Listen, I’ve had a conflicted relationship with the Scotty Cameron brand my entire life. I have to be honest, I haven’t been too impressed by much from his shop in more recent times, but man, have there been some classics over the years. Obviously there’s the Tiger Woods Newport 2 – arguably the most famous putter of all time having been in the bag for 14 out of 15 of Tiger’s Majors. But that’s not a putter you can get your hands on so we can’t really count that. However, there is a putter associated with Tiger’s Major lore that was/is obtainable. I’m talking about the Scotty Cameron Teryllium Newport which was used in Tiger’s maiden Major win at the 1997 Masters. As big of a moment as that was, this putter was already well on my radar prior to that historic win.
While Scotty Cameron putters are still regarded as high-end and on the “more expensive side” of the market, the putter industry has caught up to the brand. There are more competitors at the same price level and plenty of boutique options that far out-price Cameron (including Cameron himself by way of his Gallery in California). All that said, I still remember walking into the Village Links of Glen Ellyn pro shop almost every day of the summer during middle school and looking at the Scotty Camerons. Everything about the black heads with white dots in the cavity and a copper-colored insert was perfect. They felt just as perfect on the little putting strip in the shop too! The only problem was the price tag. With a price somewhere around $150-200 (I can’t remember, sue me if it’s way off), that was an IMPOSSIBLE amount of money for a 11-12 year old to spend on a new putter! Many would have said it was an unheard of dolloar amount for ANYONE to spend on a putter. Alas, this putter would elude me for many years to come.
Interesting Facts/Stories About the Scotty Cameron Teryllium Putters
Let’s start out with some basics about some of the production changes/details/evolutions of the Scotty Cameron Teryllium putters.
“Generations”
Contrary to popular belief, not all putter makers mill their own heads in house. That process can be outsourced to a more efficient milling house once a final design is created. Especially in the modern age of computers and programming. The story goes that the first generation of the Scotty Cameron TeI3 putters were allegedly milled by a different putter maker who is lucrative in the business in their own right. These putters are desirable now for their inserts lacking the white elastomer ring around the edge and the TeI3 logo being stamped on the sole of the putter. A short time later, that TeI3 stamp would be moved to the face of the putter.
The final generation saw the introduction of the white elastomer ring around the insert of the putter. This is said to allegedly be a result of a change in milling houses where they had a hard time getting the tolerances of the insert and cutout on the face correct. The elastomer addressed that spacing issue.
Tiger’s 1997 Masters putter was the first generation with the flush Teryllium insert and TeI3 sole stamp. Find one of those in good condition on ebay and expect big $$$.
The “Dots”
The white dots in the cavity of the Teryllium putters are almost as famous as the signature insert. Maybe more so. GolfWRX had a chat with ole Scotty in 2018 and ended up getting to the bottom of those white dots. Within the 32 dots on the back are four screws to hold the insert in place. In the prototyping days, there were five screws with one of them being dead in the middle of the face. Apparently this made the face feel too hard so Scotty removed that screw and needed something to soften the feel and fill that hole. Well, a quick trip to Target and five different tubes of bathroom caulk later, Scotty’s problem was solved. He settled on GE Tub and Tile Silicone caulk as the winning material. The rest is history.
Tiger Woods – Ever Heard of Him?
So yeah, Tiger made the Scotty Cameron Teryllium Newport blow up with his 1997 Masters win. EVERYONE needed one. Tiger apparently spent sometime with a few prototypes before getting the black version of the TeI3 that went in his bag, and eventually won The Masters. Interestingly, even with that success, Tiger still wanted something different. Sometime between that iconic win and the 1999 Byron Nelson, Tiger expressed to Scotty/Donald that he wanted something with more squared lines similar to a Ping Anser 2 that he grew up with. At the 1999 Byron Nelson, a fresh tri-sole Newport 2 went into Tiger’s bag and stayed there for the next 11 years and 13 Major wins. True, that Newport 2 would later get some time on the bench in the later part of Big Cat’s career, but it was back in the #1 spot for Tiger’s 2019 Masters victory bringing its total to 14 out of 15 Major Championships.
The Putter
Putters are very subjective, and people will get very technical about them, but there’s just something about the Scotty Cameron Teryllium putter that’s just perfect without explanation. The headweight is too light compared to modern putter heads and the maintenance is too bothersome with its black oxide finish, patina’d face (that’s a word), and carbon steel body just begging to rust. But the feel is so smooth and perfect. The look behind the ball is just beautiful. And let’s face it, the nostalgia is next to impossible to ignore if you were born before 1990. No matter how many TeI3s I see or own, I still get excited whenever I see one in the wild. This will always be a magical putter to me and one I’ll be happy to pat Scotty on the back for any day of the week.
OK, FINE, I’ll talk about my TeI3 and the journey to. I’ve actually had a handful of Teryllium Newports and Newport 2s come through my hands. Each one with a vision of playing, collecting, or restoring. Ultimately, they’ve all ended up being flipped for profit, but I finally settled on one years ago. In short, I went through a couple of Newport 2s that didn’t hit the nostalgic note for me, and I wanted to get a Gen1a Newport like Tiger’s, but I realized that’s not exactly what I wanted. I wanted the putter I yearned for as a kid. I finally found an “appropriately used” Newport at a steal of a price. Good enough to stay with me for the long haul. It brought me right back to the Village Links pro shop when I was a kid.
