Odyssey Tank Cruiser #1

Brand: Odyssey
Putter: Tank Cruiser #1
Design: Blade
RRP: £199
Loft: 3-degree Lie: 70-degree
Head Weight: 365g (adjustable to 385g)
Available lengths: 35 and 38"

Summary: In response to feedback from Tour professionals, the Tank Cruiser, a toe-heel weighted blade, features three head weights (10g, 15g & 20g) that can be adjusted to suit green speed – the lightest weight for fast greens and the heaviest for slow greens, as well as adjustable weights in the grip (5g, 15g & 30g; majority of our testers favoured 15g weight) to allow golfers to fine tune the blade’s balance point to create the perfect feel and deliver solid strokes. Tank Cruiser features a new White Hot insert for consistent sound, feel and performance across the striking surface. It also sports a new longer (15”) version of the popular SuperStroke Grip, which is designed to help relieve tension in the wrist and forearms, encouraging a pendulum-like putting stroke.

Looks: The best looking blade in test. Few glare issues to worry about in the brightest sun. Great single alignment aid in the flange and all testers liked the slightly deeper, wider head profile. 4.3 (out of 5)

Feel: Nine testers said the large, Super Stroke grip aided excellent feel. The extra length gave our testers the option to choke down on the longer-than-standard putters. Since the grips are non-tapered, our testers also had the same feel at the top of the grip as they did at the bottom. Odyssey’s re-formulated White Hot insert felt extremely soft and sounded great off the face. It's easy to see why this is Odyssey’s most popular insert on the professional tour. 8.2 (out of 10)

Performance: Although there are three weight options of 0, 15 and 30g available here, the majority of testers favoured the 15g weight and said there was an effortless release of the putter head at impact. The counterbalancing works very well, probably better than any other counterbalance putter we've seen before. Odyssey is the first major putter manufacturer to simplify the counterbalancing process with adjustable weight ports in both the head and handle of a putter, saving tinkerers time and money. Solid from both close and mid-range. 8.3 (out of 10)

Verdict: The best looking, feeling and performing blade in this test, and very much the perfect alternative for the forthcoming anchoring ban in 2016. Need we say anymore? A bit pricey for an insert putter but you get what you pay for. This is an incredibly stable and soft feeling blade. There's weight in the oversized SuperStroke grip for a stable stroke, but also the option for weight in the head should you wish for an more active release on varying greens. A superb toe-heel weighted blade and this is well worth picking up. 20.8 (out of 25)

Results: 109 putts holed (out of 180)

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