To me, there are few things in golf as exhilarating as hitting a big putt. Whether it’s the three foot knee knocker, the sweeping fifteen footer, or even the improbable forty foot double breaker, when you hear that sound of the ball rattling into the heart of the cup, it’s a euphoric feeling unto its own. Not only is it euphoric though, for us golfers it is an addiction, so much of one that golfers at any level will go through putter after putter in the search for “the one” that will change it all.
Enter an old name with a new flame, the Odyssey Metal-X line of putters.
Every golfer young and old know the Odyssey name. Most know that they are “The Number One Putter in Golf”. Some have rather specific thoughts or memories that come to mind when thinking about Odyssey like the names and evolution of inserts or even designs that bring back vivid memories with only the mention of a name or number.
Innovation has always been in Odyssey’s bloodlines and that seemingly continues with the introduction of their new Metal-X line of putters. Steeped in proven tech and taken a step further by even more science they are forging a different category of the insert putter than we golfers have ever seen before.
FROM THE COMPANY:
A Perfect Blend of Friction and Feel…its how we roll.
New Metal-X Putters represent the latest chapter in Odyssey’s long history of game-changing innovations. The Metal-X Insert provides the crisp feedback of a metal striking force, coupled with amazing feel. The unique face pattern generates the truest roll in golf and the ovals on the face develop a mechanical lock with the golf ball’s dimples at impact, creating friction and imparting an incredibly consistent roll for high precision distance control.
Metal-X Insert
Dual layered insert designed to put a consistent, true roll on the ball with amazing feedback and feel. The 6061 aluminum striking layer’s oval depressions maximize the mechanical lock with the golf ball dimples to increase friction and impart proper launch of the golf ball, which in turn creates a much more controlled and consistent roll. The Urethane inner layer provides soft touch and saves weight to optimize performance.
Midnight Black Finish
Premium, high tech process produces a durable, glare reduction finish. This finish was added specifically based on feedback gathered from Tour players.
Lamkin 3Gen Pistol Grip
Thin, smaller pistol shape appeals to better players. The grip is made of Lamkin’s proprietary 3GEN material, which is their softest synthetic rubber compound and reduces vibration without dulling the feel of the putt. This allows golfers to keep their forearms relaxed, apply very light grip pressure and minimize hard tension for smooth, consistent strokes.
Our Promise For The Metal-X Putter
An Odyssey Putter is a promise made. Sure, we design each of our putters to help you slay more demons and sink more putts. But we also design them to withstand any kind of punishment you can dish out and we back them up with an Odyssey assurance of quality. We rarely see a putter returned, but if you find a defect within a two-year period, we’ll repair it or replace it. No questions asked. And that’s a promise kept.
TECHNICAL INFO:
As is with Odyssey tradition, the new Metal-X series has been released in a variety of styles, shapes, as well as weights. The designs include not only old favorites but their take on a classic design or two. All putters within the Metal-X line come with standard 3-Degree loft in order to provide the proper attack angle into the ball for the insert to fully take advantage of the “mechanical lock” attribute.
According to the Odyssey website their available putters within the line consist of:
Metal-X #1 (Standard and Belly)
- “Rounded heel-toe weighted blade” with Plumber’s Neck and Full Offset
- 343g (Standard) and 400g (Belly)
- RH Standard and Belly, LH in Standard Only
Metal-X #6 (Standard)
- “Squared off heel-toe weighted blade with wide flange” with Flow Neck and Half Offset
- 343g (Standard)
- RH Only
- Metal-X #7 (Standard, Belly, and Broomstick)
- “Modified mallet with weighted alignment wings” with Double Bend and Full Offset
- 343g (Standard), 400g (Belly), and 450g (Broomstick)
- RH Standard, Belly, and Broomstick, LH in Standard Only
Metal-X #8 (Standard)
- “Classic heel-shafted blade” with Slant/Flow Neck and Half Offset
- 335g (Standard)
- RH and LH
Metal-X #9 (Standard)
- “Toe-weighted, heel-shafted, flanged blade” with Long-Hosel/Heel-Shaft and Half Offset
- 343g (Standard)
- RH and LH
Metal-X 2-Ball (Standard)
- “Extended mallet head” with Double Bend Shaft and Full Offset
- 350g (Standard)
- RH and LH
Metal-X Rossie (Standard)
- “Face-balanced mallet” with Double Bend Shaft and Full Offset
- 343g (Standard)
- RH Only
Metal-X D.A.R.T. (Standard, Belly, and Broomstick)
- “Perimeter-weighted mallet with D.A.R.T. alignment” with Double Bend and Full Offset
- Adjustable Weight (Standard), 400g (Belly), and 450g (Broomstick)
- RH and LH in Standard, Belly, and Broomstick
The Metal-X #6
For the purpose of this review my focus is on the #6 of the Metal-X line. This particular #6 plays at 35” and comes in at the standard 343g head weight.
