Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Putters
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You bet. It might be perfection. Well, at least until a Toulon version hopefully comes out someday.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
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I hope it's great for you! The Double Wide is a great shape but it's no Rossie ?.
Looks like a Birdie Maker
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
- Messages
- 24,445
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- 13,062
- Location
- Southeast, South Dakota
- Handicap
- 7.6
I'm taking people's lunch money this season.Looks like a Birdie Maker
some interesting looking 7's in there.
- Thread starter
- #110
give me a Ten with a single sight dot and I’m happy.
The naked Ten was outstanding.
I'll take 3, not 10 Single and 2 Doubles.
neophyteguy
Well-known member
That's some pure putter porn right there. I recently got fitted into a Spider X, but really liked the look of the Stroke Lab X when looking down at it. Unfortunately, my guy didn't have it on the day I was in. They are great looking putters with a little something for everyone.
Stroke Lab Black Bird of Prey.
How did I end up with a Bird of Prey? When the pictures and reviews first hit THP I was not interested in the least bit. There are some wild putter designs out there that I would never be able to play due to aesthetics. Yes I'm talking to you Indianapolis, Spider and anything EXO. It happened by accident actually. I was walking out the door of PGA SS when I saw a lonely BOP leaning against a pole. I picked it up "first mistake" and looked down at it. That huge white line stood out like a divining rod pointing to the hole 30 feet away on the featureless expanse of indoor putting green. I lined up a putt and drained it, I lined up another and it barely lipped out. A third putt went right in the hole.
Well that was interesting I thought as I quickly put it down and walked out of the store, seed planted. A word about my putting, I suck. I love golf but hate putting. I play golf despite putting being an integral part of the game. I used to practice putting a lot even though it ranks somewhere in between sitting in traffic and a root canal on the fun meter. After many months of practice my full shot game was improving but my putting remained bad. I decided to not dwell on it and play golf without worrying about putting.
Well big surprise, those three putts at PGA SS stuck out in my head and I decided to roll it again when I had more time. My return to golf in November of 2017 began with my ancient Rossie II that had been marinating in the closet for 15 years. I bought an O-works Tank 7 with a huge Superstroke grip on a whim a couple months later which I liked and then settled on a regular sized O-works 7 with a slim grip that I gamed for 2018 and 2019. Being frustrated with putting but satisfied with my putter I was not looking to make a change.
Lets discuss putter shapes and what constitutes a putter being too wild looking. The iconic 7 shape has been around forever and is very well respected. I have not heard many people say that the 7 is unsightly or too busy or insert your catch phrase for an ugly ass putter here.
When you look at the two putters side by side I do not see the aesthetics being that far apart on the wild scale. The 7 shape may have been lambasted years ago when it was first introduced but it has become widely accepted and I would bet most THP'rs have some experience with the 7 in some form. My point here is that first impressions are just that and if you give the BOP a chance it might just be the best putter you have ever rolled.
What is it about this putter that makes it great especially for a bad putter? Simple, alignment and distance control. The large white alignment line stands out against the green and is long enough to see if you are lined up correctly even when standing over the ball. That is what impressed me the most that day at PGA SS but the real surprise is how well it works in harmony with the Triple Track technology found on the previous generation CSX and now on the 2020 Chrome Soft and CSX. Those of you who want to try the TT but the CSX did not fit your game can rejoice and run to the store to buy some soon. I will have thoughts on the 2020 Chrome Soft with triple track in the appropriate thread soon.
The second part of why its so good is in the new White Microhinge insert and the namesake of the putter, Stroke Lab. I have read plenty about the Stroke lab technology but I still do not fully understand why it works. With that being said it absolutely does work and in conjunction with the new insert lag putting and distance control have become much better for me. I do not have to understand it and as long as it helps my putting ignorance is bliss. I was a bundle of nerves during the Grandaddy but this putter helped me and @HarryPotter win the second match on day one. On a cold rainy day where I was not playing well this putter on its maiden voyage drained some clutch putts down the stretch. How good is that, the very first day of use this putter made me better in the most pressure packed round of my life. I am very proud of what Jourdan and I did that day. We felt like two whipped dogs after the first nine but we persevered and did just enough to win the match.
In closing I would like to point out that at first I did not like this putter and would not have given it a chance if not for that fateful day at PGA SS. This would have been a mistake on my part and my putting would have suffered as a consequence. I urge everyone reading this to roll some putts with the Bird of Prey with an open mind. If its not for you there are a lot of different models in the Stroke Lab Black line of putters and I would bet one of them will grab your attention like the BOP did for me.
