Titleist Futura

The Titleist Futura is an experiment in putter design by Scotty Cameron. His idea was to take a heel-toe weighted putter -- where the weight is concentrated directly behind the ball -- and move the weight back approximately two ball lengths. The result is a phenomenal performance increase with immediate ball roll. It's like hitting the ball with a spring loaded paddle. Of course this poses a bit of a problem on super fast greens because it means you have to slow down your putting stroke considerably -- however that negative is only temporary because when you adjust your stroke to a slower pace your consistency improves.

The Futura was originally designed as a tour model putter for professionals who weren't happy with their current putting setups. The first prototypes had adjustable faces which would allow a player to change the loft of the face on tour with a set-screw hidden behind the clubface. This concept never fully took effect because touring professionals are great at hitting the ball, but their understanding of how to adjust a club for maximum results is limited. It's essential for touring pros to work with a talented club craftsman and thats why the production models of the Futura don't have adjustment screws.

In 2005, Scotty Cameron released the Futura Phantom. With all the success of the PGA touring pros and their eager adaptation of the putter, the Phantom takes the Futura design one step further. It has a black anodized finish which does little more than improve the look of the putter for better alignment and overall feel. The weight distribution changed so that 75% of the total weight is in the horseshoe behind the ball while the remaining 25% is in the club face. The Phantom sits perfect at address because the sole was re-designed by moving the rails further back and making them slightly longer.