Review: Yes! i4-Tech Stephanie

We take Stephanie out for a round and see what she's like to play with

Ed Greenland

07 Jun 2013

The Yes! i4-Tech Stephanie is another new mallet from Yes!, the brand that only produce putters.

Yes! claims the £119 (RRP) i4-Tech Stephanie has been designed to better the Moment Of Inertia (MOI) for ultra stability when hitting either a long or short putt.

See those grooves on the face of the club? The i4-Tech, just like the rest of the Yes! range, is fiited with the brand's patented C-Groove 2.0 technology, which it claims provides soft-responsive feel and unparalleled control.

The putter, which follows the Sandy 12 mallet, is fitted with Tungsten weighting combined with perimeter weight distribution which Yes! says makes it one of the most stable putters on the green.

The white groove running through the middle of the club is an alignment curve, made from polymer, which has been designed to help with consistency and better aim. Check out the picture on the right.

The i4-Tech Stephanie rivals the Odyssey Versa #7 and the Never Compromise Sub30 Type 50, in terms of price and performance. Both are reviewed in our ten of the best putters feature.

I've always played with an Odyssey White Steel (semi-mallet) and while I appreciate how larger mallets can help you line up a putt, I've felt the natural feel from hand to clubface can be lost.

So I was keen to play a full round with the Stephanie to get a comprehensive overview of what the club's trying to achieve and if it lives up to those Yes! claims.

From short range, putting almost feels like cheating, due to the chunky white line making it ridiculously easy to line-up your putt. From long range, the putter's weight makes hitting it the correct distance an easy task. However, it was those in-between putts that caught me out.

During the round I used one of the softest Pro V1 X's on the market. The combination of the Titleist dimples and the C-Groove face gave me no real confidence when attacking 15-20 footers; I'd have rated my chances with my White Steel. When going at mid-length putts the Stephanie's alignment groove seems almost redundant, at which point smaller headed putters provide more natural judgement on this length of stroke.

However, the alignment aid along with the extremely well-balanced clubhead and shaft, on the whole, made distance control and direction very natural. The crescent-shape look is traditional and functional, but what's truly special is the fitting system. The curved alignment bar (the middle white line) also kept my eyes locked over the ball.

Sound off the face is surprisingly subtle, almost unnoticeable. At impact, it feels soft and delivers minimal club vibration through the grip.

This is a very reasonably sized mallet putter, beautifully weighted throughout and it rewarded me with superb results on the greens, especially avoiding those all-too-frequent three jabs.

As you can see in the bottom right photo, this putter looks great at address and the close-ups show how its rustic bronze appearance gives it a classy touch.

The new i-Tech has a 362g head, similar to the Sub30 Type 50 but 19 grams heavier than the Odyssey Versa #7, witht the option of a 34" or 35" half shaft offset.

Verdict

I had a great round with it, especially as I'm known for the odd three-putt but I managed to hole out in regulation from the first to the 18th.

At £119, it is reasonable value for money for a top-end putter, so if you're prone to struggle with distance control on the greens I suggest it's worth a purchase.