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Odyssey’s new O-Works putters: The technology Phil Mickelson had to have

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At the 2016 Ryder Cup, Phil Mickelson earned 2.5 points for the U.S. team. His inspired putting performance was one of many key factors that led to the U.S. Team’s first victory in eight years, and he was using a prototype Odyssey putter insert to roll in some very long (and very clutch putts) on Hazeltine National’s greens.

The prototype insert is prototype no more. Odyssey’s new O-Works putter line offers nine new models, each of which uses the company’s new “Microhinge” insert.

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Each Microhinge insert is full of “microhinges.”

The formulation of the insert is complex — it’s made from thermoplastic elastomer and a 304 stainless steel “hinge” plate, which are co-molded together — but its function is simple. At impact the insert “hinges,” gently flexing and rebounding to add topspin that reduces the skidding that can cause putts to veer offline. Rory McIlroy is said to be using the new insert in an Odyssey putter that he is expected debut at the European Tour’s BMW South Africa Open next week.

Odyssey Principal Designer Austie Rollinson calls the action of the insert “kind of like a topspin lob shot in tennis.” In development at the company’s new putting lab at its headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., initial testing showed that the Microhinge insert was creating twice as much topspin as previous inserts.

In recent years, Odyssey has been focused on creating putter inserts that use friction to create a better roll on the greens. The friction technology works, Rollinson says, particularly well for better golfers who deliver the putter head to the ball with forward shaft lean and an upward attack angle. The benefit of the Microhinge insert, however, is that it can add topspin to putts even when a golfer’s putting stroke is poor.

The Microhinge insert is designed to feel like Odyssey’s original White Hot Insert. Stock grips for the putters are SuperStroke’s Slim 2.0 and Pistol GT. See photos of each new putter below.

Note: Tank versions of the #1 and #7 putters are also available, which are counter-balanced designs (heaver putter heads, heavier putter shafts, longer grips, longer lengths) that Odyssey testing showed can improve the consistency of a golfer’s path by 60 percent. A V-Line Face CH model (not pictured) is also available. 

R-Line

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#1 (also available in Tank)

43d58b7199b39fd42fc17baa9fa34d39 ee85694b049840fe8e419010265ca030 5968f0921bcc90c248bc111507ac495b fe58f685c39401cc36ad4d223dad74c6

#1 Wide

c06304ba8dceadc2b0a650081fd4fda2 283f2c39cec402168b7afac6b94f1b22 5a1812d642d18f0d2c960f660a0ffbae ca7598e80a7e40878f2233353045bff6 d8dd842a6c6e63714873d225bc86c58f#2

26f4ee40e6a5c7509e17e60cdcee8722 cf409a1d254446d932249c1f17cdfffd 8563587a89fb2e786ebaa481465f896d97cc2aaf50acb630437ce4e8f07c3902

2-Ball

a2e85d18e548af0c1d28a0992ce3f2fe9e54400a9cc0d776bf41940f123f09b5 b46aee9e97bb273f4b09919d212b4d7f 178f90514c8ddb622b3318e1ad8f3edb eb5f8d79bb811072e23c6ae5c40651f5#9

33e2654f20c45ef9e009923c40090c0a 935623950500f6b5a380bb3767cda36f06ad07a14f2fde4f850fcf78f591a3e0 d43b80cc7ef07f2eb985edb1a63e3268 bf7391c0d355514d1c664d626f3509ea#7 (also available in Tank)

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More Photos: See what GolfWRX Members are saying about O-Works putters. 

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30 Comments

30 Comments

  1. golfraven

    Mar 24, 2017 at 5:26 pm

    I pulled the trigger and got the Tank. The white is more silver ish so is not so much in your face – matt black is nice. Sound and roll of the insert is great so not to bothered with the aesthetics. As long balls find the bottom of the cup I will stick with it. Played Scotty for years and this line did it for me eventually. Price is reasonable compared to any Scotty.

  2. rex235

    Jan 11, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    It appears Phil Mickelson is the only LH player to get “the technology he had to have.”

    From all your photos and written info, it is implied these are RH Only- No LH models shown.

  3. Forsbrand

    Jan 10, 2017 at 5:06 pm

    Taylormade Nubbins?

  4. Joey

    Jan 10, 2017 at 3:31 pm

    I’ve rolled a few putts with one of these indoors at my local golf store when the rep was in. I can say the tech has a cool factor to it. But, the finish looks terrible. It looks more like a putter that would sell better at the 149.99-169.99 dollar range. The insert is a bit “clicky” also. I don’t see people dropping around 250.00 after tax on a putter with a cheap finish and clicky insert. With almost every putter these days having some sort of “tech” promising more forward roll more quickly, there are much better options out there for the same price if not cheaper. If this insert were to be put in a black series putter with a black shaft and grip then I’d be intrigued. But I’ll stick with my current putter. I was honestly let down by this years offering from odyssey.

