If you watched the 2008 U.S. Open Championship, you saw one of the greatest matches in golf history between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. One of the keys to Rocco Mediate’s success was his putting and his use of the Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth Putter. You may not have the putting ability of Rocco, but you can become very effective at your short game with Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth Putter. I’ve been testing out the White Hot XG Sabertooth (34″) for a month now and I’m very impressed how this putter performed.
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- Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth Putter Face
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- Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth Profile
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- Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth Aiming Channels
Look and Feel
The first thing that sets this putter apart from other mallet putters on the market is the radical headshape, that resembles the fangs of a Sabertooth Tiger. Constructed of stainless steel with a brushed matte finish, the overall look of the Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth, is quite striking, even if it slightly reminded me of the Batman logo. The Sabertooth Dual Fangs position 38% of the putters weight to the outside of putter for a high MOI design, which results in more stability and accuracy. According to Odyssey, “The design produces an MOI level higher than our most stable 2-Ball putters.” I’ve played a round of golf with an Odyssey 2-Ball putter and found this to be an accurate statement. The other key feature of this putter are the Aiming Channels inside the fangs that make lining up your putts easier, coupled with a textured multi-layer insert. Another great design feature of the Aiming Channels is you can also scoop your ball off the green, eliminating the need to bend down and pick up the ball. The stainless steel double-bend and full-offset shaft gives the White Hot XG Sabertooth a balanced swing in your putting stroke.
Performance
Does the Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth live up to its billing? Absolutely! Inspired by multi-layer golf ball technology, the White Hot XG is Odyssey’s latest advancement that utilizes a multi-layer insert for phenomenal performance on the green. It combines two materials with different properties to take the level of feedback, feel and distance control to an all-new level. In my tests the first thing I noticed immediately is how the ball would roll effortlessly across the green, with only a soft touch. This can be attributed to the multi-layer insert of the White Hot XG, which gives the putter a nice responsive feel. The insert is constructed of an elastomer core based material, which makes it soft for great feel, and highly resilient. Another key feature of the insert is the textured area of the impact zone, that clearly highlights the sweet spot and enhances feel when your putting long or short distances. It took a little getting used to the soft insert, because my Nike IC 20-20 putter face makes a loud “ping” sound when you hit it on the sweet spot, compared to the White Hot XG Sabertooth that makes very little noise on contact. The exterior portions of the insert feature a thin outer striking surface - Firm for fine-tuned responsiveness. The High MOI of the Dual Fangs also prevents the face of the putter from twisting, making your puts more stable and accurate. Any help I can get with my putting, is welcomed and you’ll appreciate this feature. On long putts, its incredibly easy to get the ball rolling smoothly with out much effort and even on short three footers, draining those putts is a breeze thanks to the Aiming Channels. Overall the combination of High MOI, Aiming Channels, and Multi-layer insert, make this one of the most responsive putters I’ve ever used. I recommend you pick up the Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth putter, you won’t be disappointed.
Specs
Lengths: 33″, 34″, 35″
Loft: 3*
Lie: 70*
Offset: Full-Shaft
The first thing that sets this putter apart from other mallet putters on the market is the radical headshape, that resembles the fangs of a Sabertooth Tiger. Constructed of stainless steel with a brushed matte finish, the overall look of the Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth, is quite striking, even if it slightly reminded me of the Batman logo. The Sabertooth Dual Fangs position 38% of the putters weight to the outside of putter for a high MOI design, which results in more stability and accuracy. According to Odyssey, “The design produces an MOI level higher than our most stable 2-Ball putters.” I’ve played a round of golf with an Odyssey 2-Ball putter and found this to be an accurate statement. The other key feature of this putter are the Aiming Channels inside the fangs that make lining up your putts easier, coupled with a textured multi-layer insert. Another great design feature of the Aiming Channels is you can also scoop your ball off the green, eliminating the need to bend down and pick up the ball. The stainless steel double-bend and full-offset shaft gives the White Hot XG Sabertooth a balanced swing in your putting stroke.
Performance
Does the Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth live up to its billing? Absolutely! Inspired by multi-layer golf ball technology, the White Hot XG is Odyssey’s latest advancement that utilizes a multi-layer insert for phenomenal performance on the green. It combines two materials with different properties to take the level of feedback, feel and distance control to an all-new level. In my tests the first thing I noticed immediately is how the ball would roll effortlessly across the green, with only a soft touch. This can be attributed to the multi-layer insert of the White Hot XG, which gives the putter a nice responsive feel. The insert is constructed of an elastomer core based material, which makes it soft for great feel, and highly resilient. Another key feature of the insert is the textured area of the impact zone, that clearly highlights the sweet spot and enhances feel when your putting long or short distances. It took a little getting used to the soft insert, because my Nike IC 20-20 putter face makes a loud “ping” sound when you hit it on the sweet spot, compared to the White Hot XG Sabertooth that makes very little noise on contact. The exterior portions of the insert feature a thin outer striking surface - Firm for fine-tuned responsiveness. The High MOI of the Dual Fangs also prevents the face of the putter from twisting, making your puts more stable and accurate. Any help I can get with my putting, is welcomed and you’ll appreciate this feature. On long putts, its incredibly easy to get the ball rolling smoothly with out much effort and even on short three footers, draining those putts is a breeze thanks to the Aiming Channels. Overall the combination of High MOI, Aiming Channels, and Multi-layer insert, make this one of the most responsive putters I’ve ever used. I recommend you pick up the Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth putter, you won’t be disappointed.
Specs
Lengths: 33″, 34″, 35″
Loft: 3*
Lie: 70*
Offset: Full-Shaft
Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth Retails for $169
4 responses so far ↓
1 FRANK // Aug 20, 2008 at 12:37 am
I hope you are right. I just bought me one because I need something lighter and longer to playoff my harder swings. Felt good at the store putting on the fake unleveled green.
2 Rob // Aug 20, 2008 at 7:25 am
Frank,
I think you’ll be quite pleased with how responsive this putter is. It’s extremely easy to get your putts rolling.
R
3 Joe // Aug 22, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I just demo’d this putter at my local retailer. I completely agree with your review. My blade putter has a tendency to twist in my hand on take away and at ball contact. None of this with the Sabretooth. I was able to concentrate on trying to make putts as opposed to maintaininng my grip and alignment. My only concern is based on this quote from a review at wired.com, “Long shots are just that; we practically had to take a full swing on anything longer than 30 feet, losing a great degree of control in the process.” Did you experience anything similar? I didn’t have space during my demo to really wack one 30 to 50 feet. Not that I can make them from that far out, but I at least want a chance to get them close. HELP!!!
4 Rob // Aug 22, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Hi Joe,
I didn’t experience a lack of control using the Sabertooth Putter on long putts of 30 feet. I’m not sure how making a longer putting stroke would cause you to loose control. It sounds like the tester from Wired doesn’t have a solid putting stroke to begin with. Making a longer putt involves lengthening you follow through for a longer roll. If you have a smooth stroke, you shouldn’t loose control. I think you’ll be ok. Good luck.
R
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