Odyssey Stroke Lab Putter Thread

[PhillyV]

This thread will serve for all reviews and discussion on the new Odyssey Stroke Lab Putters.

 

[KEV]

It’s no secret that I love putters. I’ve played inserts and milled, blades and mallets, heavy and light, face tech and no face tech. I’ve found some that I liked and some that were duds but only a couple I’ve kept around for an extended period of time and none of them seemed to really do much to help improve my putting game. The new Stroke Lab line has pretty lofty claims and from my few weeks with mine it seems to be something to those claims.

The biggest benefit behind it of course comes from the shaft. The shifting of weight from the shaft to the grip along with a stiffer profile is designed to help improve tempo and stroke which in theory should assist with a more consistent stroke.

Does this actually work? Well without taking slow motion video it is hard to factually say yes. However I have been putting a ton of time in with my Number One model and there seems to be something to it. It’s really hard to explain but it feels like it’s easier to consistently swing. In hand it just feels comfortable and well balanced. When making a stroke it seems balanced and easy to swing and feels like I have better tempo. Could it be a placebo effect? Sure. However when I am trying out new “technology” I tend to try and disprove the claims. For some reason this just feels better when making the stroke.

Speaking of feel, let’s talk about the White Hot Microhinge insert. This was of course previously released in the EXO lineup and received some pretty good praise. The combination of White Hot and Microhinge seemed like a perfect blend and for the most part Odyssey did it well. I was able to demo each EXO model and while I enjoyed the feel I wasn’t blown away. In the Stroke Lab series it seems to feel absolutely perfect. I think the combination of the new designs that have been created plus the feedback that the shaft helps provide creates a real winner. It takes me back to the love I have for the White Hot insert but adds that fantastic roll that immediately starts on impact. I’ve tried many different inserts over the past couple of years and never found one that I truly liked until now.

When it comes to looks it will be very individual on preferences. When looking down at address the contrast of the Black and Gray really frames the ball nicely. Turning the club over you immediately notice the unusual style of the weights which in my opinion look really cool. To me the look of this putter blows away the previous lineups and has a much higher end appearance. Take a look at the face and while the White Hot Microhinge is the star of the show the milling that covers the rest of the face is extremely detailed and impressive. This is a well thought out and high quality design.

I think this combination is why if you followed along with the Grandaddy Live thread you saw comments about how good the putting of Team THP was. That’s pretty unusual to see for the first time using a new putter on a brand new course. It’s become an addiction to pop in to my home office and take the putter out for a few minutes throughout the evening, I can’t get enough of it. And there are so many different models that there is likely something that will appeal to everyone.

 

[PhillyV]

I have been bagging the Stroke Lab 7 and this was the putter captain tequila4kapp gamed in the Grandaddy.

 

[Puttin4Bird]

Stunning pics Kevin. I rolled 1 putt with this across the carpet of our Sim Golf place and I was like....WOW! That's a feeling like I've never experienced before. There will be a Stroke Lab putter in my bag in 2019!

 

[tpluff]

Oh my! I love the looks of these. Cant wait to see what models they are releasing this in. Hopeful for a smaller 7s with smaller insert.

 

[SouthernShred]

I love the story about head weight...there is a very old, crusty club repair guy nearby and every time I'm there he rails against putter head weight increases and inconsistency in putting stroke as a result. I'll have to show him this.

 

[ttucliffhanger]

Odyssey Doublewide Strokelab Initial Review

Large Grip
Length: 35”
Neck: Flowneck

This putter is on point! Past putters were the Odyssey White Hot DART putter and Scotty Cameron M2, both double bend necks. I was immediately drawn to the Double Wide because of the look and the shape was close to something I was used to. Luke and Sean worked with me watching my putts on a matt that measures your stroke and I putted 84% with this putter. I thought I was a bad putter but, this putter helped and the flowneck changed a lot. On the course the first day, I putted very well with it. Second day was not as good, but I was also not feeling well that second day, lol. The white hot microhinge technology had a great feel and the strokelab shaft is out of this world! This made a huge difference in my putting. My stroke was so much smoother. The shaft distributes the weight differently and for me it made it feel so much smoother. It didn’t feel as if the whole putter was heavy if that makes sense.

