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Odyssey Tank Putters Review Thread

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Nate said:
Icey (or anyone for that matter). I want you to go out and hit 5-10 putts from 40+ feet and let me know what you think about distance control and lagging ability with the 7.
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Nate- I touched on this earlier in the thread, but will speak to that again here.

For me, when I first started working with a heavier/CB type of putter, I wanted to really just let the putter do the work due to the heavier weight. What resulted was putts that were left significantly short of the hole. Once i started working with this a bit, and focused on lag putting, I found that if I rolled it the same as a regular putter, and putt a normal stroke on it rather than anticipate the weight doing the work, my putts and distance control were much better.

While it's not the #7 you asked about, the 2-ball TANK I am rolling is more of the same. Working on longer putts is key with these, because to dial in the distance control you really have to get adjusted to the longer length and the heavier weight. With the 2-ball TANK, working on long putts came first for me, as that was where I knew it would be a different feel and I would need to dial it in. When working on that, I didnt focus on making the putt, rather I picked a target area and focused on lagging the putts in to that area. Putting a strong stroke on the putt, without being too forceful was key as I worked to get that speed and distance control to where I needed it to be.
 
Nate said:
Icey (or anyone for that matter). I want you to go out and hit 5-10 putts from 40+ feet and let me know what you think about distance control and lagging ability with the 7.
Click to expand...
You got it buddy, it's raining right now, but once I get a chance it will be done this week, otherwise I'll make sure to include it in my pre round warmup this weekend!

That's a great idea, lagging ability always seems to be a bit about feel with me and with the CB I think it'll just be about grooving and repeating the stroke.
 
War Eagle said:
Nate- I touched on this earlier in the thread, but will speak to that again here.

For me, when I first started working with a heavier/CB type of putter, I wanted to really just let the putter do the work due to the heavier weight. What resulted was putts that were left significantly short of the hole. Once i started working with this a bit, and focused on lag putting, I found that if I rolled it the same as a regular putter, and putt a normal stroke on it rather than anticipate the weight doing the work, my putts and distance control were much better.

While it's not the #7 you asked about, the 2-ball TANK I am rolling is more of the same. Working on longer putts is key with these, because to dial in the distance control you really have to get adjusted to the longer length and the heavier weight. With the 2-ball TANK, working on long putts came first for me, as that was where I knew it would be a different feel and I would need to dial it in. When working on that, I didnt focus on making the putt, rather I picked a target area and focused on lagging the putts in to that area. Putting a strong stroke on the putt, without being too forceful was key as I worked to get that speed and distance control to where I needed it to be.
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Well put, I would say the lag putts were easier at first with the Tank Versa 7 than the SB2 I was rolling before. They are slightly different, but the lags are tougher with the CB SB2.
 
That was a good post Mr Johs.
 
mpeterson said:
It's not the #7, but I'll give it a shot w/ the 2-ball. I couldn't get quite that far away on the indoor green, but the results I saw from 20-30 feet were really promising.
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Ive got the #7 and I will try some at that distance. I tried some around to 20 ft range it performed very well.
 
War Eagle said:
Nate- I touched on this earlier in the thread, but will speak to that again here.

For me, when I first started working with a heavier/CB type of putter, I wanted to really just let the putter do the work due to the heavier weight. What resulted was putts that were left significantly short of the hole. Once i started working with this a bit, and focused on lag putting, I found that if I rolled it the same as a regular putter, and putt a normal stroke on it rather than anticipate the weight doing the work, my putts and distance control were much better.

While it's not the #7 you asked about, the 2-ball TANK I am rolling is more of the same. Working on longer putts is key with these, because to dial in the distance control you really have to get adjusted to the longer length and the heavier weight. With the 2-ball TANK, working on long putts came first for me, as that was where I knew it would be a different feel and I would need to dial it in. When working on that, I didnt focus on making the putt, rather I picked a target area and focused on lagging the putts in to that area. Putting a strong stroke on the putt, without being too forceful was key as I worked to get that speed and distance control to where I needed it to be.
Click to expand...

I think I touched on this a bit in the comment I made a while ago about feel - that's the one thing that I think the counterbalancing (vs. just a really heavy putter) makes a difference. Yes, the Tank is noticeably heavier than any putter I've used, but I haven't found myself wanting to ease off on putts. I think if you just gave me a standard putter with a ton of head weight, I'd have more of that feeling. I tend to leave putts short when I'm missing, and I haven't found that I'm leaving anything shorter than usual in my misses while practicing. Goes to show how personal putting is - completely different feel for each person.

I do think I still have some getting used to the longer length of the putter, however. That's something that's very different for me so far, coming from putters on the shorter side of the spectrum.
 
