Odyssey Srt 2 Ball Putter

In the midst of a quest to get back to sub 30 putting rounds I've been trying lots, and lots of flat-sticks. I' ve doubled down on my putting practice as well, which has me using both my old "Never Compromise Stubby" for sweet spot orientation, and my "Zen Oracle" for smoothing out the stroke. Putting has always been one of my strong points, but as of late it has dropped off a bit. There was a time when I could almost assume a round of only 26-28 putts. Three months ago it ballooned back up to 34-36, and finally I have it tamed back to 31-33. This Odyssey 2 Ball SRT is one of many others I have tried recently in hopes that this Indian just might find a magic arrow. At these prices--this putter represents a rock solid value.

JUST A HOP, SKIP, AND A JUMP, AWAY FROM GOOD PERFORMANCE

That's what I used to jokingly say about the original Odyssey 2 Ball. Mind you, it seems to have been a very good putter for the pros on tour, but it just never really worked for me. Having been the proud owner of more than one Odyssey Putter, I can assure you that there was no prejudice involved in that conclusion. Despite the "thuddy" feel of the black insert an on old Odyssey Rossi II of mine--it still rolled the ball as true as any putter of that ilk and era. The original 2 Balls, however, had a center of gravity that was too high for your average Joe to putt with, and the ultra soft insert (an over-compensation as compared to the thuddy black one) led to a putter that launched the ball off the putter's face. In the hands of most average hackers, the original 2 Ball often sent the ball hopping, skipping, and jumping across the green. Many were left to wonder what all the positive hype was about.

A couple of years later came a good stop gap answer. The steel insert in the face insert would provide for crisp impact, with the caveat that you nailed the sweet spot. They also came out with a 3-Ball putter which was , similar to the "Ping Doc", an over-sized, over-priced, and completely unbalanced behemoth of a greenside club. This 2 Ball, steel insert, w/Saturn Ring Technology (SRT), was actually Odyssey's best entrant into the 2006 market place. It delivered, thanks to a much lower and back center of gravity, on all the promises of the original 2-ball. The crisp impact and improved forgivenes were a real blessing. The need to nail the sweet spot was much more easily achieved thanks to the improved MOI offered by the Saturn Ring, and relative to the size of other mallets entering the market place at that time, this was actually an average sized putter.

PERFORMANCE

This putter is one of my favourites in the Odyssey Line. My pendulum stroke still makes me a sucker for a face-balanced mallet putter. This one , when hit on the sweet spot offers crisp contact, and the accuracy is quite good as well. The Saturn Ring does a very good job of preventing the face of the club from twisting open or shut, and conversely, you'll suffer a lot less Pushed and/or Pulled putts. Sorry to say that my Nike Oz T-130 still beat her in a side by side shoot out, but the contest was close. This putter offers amazing balance and feel relative to her $80 Street Price. Besides, Odyssey's are cooler to own. They have a certain amount of status associated with them. My Oz performs well, but even the Nike Tour Players shoot Status Symbols like Scotty Camerons, Odysseys, and the like. At the current price, this is one of the few Tour Caliber Putters worth the dough.

OVERALL

I'm not the biggest Odyssey fan, as I've seen their wares lacking in consistency. The Rossi II was a great putter, as is this one. I really didn't care much for the Original 2 Ball, the 3-Ball, or some of the intermediate models, but this one, at the current prices represents an amazing value. The ball rolls true thanks to the lower center of gravity, and the balance is quite good. My only gripe with these, is my usual gripe with Odyssey--only 3 lengths. 33,34, and 35" are your only choices. Now, admittedly, at $80--that's no big deal. At the usual $150+ for Odysseys, however, that is a very legitimate gripe. At the current $80 Street Price--this putter rocks--3 lengths and all.