It felt like the weight was in the right places, which is towards the head and up towards the grip. I went with the larger grip because I prefer a larger grip. The grip also has a weight in it which is part of the strokelab technology. Great putter and I recommend this one for those that don’t like a blade but aren’t fully sold on a full mallet.

So, the more I roll this putter, the more I love it! This is by far one of the smoothest putters I have rolled. The strokelab shaft is making a lot of difference and one thing I would like to say is usually my miss is right of the hole and now I am very rarely missing right, and I am sure that has to do with alignment. The flowneck has really made a difference in my putting. The ability to have distance control right from the beginning is something that has really caught my eye! More to come!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[dazeedmonds]

Odyssey Stroke Lab Two Ball Fang:

The iconic Two Ball shape has been around long enough to be called “iconic” and it remains a part of the current line up, and got the Stroke Lab treatment, like most/all of the other head shapes in the Odyssey/Toulon catalog.


Stroke Lab is about balancing the weight between the grip and the head. As putter heads became more heavy, heavier grips were used to balance this weight, making much heavier putters. All this time the putter shaft never changed. The brilliant minds at Odyssey thought they could do something about that. By making a lighter, stiffer shaft they were able to get headweight stabilized and use the weight of the grip to effectively balance out that headweight to make a consistent putting stroke easier. Stroke lab is about consistent distance, as that is the area most people struggle with.

As with any new tech, two questions leap to the forefront of every internet golfer’s mind. Does it work? Perhaps more importantly (for most) Does it look good? (Loft peepers need not worry, lofts have not been jacked on these putters)

Lets tackle the second question first. Does it look good?

For me the looks of this entire line are eye-catching. In a very good way. The stark black/white contrast on the head of this putter seems to suit my eye. These are recognizable, even from a distance or in a blurry photo on social media outlets. While not everyone will love the black/yellow combination on the grip, I think it’s very well done. At address the combination graphite/steel shaft is visible, but I don’t find it distracting in any way. The White Hot microhinge insert continues the white/black theme and as a fan of visual tech in my clubs, I really like the looks of the insert itself, though I don’t see the insert at all at address or during my swing.

Performance

As I said earlier, the goal with the Stroke Lab tech was consistent distance, and to answer the question in everyone’s mind; Yes, it works. At least in my experience. After a few rounds in California and back on my home course, I’m a believer. The ease of hitting a lag put from across the green or 15’ feet out and leaving it within an easily make-able range is just silly. Like all equipment there’s nothing magical about this putter, and if you can’t hit a 3’ putt today buying one of these will not turn you into a world class putter. That being said, with a solid putting stroke as a baseline the ability to hit a consistent distance time after time after time after time is pretty spectacular. Comparing this putter to my previous (the original White Hot Two Ball) the balance of this putter is light years better. With my old putter I feel like I had to control the head constantly, almost fighting to keep it under control, with the Stroke Lab the head follows the shaft with out feeling like I have to strangle the putter to keep it under control.

Testing this on my putting mat with a Putt-Out, I saw remarkably consistent distance on my misses. Below is an image showing the distance the balls were returned from the Putt-Out. Seeing 4/4 misses within 1’ of each other is very good for me.

The White Hot microhinge insert is one of the top two feeling inserts in my book. The other one is the original white hot insert. This one is better, but it’s a close thing. This is a little more muted, and the insert gets the ball rolling more quickly it seems like.

Sound is going to determine feel, so I figured I’d shoot a little video showing the sound when hitting the ball on different parts of the face, as well as different distances. You can also see the distance consistency when hitting the ball on different parts of the face.


This line of putters is very certainly tech packed, quite literally from tip to tip. Anyone looking for a little help with their putting game should be taking a look at these. Odyssey has a full line up of putters with the Stroke Lab tech, with a head shape for everyone, so there’s no reason not to take a look at this lineup.

 

[zbeekner4]

Odyssey Doublewide Strokelab Initial Review

This is a beaut! By chance do you have a picture of the putter at address? And also does it have any toe hang or is it 90 degree face balanced? Thanks for the info so far!!


