1) This is the part of my vice I use to lay the club’s face down on. My vice is lag bolted to my workbench and it ain’t gonna move! You can use any solid surface – even the deck of a workbench – as long as it’s steady.

2) Here are the tools of the trade! Two-sided tape (aka – grip tape), masking tape, a REGULAR hammer (not a 4-5 lb. hand sledge hammer), and the stamps.

3). Close up of the box of stamps. I bought mine at an Ace Hardware for about $25.00. Mine are 1/8 inch letters.

4) I place two strips of two-sided tape on the vice and two strips of two-sided tape on the face of the club. The tape not only holds the club in place, it also provides a bit of padding between the vice and the clubface.

5) Stick the face of the club to the vice. Notice I do not have the right edge of the anvil part of the vice up against the inside edge of the club. I have left a space there. If I did…when I hammered in the letters, the edge would mark up the inside of the club where the hosel begins. 

6) Place a piece of regular masking tape on the club where you want to stamp the letters. I guess you could use two-sided tape as well, but I don’t……

7) Hold the stamp in place and TAP the stamp about 5-7 times with the hammer. You are not trying to drive the stamp into the metal, only the tape.

After TAPPING the stamp a few times with the hammer, you will make an indention in the tape that will allow you to check positioning of the letter and allow you pick up & put down the stamp in the same spot.

9) If the letter is where you want it….put the stamp back in place and hit the stamp a bit harder. I hit the stamp about 4-8 times, depending on what it takes to make a good indention in the club. As you can see in this picture, the tape was clearly cut by the stamp and you can see the metal. 

10) Fill with paint!!!

Here is a compiled list of terms and definitions of everything putter.  Most of these terms and coined from Scotty Cameron slang, circle T putters, as well as reasons why putters are named different things (Newport, or Tripple Black). Enjoy.

Putter Glossary:

1. 1st Issue
   1st off the mill, originated from the military reference 1st Article. The 1st Issues were generally the 1st 500 putters that came off the production line.
2. 1st Run
   1st run putters were the same as the 1st issue putters meaning they were 1st off the production line. Another term to describe the 1st putters in the production series.
3. AMF
   Once Scotty’s private Co., Scotty Cameron International, was acquired by Titleist in 1994, the final run of Classic X and Classic 1putters were engraved AMF for “Adios My Friends” –Scotty’s way of saying thank you to his loyal customers.
4. Belly Putter
   A putter that is longer than standard (usually 42″-45″) that rests against the belly during the stroke.
5. Black Oxide
   Technical term for the gun bluing process. The putter head is placed in the heated black oxide solution and as the pores of the metal open, the black oxide literally dyes the metal. If the head is buffed shiny the putter will have a deep shiny appearance.
6. Black Pearl
   The Black Pearl finish is a Black Nickel plating that covers the carbon steel of the putter. The shiny nickel is quenched in a solution that gives it the dark pearl coloration.
7. Black Star
   Also a shiny nickel plating that is quenched with a grey tint instead of black to give it a more grayish pearl appearance.
8. Circle L
   This stamp is for friends of Scotty. The L stands for loser and is made in fun.
9. Circle T
   Denotes that the putter is made for Tour. The Circle T can be found on putters and headcovers.
10. CNC
    This is an abbreviation for Computer Numerical Control and refers specifically to a computer “controller” that reads instructions and drives a milling machine. This allows for precision and repeatability.
11. Commemorative
    Acknowledging a special achievement. Scotty has made commemorative putters to acknowledge the Masters, British Open, US Open, PGA Championship and other wins.
12. Copper Plating
    A copper plating over the carbon steel that gives the putter a different look and is meant to age and tarnish. In 1996 Scotty made a set of putters that were copper plated. He also makes some Tour putters with copper plating.
13. Crazy Cameron
    Achieved when Scotty hand stamps each letter crooked to give the appearance that the letters are dancing. One of Scotty’s distributors in Hawaii coined the phrase Crazy Cameron.
14. Crown, All Points
    When Scotty was working out of his garage he couldn’t afford to have a logo stamp made so he created a logo out of his stamp set. The Crown was born using a zero and 3 upside down V’s with 3, 5 or 7 dots at the points.
15. Damascus
    Ancient swordmakers folded and forged various metals into weapons of remarkable strength, sharpness and beauty. With pronounced bands and whirling patterns throughout, this ultrahard steel came to be known as Damascus steel.
16. Face Balanced
    When the shaft of the putter is balanced on the finger the face points toward the sky and runs parallel to the ground. This makes the putter have less toe flow. See Toe Flow.
17. Flange
    The backside of the putter from the topline back. Everything rolls from the topline to the flange.
18. Floating Face
    A slit milled through the sole of the putter. Scotty adds this to create different sound, which translates into different feel. The closer the slit is to the face the higher pitched the sound. The farther back the slit is milled from the face, the less the sound will change. Sound comes 1st before feel, so different sounds greatly affect feel.
19. Flowing Neck
    A flowing neck is achieved when the curve of the neck flows from a long, round neck. The shorter the neck the more kink or angle in the bend and less flow. The flowing neck adds offset to the putter and gives different appearance at address.
20. GSS
    Trademarked by Scotty to signify the highest quality stainless steel he’s found for putter making, GSS stands for German Stainless Steel.
21. Hand Finish
    A putter is hand finished when it is taken from the mill in its blocky form and the edges are rolled, mill marks are blended and the entire putter is finished to remove sharp edges.
22. Handmade
    “Lots of work!” The mill is moved entirely by hand to create the putter’s shape. Scotty started on a tabletop mill and moved to a Bridgeport. Scotty makes very few handmade putters each year. All handmade putters are stamped “Scott Cameron”.
23. Handstamp
    When the stampings on the putter are stamped by hand using a good ol’ fashioned hammer and stamp. You can usually tell a handstamp because you will see where the metal is  “mushroomed” out around the edges of the letters from the force of the stamp displacing the metal.
24. High Toe
    The toe of the putter is shaped to flow upward giving the putter more of an upright appearance at address. This, in effect, cheats the eye, helping the player keep the putter soled at address. Scotty often designs high toes into his putters to help players set up more comfortably (and correctly) at address.
25. Ingot
    A solid block of metal. Scotty Cameron putters are made from ingots of stainless or raw carbon steel. In some designs, aluminum is used, as well.
26. Initials
    Initials are found on the putter denoting who the putter was made for. In many cases the initials are on the toe or in the back cavity.
27. J.A.T
    “Just a Thought”. Scotty will make prototype putters for players and stamp JAT on them so the player can get an idea of Scotty’s design.
28. Knurling
    Crimping or stamping a round material. Completely cosmetic. The Scottymaster had knurling around the top of the neck.
29. Length
    The total length of the putter measured from the butt end of the grip to the sweet spot of the putter. Many manufacturers measure putters differently, measuring from the heel of the putter to the butt of the grip. These putters are usually ½” to 1″ longer than Cameron putters.
30. Lie
    Angle of a putter’s neck and shaft as measured from a horizontal sole. Scotty generally designs to 71 degrees, however he varies that per design and player preference. The proper lie of the putter is determined by its length relative to the posture and setup of the player. If a putter is too long it can be held too flat, and if it is too short it can be held too upright.
31. Loft
    Degrees of the face angle. Typically 3°- 5°.  The golf ball, weighing 45 grams, sits in a shallow depression on the putting surface. In order to clear the edge of this depression, the putter must have loft to lift the ball out and on a straight path.
32. M.I.H
    “Make it Happen” There are lots of dreamers in this world, MIH is intended to take it from a dream to reality. Make it Happen!
33. Mil-Spec
    The abbreviation refers to “Military Specifications” and refers to the fact that each club is milled to exact specs.
34. Newport Beach
    The name, from a seaside beach town in California, given to a limited edition putter that has a floating face, or a slit milled through the sole. Scotty calls this “beaching” a putter.
35. Oil Can
    Brownish black oxide finish that has irridescent hues like you see when opening a fresh can of oil. With time, this finish gives the putter a worn leather look.
36. Plumber’s Neck
    Also called a “plumbing neck”. Scotty was under his sink fixing a leak and the bends in the pipes were reminiscent of the neck on one of his putters. The term plumber’s neck was born and describes the neck of the Newport or Classic 1, which has been used on several other models.
37. Pro Platinum
    A very durable, silver nickel finish that has a rich platinum appearance. It is one of the refinishing options available for nearly any putter (excluding stainless steel putters) in the Custom Shop.
38. Prototype
    Pre-production idea. Welded necks, hot bends, hand shapes, new weighting, offset, etc. A prototype is an idea that slowly forms into a final product.
39. Resto-Mod
    This term refers to resoration-modification. It originated as a car term for a vehicle that was restored to like new condition and modified with custom, state-of-the-art parts effectively making it better than original. Scotty uses this term in the Custom Shop because he often restores putters and modifies them with new finishes, alignment aides, initials, etc., making them even better.
40. SCG
    Scotty Cameron Garage. Putters denoted with SCG over the 3 points of the crown were made in Scotty’s machine shop in his garage.
41. SCM
    Scotty Cameron Milled or Made. There are 3 points on the handmade crown so Scotty needed a third letter to finish the crown.
42. Scottsman
    Scotty was homesick in a Hong Kong bar listening to American music and saw an icemaker named the Scottsman. The name seemed to strike a chord and was later used to name a line of putters.
43. Scottydale
    Borrowed from Scottsdale and mixed his own name to form Scottydale.
44. Scottymaster
    Borrowed from Ironmaster and put his name in to form Scottymaster. This was done at the same time as the Scottydale.
45. Sightdot
    A dot on the topline of the putter to denote the sweetspot.
46. Sightline
    A line on the topline or flange of the putter to aid in alignment.
47. Slant Neck
    Scotty wanted to get rid of the elbow of the plumbers neck for a sleeker more unobstructed look at the ball, but retaining the ¼ hang of the plumbers neck. The slant neck gives a cleaner look at the ball.
48. Snow
    Small dot indentation on the back flange many times painted white, which gives the appearance of snow. The idea was to keep the back flange separate from the top line and break the putter into 2 separate parts. Snow is handstamped and visually very beautiful.
49. Sole Draft Angle
    Negative bounce on the sole that prevents the putter from sitting or looking closed. Allows the putter to sit open but never closed. Most players on tour don’t mind a putter that looks open but they never want to see a putter that is closed.
50. Swan Neck
    Hot bend around neck to make the putter more face balanced with less toe flow. The neck has an S shape or swan neck to it when complete.
51. TEi3
    TEi stands for Teryllium, an alloy of 12 different metals. The 3 stands for the 3 different materials that comprise the putter: carbon, copper or teryllium, and elastomer.
52. Toe Flow
    The amount the putter head closes at impact due to the position of the hosel and balance.  e.g., A blade style putter such as the Napa has a lot of toe flow because it is heel shafted.  Conversely, a Newport style putter has less toe flow due to its plumbing neck.
53. Tour Model
    Made for Tour use only.
54. Triple Black
    Describes the appearance of a black oxide finish. The topline, flange and hosel are misted, the face milled and the sole has a scotch bright finish. The topline is misted so there is no glare. The Triple Black finish is widely used on tour.
55. Widows Peak
    The widows peak is a sign of craftsmanship and is where the neck blends into the body. In a well crafted putter there will be a V where the neck and body meet, hence widows peak.
56. X-SLC
    Experimental Special Limited Cameron or Experimental Summer Lynne Cameron named after his first daughter.

