50 Words or Less
The Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 putter has an angular, “aerospace-inspired” shape and a large footprint. Very forgiving. Premium, soft feel.
Introduction
When Scotty Cameron leaves the comfort of classic designs, the results can get weird. Who can forget the original Futura or the Detour? The Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 is nowhere near as unorthodox as those offerings, but it does represent a design without an obvious precedent. I tested one to see if its as good as its more conventional Phantom line mates.
Looks
Let’s start with the positives: in the bag, the Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 looks great. The exclusion of highlighter yellow from the Phantom X line is a massive improvement. There’s a lot going on with the sole – multiple materials, weights, and unorthodox shapes – but Scotty’s design makes it all work. He also kept the branding modest.
The negative, unfortunately, is the address look. To me, this putter just looks cheap. I’m genuinely not sure why – it has the same mill marks as the other Phantoms and the “aerospace-inspired” shape is not objectively bad – but no matter how much I look at it, it just doesn’t look premium. Maybe it’s subconsciously reminding me of a bad putter I once had…I really don’t know. My opinion aside, the Phantom 9 is a modern, angular, full-sized mallet with two full-length sight lines. If that sounds appealing, don’t let my feelings stop you from trying it.
Sound & Feel
While I didn’t find the Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 as visually appealing as the other Phantoms, it does share their premium feel. Striking a urethane ball produces a very soft feel thanks to the dual-milled face. Scotty’s focus on vibration dampening means that there’s no extra “noise” in the hands – just a clear sensation of exactly where the ball met the face.
The soft feel is enhanced by the quiet “thud” of impact. This putter is very quiet, so audio feedback is limited. You can turn up the volume slightly with a firmer, click-ier golf ball, but the Phantom prefers to be stealthy.
Performance
Of all the Phantom putters, the Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 has the fewest configurations. There are just two options: the Phantom 9 and the Phantom 9.5. Seen in these pictures, the Phantom 9 uses a mid-bend shaft to create a full shaft of offset and almost no toe hang. This will work best for players with less arc in their stroke – what is often called “straight back, straight through.” The Phantom 9.5 has the same slant neck (“jet neck” in Scotty’s parlance) as the Phantom 5.5 [review HERE]. This neck style produces 3/4 shaft offset and toe hang around 45 degrees.
In either configuration, the large footprint and multi-material construction give the Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 a healthy dose of forgiveness. At short range, small mishits are virtually irrelevant – they hold their line and cary all the speed they need. Moving back to longer putts, I didn’t need to be perfect to get the ball to the hole. I could mishit a thirty footer and be left with a tap-in, not a knee knocker.
For me, the tradeoff for this higher level of forgiveness is a clumsier feel. When I’m swinging the Phantom 9, I feel like I’m swinging a bit chunk of metal. With a blade or smaller mallet, the putter feels like a precision instrument. This is, of course, a matter of personal taste and preference. Some players much prefer the feel of a big mallet with a deep CG. For me, however, this type of putter needs to give me more forgiveness because my strike quality and distance control both suffer.
Something else that makes a the Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 a poor fit for me – but will appeal to some golfers – is the alignment aid. The two full-length lines command too much attention. They make me try to be too precise and get me away from aiming the putter face. Also, this shape does not provide the kind of natural alignment that other mallet shapes like the Fang do. I will say again, these are my personal preferences, not absolutes. If there weren’t loads of golfers who liked aiming lines, companies would stop making putters that looked like this.
Finally, the Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 putters feature his “Full-Contact Paddle Grip.” I tore apart the copy writing about this grip in my review of the Phantom 11 [review HERE], so I won’t do that again. This grip does look great, and it adds to the overall aesthetic appeal of the putter. The Chain Link texture on the back of the grip is excellent – it adds traction and security in the hand without being rough or taking away from the putter’s feel. My only complaint is that the top of the grip is fairly slick. I wish the Chain Link texture wrapped all the way around, or at least into the areas where there’s no branding.
Conclusion
While it’s not my favorite, the Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 does bring some different elements to the family. The angular shape is unique, and it provides strong forgiveness. While I didn’t care for the address look, the feel is inarguably premium. If you’re a mallet player in search of a new, high end flat stick, this could be worth a try.
Buy the Scotty Cameron Phantom 9 Putter HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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