War Eagle said:
Nate- I touched on this earlier in the thread, but will speak to that again here.

For me, when I first started working with a heavier/CB type of putter, I wanted to really just let the putter do the work due to the heavier weight. What resulted was putts that were left significantly short of the hole. Once i started working with this a bit, and focused on lag putting, I found that if I rolled it the same as a regular putter, and putt a normal stroke on it rather than anticipate the weight doing the work, my putts and distance control were much better.

While it's not the #7 you asked about, the 2-ball TANK I am rolling is more of the same. Working on longer putts is key with these, because to dial in the distance control you really have to get adjusted to the longer length and the heavier weight. With the 2-ball TANK, working on long putts came first for me, as that was where I knew it would be a different feel and I would need to dial it in. When working on that, I didnt focus on making the putt, rather I picked a target area and focused on lagging the putts in to that area. Putting a strong stroke on the putt, without being too forceful was key as I worked to get that speed and distance control to where I needed it to be.
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This is an excellent bit of info War, thank you for that. Dedication to the stroke is something that I think I would really struggle with on such a heavy head initially, but it makes perfect sense that you need to.
 
Jman said:
This is an excellent bit of info War, thank you for that. Dedication to the stroke is something that I think I would really struggle with on such a heavy head initially, but it makes perfect sense that you need to.
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It's something I struggle with on all shots, so having to keep in top of mind on putting just makes an easy transition, problem is, I STRUGGLE WITH IT WITH ALL CLUBS!!!

At least I know what to fix.
 
Jman said:
This is an excellent bit of info War, thank you for that. Dedication to the stroke is something that I think I would really struggle with on such a heavy head initially, but it makes perfect sense that you need to.
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I think that most people will be surprised at how quickly the transition to comfortably gaming a counterbalanced putter really is. Yes, there is the initial "oof this is heavy" when you pick it up for the first time. However, once you're set up to putt you really don't feel the weight, you feel stability.
In my experience, I don't have any more issues with pace transitioning to a CB putter, than I do going from a blade to a somewhat heavier mid-mallet.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
 
After an unseasonably and unexpected week of snow, everything has once again melted and I will be getting my Tank #1 back onto the course in about an hour. Finding a comfortable setup and address position has been my nemesis thus far. I think I have it figured out but will wait until after my round to verify. I will also share my thoughts on the insert.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
DufferToo said:
I think that most people will be surprised at how quickly the transition to comfortably gaming a counterbalanced putter really is. Yes, there is the initial "oof this is heavy" when you pick it up for the first time. However, once you're set up to putt you really don't feel the weight, you feel stability.
In my experience, I don't have any more issues with pace transitioning to a CB putter, than I do going from a blade to a somewhat heavier mid-mallet.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I agree, while I had preconceived notions that the pace of my putts would be the biggest obstacle with this putter, it turned out to be one of the easiest aspects of the Tank to adjust to.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
I was messing around with the Tank last night in the basement and there is one thing that a CB putter does that you don't get with a standard putter, STABILITY!!!

I was raking my brain to try and come up with a word, and it has to be that, when you get the putter aligned and start your stroke, it just does all the work for you, you get it started back and then gravity and the extra weight helps you get to the ball and momentum carries you through to the finish.

I'll be trying Nate's request of the 40 ft putts tomorrow morning before the round, I'm very curious to see how many of those I can make. I'm thinking two. With a standard putter I would just be trying to get each of them close, but this thing gives me a ton of confidence and I think it gives me the best chance to make anything.

Which really leads to confidence on my other shots, because I know as long as I hit a green I have a shot at making the putt and hopefully at the worst a two putt!

So really there are benefits even outside of the green with this one.
 
War Eagle said:
Nate- I touched on this earlier in the thread, but will speak to that again here.

For me, when I first started working with a heavier/CB type of putter, I wanted to really just let the putter do the work due to the heavier weight. What resulted was putts that were left significantly short of the hole. Once i started working with this a bit, and focused on lag putting, I found that if I rolled it the same as a regular putter, and putt a normal stroke on it rather than anticipate the weight doing the work, my putts and distance control were much better.

While it's not the #7 you asked about, the 2-ball TANK I am rolling is more of the same. Working on longer putts is key with these, because to dial in the distance control you really have to get adjusted to the longer length and the heavier weight. With the 2-ball TANK, working on long putts came first for me, as that was where I knew it would be a different feel and I would need to dial it in. When working on that, I didnt focus on making the putt, rather I picked a target area and focused on lagging the putts in to that area. Putting a strong stroke on the putt, without being too forceful was key as I worked to get that speed and distance control to where I needed it to be.
Click to expand...