  5. Tim

    Jan 10, 2017 at 10:01 am

    How cute! A nubbins putter!!!

  6. Heffe

    Jan 9, 2017 at 1:04 pm

    Insert Tech sounds legit. Can’t wait to roll a few.

  7. DJ

    Jan 9, 2017 at 12:12 pm

    best odyssey putter is the white hot pro. Feels like the old tri hot.

  8. Tim

    Jan 9, 2017 at 11:46 am

    Where is the center shafted model? My wife is a very good putter and has used nothing but a center shafted Odyssey…no center shafted model, saves me $229.

    • Golfgirlrobin

      Feb 4, 2017 at 6:38 pm

      Not safe yet, there’s a center shafted R Line available.

  9. Ray Kearney

    Jan 9, 2017 at 11:42 am

    Ive had a love hate relationship with Odyssey putters, This is definitely a hate cycle. Face Insert is interesting, but the rest looks like it was done by a 5 yo.
    Terrible Aesthetics…

  10. Smitty

    Jan 9, 2017 at 11:23 am

    I’m interested to try the insert and see how it feels but the looks are horrendous. Way too much going on. Lose the White/Black garbage and make the head all black with a simple alignment line.

    • S Hitty

      Jan 9, 2017 at 12:10 pm

      But the black/white is what helped them sell so many of the previous Versas……

  11. Prut

    Jan 9, 2017 at 11:03 am

    Is black and white still a thing? Looks kind of dated.

    • Geetime

      Jan 9, 2017 at 11:51 am

      Same models as the last few face changes…take a $25 putter sell if for $125, 4 years later add a a few $2 weights and add new paint and a $4 insert sell it fro $229. Even the old trick of putting a new grip on an old putter is gone up, new grip $25. That really cuts into my saving for my $2,500 PXG irons.

  12. Rich Douglas

    Jan 9, 2017 at 10:56 am

    Putting is so influenced by the full swing in golf. If the game involved putting alone, two things would be true. First, everyone would use a center-shafted putter. The heel shafted putter only makes sense in the context of the overall game: all other shots are played with heel-shafted clubs. But it doesn’t make sense that we strike the ball in a place away from where our hands are swinging. (The full swing needs this for leverage, but I wonder what a center-shafted iron would look like and how it would perform.)

    Second, we’d all be putting facing the hole. There’s no physical reason for standing to the side. Again, this behavior is affected by the rest of the game, which is side-stanced. (There probably wouldn’t be in place the arbitrary rule about maximum lie; we would putt facing the hole with a putter whose shaft is perpendicular to the clubhead.)

    I’ve noticed–and this is strictly anecdotal–that center-shafted putters are disappearing, except for those from niche manufacturers (SeeMore, Happy, etc.). The two best putters I’ve ever hit from mainstream companies are the Craz-E from Ping and the Spider from TM, neither of which, IIRC, are made center-shafted.

    I use the Happy putter because it is immensely adjustable, is center-shafted, and comes in a high-MOI design.

    • Dill Pickleson

      Jan 9, 2017 at 6:13 pm

      A voice a reason amidst a crowd of dunces.

      Did anyone else notice they are taking about topspin? They can’t be serious.

    • Dj

      Jan 10, 2017 at 12:08 am

      Center shaft is awful.

      • Scott

        Jan 10, 2017 at 10:46 am

        Wrong dj. You obliviously have zero knowledge of eye dominance and different types of stokes.

        • JR

          Jan 25, 2017 at 2:07 pm

          Embarrassing if he turns out to be a better putter than you!

  13. D.J.T.

    Jan 9, 2017 at 10:21 am

    Tech looks solid. Again, agree with Chip, color is down right terrible. Will wait on new color schemes.

  14. Chip

    Jan 9, 2017 at 9:41 am

    Sound great, look terrible. That color scheme is bad.

    • chinchbugs

      Jan 9, 2017 at 10:06 am

      +1

    • michael

      Jan 9, 2017 at 10:51 am

      I’d want to murder out the flange. Too much white.

      • Boobsy McKiss

        Jan 9, 2017 at 10:59 am

        when did the term ‘murder’ represent the color black? Surprised all the pc people in the world let this come to be. lol.

        • Phil

          Jan 9, 2017 at 11:08 am

          The TV show – Pimp my ride. haha

          • Ray Kearney

            Jan 9, 2017 at 11:41 am

            Ive had a love hate relationship with Odyssey putters, This is definitely a hate cycle. Face Insert is interesting, but the rest looks like it was done by a 5 yo.

            Terrible Aesthetics…

        • JR

          Jan 25, 2017 at 2:10 pm

          In Scotland where I play my golf ‘murder’ is also a colloquialism for ‘terrible’. Pretty much describes these putters.

  15. Dj

    Jan 9, 2017 at 8:30 am

    Hard pass. Some of these look like the Wilson triton alignment. That number 7 has way too much going on

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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