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[ttucliffhanger]

This is a beaut! By chance do you have a picture of the putter at address? And also does it have any toe hang or is it 90 degree face balanced? Thanks for the info so far!!


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It has a toe hang and I will have to take a pic of it at address when I get home. Luke and Sean fit me into this bc it had a toe hang with the flow neck and it fixed my missing right.

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[rogt]

Rogt review
Putter:
Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide Short Slant Hosel 34” 2*
This and the PM wedge is probably the two products that really had my interests peaked really high for improvement in my game. During the fitting Luke Williams, Joe and Sean Toulon had told us to grab a couple that look good to your eye and give them a roll. My first initial thoughts from rolling this putter was the balance is just fantastic between the head and the grip, and the feel was totally different then my Odyssey 3T and my Atlanta. Not firm but crisp, the sound wasn’t a dead sound but a soft click. The ball would come off the putter face really easy didn’t take much to get it rolling. The grip and weight system incorporated into the putter is right around 105 g, when talking with Sean at supper one night I had told him that information of the weight was funny that is exactly the number I had my Atlanta grip and back weight at, so I knew they were on to something, lol. The new face tech in the stroke lab is White Hot Micro Hinge insert a different feel then its predecessor, it is soft but more along the lines of sounds soft, cause the ball gets to rolling quickly and true off the face IMO a big improvement over the first generation. The other part is the new putter shaft part graphite part steel, they mentioned in the presentation about how the weight kept changing in putter heads, grips, back weighting, and all different ideas to try to balance the putter, to get the feel, the sound. So again, the brain trust thought why hasn’t the shaft changed much over the years? Were still using the old standard steel shaft, stepped or straight. Introducing Stroke Lab, a graphite shaft to help with the weight reduction by 40 g, but also to help balance out the head and grip giving a balance point that feels tremendous in your hands. I was fortunate to have Joe and Sean Toulon working with me, having told them both about my shaking problems and where my struggles were with putting, pulls, de-celling, they instantly put me into the Double Wide. Years ago, during an event I had tried a 1w from a THP member, Rambler I believe and really liked the look. Never putting one in the bag, cause of going to a mallet style I just new when they handed it to me this was going to be the one. I rolled some putts and instantly liked it rolling some in and others just missing at the practice green, Joe came up to me and said I have an idea. How about we customize your Stroke Lab Double Wide? I said Ok. His thought was taking the back-site line out/Black out, and just put a small line on the top line, no complaining here. Well again excited the next morning to see this, Tyler grabbed me before I got to my bag and said sorry, we could not get your customized putter done in such short time, I said no problem at all, is the Double Wide in my bag? He said yeas and when the Custom one is done, we will send it to you, I shook his hand and said thank you, then asked Tyler later when leaving the last night do you want the other Double Wide, I will grab it out of the my bag, he said No, I said ok so no custom one he said yes it will be sent later, I said ok then send the other Double Wide back? He said Roger what don’t you get, keep it you get both, WOW!! Rolling it at the GD I made some pretty critical parts that I would normally Ness i’ve made some pretty critical putts that I would normally have problems with and also some bombs that left Harry and Jason in the rain to continue our match. Then back home it is been a great addition to my bag I have made more controlled putts on frozen greens then ever I can’t wait to get into the season. One last note I don’t believe as of right now they are going to do any customization. I am blown away by the graciousness from every member of Callaway, I thank you all again.


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[mikeg_74]

Odyssey Stroke Lab Putter Thread

These putters are good looking. I like the lines and the overall design concept.

For distance control on longer putts, how easy or hard was it? The White Hot insert and I haven’t gotten along previously as I couldn’t find that sweet spot on longer putts.

Also what is the feel at impact? Is it similar to the EXO line or because it’s in a steel head offers a different feedback?

Tell me more about the shaft, mainly is its purpose to help stabilize the stroke or has another benefit?

 

[rogt]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[blugold]

I like a lot of what I am reading, I hope you love your putter, but to my picky eye. that two tone topline is a bit jarring. I will have to see one in person because I really liked the Versa putters after seeing them and using them.

 

[Iceman!]

