MEMORABILIA AND COLLECTIBLES PART 20:The club designer's imprint draws them in their droves to the collectors convention in the US and the Scotty Cameron Museum in Japan. And collectors pay big money for them. Gary Moranreports
WE KNOW you can't believe everything you come across on eBay, but we really were taken aback last week to see a putter head cover, no more than a month old, selling for $1,050 (€725). It wasn't a crazy reserve price either. Fourteen bidders had taken the item up to that level and a similar cover had sold earlier in the day for a similar price.
Many people would buy a full set of clubs for that kind of money, so what made it so special? It was a Scotty Cameron cover and all things Cameron command premium prices.
The oldest and most valuable items are his handmade putters from the early 1990s. His company has long since been taken over by Titleist, but the Cameron brand continues to grow and, while putters remain at the core and rank among the most sought after of all modern collectibles, the range of expensive Cameron items is vast.
The interest is sufficient to warrant an annual Scotty Cameron International Collectors Convention in the US and a Scotty Cameron Museum and Gallery in Japan.
So if you thought the only thing that came out of his famed Putter Studio in California was expensive putters, think again.
From the moment you hit your approach on to the green to the moment you hole out, thousands of euro worth of Cameron gear can pass through your hands.
The first thing you might have to do is repair your pitch mark. The basic Cameron tool costs only $10 (€6.90) but the Circle T Old School Pivot Tool in Cosmic Grape will set you back $165 (€114) from whatheprosplay.com. Only 300 were made in various colours (Cosmic Grape is pink to you and me) and only 100 of those were stamped "For Tour Use Only".
Cameron's own website (scottycameron.com) describes them as being made from "aircraft-grade tumbled aluminium with a new high-lustre finish, laser engraved and complete with padded, metal case". In other words, a far cry from the free handouts you get beside the first tee at some clubs.
Next you have to mark your ball. Don't be using a plastic marker or a five cent coin now. Cameron is about to launch the USGA-approved Ball Tool which features markings designed to help you line up your putt. At $44 (€30) you'll be glad to know it has slightly rounded corners so as not to dig into your leg when carried in your trouser pocket.
Ball in hand, you will surely want to give it a clean before replacing it. It's back to whattheprosplay.com and back out with the credit card for the Scotty Cameron 7 Point Crown Caddie Towel in gold and black for $55 (€38).
Now for the important bit - trying to get the ball into the hole. We're researching a column on Cameron putters and there's much more to consider than just going to your nearest golf shop and shelling out €279 for a current, production model.
Cameron uses selected distribution channels to sell surplus Tour putters, often partly handmade by Cameron himself, and often costing more than $2,000 (€1,380). Check out theartofputters.com.
Now if you're on the 18th and hole your winning putt you will want to take off your hat before shaking hands with your vanquished opponent. There are several collectible Cameron baseball caps and visors and you can readily pay $75 (€52) for a fairly standard issue.
You'll take your victim's money and slip it into your Scotty Cameron cash cover, $200 (€140) for Tejus Lizard finish or $300 (€210) for Tie Dyed Brown on tablerock.com, and with an air of triumph you'll walk back to your bag to put your Cameron putter back in its expensive cover.
Other than putters, the covers are the most collectible Cameron items and limited editions have been produced for events, including the 2005 JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am. The one that sold for €725 last week was for this year's PGA Championship at Oakland Hills. Limited editions around the majors are nothing new for Cameron and the Detroit location and his interest in racecars inspired the design.
Everybody who bought one from .scottycameron.com paid $72 (€51) but according to Cameron collecting guru Bill Vogeney, 100 of the covers had red fur rather than black on the inside and 10 depicted one of the car drivers on the cover waving a chequered flag.
As evidenced by last week's eBay activity these have already soared on value. Recession or not, the cult of Cameron is thriving.
• This column welcomes e-mails from readers concerning golf memorabilia and collectibles but cannot guarantee to provide valuations. If you have an interesting story or item, e-mail collectgolf@gmail.com
