Odyssey Metal X Blade Putter

The Odyssey Metal X putters have a aluminum outer layer with tiny oval depressions that’s supposed to properly “lock” on a golf ball’s dimples to reduce skidding and produce better roll. Inside, a urethane layer is supposed to create a soft feel, while saving weight, which is re positioned to strategic positions.

I like the black and silver look of the finish. It’s got sort of a Raider Nation look going.

i-Sight San Miguel Putter

A nice surprise in the mail this week was this Hireko i-Sight San Miguel putter.

The main feature of the design is an alignment system that ensures that your head is positioned properly over the putter. There are three lines on the back of the putter: a white alignment line on a slightly raised alignment bar, and two red lines on the sides of the same bar. If you can see both red lines, your eyes are directly over the white alignment line.

The putter is constructed of stainless steel and has a nice satin finish. The face has CNC milled micro grooves.

I’m going to take the putter out for eighteen at my league meet this Friday. A review will be on the way.

Bionik 105 Nano White Putter

Bionik 101 Nano White Putter

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: Nice sight lines, nice feel

White clubs have been all the rage since an eye doctor determined that the color provides optimal contrast for visibility.  The Bionik putters take advantage of this principle and to the optic white enamel finish add a couple of highly contrasting sight lines to help you line up the putt.

Does it work? In a word, yes. The white positively “pops” on the greens (o.k., at this point in the season, they’re more like browns), making it quite clear where the face is aimed down the line. Even better—the three sight lines make it easy for me to ensure the face is perpendicular to the line of the putt.

I really like the effect and am actually considering spray painting my favorite Heavy Putter white.

Both the mallet and blade putters are nicely balanced and a pleasure to putt with. The heads are constructed of zinc, with a milled aluminum insert that imparts a nice feel at impact.

As with most clubs from Hireko, however, the best part is the price. You can get either of these excellent putters for under $30.

More photos after the jump

Dynacraft Spot Adjustable Putter

Grade: A
Teachers’ Comments: A clever adjustable putter

With all of the adjustable clubs available, it is inevitable that someone would create an adjustable putter. That someone is Hireko Golf with its Dynacraft Spot Adjustable Putter.

The design is exceedingly clever, involving three differently shaped and offset necks, which are attached to a standard putter head via two allen wrench screws. The putter head has four holes (see the photos), which further allows a player to move each of the necks further toward the heel or toe, depending up on preference. That totals twelve different configurations for the single putter head.

The different hosel/neck styles are designed to mitigate your putting tendencies. If you tend to leave the face open (push), then the “Plumber” hosel is the ticket. If you’re pushing a putt, the straight hosel will help. A player who is square at impact will benefit from the slanted hosel.

Positioning the hosel on the putter also has an impact. Bolting the hosel to the inside holes is for a player with a straight through swing. The middle is for a slight arc, and the back for a pronounced arc.

I settled on the slanted hosel, positioned forward.

In all three configurations, though, I found the putter to be nicely balanced, and well behaved. It has a nice feel at impact and I putted well with it.

The club is available both assembled and as a kit.

More photos after the jump.

Scotty Cameron Select GoLo Putter

Straight shafted putters are my favorite design, and I think this Scotty Cameron Select looks terrific. At $350, it’s pricey, though.

TaylorMade Men’s Ghost Manta Center Putter

“We like to call Ghost Manta a ‘high-performance mallet’ because it’s so easy to aim at address, so stable and forgiving at impact and delivers such a smooth roll off the face.” - Brett Wahl, TaylorMade Senior Director - Iron, Wedge and Putter R&D

There’s something almost cute about this TaylorMade Ghost Manta putter, with its white finish, simple lines and soft curves. But that soft look hides a variety of interesting ideas.

The white finish is by this time a pretty established notion. A couple of years ago, a study determined that the contrast of the white against turf makes aiming easier. That’s been a part of much of TaylorMade’s recent lineups: white putters, white drivers and white fairway woods (thus far, no white irons).

To stabilize the putter, there’s a pair of 50-gram tungsten stabilizing weights and a user adjustable weight in the center. These are hidden in the sole to prevent distraction. The 35 inch putter weights 370 grams. By way of comparison, the Heavy Putter weighs in at 450 - 550 grams and a standard blade putter often between 320 and 350 grams. 

The face of the putter is TaylorMade’s Pure Roll design, constructed of Surlyn (as with golf ball covers) for a soft feel.

Press release follows:

Acer CB6 Putter - Custom Assembled

Advertised as a cross between a blade and a mallet, Acer has designed this club to pull the weight to the out on two wings for additional moment of intertia (resistance to twisting).

It caught my eye because at first glance it looks like one of those Starship Enterprise Star Trek putters GolfSmith was selling a few years ago. The principle’s certainly the same.