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In honor of the 2010 winners of the Ryder Cup, I thought this European Tour promo video would to the Europeans justice. Very cool video.

With only one event left to play, Tiger Woods is in 10 place on the Ryder Cup points standings.  The last event that counts towards the 2010 Ryder Cup, is the PGA Championship at Whistling Straights.  But after his horrendous 18 over par at the Bridgestone will captain Corey Pavin choose Tiger Woods if he does not automatically make the team.  Who would have thought that Tiger Woods would not have automatically made the Ryder Cup Team.  I would have never thought of a Ryder Cup with out the world’s number one!

Here’s how the top 11 spots look:

1. Phil Mickelson
2. Hunter Mahan
3. Jim Furyk
4. Steve Stricker
5. Jeff Overton
6. Anthony Kim
7. Matt Kuchar
8. Lucas Glover
9. Dustin Johnson
10. Tiger Woods
11. Ricky Barnes

The top eight players make the team automatically, and team captain Corey Pavin will choose 2 more players.

Tiger himself was quoted saying that he would not be doing the team any good if he is playing this poorly.  But would captain Corey Pavin still choose Tiger Tiger Woods if he was not playing his best?  Is Tiger good enough that even on a mediocre day he can still be the best of Europe?  Not to mention that Tiger Woods Ryder Cup record is not his greatest asset.  He has typically not done great “Tiger Like” things when playing in the Ryder Cup.  I am not sure that if I was the captain of the Ryder Cup this year that I would choose Tiger, but then again more people watch golf on TV when Tiger plays.  I wonder if the sponsors have anything to say about if Tiger Woods plays or not.  One last thing to think about is… would Tiger Woods turn down a spot on the team if captain Corey Pavin chooses him regardless of where he finishes in the points, or his past personal troubles, and he playing woes of the moment?

The Ryder Cup 2010 is going to be great to watch on TV, and I cannot wait to see who makes the team.  Good Luck to all those PGA players so close to making the Rydery Cup, and I am excited to watch the last major of the year.

I know it seems a little funny to say that in golf it is important to make bogeys, but in order to score well you need to make bogeys.  All good players turn those triples and double bogeys into just a bogey.  I know I just wanted to reiterate, that yes in order to be a good golfer you must be able to make bogeys.

For example… good players will shoot 76 with six bogeys and two birdies.  But if you take that same round where there was six shakey holes (be it a 3-putt or a errand tee shot or a fat second shot) a player that makes two of those bad holes into doubles or worse… now your 76 turns into a 78,79 or 80.  There is a big difference in score when you turn in a 76, than when you turn in a score only three shots worse, but miles stones away from a mid to low seventies score. 

The importance of making bogey is what good players do.  When you hit a bad tee shot, and a medium or high handicapper will play the low percentage shots to try to miraculous get the ball on the green or back in the fairway.  Where a low handicapper will play the higher percentage shots, and get the ball to a comfortable yardage, so that you can get the ball on the green, and hopefully make the putt for par.  And if not for par, then an easy tap in for bogey.  Just imagine if you could go back during every round and say “don’t play the silly shot”.  Some players will call this mentality for scoring low to just take your medicine.  When you are in the trees, punch out and then try to play the hole for a one putt par.

Turn your doubles and others into bogeys and your scores will improve by light years, and you might be surprised how many times you make those one putt pars.  Remember that good players will trust in their short game, and will rely on the shots that they are most likely to pull off.  Don’t try to hit that one in a million shot, that when you miss you will make a double.  Stick with what you know, and play smarter golf, not better golf.  Scoring is not about how good your good shots are…good scoring comes from how bad your bad shots are.