Odyssey Tank Cruiser #7 Initial Thoughts

Let me qualify this post with the following:

1. If I had a handicap, I would be a high-handicap golfer

2. I have not yet had a full practice session with this club yet, only a comparison/tryout session

3. What works for me may not work for you

That having been said, after trying different putters, yesterday I settled on the Odyssey Tank Cruiser #7. I was given some cash at Christmas to go buy a new putter, and now that the weather is nice was finally able to get and try some.

I have tried different putters before on the indoor mats at different stores, but was holding off until I could spend some time at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins. They let you take the putters out to their large and nice practice green and try them out for real. I was able to rule some out at the stores like a couple of Taylor Mades that didn't feel right for me, so I at least had them narrowed down some.

The main competition was a PING Scottsdale Greyhawk adjustable length putter.This is one that I had liked the feel of at Dick's, and went in expecting it to be my favorite. When I got to Collindale, it felt OK. My lagging was OK with it, but nothing special. I brought six of my golf balls with me, was getting about half of them in from six feet. Nothing to brag about. They let me use the tool to adjust the length, and that helped a lot. I have an upright putting stance, so I like a longer club. But I wasn't convinced.

Collindale had two counter-balanced type clubs--the Odyssey ($219.99) and a couple of Scotty Camerons ($349.99). I decided to try the Odyssey. I had no idea these Tank Cruisers have only been out for a few days, and seem to be a pretty hot item. I just saw it there, so I decided to give it a try.

First impression:

From the feel of the very first putt, I knew I was not going to get the PING. The feel off the clubface was soft. It was great. By comparison, the PING felt harsh.

I then proceeded to put 11 six foot putts in the hole in a row. I have never done that before in any practice session. Never. The only reason I missed 12 is because I got sloppy with my technique and hit the ground first.

I then tried some lag putts, about 30-35 feet. My first try with six balls had four of them coming within three feet of each other, with two coming up short because I got sloppy and hit the ground. For the next round of lagging, I concentrated a bit more and had three balls out of six come within three inches of each other. The other three were within two and a half feet of each other.

As a result, I am now the owner of an Odyssey Tank Cruiser #7 Putter.

Done.