Enter the new Works Versa #7H Putter from Odyssey, a putter I had picked up and put back down a number of times at golf shops in the area. I really liked the feel but, at first, thought it very gimmicky what with its vampire like teeth protruding from the back of the putter. Besides, I had never seen any tour pros using this style of putter, and really, at the end of the day isn’t that the ultimate validation for our purchasing decision? Well, it shouldn’t be, but that’s exactly why we buy new clubs. We see the pros draining 20 footers with their putter “du jour” and think we could do the same thing, if we only had that one in our bag.
It was really at the end of 2015 that I started to notice this putter style out on the tour. I first saw Henrik Stenson using this style of putter, BTW, the one he was so deadly with on the greens at Royal Troon this year. Then others followed including Kevin Kisner, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Pablo Larazabel and even Tom Watson were seen sporting this style putter at the Senior British Open.
Having my belief system now validated by the tour pros that this was not just a gimmicky putter, I decided to pick one up. The problem was when I got to the store I could not remember which version of the putter I tried previously and liked. Luckily the store had all the versions allowing a side by side by side comparison to find the one that was right for me. For me the Tank was too heavy and the #7 was too small, the #7H felt like it had the right size and weight to suit my putting stroke.
Odyssey describes the putter as a “progressive mallet with weighted alignment wings." I like vampire fangs better, but okay call them what you will.
The new putter comes with Fusion Rx, which is a micro thin stainless steel mesh over the traditional White Hot face. The addition of the mesh is designed to give the same feel of the White Hot insert but get the ball rolling faster. Is Odyssey suggesting that the 10 million or so White Hot putters sold to date caused the ball to skid before it started rolling? Well they don’t actually come out and say that.
We have an older model Odyssey putter with a White Hot face so we decided to test it against the Versa #7H and see if we could detect either skidding with the old putter or faster onset roll with new putter. We tried both out on the putting green at our local course and on our home practice green. Unfortunately, we could not tell if the ball got rolling faster with #7H and would probably need a slow speed camera to show any differences. That being said, we did notice a softer feel with the face of the 7H versus more of a hard clunk with the older putter without the mesh covering.
Beyond the roll, the two things we really like about this club are the alignment guides and the immediate corrective feedback the putter provides for off-center hits.
Each of the versions of this putter has different alignment colors and markings when looking down on the putter. We really like the silver & black contrast with white lines to help line up the putter face to the ball and the hole. We mark an arrow on our balls for alignment and, when positioned on the face of the putter, it provides a seamless line to the hole.
Corrective feedback comes quickly as it’s easy to tell when the ball is struck off center of the club face and on which end (heel or toe) you made primary contact. The same feedback is evident when it comes to face position, as we knew the split second our face was open or closed without having to look at our ball veering left or right of the hole. This instantaneous feedback aided our practice sessions and focused us on key areas for swing improvement.
Oh and what about those vampire teeth? They definitely aid in balancing the club and creating a nice pendulum stroke. They also make it super easy to pick up your golf ball without having to bend over.
Okay, with all that out of the way, lets move on to the Pros and Cons of the Odyssey Versa 7H putter.
Pros:
Excellent balance from toe to heel
Excellent feel & feedback from putter face to hands
Easy to tell when we were off center with hits or twisting the face
Black & chrome insert and alignment lines really give a positive visual
Vampire teeth allow easy ball pick-up off the green
Cons:
Cut grass gets between metal insert and White Hot face
Heavy head which may create challenges for light blade users
While Odyssey has multiple sizes available most retailers only carry the 34 & 35 inch versions so taller & shorter golfers may have trouble demoing the putter
Putter Specifications:
Lie Angle-70 Degrees
Loft-3 Degrees
Head Weight-350 Grams
Offset-Full Shaft
Size- 35” used for this review
Style-Progressive Mallet With Vampire Fangs
Price- $179
So does the Odyssey Works Versa #7H offer game improvement, we give it a 1 rating on our improvement rating scale (https://golf-gear-box.myshopify.com/blogs/news/how-do-we-do-reviews) Having played with many different putters over the years the Versa #7H really helped us with alignment and corrective feedback for off-center hits. We are not so sure a new or infrequent golfer will truly benefit from that knowledge, but regular golfers or those who have gone through a plethora of putters over the years should notice an immediate improvement.
NOTE: Golf Gear Box does not sell Odyssey putters nor do we receive any financial compensation from them. The putter for this review was purchased by Golf Gear Box.