Scotty Cameron – Signs of a Counterfeit

We often get customization orders for Scotty Cameron putters, and unfortunately sometimes when we receive the putter we find that it is a reproduction rather than an authentic Scotty Cameron. We avoid counterfeits for multiple reasons, the most important is to keep in good standing with the industry and our customers. Many times these reproductions consistently have the same signs of being a counterfeit. The most clear clue of a counterfeit is a shaft label on the front side. It is surprising that these producers still have not figured this one out, but Scotty Cameron putters never have the shaft label on the front but rather always on the back side so it is not visible at address. The actual labels are also slightly different, but without knowing the labels well it would be difficult to tell a difference without a side by side. Another thing we often see on reproductions is the head wrapped in plastic; to the best of our knowledge, Scotty Cameron does not wrap the putter heads in plastic from the factory. Other than these more obvious clues, it can be tough to spot a fake without plenty of experience with the putters or a side by side. Some other more subtle signs are the small milling patterns that an authentic Scotty has, or if it is shafted over the hosel, then the shaft should be flare tipped rather than taper. We have a few more series specific tips:

Studio Style putters:

– The insert is German Stainless Steel, and therefore should be a little shinier than the rest of the putter (and a separate piece for that matter).

– The screws in the back should be functional for the insert, rather than just a screw glued in.

– Shaft label placement is a huge indicator for this series (should be on the back side).

Studio Select putters:

– The paint fill should actually be translucent, rather than a classic red

– It can be tough without knowing the putter well, but reproductions have thinner and more inconsistent engravings

– We often see these reproductions have an off red grip compared to a real one, and an excess of cord in the grip

Select putters:

– The deep milling is different; our best advice is to look at our side by side (below).

– The grip should not have dots at the top and bottom

– This series came with an authenticity label near the grip

– The back dots have a silver ‘border’, whereas reproductions do not

Below are some pictures of some of the reproductions we have received in the past (the last one with darker gray paint fill is an authentic Cameron, added to compare to the adjacent non-authentic):