Scotty Cameron Monoblock (Golo) 6.5 Review

How will I get on with this limited edition beauty?

Introduction

The Scotty Cameron Golo 6.5 is a putter that I have often picked up and admired when I’ve seen it in stores. I’ve always liked the way it sits behind the ball, finding it just inspires confidence. When I bought my original Toulon Atlanta, I was actually looking for a GoLo 6.5, but couldn’t find one at the time. The Monoblock 6.5 has slightly more offset than the Golo, at a full shaft vs 3/4 shaft, but has similar toe hang at around 45°. When I saw this one for sale, I had to buy it for testing. Will it make the bag, or will it go back?

Note the different milling in the back of the Monoblock head

First Impressions

I’ve said it already, but I really like the way this putter looks. It’s actually the first Monoblock I’ve seen, and getting it in-hand didn’t disappoint. For more details on the Monoblock, please visit HERE. Rolling some putts on my garage mat, I was immediately impressed with how it felt. Scotty Cameron has “double milled” the face of the Monoblock. The first pass is a deep mill, and the second pass removes all of the sharp edges created by the first pass. I’ve not been impressed with the feel of some other Scotty Cameron putters I’ve tried, but this one is exceptional. If you read my L.A.B. OZ.1i HS review (HERE), then you’ll know that L.A.B. should take note of how to mill a face. It was also interesting to compare the feel with the Bettinardi BB48, which is a very similar design.

There are very few Golo 6.5 and even fewer Monoblock 6.5 reviews available, so I was really excited to try this one out.

A very appealing look at address

I love the way this putter sits behind the ball. Of all the mid-mallets I’ve used, this is definitely one of my favourite shapes. The cavity frames the ball nicely, I like the alignment line (many dislike the way it stops short, but I like that), and I particularly like the perpendicular milling. The smooth progression from front to back is particularly appealing to my eye. The head gives the impression of melting into the putting surface. I find it much more appealing than the squarer look of my Atlanta.

Bettinardi BB48, Toulon Atlanta, Monoblock 6.5 - time to vacuum my putting mat!

This is a 34” putter, with two 15g weights in the sole, and I found the weight and balance to be perfect for me. The Scotty Cameron website doesn’t actually state the weight of the head anywhere, but I suspect it might be a touch lighter than the Fastback 1.5 I tried earlier in the year (HERE). This is subjective, but it felt easier to swing and was more stable than the Fastback 1.5, which tended to wobble.

Differences to the Golo 6.5

Other than the shaft offset mentioned above, the main differences appear to be cosmetic and purely down to different milling in the rear and the cavity plate. The alignment line is slightly lighter in colour too. With a name like Monoblock, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the head is one solid piece of stainless steel, but you would be wrong. The head has a cavity milled into the base to influence weight, CoG and MOI, which is then covered with an aluminium plate.

Monoblock on the left and “standard” Golo on the right

Different sole plate on the bottom of each

In reality, there is not much difference between the putters, other than the Monoblock being a limited release and therefore commanding a much higher price.

How Did It Perform?

Testing was conducted at the St Andrews Golf Academy putting green, next to the Eden Course. This is a fantastic green with a wide variety of hole locations. It was a cracking December day for testing. Dry, bright and warmer than recent days. The green appeared to have been cut and rolled, and was playing nicely.

Testing on the putting green at the St Andrews Academy

The Monoblock 6.5 underwent my usual testing protocol of 6 putts from 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 feet, followed by a 30-foot lag test, then a start line drill. The benchmark putter was my SeeMore MiniGiant FGP. As it’s my current putter, it only does the drills once (possibly not fair on the SeeMore, but it saves a lot of time!)

Pros and Cons

Look and Feel (+ve): No surprises here, given my previous comments. This putter ticks all my boxes when it comes to looks and feel. I’ve genuinely tried a lot of Scotty Cameron putters, and this is the one that I would always come back to. There is a solidity to the strike that I’ve not experienced with other heads, other than perhaps the previous generation of Fastback. That must be down to a combination of head style and face milling.

Grip (+ve): The Monoblock has my favourite Scotty Cameron grip as standard, the Pistolero Plus. Saying that, I prefer the rounder shape of the SuperStroke Tour 1.0 that is on my SeeMore.

Headcover (-ve): The limited edition cover itself is nice, but why use a blade cover with a mallet head and why stick with velcro fastening?

This is a nice head cover but just not practical for a mid-mallet

I know it comes down to personal preference, but I find this style of cover to be less secure on a mallet.

Alignment (+ve): I found this putter very easy to align, and that added to my confidence when testing. I like the perpendicular milling on the back of the putter and actually think that helped me with alignment.

Performance 1 (+ve): The results above speak for themselves, and the Monoblock 6.5 pipped the SeeMore on the day. It was a close-run fight, and it would have been interesting to run the SeeMore through the protocol twice more to see if it caught up.

Performance 2 (neutral): Thanks to Adam Legg at Auchterlonies, I was fortunate enough to test the Monoblock on SAM Puttlab. Its results were decent, but not as good as the SeeMore. As with the Bettinardi BB48, it would have been fairer if I could have tested both putters with the same grip installed to remove variables.

Fashion (neutral): This style of head is simply out of fashion right now and isn’t even in the current lineup of Scotty Cameron putters. The market has swung towards “high MOI” and “Zero-Torque”, and away from more traditional mid-mallets, such as this. You still see some Golo’s on tour, but not as many as you used to. It doesn’t mean this is a bad putter; it just means it’s going to be difficult to find one to try.

Price (-ve): As this was a limited-release putter, your only chance of finding one is going to be second-hand, where they still command a premium price. Back in Sept ’22 when they were released, the price was around £650. The Golo 6.5 can currently be bought new for around £300 (if you can find a retailer that still has one). Was it worth the premium for what is essentially just cosmetic differences? If you need the extra offset, then maybe, but I’m not so sure and would probably go with a Golo 6.5.

Conclusion

This is a lovely putter. If you can find one for a good price and it suits your stroke, then you will not be disappointed. Premium looks and a premium feel in a limited edition (premium-priced) package. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but it certainly suits my eye, and I was sorely tempted to keep it. What swung me against buying it was the SAM data and the history with my SeeMore, which has been an excellent putter since I put it in my bag. Will I live to regret this?

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