Very interesting thought process here. I presumed you would have to try to roll these putters differently than a conventional putter. Interesting.
 
So I did Nate's test request of the 10 putts, for me I did it from 45 feet.

Here's the setup:


And the results:


As you can see I had some good results with these lag putts, I was a bit dissapointed I didn't make any, but I really feel with this club that I can make anything I look at!

The weight and feel of this clubs is so great for lag putting, I do still leave a few short, but even those are all in a makeable range. As you can see I would take this grouping any day as most of them are very makeable two putts.

As for the round, I had one of my best putting rounds in quite some time and I wasn't hitting the ball great so the tank certanly saved my score for being any worse.

I made a few 20 ft + range putts for par. And the weight gives me that extra umph I need to not leave the putts short and give those birdie and par putts a chance to drop.

I was thinking about grip size this round and wonder what this putter would do with a bit bigger grip. I still feel my wrists coming in to play a bit and wonder if the larger grip would quiet them.

I'm going to try and get some pics tomorrow of where I grip the putter, but for reference it's about where the odyseey ends and has actually a bit of a semi cirle in the graphics that makes a perfect spot and reference for me to grip it at.

As far as fitting goes, I do feel like this putter needs to be bent a bit to flat maybe a degree or so, but that may be due to the added length.

Once again today the alignment shined, I find myself playing a little less break than before and using the weight of the putter do the work for me to get the ball all they way to the hole!
 
04/05/2014 Update
Focus: First time on course

Got a chance to play 18 for the first time this year, and brought the Tank as my only putter. As it was the first time out this year, and the first time out I wasn't expecting to set the world on fire, so I went out with the thought that I was going to focus a bit more on how the putter felt to me on-course, rather than go hole by hole, which I plan to do in future reviews.

First, a little bit about the on course conditions - as many of you have heard from the New England contingent here on THP, it's been a pretty brutal winter. In fact, there are still some courses with snow on the ground - including Maynard GC, where I played on Friday. For instance, here's my lie going into a green on an near-shank on a long par 3.



So, as you can expect, everything was soft and slow - far, far slower than the indoor surface I've been testing the Tank on up to this point. So, I wasn't terribly surprised when I found myself leaving medium range putts short, especially when they were uphill, especially to start. However, and this is probably the thing I found the most interesting about the entire round, I did not see this on the 3 or 4 very long putts I left myself. Maybe it's because of the discussion we've had on here previously, but I found this extremely promising, and makes me think my performance on those middle range putts (the picture below is a good representative) had more to do with the conditions than anything.



One last thing to note about my first round out - I realized I really need to leave a mark on the club somewhere as a reminder for my hand position. There were a few times where I got a little lazy on 3-4 foot putts to finish out, and chunked or pushed them a bit due to the fact that I was gripping a bit too high, whereas my natural position with my old putter was the top of the grip, so I could afford to worry about setup a little less. I was more conscious of this on the last few holes and found myself far more consistent. I finished off my round with a 6 footer for par that went right into the middle of the hole that I knew was in right off the putter face.

My wife and I are planning on getting out and playing 18 tomorrow. I'll post another update after the round.
 
I'm not a tester but I wanted to share a few thoughts on the Tank Versa #1 CB putter. I rolled both the 34" and 38" blade putters and really liked the added weight and stability thru the stroke. I actually made more putts with the 38" gripping down about halfway. I find that interesting and of course now an equipment ponder. The BWB color scheme looks great and its vertical alignment aid is different if you're used to the horizontal, center line. I'm a fan of this CB model and it may find its way in my bag soon.
 
My question for the testers is how are you liking the Versa scheme? Do you feel you are getting putts on line better? Does the contrast of the white and black give you more confidence that you are on line?

I really like that 2-Ball WBW and have rolled the standard version before. I really think it is one of the best putters that Odyssey has ever made. Now I just talked myself into a ponder....

You guys have been doing great though and all the thoughts are great. Keep up the good work!
 
GregDan said:
My question for the testers is how are you liking the Versa scheme? Do you feel you are getting putts on line better? Does the contrast of the white and black give you more confidence that you are on line?

I really like that 2-Ball WBW and have rolled the standard version before. I really think it is one of the best putters that Odyssey has ever made. Now I just talked myself into a ponder....

You guys have been doing great though and all the thoughts are great. Keep up the good work!
Click to expand...
For me, the versa scheme has turned an average alignment aide (2-ball), in to a phenomenal alignment setup. The WBW 2ball has me quite liking how I set up at address, and gives me multiple alignment methods to ensure that I am square to the hole and my line. The balls center my putter with the ball, and the versa scheme help make sure that I am keeping my putter face in line to my target.
 