Rogt review
Putter:
Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide Short Slant Hosel 34” 2*
This and the PM wedge is probably the two products that really had my interests peaked really high for improvement in my game. During the fitting Luke Williams, Joe and Sean Toulon had told us to grab a couple that look good to your eye and give them a roll. My first initial thoughts from rolling this putter was the balance is just fantastic between the head and the grip, and the feel was totally different then my Odyssey 3T and my Atlanta. Not firm but crisp, the sound wasn’t a dead sound but a soft click. The ball would come off the putter face really easy didn’t take much to get it rolling. The grip and weight system incorporated into the putter is right around 105 g, when talking with Sean at supper one night I had told him that information of the weight was funny that is exactly the number I had my Atlanta grip and back weight at, so I knew they were on to something, lol. The new face tech in the stroke lab is White Hot Micro Hinge insert a different feel then its predecessor, it is soft but more along the lines of sounds soft, cause the ball gets to rolling quickly and true off the face IMO a big improvement over the first generation. The other part is the new putter shaft part graphite part steel, they mentioned in the presentation about how the weight kept changing in putter heads, grips, back weighting, and all different ideas to try to balance the putter, to get the feel, the sound. So again, the brain trust thought why hasn’t the shaft changed much over the years? Were still using the old standard steel shaft, stepped or straight. Introducing Stroke Lab, a graphite shaft to help with the weight reduction by 40 g, but also to help balance out the head and grip giving a balance point that feels tremendous in your hands. I was fortunate to have Joe and Sean Toulon working with me, having told them both about my shaking problems and where my struggles were with putting, pulls, de-celling, they instantly put me into the Double Wide. Years ago, during an event I had tried a 1w from a THP member, Rambler I believe and really liked the look. Never putting one in the bag, cause of going to a mallet style I just new when they handed it to me this was going to be the one. I rolled some putts and instantly liked it rolling some in and others just missing at the practice green, Joe came up to me and said I have an idea. How about we customize your Stroke Lab Double Wide? I said Ok. His thought was taking the back-site line out/Black out, and just put a small line on the top line, no complaining here. Well again excited the next morning to see this, Tyler grabbed me before I got to my bag and said sorry, we could not get your customized putter done in such short time, I said no problem at all, is the Double Wide in my bag? He said yeas and when the Custom one is done, we will send it to you, I shook his hand and said thank you, then asked Tyler later when leaving the last night do you want the other Double Wide, I will grab it out of the my bag, he said No, I said ok so no custom one he said yes it will be sent later, I said ok then send the other Double Wide back? He said Roger what don’t you get, keep it you get both, WOW!! Rolling it at the GD I made some pretty critical parts that I would normally Ness i’ve made some pretty critical putts that I would normally have problems with and also some bombs that left Harry and Jason in the rain to continue our match. Then back home it is been a great addition to my bag I have made more controlled putts on frozen greens then ever I can’t wait to get into the season. One last note I don’t believe as of right now they are going to do any customization. I am blown away by the graciousness from every member of Callaway, I thank you all again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After living through that experience with my Rogue Irons, I know exactly how you feel and no words can really describe it.

 

[badolds]

These look very nice!! Any word on the future of the O-Works line?

 

[Sox_Fan]

Like the looks of the double wide with the flow neck. Sounds like a lot of intriguing tech went into this line.

 

[alexped2393]

Odyssey Stroke Lab Two Ball Fang:

The iconic Two Ball shape has been around long enough to be called “iconic” and it remains a part of the current line up, and got the Stroke Lab treatment, like most/all of the other head shapes in the Odyssey/Toulon catalog.


Stroke Lab is about balancing the weight between the grip and the head. As putter heads became more heavy, heavier grips were used to balance this weight, making much heavier putters. All this time the putter shaft never changed. The brilliant minds at Odyssey thought they could do something about that. By making a lighter, stiffer shaft they were able to get headweight stabilized and use the weight of the grip to effectively balance out that headweight to make a consistent putting stroke easier. Stroke lab is about consistent distance, as that is the area most people struggle with.

As with any new tech, two questions leap to the forefront of every internet golfer’s mind. Does it work? Perhaps more importantly (for most) Does it look good? (Loft peepers need not worry, lofts have not been jacked on these putters)

Lets tackle the second question first. Does it look good?

