Connect with us

Equipment

Odyssey’s new Red Ball putter is built for better alignment

Published

on

A 5,000-plus MOI face balanced mallet, Odyssey’s new Red Ball putter pushes the limits of MOI for maximum putter stability. Odyssey has gone with the popular White Hot RX insert for the Red Ball’s face, coupling it it with high-contrast Versa alignment technology.

The centerpiece of the Red Ball is, as the name suggests, a red ball in the scope of the putter, which offers immediate feedback to let players know when they’re set up properly (and consistently).

Sean Toulon, Odyssey general manager and senior vice president at Callaway Golf told Golf Digest’s Mike Stachura, “We think it satisfies a definite need in the marketplace,” he said. “I guess there’s never really been a super game improvement putter that’s come to the marketplace, but that’s kind of what this is.”

Odyssey says helping players to set up to the ball and align to their intended target lines are the key focuses with the new Red Ball.

“We’ve put a distinct Red Ball inside the scope of the putter so that it’s incredibly easy to align the face to the intended start line on every putt,” the company says.

Exhibit A: Improper alignment

Exhibit B: Proper alignment

“It’s not just that golfers get in an improper setup, it’s that their setup changes from round to round, and sometimes from hole to hole,” said Luke Williams, Odyssey’s senior director of product and brand management for putters. “When you get the ball too far forward, you tend to aim left, and if you get it too far back, you tend to aim right. Having your eyes too far inside the ball or too far outside the ball affects the way you see the line as well.”

The Red Ball is available at retail 7/20 for $179.99.

Click here for more photos and discussion.

Your Reaction?
  • 122
  • LEGIT18
  • WOW10
  • LOL10
  • IDHT4
  • FLOP16
  • OB10
  • SHANK122

GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief

24 Comments

24 Comments

  1. topsuggests

    Sep 13, 2018 at 12:39 pm

    I really like your awesome idea that you have given here. thank you so much

  2. Joe

    Aug 21, 2018 at 11:46 pm

    Getting awful technical nowadays. Whats next, an Iron Byron putting machine?

  3. The voice of reason

    Aug 14, 2018 at 10:31 am

    the hater-aide is strong in this group…what gives? Sheesh I tried the thing at the pro shop the other day and it feels a lot like a TM spider another ugly duckling that seems to work well, the algnment aide is helpful- gives you confidence and one less thing to worry about. If the ball goes in the hole- it’s a good putter.

  4. jim

    Jul 16, 2018 at 3:43 pm

    My local pro let me use one at the hallway demo day a month ago. Really nice feel, really easy to putt. Its a bit more hectic than most but t thought it worked well. And what putter is under $200 these days?

  5. shawn

    Jul 12, 2018 at 2:48 pm

    If you want to slobber over this ridiculous putter, go to the WRX main forum where all the geerheeds post their twitter-sized blurts reflecting their feeeelings and love for their clubs…. and post their WITB goodies they polish daily and play once monthly.

  6. Jack

    Jul 12, 2018 at 12:14 am

    Time and again new clubs have made us all better (looking) golfers. Buy on people!

  7. Jim McPherson

    Jul 11, 2018 at 11:56 am

    People don’t want to practice putting. They are continually told they can buy a better putter that will fix their lack of skill. Sadly, they will buy this gimmick.

    • shawn

      Jul 12, 2018 at 2:45 pm

      Red ball… the height of stupidity that gullible golfers will buy because their clubs are simply toys to own and flaunt to other equally gullible golfers.

  8. David

    Jul 10, 2018 at 7:13 pm

    I’ve always been drawn to ugly putters. I was an early adopter of the Directed Force putter, which means, sadly, I will likely buy one of these….

  9. ogo

    Jul 10, 2018 at 3:25 pm

    This is a 99% zinc die cast putter… except for the red ball which is made of rare-earth metal called “neodymium” as a spherical magnet that interacts with the earth’s geomagnetic field and stabilizes the putter against gravity. Most of the world’s commercial neodymium is mined in China… where the putter head is made no doubt.

  10. ogo

    Jul 10, 2018 at 3:15 pm

    You must align the red ball to the ring only with the dominant eye because that’s the only eye that provides true alignment vision. Do not open both eyes after alignment otherwise you will lose it in the backstroke. Open both eyes after you start the putting motion and focus on the ball and only the ball. It’s an eye switcheroo putting method.

    • bob

      Jul 10, 2018 at 11:26 pm

      Not only that, once the putter is moved into the stroke all alignments are lost and there is no guarantee that alignment at address will assure alignment at impact. If you can’t align your body to the putter and the putting line, you are pathetically incompetent.

  11. cody

    Jul 10, 2018 at 3:04 pm

    at over 200 dollars, i am not seeing these sell over the Oworks, or exos.. not sure why this is needed. they have some great putters out right now.

    • rymail00

      Jul 10, 2018 at 8:14 pm

      I believe it said at the bottom it comes out July 20 at $179.

  12. Te

    Jul 10, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    That red ball is too small, I need a bigger one so I can see. Wait – Ill just make one and call it Blue Ball – get it? lmao

  13. Golf64

    Jul 10, 2018 at 11:50 am

    Only thing I like about this putter is the insert. The rest is ugly and too busy for me!

  14. alexdub

    Jul 10, 2018 at 11:28 am

    Try suing us now SeeMore

  15. greg taylor

    Jul 10, 2018 at 11:02 am

    The Two ball and #7 looked hideous as well. Now look at them. #1 and #2.

  16. coops

    Jul 10, 2018 at 10:52 am

    “I guess there’s never really been a super game improvement putter that’s come to the marketplace…..” – is this GM & Vice President ignorant, stupid or just lazy?

    Ping Doc 17 from 2004 just to give one example… MOI > 10,000.

    Pic any Seemore to see where these geniuses got their revolutionary alignment concept from.

  17. moses

    Jul 10, 2018 at 9:46 am

    Gimmucks sell.

  18. pkn17003

    Jul 10, 2018 at 7:54 am

    Looks hideous

    • ogo

      Jul 10, 2018 at 3:28 pm

      …. but it’s a godsend for golfers struggling on the greens. Finally a Super Game Improvement putter for the golffing masses who can’t putt worth a snot… 😉

    • faq

      Jul 10, 2018 at 6:16 pm

      Hideous sells…. golfers want to own anything that will get a yuk from buddies… like clubhead covers that look like tigers, colleges, brand logos. Golfers are gullible suckers.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

Published

on

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Equipment

Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

Published

on

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

Your Reaction?
  • 1
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Equipment

Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

Published

on

With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play? 

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week. 

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

Your Reaction?
  • 33
  • LEGIT3
  • WOW1
  • LOL2
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK3

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending