On any given week, Adam Scott could have two or three putters in the bag. For years, I figured he was just kicking the tires on something new, particularly in recent years when he went back to the long putter and experimented in practice rounds with a conventional-length model.
But like clockwork, Scott would trot out the Scotty Cameron Xperimental prototype on Thursday, putting an end to any chatter of a potential putter change.
Was it simply cold feet that led him to retain the long putter each week? According to the 2013 Masters champion, there’s a method to his madness, and it involves essentially playing mind games in the lead up to a tournament round.
In the latest edition of GOLF’s “Gear Talk,” Scott revealed that he regularly practices with putters he has no intention of using. For the most part, it’s a “short putter” (conventional-length) that differs greatly from his long wand and is designed to keep his usual putter feeling fresh during competition days.
“I just don’t practice with [my regular putter] because then I put it back in and it feels fresh and new and it’s just kind of the mind games that I have to play with myself to get the best performance out of me,” Scott said. “… I like putting around with a short putter, and I think I’m getting good with it and then I pick up the long one again and I realize that I’m much better with it. That’s kind of the reassurance I need to just go out and perform with a longer putter. But, there’s some different theories and tests that I do, and I’m always looking for the best putter, that’s for sure.”