For me the looks of this entire line are eye-catching. In a very good way. The stark black/white contrast on the head of this putter seems to suit my eye. These are recognizable, even from a distance or in a blurry photo on social media outlets. While not everyone will love the black/yellow combination on the grip, I think it’s very well done. At address the combination graphite/steel shaft is visible, but I don’t find it distracting in any way. The White Hot microhinge insert continues the white/black theme and as a fan of visual tech in my clubs, I really like the looks of the insert itself, though I don’t see the insert at all at address or during my swing.

Performance

As I said earlier, the goal with the Stroke Lab tech was consistent distance, and to answer the question in everyone’s mind; Yes, it works. At least in my experience. After a few rounds in California and back on my home course, I’m a believer. The ease of hitting a lag put from across the green or 15’ feet out and leaving it within an easily make-able range is just silly. Like all equipment there’s nothing magical about this putter, and if you can’t hit a 3’ putt today buying one of these will not turn you into a world class putter. That being said, with a solid putting stroke as a baseline the ability to hit a consistent distance time after time after time after time is pretty spectacular. Comparing this putter to my previous (the original White Hot Two Ball) the balance of this putter is light years better. With my old putter I feel like I had to control the head constantly, almost fighting to keep it under control, with the Stroke Lab the head follows the shaft with out feeling like I have to strangle the putter to keep it under control.

Testing this on my putting mat with a Putt-Out, I saw remarkably consistent distance on my misses. Below is an image showing the distance the balls were returned from the Putt-Out. Seeing 4/4 misses within 1’ of each other is very good for me.

The White Hot microhinge insert is one of the top two feeling inserts in my book. The other one is the original white hot insert. This one is better, but it’s a close thing. This is a little more muted, and the insert gets the ball rolling more quickly it seems like.

Sound is going to determine feel, so I figured I’d shoot a little video showing the sound when hitting the ball on different parts of the face, as well as different distances. You can also see the distance consistency when hitting the ball on different parts of the face.


This line of putters is very certainly tech packed, quite literally from tip to tip. Anyone looking for a little help with their putting game should be taking a look at these. Odyssey has a full line up of putters with the Stroke Lab tech, with a head shape for everyone, so there’s no reason not to take a look at this lineup.

Great review, hoping for this or similar in a centre shaft

 

[dazeedmonds]

These putters are good looking. I like the lines and the overall design concept.

For distance control on longer putts, how easy or hard was it? The White Hit insert and I haven’t gotten along previously as I couldn’t find that sweet spot on longer putts.

Also what is the feel at impact? Is it similar to the EXO line or because it’s in a steel head offers a different feedback?

Tell me more about the shaft, mainly is its purpose to help stabilize the stroke or has another benefit?

Long putts are substantially easier to control for me, it’s an insert face, so you can’t baby it of course, but the consistency I’m seeing is really mind blowing.

Feel is pretty similar to EXO or the original White Hot.

The shaft is more about balance, to make it easier to control the distance.

 

[OITW]

Oh my! I love the looks of these. Cant wait to see what models they are releasing this in. Hopeful for a smaller 7s with smaller insert.

10 heads available 6 mallet 4 blade on the Odyssey website.

Anyone know pricepoints?

I really want/need a Stroke Lab putter.

 

[Phil75070]

I think I touched on my fitting in the Live Update thread but just to quickly rehash that. We were told to pick a putter close to what we were already using as a starting point. Even though I probably should have started with a wide flange I went with the Stroke Lab One, an Anser style blade. I did OK with it making three of 5 putts. Sean commented that I was putting the ball more off the toe as that is what looked like the center of the face looking down on it. However, the actual insert is slightly skewed toward the heal as is the alignment line on the top. It was also determined that I needed more toe hang so Luke went and got the Three. I made five of five. Then I was handed a Tuttle model which I personally do not like the looks of, and again made three of five. Maybe my bias contributed to the poor performance! LOL Back to the Three where once again it was five for five.

