Equipment Review- Odyssey Works Versa 2-Ball Fang

I have never been graced with fantastic putting skills.  I can hit the ball fairly well and my chipping and wedge play is decent, but more often than not, my putting has torpedoed more rounds than I can count.

My latest band-aid has come from the good people at Odyssey Golf, with their new Odyssey Works Versa 2-Ball Fang that they rolled out at the start of the year (all photos are mine- sorry about the lighting).  The standard model comes with a standard grip, but the one I purchased came with the larger grip (shown below).  I have found that I tend to not get as wristy or as prone to pushes and pulls with the larger grip.

I’m not yet a putter hoarder- I have an original Ping Craz-E that someone christened “a spatula”, I have an old Ping A-Blade that was a gift from my late aunt (who introduced me to the game over 30 years ago), and I have a Scotty Cameron Newport Detour that I’ll throw in the bag (I like it enough but it’s a bit light for me- on fast greens…it’s great).

While we suffered through a long, cold, and snowy winter, I read up and researched putters.  Once the weather got nice, I headed over to Golf Galaxy (it’s literally the only option- they’re nice enough but don’t take that as an endorsement) to demo the three I found that I thought would help me: The Odyssey that I ended up buying, a Ping Scottsdale (the Carefree, which looks like the next generation of the Craz-E line), and a Scotty Cameron GoLo.

The Cameron putters are works of art and the price tag reflects this.  Unfortunately, I need more of an alignment aid than the Cameron offers.  If you’re someone who wants a blade putter and doesn’t mind dropping the coin, I cannot recommend them enough.

The Ping never felt good in my hands, and I never felt comfortable over the ball.  I kept finding that I was pulling putts, and for whatever reason it didn’t meet my eye test.  If you’re shopping for a new putter, take a look at their product- it wasn’t for me but they still make great equipment.

And I guess that’s my take-away.  Try different models.  Don’t go in locked into one model.

So back to the Odyssey.  The 2-ball putter has been around for close to a decade, and the simplicity of it really caught my eye.  It’s easy to line up (see photo below).

Standing over a putt, it’s super-easy to line up, and more than the Cameron, felt very smooth going back and at impact.  Off the face of the putter, the ball began rolling pretty quickly.  Below is the bottom of the putter.

I’ve used it now for five rounds and I’m definitely taking fewer putts.  More importantly, my first putt is ending up in tap-in range (or at a minimum within the Circle of Trust/Circle of Friendship that you’d like to be in), and I’m not seeing the misses because of pushes and pulls.

If you’re in the market for a new flat stick, do your homework online and don’t be afraid to try different models.  Ask questions, and hopefully make plenty of putts.

Unrelated, I watched (for 30 second) the self-indulgent crap-fest that was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony.  They’ll never get in, and their chances of reuniting for a tour are probably nil.  But for a few years in the 1980’s, The Smiths were, in my opinion, unlike anything else.  The genius was always Johnny Marr’s rickenbacker guitar, and not the lead singer.  If you’re unfamiliar, listen and you’ll see what I mean.