TERRE HAUTE — I have a son who is a golfer and a junior in high school, which means he’s been receiving flyers, pamphlets and letters from colleges across the country, wanting him to visit their campus or at least request more information about their college. The choices are overwhelming, and not made any easier by the fact that he doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up! He’d like to incorporate golf into his future career if he can, but he’s been told by many people that if he wants to play golf, not to become a golf course pro.
There are many other careers where golf is useful though, such as sales and public relations or if he wants to become an engineer, there are fields such as sports equipment designers and golf course architects. We had a discussion recently about many different careers involving golf, and he asked, “How do I become like Scotty Cameron, and get my name on putters all over the world?” So I did some research to find out how Scotty Cameron became “Scotty Cameron.”
He was born in 1962 in Glendale, Calif. He grew up playing golf with his father, who had a two-handicap, and was very passionate about the game. His father had equipment in the garage for making and shaping golf clubs, so he and Scotty spent a lot of time shaping clubs, wrapping grips, coming up with new designs, then trying them out. That early training led him to his career path of designing and building putters.
He worked for the Ray Cook Golf Company, Maxfli, Cleveland Classics, Founder’s Golf and Mizuno. In 1992, Scotty and his wife Kathy started Cameron Golf International, with the goal of designing the finest putters for the best players in the world. His original putters were handcrafted with a mill in his wife’s mother’s house. Their big break came in 1993 when Bernhard Langer won the Masters’ using a Scotty Cameron putter.
Then, during the Players Championship in 1994, Peter Kostis told Scotty that Titleist was interested in his company to design their putters. The next day, Scotty received a call from Wally Uihlein, CEO of Acushnet (Titleist’s parent company), and they agreed to meet. They had several meetings, and Scotty was convinced that they shared the same vision. In November of 1994, Cameron Golf International and Acushnet Company became partners.
He works in a studio, not an office, probably because he sees his job as an art form, and because he can’t stand to sit at a desk. He still custom makes putters for tour pros. Tiger Woods, for instance, gets three or four a year, because he wants back-ups.
Interestingly, the final run of Scotty’s private company, Classic X and Classic 1’s, were engraved with “AMF” for “Adios My Friends”. There are now hundreds of Scotty Cameron collectors who would love to have one of those putters. Other highly sought after items are things with rare markings. A Circle T on a headcover or putter denotes that it was made for Tour. Circle L is a stamp for friends of Scotty. The L stands for “loser” and is made in fun. A putter with the letters SCG over the 3 points of the crown were made in Scotty’s garage. Recently, one Scotty Cameron putter was sold for $35,000 at auction!
Scotty Cameron collections have become so popular, that in September 2006, the Scotty Cameron Museum opened at Hamamatsu Seaside Golf Club in Japan. The brainchild of Scotty’s friend Mr. Fukuda, the museum houses historical putters used in Major wins, and Scotty’s personal memorabilia from working with players on Tour. It also has Scotty’s personal 1963 Porsche 356 he and his daughter restored several years ago.
If I could get advice from anyone when it comes to putting, Scotty Cameron would be the guy. In a Golf Digest interview in January 2006, he said that you don’t want your eyes directly over the ball at address. He said the perfect setup is having your eyes one inch inside the target line when you look down.
Scotty’s perseverance in sticking with quality and his original plan of making the best putters on tour, has served him well. Even though Scotty doesn’t aspire to be in the limelight, he has still become a household name, at least in households that play golf. He could branch off to making wedges or irons, but he thinks the best thing to do is to stick with what he does best. That’s why his putters are considered to be the best, and why people are willing to pay $275 for one.
• • •
• Quote of the Day — “If football is a game of inches, what do you call golf?”
— Scotty Cameron, in Golf Digest, Jan. 2006.
On & Off the Course
On and Off the Course: Craftsmanship finds a niche
- On & Off the Course
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
• Gary R. Wright
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Donna Lynn Strahla Bown
Donna Lynn Strahla Bown passed away early Friday morning, Jan. 25, 2013, with her children by her side.
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‘The Match’ pitting amateurs vs. pros recalled 62 years later
Quote of the Day: “I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games.” — Ben Hogan.
Bubba Watson has had a busy fall. Not only did he play all the way to the final round of the FedEx Championships, and in the Ryder Cup, he also played in an event commemorating a very famous match played at Cypress Point in 1956, pitting two of the greatest golf pros at the time against two of the best amateurs.
Come to think of it, all four were some of the best golfers of all time. This year’s event was celebrating The First Tee’s exceeding $100 million in pledges to reach 10 million new young people. It wasn’t televised and kept very quiet; only 225 people were in the gallery.
One of the people in the gallery was Mark Frost, the author of a book titled “The Match,” which is about that match played 62 years ago that was re-enacted in modern terms last week. The pros in 1956 were Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the amateurs were Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. It was supposed to have been a private affair, built around a wager by two millionaires, George Coleman and Eddie Lowery. -
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf from the wrong side of the brain
Imagine this scenario: a woman, small in stature (possibly freckled), walks into a hospital emergency room and says, “I have an emergency, I need a doctor quickly!” The admitting nurse, ever trying to be helpful, asks what the emergency is.
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Farmers looking at widely varying yields
Combines will roll through fields this weekend, bringing in the harvest from a summer with nearly no rain.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf debut in London would have been nice
As the Olympics get underway in London this weekend, I was thinking it’s too bad that the Olympic committee decided too late to add golf as one of the sports for this event; instead it will be added to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Getting to Hoosier country’s best golfing venue part of the fun
If you are looking for Indiana’s premier golfing destination, then you should look no further than French Lick.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Indiana's Pete Dye courses worth the drive
You’ve probably heard of the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail throughout Alabama, but you might not be aware that Indiana has its own “Pete Dye Golf Trail” comprised of seven courses.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fathers typically a big influence on golfing sons
Some events fall naturally into place around holidays. The Fourth of July always falls somewhere during Wimbledon, giving all of the Yanks in attendance something to be boisterous about, to the chagrin of their hosts; The Masters often, but not always, ends on Easter Sunday, which is fitting since golfers find it such a reverent occasion.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Memorial just one of many visions of Jack Nicklaus
When Jack Nicklaus was a young man, the golfer he most admired was Bob Jones.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
Golf is not a casual sport, even though it has a term called “casual water.”
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On and off the course: Sycamores seeded sixth heading into MVC golf tourney
It wasn’t too long ago that Indiana State University didn’t even have a women’s golf team.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: A hard ticket to come by
This is the weekend of the Masters Tournament, the first of the four major tournaments.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
- More On & Off the Course Headlines
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
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Okla. Teens Get Video of Deadly Tornado Overhead
Man Shot While Questioned in Boston Probe
Raw: Kevin Durant Tours Moore After $1M Pledge
9-year-old Tornado Victim Loved Family, Singing
School Storm Protection Spotty in Tornado Zones
Weiner Launches Bid to Become NYC Mayor
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Okla. City Mayor: Up to 13K Homes Hit by Tornado
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Raw: Costa Rica Volcano Roars to Life
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
Today in History May 22
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Florida FBI Shooting Has Boston Bombing Links
IRS Official Pleads 5th Amendment
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Paperless Scanner, Vision of the Future
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
