Equipment

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

Published

7 years ago

Jan 9, 2017

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.

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

#1 (also available in Tank)

#1 Wide

#2

2-Ball

#9

#7 (also available in Tank)

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

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30 Comments

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.

Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
Forsbrand

Jan 10, 2017 at 5:06 pm

Taylormade Nubbins?

Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
Tim

Jan 10, 2017 at 10:01 am

How cute! A nubbins putter!!!

Reply Report comment
- b
  
  May 24, 2019 at 7:14 pm
  
  haha no one under 50 gets that joke….
  
  Reply Report comment
S Hitty

Jan 9, 2017 at 1:39 pm

O yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk170vq2Fws

Reply Report comment
Heffe

Jan 9, 2017 at 1:04 pm

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

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DJ

Jan 9, 2017 at 12:12 pm

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

Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
- Golfgirlrobin
  
  Feb 4, 2017 at 6:38 pm
  
  Not safe yet, there’s a center shafted R Line available.
  
  Reply Report comment
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…

Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
- S Hitty
  
  Jan 9, 2017 at 12:10 pm
  
  But the black/white is what helped them sell so many of the previous Versas……
  
  Reply Report comment
Prut

Jan 9, 2017 at 11:03 am

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

Reply Report comment
- 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.
  
  Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
- 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.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Dj
  
  Jan 10, 2017 at 12:08 am
  
  Center shaft is awful.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Scott
    
    Jan 10, 2017 at 10:46 am
    
    Wrong dj. You obliviously have zero knowledge of eye dominance and different types of stokes.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - JR
      
      Jan 25, 2017 at 2:07 pm
      
      Embarrassing if he turns out to be a better putter than you!
      
      Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
Chip

Jan 9, 2017 at 9:41 am

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

Reply Report comment
- chinchbugs
  
  Jan 9, 2017 at 10:06 am
  
  +1
  
  Reply Report comment
- michael
  
  Jan 9, 2017 at 10:51 am
  
  I’d want to murder out the flange. Too much white.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - 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.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Phil
      
      Jan 9, 2017 at 11:08 am
      
      The TV show – Pimp my ride. haha
      
      Reply Report comment
      - 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…
        
        Reply Report comment
    - 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.
      
      Reply Report comment
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

Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

9 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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