How did I end up with a Bird of Prey? When the pictures and reviews first hit THP I was not interested in the least bit. There are some wild putter designs out there that I would never be able to play due to aesthetics. Yes I'm talking to you Indianapolis, Spider and anything EXO. It happened by accident actually. I was walking out the door of PGA SS when I saw a lonely BOP leaning against a pole. I picked it up "first mistake" and looked down at it. That huge white line stood out like a divining rod pointing to the hole 30 feet away on the featureless expanse of indoor putting green. I lined up a putt and drained it, I lined up another and it barely lipped out. A third putt went right in the hole.
Well that was interesting I thought as I quickly put it down and walked out of the store, seed planted. A word about my putting, I suck. I love golf but hate putting. I play golf despite putting being an integral part of the game. I used to practice putting a lot even though it ranks somewhere in between sitting in traffic and a root canal on the fun meter. After many months of practice my full shot game was improving but my putting remained bad. I decided to not dwell on it and play golf without worrying about putting.
Well big surprise, those three putts at PGA SS stuck out in my head and I decided to roll it again when I had more time. My return to golf in November of 2017 began with my ancient Rossie II that had been marinating in the closet for 15 years. I bought an O-works Tank 7 with a huge Superstroke grip on a whim a couple months later which I liked and then settled on a regular sized O-works 7 with a slim grip that I gamed for 2018 and 2019. Being frustrated with putting but satisfied with my putter I was not looking to make a change.
Lets discuss putter shapes and what constitutes a putter being too wild looking. The iconic 7 shape has been around forever and is very well respected. I have not heard many people say that the 7 is unsightly or too busy or insert your catch phrase for an ugly ass putter here.
When you look at the two putters side by side I do not see the aesthetics being that far apart on the wild scale. The 7 shape may have been lambasted years ago when it was first introduced but it has become widely accepted and I would bet most THP'rs have some experience with the 7 in some form. My point here is that first impressions are just that and if you give the BOP a chance it might just be the best putter you have ever rolled.
What is it about this putter that makes it great especially for a bad putter? Simple, alignment and distance control. The large white alignment line stands out against the green and is long enough to see if you are lined up correctly even when standing over the ball. That is what impressed me the most that day at PGA SS but the real surprise is how well it works in harmony with the Triple Track technology found on the previous generation CSX and now on the 2020 Chrome Soft and CSX. Those of you who want to try the TT but the CSX did not fit your game can rejoice and run to the store to buy some soon. I will have thoughts on the 2020 Chrome Soft with triple track in the appropriate thread soon.
The second part of why its so good is in the new White Microhinge insert and the namesake of the putter, Stroke Lab. I have read plenty about the Stroke lab technology but I still do not fully understand why it works. With that being said it absolutely does work and in conjunction with the new insert lag putting and distance control have become much better for me. I do not have to understand it and as long as it helps my putting ignorance is bliss. I was a bundle of nerves during the Grandaddy but this putter helped me and @HarryPotter win the second match on day one. On a cold rainy day where I was not playing well this putter on its maiden voyage drained some clutch putts down the stretch. How good is that, the very first day of use this putter made me better in the most pressure packed round of my life. I am very proud of what Jourdan and I did that day. We felt like two whipped dogs after the first nine but we persevered and did just enough to win the match.
In closing I would like to point out that at first I did not like this putter and would not have given it a chance if not for that fateful day at PGA SS. This would have been a mistake on my part and my putting would have suffered as a consequence. I urge everyone reading this to roll some putts with the Bird of Prey with an open mind. If its not for you there are a lot of different models in the Stroke Lab Black line of putters and I would bet one of them will grab your attention like the BOP did for me.
- Thread starter
- #115
Gr
Great review Dan. How are you finding the weight difference between the Tank & and the BOP? Any issues getting adjusted?
Great review Dan. How are you finding the weight difference between the Tank & and the BOP? Any issues getting adjusted?
My son has been playing the Tank for the last year and a half so I do not have a comparison in that regard. The standard 7 and the BOP feel about the same to me weight wise. I have not had trouble adjusting to the BOP although it is strange seeing most of my short putts drop and a lot of mid range putts made or left with a tap in. Lag putting has been greatly improved.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
- Messages
- 24,445
- Reaction score
- 13,062
- Location
- Southeast, South Dakota
- Handicap
- 7.6
I'm in love.
Tread23
The Rivalry w/ UST Mamiya - Team E1iterate
- Joined
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I'm going to try and get a few more later but I tell you what, my first impression is that I love the firmer feel from the face. Plus they did great with the look of this release.
- Joined
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- 13,062
- Location
- Southeast, South Dakota
- Handicap
- 7.6
I can't put this thing down, I've become addicted to it. Here's a comparison to the somewhat similarly shaped Atlanta.
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I wouldn’t be surprised to see them released in the upcoming season. The S necks are great.
