Andrew Turky
September 18, 2021
Andrew Turky and Titleist
When it comes to customizing a new golf club, a golfer’s goal should be to stay open-minded and find the club that is best for his game. After all, custom fitting is about improving your golf game.
That particular story might not be a great example of this, but it does add a certain allure to Jordan Spieth’s famous putter.
You may already know that Spieth has been using the same prototype Scotty Cameron 009 putter since 2009 when he was a junior golfer, but did you know how the putter ended up in his pocket in the first place?
Speaking to Scotty Cameron Tour rep Drew Page recently, Spieth explained how it happened in all his glee.
When Spieth was in 8th grade – long before he won his first of two US Junior Amateur titles (2009 and 2011) – he took a trip to the Scotty Cameron Putter Gallery in Southern California to get in shape for a putter.
Before going to the gallery for the first time, however, Spieth entered into some prejudices about the type of putter he wanted.
His favorite players at the time – Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy – used high-end Scotty Cameron 009 models. (The “009” is a reference to a San Diego area zip code, and these models are because of their rarity, the soft carbon steel material, the Spieth’s junior golf friends, who encouraged him to get a putter made of German stainless steel (GSS), were even more influential. Most of the GSS material is used to make the Newport 2 prototype putter from Tiger Woods, and these putters come at a high price.
“Adam Scott had a 009, Geoff Ogilvy bet a 009, they were my favorite players, but I really wanted to get a GSS because my friends at the club I grew up in said, ‘Dude, it’s like a putter from $ 5-10,000; It’s German stainless steel, it’s soft, it’s what Tiger uses, it’s what all the professionals have used, ”said Spieth.
“I wanted to be open to what might be best for me, but in the back of my mind … we didn’t try a GSS on the first 3 or 4 putters I met there and I was like, ‘Hey, you care if I try one of them? [GSS putters]? I just want to see the feeling. ‘”
Although his heart was on a GSS putter and he tried to get his way, Spieth ended up with a Scotty Cameron Teryllium 1.5 putter with a chrome finish. This putter had a short flow neck which helped Spieth to better release the putter throughout its stroke. You can actually see Spieth rolling a couple of putts with this Teryllium 1.5 putter on the YouTube below when he was 14 years old.
The Teryllium 1.5 putter stayed in Spieth’s bag from 8th grade through high school, helping him win the 2009 US Junior Amateur Championship.
However, when Spieth returned to the Scotty Cameron Gallery later in the fall of 2009, he had a 009 putter with a triple black finish in his sights. Remember, his favorite players – Scott and Ogilvy – had a 009 putter.
The problem was, Spieth didn’t need a new putter. He drained putts with his Teryllium 1.5 putter, and the Triple Black 009 putter didn’t get him as much success.
Spieth took matters into her own hands.
As Spieth admits, he “justified” that the new 009 putter was better, and even tried to “manipulate the shot a little” with his old putter so that it didn’t seem perfect to him. He was intentionally trying to put putts on his old putter to get a 009 putter!
In the end, it actually worked. Spieth walked away with his coveted Scotty Cameron 009 Triple Black Putter, and the rest is history.
After switching to this 009 putter, Spieth won a US Junior Amateur in 2011 and then 12 PGA Tour events, including three major championships. Yes, all with the same putter.
Spieth and his 009 putter have been through a lot and the putter is showing signs of wear.
“It’s not Triple Black anymore, it’s almost like chrome on the bottom now and it’s pretty rusty,” said Spieth. “It has its weaknesses, but whenever I switch to something else for a day and look back at my putter, it just looks like this, which was just great for me.”
In fact, Spieth has tried other putters over the years. He’s used mallets and other versions of Scotty Cameron Newport-style putters. But nothing got stuck. Spieth says he owns around 15 Scotty Cameron putters – some are completely different style heads than the ones he uses now, and others are backup options for his 009 – but he always goes back to “old escrow”.
While everything worked out for Spieth with his 009 putter, remember (!) That Spieth’s story is the exception, not the rule. His 009 putter eventually worked for him and grossed him millions of dollars, but not all golfers will be this lucky. My advice when trying on is to stay open-minded and not to work with the system. You will only harm yourself and your score if you do not buy the clubs that are perfectly tailored to your game.
Do you want to overhaul your bag for 2021? Find a suitable location near you at the GOLF subsidiary True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, please see our latest Full Gear Podcast below!
Andrew Turky
Andrew Tursky is Senior Equipment Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com.