Marine Camo Harmon

Rating: 4 points
Pros: Cool looking cover in it's own right.
Cons: Shipping issues from Canada. Don't I have this cover already?

It took me quite a while to find someone with this cover. My first attempt unexpectedly landed me with the very similar Digital Camo Harmon headcover from a friend who heard I was looking for a Camo Cover. The friend (assuring me it was the newest Camo Harmon cover) was gracious enough to sell it to me lower than his cost (but still higher than the going rate). Since I already had the Digital Camo cover and was looking forward to the Marine Camo version above, I was dissapointed to find the Digital Camo cover, but I'm not one to make a fuss. I am also one to hang on to duplicates, which did wind up serving me well....

A few weeks ago someone posted a Wanted to Buy/Trade ad on TCC and I was quick to reply... the deal was to be my duplicate Digital Camo cover for the '09 Lucky Dog and '09 Bandito Bull Dog covers, plus $100. A pretty good deal considering the going rate for those two covers. Once that deal was completed, I found another For Sale ad, this time for the Marine Camo. I watched it for a few days then replied to the seller once he dropped it to the $300 level. PayPal was sent and a few days later the seller let me know they shipped the cover. Here comes the fun part....

A few days later I received a notice from UPS that I missed their delivery (not too unusual)... but in addition there was a $44.44 COD charge. Perplexed, I messaged the seller to make sure this was not the cover I was expecting... anot not hearing back right away, I called UPS. That is when I discovered the package was from the seller... and he had shipped it from Canada (without notifing me, declareing it a Canadian product, and declaring the value over the duty threshold). Speaking with curteous representatives, I was able to negotiate the fees down to $25 due to the US origin of the product. However, after two more unsuccessfull delivery attempts I opted to pick up the package from the UPS distribution center... the associate handed me the package without having to pay. Good for me... but I wouldn't be surprised if I get a bill in the mail from UPS.

Long story short, I have my cover without having to pay anything extra for it and I'm not too upset with the seller. Obtaining this cover turned out to be quite an excursion in Cameron Collecting.

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.

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.

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.

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".

Studio Store 2008 Holiday Release

Rating: 6 points
Pros: Great release with something for everyone.
Cons: Extremely limited amounts.

2008 has come and is now gone with concern to Studio Store releases. In a year with not-so-arguably the best headcover releases ever, we also got a few surprises with the Holiday Release. This year's release consisted of a headcover, three pivot tool ornaments, three ball markers, a clip tool and a long sleeved t-shirt.

A well known marketing tactic is to use the "best of best" when implementing new products and offers... Scotty goes after this with the headcover release this year. In a departure from his traditionally Christmas/Holiday themed headcovers (which have been the norm since the initial 2004 release of the holiday Scotty Dogs), Scotty went with a champaign colored headcover with a mix of this year's headcover themes. The cover includes icons from the Hula, US Open, St. Patrick's Day, Ryder Cup, PGA Championship, Las Vegas, British Open, Masters and Halloween headcover releases. There is a lot crammed into one headcover, but Scotty has done a great job combining them.


Second on the list are the pivot tool snowflakes. There was some discussion leading up to this release regarding a few of these sculptures that found their way to eBay. Commanding a large premium on those auctions, the sculptures released from the studio have had a precedent set as very valuable collectible items. There were three colors released, Gold, Green and Red.

Next are the ball markers or "Cameron Coins" as they're being called. We saw these coins a few months ago after the Japan M&G Event... this time around they are complimented by a video on Scotty's website showcasing how they are made. There are three desings, Peace, Luck and the Circle T... all three matching the bag tags which were released in November. Interestingly enough, the same stainless steel bar stock that is used to make the Studio Select weights, is used to produce these unique ball markers.


Rounding out the release is the My Girl Clip Tool and the Art of Putters T-Shirt. Since the long sleeved t-shirt is a re-release of a popular shirt from last year, there isn't too much to say. However the My Girl tool... wow. Scotty has not been shy on the Clip Tool releases this year, and this release was no exception. The vibrant pink (named "Celestial Cotton Candy") tools are laser engraved with "My Girl of Carlsbad" and will be very popular among women and men collectors alike. Typically My Girl releases are very limited, and these tools are purported to be limited to 250 pieces.

Rating this release was a little tough... the only reasons it is not the full 7 point crown are that the snowflakes seemed to be extremly limited (rumors have them at 50 pieces each, which isn't necessarirly a bad thing) and the headcover is a little too out of the ordinary to be considered a "home run" cover. I also would have loved to see the headcover in white instead of champaign, especailly since Scotty had GREAT success with white headcovers this year.

Thanks for another great year of Studio Store releases, Scotty!

Driver, Fairway & Utility Headcovers

Rating: 5 points
Pros: Can be used as boxing gloves.
Cons: Not a substitute for real boxing gloves.

I waited to pass judgment on these new Studio Store offerings until they arrived... I received them earlier this week and I am impressed, but not extraordinarily. Seeing the Black/Gold and Black/Orange/Green both in person, I have to say the Black/Orange/Green looks a lot better than the Black/Gold... the thing that really stands out to me on the nylon Japan versions is the color contrast (Red/Blue for instance)... and the Black/Orange/Green captures some of that.

I rated these 5 points above due to only a few minor gripes. I would have liked the driver cover to be a little larger, but AM&E has been making these for years (and with 460cc drivers being around for a while), so there's probably a good reason why they are not larger. I would also have like to see cheaper prices for the fairway wood and utility covers as they are substantially smaller than the driver cover (although they probably require the same labor to produce). I'm also not sold on the canvas material... but I am splitting hairs on obviously a very cool item.

Seeing them in person is a lot more impressive than I thought they would be... now I guess I have to get a fairway wood in my bag since I've been playing Driver/19* hybrid for the past 3 years. Also, I find it very hard to resist the urge to put the cover on my hand and use it as a punching mitt.