After the Blog…
Interestingly enough, I had the idea to write this post on a Sunday morning. I logged into the site and popped a quick post draft in with a title just to capture the idea for future writing consideration. Next I left for the golf course, got paired up with a father/son twosome, and off we went. On the first green, the son pulls his putter out of his bag and of course it’s a nicely loved Teryllium Newport. How ironic… The next day (Monday), I wake up to an email from Titleist announcing the release of a new putter. The putter, of course, was an updated limited version of the classic Teryllium putter line with a few modern twists to set it apart. (It’s called the T22 if you’re looking.) Talk about a weird 24 hours of golf juju… Credit to Titleist and Cameron for reading my mind and turning around my recent nostalgia in less than 24 hours. That’s really impressive.
Hi Bill, good read especially the explanation of the unburdened types. I’ve had a variety of all three and a Newport 2 no boundary logo on bottom was the gamer for years until I switched to lefthand putting. Took a while to find one again in lefty that wouldn’t break the budget, like you said too light but nothing else has that feel.
Great read. Thanks for the info and history lesson
Probably not smart but my TeI3 Newport Two is the only putter in my bag
Hi Bill
I need 1 tiny insert mounting screw to complete restoration of my 1998 DelMar Tel3. It’s first of 500 and I am excited to bring it back to respectable condition. Any hint on a source for this screw? A spec or vendor.
Thanks
You know, I don’t know off the top of my head, just that they’re findable. Have you tried googling something like “Scotty Cameron Teryllium Replacement screw” or variations of that? I know I’ve seen threads on WRX and Cameron Collector in the past. The only thing I remember is that wasn’t a particularly simple process.
Just recently inherited a Newport 2 with the tel3 on the face but without the white ring. So would this be considered a first generation then? It’s in mint condition as it was just stored. Reading this article peaked my interest much more.
If not first generation, still an earlier one. It gets complicated with face and sole stamps of the TeI3, but I can’t tell you I have my facts straight discerning the timing of the two.
We’re can I buy the black Scotty Cameron
Which one are you asking about?
I just purchased a used Newport 2 tel3. Do you think I am at a disadvantage using this putter compared to the 2021 SC Newport 2 special select. Is the technology that much better? I am 2 handicap and want to game the old Scotty but don’t want to put myself at a disadvantage
If you make putts, what’s the disadvantage? Tiger used the same putter to win the 2019 Masters that used to win to 2002 Masters. A blade is a blade. Really comes down to a lot of personal preferences and feels at that point.
Bill, I have came across and acquired a Cameron Tei3 , it’s a work of art. Curious about the value and if it needs refinishing in your opinion
Thanks !
I’m not big into refinishing TeI3s for a variety of reasons, but that’s up to you and what you want it to look like in your collection.
In terms of value, lately I’ve found the best place to get an idea is to look at sold listings on ebay and see if you can find any in similar condition to yours and what they sold for.
Good luck!
Played a lot of golf at the Village Links when I lived in Wheaton, great course!
Hi Bill,
I’m looking to put a full 1997 Masters winning bag together with MP-14/29 Cobra driver, Titleist 3wood and so on.
I’ve found two Tel3 Newports for sale from the same seller, one face stamped the other sole.
I always thought Tiger used a face stamped Tel3 with the twin border lines around the Tel3 that day, as I’ve seen a online article about the original putter that they think will fetch $1mil and you can buy shares in it or something, the one in the article has a bent shaft and is face stamped.
You’d think with all the TV footage of the masters I could see if it was face or sole stamped but I can’t.
Before I fork out a large sum of cash could you please confirm what exact putter he used that 97 Masters?
Cheers,
Hoff.
It’s pretty well documented that the ’97 Masters TeI3 is in Tiger’s studio and one of two putters Charlie isn’t allowed to touch, so I’d be hard pressed to believe the original is going to be available in any way shape or form to the public. You can find pictures with a pretty easy google search of a few different TeI3s in his time, but the one I keep seeing in pictures of him on ANGC in his Sunday red show him using a TeI with no face stamping and no elastomer around the face. Just google Tiger Woods 97 Masters TeI3 putter and click away.
Just read the WRX article, and it was one of multiple variations. Given he used the one in the article in ’98, the falls in line with the evolution of TeI3s and why it differs from his 97 Masters putter.
Thanks a heap Bill your all over it. Sadly the sole stamp one I found was a Newport2 not a Newport so I’ll needs to keep looking, thanks again mate and cheers for the article.
I came across a Tei3 Santa Fe that has a circle drilled into the face just below the hosel. At some point the head was repainted black including the Te insert. The rest of the fill in paint is red and white. Have you seen this done before?
If the whole insert is painted black, it sounds like someone either just did bad aftermarket refinish, or has bad taste and wasted their time on that putter if they were just going to black out that insert. At least that’s my opinion/best guess.
I am in the market for a Tei3 and am curious what metal it is made out of? Additionally, I know some putters can be differentiated from real and fake based on if a magnet will stick to it. Should a tei3 be able to have a magnet stick to it if it is real?
Carbon steel and copper basically.
Magnet test will tell you if it’s carbon or stainless. A magnet won’t typically stick to the grade of stainless steel used in stainless putters. For a TeI3, it should stick.
BOS golf does great refinish work on these putters but I’m not a fan of refinishing them. The aged patina is second to none and is the desired proper finish for these putters. I game a Sante Fe version of this putter myself. I am trying to acquire a Newport TeI3 to add as a gamer. I don’t care that it’s pristine, just that it has a good useable patina and that the face isn’t all marked up. When the putter ages naturally the patina has a non-glare finish perfect for the golf course!
My tei3 stamp is on the bottom. Any idea how old it is and the value ?
No idea on current value, but sole stamps came before face stamps in the lineage.
I threw my ping putter into the weeds after three putting once again then was reminded we still had 8 more holes to go. I walked into the weeds to find my club and right next to it was a Scotty Cameron Newport Two TeI3. I believe it was a Devine intervention.