Thursday, May 14, 2009

Patchwork Covers





Rating: 7 points
Pros: Too cool for words.
Cons: Need one more to complete the set. Expensive.

I was trying to narrow down when patchwork woods covers first hit the scene, but did not find anything solid. These covers proliferated a good deal after the 2008 Museum & Gallery Event in Japan. The price on these tends to be pretty firm and expectedly expensive.

They are made by stitching together pieces from Scotty Cameron putter headcovers to form driver, wood and hybrid headcovers. Many golfers outside the Cameron arena may not understand the demand for these covers... suffice it to say combining different designs to make every cover gives them each a "one off" feel. Although there is no concrete number of how many were made, they are very hard to find.

I have not taken these out of their bags yet, but plan to this summer... I'm a touch hesitatnt to bring them anywhere other than a Cameron gathering because each one costs more than John Q. Golfer's entire bag.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Spa






Rating: 5 points

Pros: Finally getting a spa treatment for this putter
Cons: 45 days

Well, I've had two M-200's in the collection for a while, and I think it's about time to send one of them to the Custom Shop. Neither of them are in bad shape by any means, so I chose this one basically because I grabbed it first. Below are the options I've selected... now the waiting game. I'll post pictures and the COA when it returns:

Putter: Mizuno M-200
Restoration: Yes
Finish: Pro Platinum
Sight Lines Top: Add One Line
Shaft: Reshaft
Grip: Red Baby T
Length Change: Desired Length - 35.5
Loft Change: Place Back To Original
Lie Change: Make 1° Upright from Original
Authentication: Yes
Stamp: Custom Shop
Headcover: Scotty's Custom Shop Select - Red Racer
Special Instructions: Translucent Red and Blue for engravings, dirty white for sightline. Please place CS stamp on extreme toe.

Monday, May 11, 2009

1996 Copper Newport





Rating: 6 points

Pros: Grip In Plastic Copper Newport!
Cons: Grip In Plastic = Not A Gamer

I got a great deal on a GIP Copper Plated Newport... no suede headcover, but those aren't too hard to find. This has been on my wish list for a few years after seeing a few of them (never in person) in other collections and in Vog's book. The patina on the copper looks better than I imagined. In 1996 Scotty made 500 sets of copper plated putters. The set includes this Newport along with the Napa, Santa Fe, Laguna, Coronado, Del Mar, Sonoma and Catalina... there are only a few hundred copper putters listed in the registry. The Newport and Napa are the most highly saught-after by collectors, resulting in a lot of broken sets. I don't have any immediate plans to persue the complete set... but having one would be nice.

The only "bad" thing about this putter is that the grip is in plastic. That's typically not a bad thing at all, but I do like to be able to game everything in my collection. Removing the plastic will probably not happen as doing so deminishes the value at least somewhat. If I manage to get a second Copper Newport, I'll put it in play. Or maybe I'll just tear off the plastic or have Scotty re-shaft the putter to my specs.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Cadillac Headcover





Rating: 5 points
Pros: Gateway into a new mini-collection
Cons: Escalade Hybrid not included

I want to start posting again so here is a quick one regarding a new headcover I acquired recently. I already have a Lexus cover with Peter Jacobsen's signature stitched. There's a new opportunity here to start collecting car covers. Honda, Chevy & BMW also have covers... if you know of any others, please post so I can add them to my "wish list".