Title:
The Detour Line Of Putters By Scotty Cameron

Word Count:
700

Summary:
This article will describe the Detour line of putters by Scotty Cameron.

The Scotty Cameron line of putters from Titleist is a very extensive line. The Scotty Cameron company merged with Titleist about 10 years ago and since then all the putters marketed by Titleist are designed by Cameron. All the brand names associated with Scotty Cameron putters are owned by Titleist. Cameron’s designs are esthetically pleasing, and some of his putters almost look like works of art or s...

Keywords:
detour putters scotty cameron

Article Body:
This article will describe the Detour line of putters by Scotty Cameron.

The Detour line of putters are rather remarkable looking instruments. The putter heads consist of a blade type putter face and an attached back body plate, perpendicular to the face, which has a long aiming line. Both the back body plate and the aiming line are curved. Cameron is convinced that an arced stroke is the proper stoke for putting rather than a stroke that attempts to be straight along the target line from back to finish. The arc of the putter would move inside the target line in the back stroke, the putter would come square to the target line at ball impact, and the arc would continue inside the target line after the ball is struck. This is sometimes referred to as an inside-neutral-inside putting stroke. Not all the experts agree that an arced stroke is the proper one for putting. The renowned short game guru, Dave Pelz, states in his book “Putt Like the Pros” that most golfers would be better off with a stroke that remains along the target line throughout, although he acknowledges that many golfers, including top pros, use the arced stroke method, often with considerable success. Belly putters have become popular in recent years, and it is obvious that one is forced to use an arced stoke with such a putter.

The arced back plate is made of an aircraft aluminum material. It has some holes in the bottom to take weight out of the middle of the plate, and a stainless steel weight is inserted in the back to place weight further back. The putter face is made of stainless steel and has a higher toe than heel. An addition weight is inserted into the toe of the putter head as well. The putter face also has a cushion material, called an Elastomer cushion, to give a softer feel at impact. All these weight redistribution techniques are used to increase the moment of inertia (MOI) of the putter and place the center of gravity (CG) of the club head in what Cameron considers the optimum positions. Increasing the MOI means that the club will be more forgiving on off center hits. The main and most obvious feature of the Detour line, however, is the curved back plate and curved aiming line which is truly a unique innovation.

There are a total of 4 putters that have the Detour technology. They include the Detour and Detour 2, and the difference in these two clubs is that the Detour has a one shaft offset, whereas the shaft of the Detour 2 is straight. The Detour technology has also been incorporated into one of the older and popular lines of Cameron putters called the Newport line. The Newport 2 and the Newport 2.5 Detour putters both sport the curved flange and its associated weight distribution system described above. All four Detour putters have a loft of 4 degrees and a standard lie angle of 71 degrees. The Detour 2 and the Newport 2.5 Detour are not available for left handers. There are some options for length and club head weight on most of the models.

The Detour putters by Scotty Cameron are remarkably creative innovations. Great attention is paid to esthetics and how the putter sits and looks to the golfer’s eye. IN addition the mix of materials used t produce the clubs take into account not only weight distribution and such technical issues as MOI and CG, but great effort is also placed into optimizing the feel and sound the putter makes at ball impact. It will be interesting to see how popular these ideas become in the future, especially the long curved aiming line. All four of the Detour putters have a retail price of $300, so they are expensive, premium clubs.