New
GearOdyssey O-Works
#7S£179
http://www.odysseygolf.com
OHeadweight:350g
OGrip: Winn AVS Midsize Pistol
OToe hang: Slight
Verdict:The #7 comes with a huge
pedigree. Henrik Stenson won The Open
using one, while Luke Donald has used
one for years. We tested the #7S (a
standard #7 is also available in red) which
has a short-slanted neck to give a slight
toe hang. It’s a set up extremely popular
on tour, as many pros have slightly arcing
strokes which are well suited to this style.
The fangs dramatically improve stability
and MOI performance over a typical blade,
which is at least part of the reason why
this and the TaylorMade Spider Tour have
found such a good following on tour. We
loved how the white sight lines and dots
really pop against the red head and green
grass, and the roll, feel and feedback from
the O-Works insert is spot on. Brilliant for
golfers with an arcing stroke. For those
who don’t we’d recommend looking at the
standard #7 O-Works Red instead.
TaylorMade TP Red
Collection Ardmore
£239
http://www.taylormadegolf.com
OHeadweight:355g
OGrip: Super Stroke Pistol GTR 1.0
OToe hang: Face balanced
Verdict:A big, beefy mallet with two long
sightlines which are perfect not only for
tracking your stroke, but also helping you
set up square. Like all of the TP Red
Collection models the aluminium face
insert gives a slightly firmer feel than the
surlyn and aluminium mix in the Spider
Tour, which is preferred for its feel and
sound by Day. Strangely the sightlines are
far enough apart to “frame” the ball at
address, but weirdly are brilliant at
focusing attention right on the impact
zone. We’re big fans of the flat-fronted
SuperStroke Pistol GTR grip, which will
inspire confidence for lots of golfers, and
particularly those who don’t like huge
modern putter grips. Perfect for players
wanting to try red, but don’t want to stray
too far from a traditional look.THE SCIENCE OF RED...
TaylorMade insists that inspiration
for their red putters came directly
from Jason Day himself, and not a
scientific study. But there is method
behind the madness.
“Jason suggested the correct red
would provide great contrast with a
green, and aid alignment,” says Bill
Price, Senior of Director of Putters
and Wedges at TaylorMade. “We
worked with him on 15 different red
variations; not only does the Tour
Red contrast to a green, but the
white sightlines against the red also
aid alignment.”
There’s plenty of research that
backs up why red is a good choice
for a putter. Technically it’s not the
most visible colour, but it appears to
be closer to us than it actually is, so
it grabs our attention. Hence why
it’s so effective in traffic lights all
over the world. Studies have found
red also helps you focus, makes you
more accurate and enhances your
attention to detail. All of which goes
some way to explaining why red
putters could have an advantage
over their traditional counterparts
right now.TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ISSUE 367 85