Gear: Scotty Cameron Phantom X putters (2022)
Specs: Milled 303 stainless steel and 6061 aluminum. Available in seven head styles. 33-, 34- and 35-inch options
Price: $429
Available: April 15
Who It’s For: Deep-pocketed golfers who love blades and have an arched stroke but want the forgiveness and sightline options of a mallet.
The Skinny: The Phantom X mallet putters for 2022 are designed to provide the feel and sound of Scotty Cameron’s premium heel-toe weighted blades, but their added size created room for bolder alignment features and a higher moment of inertia for increased forgiveness.
The Deep Dive: The way that Scotty Cameron tells the tale, mallet putters from a generation ago were nearly all face-balanced, which means that if you rested the shaft of one in your palm and let the head hang loosely, the hitting area would point to the sky. That was fine for golfers who aspired to make a straight-back, straight-through stroke, but those putters were poorly matched for golfers who naturally made an arched stroke. Instead, arched-stroke players used less forgiving blade-style putters, and that was that.
Then, about a decade ago, new materials started finding their way into putter designs. They allowed weight to be shifted more easily, and putter makers like Cameron started crafting mallets with different hosel designs and weight systems that gave them toe-hang. Instead of being face-balanced, they could be used by golfers who made an arched putting stroke.
The 2022 updated Phantom X putter lineup is filled with mallet options for golfers who want forgiveness coupled with the feel of Cameron’s Newport and Newport 2 blades.
The sole of the Phantom X 5.5 is covered by an aluminum plate. (Titleist)
The Phantom X putters all have a milled body from 303 stainless steel. There are no face inserts here, as each has a milled hitting area. The milling pattern is not as deep as some of Cameron’s putters from the past because today’s golf balls are softer. Deep milling tends to soften feel and the sound created at impact, so combined with softer golf balls, Cameron found that sound players struggled to match how far a putt rolled with the sound of the strike.
Cameron decided to remove the stainless steel on the bottom of several models and then cover the hollowed-out area with a 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum plate. By removing the steel, which is heavy, more of the head’s overall weight is concentrated in the heel and toe areas, which results in more stability and forgiveness without making the putters larger.
Each of the Phantom X putters also has a pair of weights in the sole that fitters can swap to make it easier to adjust the club’s swing weight based on player preferences or the finished length.
Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5 (Titleist)
The Phantom X 5 has a pair of extensions in the heel and toe and single-bend shaft and is nearly face-balanced, while the Phantom X 5.5, which is roughly identical to Justin Thomas’ putter, has a small slant neck and more toe hang,
Scotty Cameron Phantom X 7 (Titleist)
The Phantom X 7 and 7.5 have more-angular “wings” that extend from the heel and toe areas. They are slightly larger than the Phantom X 5 putters, so they have a slightly-higher MOI.
Scotty Cameron Phantom X 9 (Titleist)
The Phantom X 9 and 9.5 look very similar to the Phantom X 5 and 5.5, but a black aluminum flange fills the area between the heel and toe extensions with a long, white alignment line.
Scotty Cameron Phantom X 12 (Titleist)
The Phantom X 12 is the largest putter in the family and has the highest MOI, making it the most stable and forgiving. Cameron has added triangular pieces at the end of the heel and toe extensions that further pull the center of gravity location back. The aluminum center flange is larger too and creates a wide T shape that makes aiming the putter easier.
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