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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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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

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Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

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Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.

It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

 

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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:

“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.

“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.

“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.

“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”

So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.

His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here

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