TESTED BY: Steve Sanders, Golf Australia reader (GA handicap 15.9). COST: $220 each.

MODEL PLAYED: Odyssey X-Act Tank chipper.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: This is another club that sits nice and flush with the ground and helps you line up well. There’s a nice, even weight to the clubhead, although the round, thin
grip might be hard to get used to with a
putting grip.

HOW IT PLAYED: The Odyssey X-Act Tank chipper is a tidy little club to use around the green – as in close by the putting surface where you don’t employ a long swing and are literally chipping (or, basically, its intended purpose). I did, however, attempt to use the chipper from a little further away – five to ten metres off the green – and didn’t find the same level of control. It was erratic, but that was just me experimenting with its limitations! But from closer in, say, two to three metres off the green, it’s a handy little weapon. I even found that if you hit down with it you can get spin.

Putting the Odyssey X-Act Tank chipper back in my stance, it felt like a pitching wedge without getting the distance you’d expect from a standard chip with a pitching wedge. In the centre or forward in the stance it played like a more lofted wedge, maybe a sand wedge. If you tried chipping with a sand wedge from two or three metres off the green, I suspect the Odyssey X-Act Tank would wind up more accurate for most golfers.

THE SPECS

SUITABILITY: Golfers who prefer to chip with a putting action.

SPECIFICATIONS: The loft is 37°, lie angle 70° and the length 35.5 inches (34.5 inches for the women’s model). The head weight is 355 grams.

LEFT-HANDED MODELS?: Yes, except for the women’s model.

ODYSSEY SAYS: “The X-Act Tank Chipper is a new short-game option that utilises our Tank weighting philosophy to help ensure a smoother swing, promoting more consistent contact. It’s designed to function like an approach putter, providing an easy-to-hit option that plays perfectly between a putter and a wedge for those tricky shots around the greens.

“The Hi-Def Marxman Alignment System significantly increases accuracy, while the soft polymer insert and hybrid-like, X-Act sole design help get the ball out of trouble and rolling right to the hole. The oversized SuperStroke non-taper grip design helps stabilise the wrists and hands through impact. The longer design also allows you to put your hands in different positions to get the correct feel on a variety of shots.”

Contact Callaway Golf on 1800 217 777 or visit au.odysseygolf.com