War Eagle said:
For me, the versa scheme has turned an average alignment aide (2-ball), in to a phenomenal alignment setup. The WBW 2ball has me quite liking how I set up at address, and gives me multiple alignment methods to ensure that I am square to the hole and my line. The balls center my putter with the ball, and the versa scheme help make sure that I am keeping my putter face in line to my target.
Click to expand...

While I'm testing the standard 2 ball, I'm inclined to agree. I rolled the Versa at the store the other day, and found that the Versa is great for aligning square to target. For me, like War said, the best part of the 2 ball is getting the ball lined up with the sweet spot and visualizing the stroke through the ball. I have to think that plus the Versa paint scheme is a killer combo.
 
War Eagle said:
For me, the versa scheme has turned an average alignment aide (2-ball), in to a phenomenal alignment setup. The WBW 2ball has me quite liking how I set up at address, and gives me multiple alignment methods to ensure that I am square to the hole and my line. The balls center my putter with the ball, and the versa scheme help make sure that I am keeping my putter face in line to my target.
Click to expand...



Geez. C'mon Callaway. Just take my money already.
 
04/06/2014 Update: The demise of Tank has been greatly exaggerated.

Lucky to have a day of great weather and got to get another 9 holes in this morning. Wanted to get 18 in, but the course was jammed up (it's a 9 hole course). Before I went, I played around with hand position on the grip a bit and marked off the position that was getting me the best results.

On the whole, had an absolutely great putting day. On the first hole, I left my approach shot maybe 5 yards off the green - since the grass wasn't terribly thick and the ground had dried out, I putted from there - left myself a tap in. For the rest of the round, it was more of the same - I wasn't leaving midrange or long putts short anymore - I was putting them a foot or two past the hole, and I could blame my misses on not reading the greens all that well - the ball was going where I was aiming. I ended up with 16 putts over 9 holes. While 1 of those 1 putts was the tap in I mentioned above, another one was a 20 footer. The only 3 putt I had was due to a complete misread on the first putt.

Once I workout out my hand position, I couldn't help but feel confident standing over putts. Really enjoying this putter, and think I'm becoming a convert to the counterbalanced putter. The only negative I can really point to so far is that the longer length makes grip and setup less "automatic" than with my old putter, but then again, I really just started using it.
 
GregDan said:
My question for the testers is how are you liking the Versa scheme? Do you feel you are getting putts on line better? Does the contrast of the white and black give you more confidence that you are on line?

I really like that 2-Ball WBW and have rolled the standard version before. I really think it is one of the best putters that Odyssey has ever made. Now I just talked myself into a ponder....

You guys have been doing great though and all the thoughts are great. Keep up the good work!
Click to expand...
I think the Versa scheme is a huge game changer for me, it is amazing how quickly it frames the ball, between the color scheme and the head shape of the 7 it is truly a match made in heaven.
 
After my two rounds this weekend I've had some time to sit and think about the Versa Tank 7 and I wanted to try and see if I could put a few of these thoughts into words.

First I want to touch on the pace of putts I'm hitting with this, in my first observations I mentioned I thought the insert was a bit soft, now I don't notice that as much anymore, but the pace of my putts have been quite quick and I rarely leave putts short, especially since I'm trying to make anything 30 ft and in! I almost have to read putts differently as I have to play less break as I'm putting with a bit more pace.

Second is the length/weight/balance, my first CB was a seemore at 39", this tank is at 38" and I'm thinking a 37" would be a perfect length for me. Which is odd since my standard putter is 36". I do enjoy the longer grip but I'm curious if a bit shorter length get's me even closer to that perfect setup.

Lastly is grip size, I mentioned it before, but I'm curious if a larger diameter grip would give my hands a better platform for putt with this larger weight and keep my wrist muscles out of my stroke. I think that new SS Odyssey branded putter grip would be an amazing additon to this tank if odyssey ever starts selling them separately. But the one thing I don't' want to lose of this grip is the stock odyssey putter grip on these has a subtle tackiness to them that I love as I don't putt with a glove on and I really like the almost stickiness I get from the grip.

If there is one thing the tank is doing for my putting game, it gives me more confidence that I already had, I love that feeling on the green.
 
IceyShanks said:
After my two rounds this weekend I've had some time to sit and think about the Versa Tank 7 and I wanted to try and see if I could put a few of these thoughts into words.
But the one thing I don't' want to lose of this grip is the stock odyssey putter grip on these has a subtle tackiness to them that I love as I don't putt with a glove on and I really like the almost stickiness I get from the grip.
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of the grip Odyssey puts on these. Comfortable in the hand, and just a perfect amount of tackiness, both putting with and without a glove.
 
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