a putter but for some reason my eyes really resonated with this twin-milled sight line design and I started to find the bottom of the cup more often from not when within a 10ft radius.
While I do think this putter will massively help those struggling with their putting particularly from close range, I found it certainly took time to match up distance and speed control. If you struggle in those areas already, it may be worth considering some of the most forgiving putters and a conventional grip for a mixture of technology and feel. But for an alternative method, the Scotty Cameron Long Design is well worth considering if you're seeking a change in fortunes on the greens.
