Rife Black Edition 007 Putter Review: Style and performance at great value

Adding to that, the Roll Groove Technology across the face is another subtle but vital innovation. By encouraging a quicker forward roll, it reduces skid and bounce, with the ball staying its intended line, even on longer putts.

On the greens, it became clear to me that the Rife 007 Black Edition is a performer. My short putts felt incredibly stable, with the high contrast alignment helping greatly under pressure. On longer efforts, the soft face requires a bit of adjustment to get the speed dialed in, but the forgiveness offered by the higher MOI is tangible.

Miss-hits, which are unfortunately inevitable for most of us club golfers, still provide consistent performance. I found the distance control to be impressively forgiving, and once I adapted to the soft feel, lag putting was great.

Final Verdict

Overall, I think it brings together striking aesthetics, practical technology, and real-world forgiveness in a way that punches well above its weight.

Sure, you might want to upgrade the grip down the line, but that’s a small investment considering the overall quality on offer. With a range of models available in the Black Edition line-up to suit different preferences, it’s well worth a trip to American Golf to try one out.