Odyssey Marksman or Cleveland Niblick.......

[captpat]

Is the Nib more versatile with the grooved face than the Od with putter style face?

[James_Black]

read a review on this ages ago.

I remember the odyssey was said to be the best.

[Aaronsrix17]

I would have to think the niblick just because of the grooves but I have tried neither and tend to think they are a little bit of a gimmick

[James_Black]

I would have to think the niblick just because of the grooves but I have tried neither and tend to think they are a little bit of a gimmick

The niblick is less consistent off the face than the odyssey.

I don't see the point of them though

[andef]

I would stay away from chippers. Why use them for chipping when you can chip with any club in your bag (but the driver) with better accuracy?

[keb]

I have the Cleveland 37 degree Niblick and use it for bumps and runs and around the green. Also hit it nine iron distance from the fairway. I think it is a good club, albiet some might find it to be gimmicky. I find that it works.

[dreamsmith]

The answer is...NEITHER! Here's why. First of all, in my 50 years of playing golf, I've tried them all, and last year, I finally found what i truly believe is the answer. And it has worked beautifully for me - I can chip usually to within 4 feet or less 99% of the time. What I did was buy an old Bob Murphy 8-iron blade. I had them cut off about 2 inches, so I could get down low like I was putting, and really get the line - just like a putter (see Jack Nicklaus). Then I ground the bottom of the club in such a way as to create a club with a much more upright lie (so I could get closer to the ball, and have the bottom of the clube contact the ground over the entire club length - not just at the toe).

The grinding of the club and the cutting down of the shift resulted in a lighter club that is very easy to control. I did not want a heavy club to chip with (which these 'chippeers' really are!). It's something I had thought of many times in theory. When I put this new weapon to use, i was amazed how accurate it was! I felt like a surgeon!

I can't tell you how many 1-putt greens this club has created for me! I would NEVER go back to a regular club or 'chipper', because for me, this is the best solution imaginable. It may not work for you, but I'll tell you this: it has definately worked for me! Now you may say, 'yeah, but you have an extra club in your bag. If you just used your regular 8-iron, you wouldn't. My answer to that is: True, but how important to you is it to have 5 or more less putts per round? My average putts have gone from 35 to 30 per 18 holes, and I often have less than 30. I'm very happy with my 'homemade' chipper!

[Crey23]

Is the Nib more versatile with the grooved face than the Od with putter style face?

Stay away from these.....I rather have an additional wedge in my bag than this very limiting club. I have learned to chip with my lob and sand wedges from 25-35 yards (respectively) quite consistently. It's all on how you approach the shot and and how you grip...there are many publications with the detail on how to grip....Phil Mickelson is a master at this. This method has worked very well for me. I seldom putt from the fringe, as i have gotten great confidence from my chipping.

Now, with that said, if you must have one..i liked the niblick more...I found the Ody face to be too soft....you have to put more umph into it.....just my experience....Good luck with your decision.

[bpolunin]

I have the niblick in my bag and I absolutely love it. Mainly I use it around the green for short chips. But the club is very versatile. You can use as chipper, short and long distance, and even as a PW. It with the grooves, you can really get a good spin on the ball.
I have even used it in the sand when it was too soft.
I love the club despite some calling it a gimmicky club.

[bpolunin]

Stay away from these.....I rather have an additional wedge in my bag than this very limiting club.

Not sure why would anyone call the niblick a limiting club when it can replace 3 clubs in your bag. You just have to learn to use it. Once you get a hang of it, it's actually very versatile club.

[TinCupTampa]

My girlfriend has a chipper... but even now she uses her 8 or 9 iron more often than it.

[keb]

Sounds to me like Dreamsimith made his own Niblick

[mkoreiwo]

I'd go with the Niblick. I don't find it limiting at all. If we took that approach, well look at all the "improvements" that we have... how many of those should we reject?

Anyway, I have the 42° and I get a lot of use out of it.

[stogiesnbogies]

Originally Posted by keb

I have the Cleveland 37 degree Niblick and use it for bumps and runs and around the green. Also hit it nine iron distance from the fairway. I think it is a good club, albiet some might find it to be gimmicky. I find that it works.

They do indeed work -and very very effectively , Keb...

I carry all four Niblicks in leiu of wedges -since they are far better than regular wedges for the average player....

I carry the 37 (no longer made) 42, 49 and 56.

You simply can not beat their versatility from approx 100 yards in.....

For example:

two days ago I hit the 49 (pitching wedge) over a deep  swampy ravine from a downhill rough lie onto a sloping green to within one foot of the pin where she stuck like a dart! Thank you zip grooves!

Disaster turned into a tap-in par courtesy of Cleveland Niblick......dont see too many 18 'cap duffers like me (or 10+ caps for that matter) nail that shot....usually a skulled or fat wedge in frustration ...I've beaten more of these egotistical smirkers into the ground with those Niblicks than I can recall......these are pretty much the same "purists" who jumped all over the hybrids, dimpled golfballs and the latest greatest Driver rocket-launchers...LOL   more than a tad hypocritical, I'd say.  Hit 'em straight, mate.    Cheers.

[stogiesnbogies]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crey23

None

Stay away from these.....I rather have an additional wedge in my bag than this very limiting club. I have learned to chip with my lob and sand wedges from 25-35 yards (respectively) quite consistently. It's all on how you approach the shot and and how you grip...there are many publications with the detail on how to grip....Phil Mickelson is a master at this. This method has worked very well for me. I seldom putt from the fringe, as i have gotten great confidence from my chipping.

Now, with that said, if you must have one..i liked the niblick more...I found the Ody face to be too soft....you have to put more umph into it.....just my experience....Good luck with your decision.

Why would you warn anyone to stay away from something that's perfectly legal and works?. What precisely is so "limiting" about a club with which you can  hit chip, pitch, approach and recovery shots  from as far away as 100 yards and more?! ....why should any amateur expend endless hours they probably dont have grinding away on the chipping/pitching green with impossibly difficult traditional wedges in utter frustration when they can spend perhaps one hour or so getting the hang of the Niblick and thus going about using their precious little recreational time actually enjoying this game?

The Golf industry loves to bemoan the fact that the game is in decline and fewer people are playing....recommendations such as yours do not help, my friend.

It's a GAME and thus meant to be FUN....not some  Puritanical work ethic form of self flaggelation.

Here's but one of countless objective independent reviews of the Cleveland Niblick .Hope this helps those still able to see beyond their own "purist" traditionalist" biases to enjoy this great game all the more....BTW if you like the Niblicks try to find the ones with the zip grooves -they make the ball land as soft as a butterfly with sore feet...

http://www.independentgolfreviews.com/cleveland-niblick.html

[Bullitt5339]

I used to have a 42* Niblick (around the time this thread was made, actually) and I tried to like it, but I found that I could hit the same shots with an 8 or 9 iron around the green, so there was no place for a specialty club that did nothing special.

I find that most people who bought them came to the same conclusion, so you don't see them around anymore.

[GaijinGolfer]

The Niblick is more versatile but really both are overpriced, IMO.  If you want a chipper, theres much cheaper options out there that will work just as well.

[stogiesnbogies]

Originally Posted by GaijinGolfer

The Niblick is more versatile but really both are overpriced, IMO.  If you want a chipper, theres much cheaper options out there that will work just as well.

Again, the Cleveland Niblick is NOT just a chipper ...it has been tested and found to be more effective than "normal" clubs for ALL handicaps from single digit to 24 'capper duffers.