The whole intent of the technology, the bi-matrix shaft, back weighting, etc. is to promote a smoother tempo and as far as I can tell it hits the target. At The Hideaway I putted as well as I ever have, from what I recall missing only one putt inside six (6) feet. That putting success has continued over to my rounds here at home. The White Hot with Microhinge insert gets the ball rolling right away with the purest of rolls. This putter just feels so different than any other putter I’ve played, and I’ve played a number of them in different styles, blade, small mallet, large mallet, with and without inserts and none have given me the consistency that this putter has.

The putter cover is pretty neat, too. It is a magnetic closure with two magnets embedded under the lining on each side and not just a strip around the very outside of the closure. I have much more confidence in this putter cover staying on the putter and not getting lost than those that have come with other putters. Usually I end up sewing a couple of snaps to the putter covers I’ve had to ensure they don’t fall off when the cart hits a bump. The color scheme and embroidery on the cover are outstanding as well.

The Stroke Lab series is/will not be the most expensive in the line of Odyssey putters. That will still fall to the Toulon models. Everyone should go to their local golf store and at least roll a few putts with a model that suits your eye just to feel how smooth and solid putting with one of these can be. Bottom line for me is, I’m not a huge fan of blade/Anser style putters but unless Toulons get this Stroke Lab treatment (Portland?) I can’t see anything moving this putter out of my bag!

 

[Alez367]

Give me the marxman and I will be a happy man. This putter with the ERC SOFT ball is . Will not hesitate to kick whatever I had in the bag out, it’s that good.


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[Big SoIL]

I’m generally not one that likes an insert, but I’ll definitely give this one roll at some point. If for no other reason than to check out how the shaft effects the feeling of my stroke.

 

[shanewu]

Odyssey Stroke Lab Putter Thread

Odyssey Stroke Lab Putter Initial Thoughts / Review / Feedback

During the presentation about the new Stroke Lab putters, we learned a little bit about the history of putter design, especially in regards to shaft weight, head weight, grip weight, total weight, and swing weight and how these have trended over time. The smart folks at Odyssey noticed that swing weight has gotten really out of whack due to various trends and the fact that putter shafts haven't really changed, and this motivated them to take a step back and take a new approach. As a result, the Stroke Lab concept was born, which includes specific head weights, a multi-material graphite / steel shaft that is lighter than traditional shafts, and specific grip weights -- all of these designed to work together to create a specific swing weight / balance for the putter. What they told us about swing weights and what they decided to do about it makes a ton of sense, and it legitimately seems like it could help golfers putt better by improving their tempo.

The Stroke Lab putters sport a black / yellow / silver / white color combination which actually looks really great in my opinion. They also feature the White Hot Microhinge (WHM) insert, which was first introduced with the EXO line of putters. Everything about these putters screams quality, class and innovation.

During my putter fitting, I started with the Number One, which is a typical looking plumber's neck blade. The results suggested more toe hang would help, so I switched to a Number Three, which is a flow neck blade. This is the putter I ended up with and will be reviewing.

Because we use the putter more than any other club during a round of golf, this might be the most exciting change in my bag. There is no doubt a lot of room for improvement in all areas of my game, but improved accuracy and consistency with putting could be huge. When it comes to putting, I can be pretty streaky, but I average around 32 putts per round. My lowest recorded number of putts in the last few years is 27, and I've already matched that with the Stroke Lab Number Three. Saying this putter has me excited is an understatement.

Coming from an O-Works #1, I was already very familiar with the Microhinge insert. I love the roll that both Microhinge inserts imparts on the ball. There are times where I feel I get a couple more rolls than I expected, which is almost always to my benefit. Most of you probably already know the WHM insert was designed to be a couple decibels louder than the original Microhinge based on feedback Odyssey received from players. In my experience, there is definitely firmer feedback from the WHM insert, and golfers who dislike Microhinge for being too soft should not assume WHM is the same if they have interest in these new putters (or the EXO line).

This line of putters really could be a game changer for many players, from amateurs to pros.

More info: https://blog.odysseygolf.com/strokelab/

 

[tpluff]

10 heads available 6 mallet 4 blade on the Odyssey website.

Anyone know pricepoints?

I really want/need a Stroke Lab putter.

I didn't even think to go there. Silly me.

I saw what I needed to see. Now just hope they have a solid top line version.