LOOKS
The #6 is an intriguing one because it is really something of an anomaly amongst the major putter companies today. It’s a throwback design different than the “traditional” blades that we see so often. To me the #6 shows that you can bring a classic style into the current fold of crazy shapes as well as old favorites and have it fit right in.
I say the #6 is an “anomaly” for a major OEM like Odyssey because of two major things. First is the wider flange it possesses, it’s not something that you typically see amongst manufacturer’s like this in the way that the added width gives it a much more square look. That look places it directly in between the typical blade and mid-mallet sizes we see today. Second, the # 6 is sporting a flow-neck (Odyssey refers to it as a “slant” neck), something we don’t see very often in a market flooded with plumber’s necks, center shafts, double bends, and the like.
As far as looks go, the pictures really speak for themselves, but in hand the putter honestly looks even better. Out the gates I was a big fan of the black, red, and silver Velcro blade head cover and honestly feel it may be the best looking putter cover from any major OEM out there. The grip is a Lamkin 3-Gen following a similar color scheme to the rest of the putter head with colors of black, grey, and red.
I’ll openly admit that I’m personally a big fan of black putters and naturally lean that direction, but I particularly think that the choice of using black for the finish was a great one in my opinion. The finish sits in stark contrast to the silver of the Metal-X insert. Not only does the finish look better to me compared to the historical Odyssey silver and even bronze like finishes, it maintains a nice low glare in the sun thanks to the texture not being a high-polish. Add to that Odyssey nailed the paint fill choices with a simple red and white scheme proving there is no need to get crazy and take away from the natural lines and look of the putter.
The biggest and most obvious standout in the “looks” category though is the Metal-X insert. I’ve seen a lot of inserts over the years with different colors and textures but this one is unlike any other I’ve seen or touched. Odyssey’s goal for the face of the insert was to have as many “edges” as possible to create a substantial amount of friction (referred to by them as “mechanical lock”) to impart a quick and tight roll on the ball. The tricky part though with science is to make it look good as well. They succeeded there. The milling of the insert is one you can’t help but run your finger across when holding the putter in hand and when you do all of the science starts to make sense without even rolling a putt.
Putters in the Metal-X line come with three degree’s of loft because of the insert and the friction with the ball it creates. This loft was found best to take full advantage of the insert tech and to create instant forward roll. The loft of the face combined with the contrasting colors of the insert and head did cause me to be able to see the actual face of the putter at address. At first this was a major distraction for me at but over time it ended up more of a benefit after getting out on the course. After course time I actually began to use it as an additional alignment aid almost like the “T-line” that has been used on the top-line of many other putter models. I will say though, I could see this serving as a visual distraction for some.
Overall I genuinely feel that the #6 has certainly got a well rounded set of credentials as far as the looks department goes.
FEEDBACK
There is one absolute when it comes to putters, feel is subjective and everyone has a different version of it and that is the way it should be since we are all different. Rather than commenting on variances like “feel” on their own, I think breaking it all down into the category of “feedback” is a better rounded approach.
I will openly admit that I have never been an Odyssey insert fan or a fan of inserts in general. I’ve tried them at the urgings of others repeatedly and they just were not for me. The dislike however was never because of the roll of the ball, in fact, I absolutely love the roll I got off of every Odyssey insert I have tried. What got me was actually the sound, or lack thereof. Most inserts “feel” great to me as far as vibration feedback, but for me sound is the key. It turns out though I’m not alone in that fact and the idea for this particular insert actually came from players wanting that metallic “click” as well as the performance of an insert.
Enter the Metal-X and its dual insert, an aluminum face backed by a urethane polymer to give physical feedback to the hands and audible feedback to the ears. If you have ever rolled a milled putter you know the meaning of an audible feedback, it’s that “click” that you get when the putter face strikes the ball. With an insert you typically get a much duller almost “thud” like noise off of the face. Simply put, as a long time milled putter user because of that sound, the Metal-X insert delivers that same satisfaction to me. Upon contact with the ball you are instantly given not only good feedback to the hands but also a very crisp audible “click”. I will even go one step further and say that I actually like the sound a bit more than many milled putters I have used over the years. I also found in using the #6 you still get feedback across the face like a milled putter except it is with an insert. Essentially, each stroke of the ball with the Metal-X #6 gives the feedback to tell whether or not I caught it in the middle of the insert or off-center. Such feedback is invaluable in my opinion and something I have never experienced from another insert by any company.
PERFORMANCE
As straight forward as I can be, the Metal-X #6 is an eye opener for me. The principal of the face with its mechanical lock due to its multiple edges works and it works well. As a matter of fact, it works for me on the course, the putting green, the carpet of the living room, and even on the hardwood floors of my kitchen. The insert does what Odyssey says it is supposed to, immediate forward action with a tight roll and no skidding or hopping. The ball seemingly hits the ground rolling the same time every time, all it takes is smooth and steady stroke. Because of the quick roll what I noticed the most on course was how well the ball would hold its line incredibly true and coupled with the urethane polymer backing I got extremely nice distance control as well.
I will say however, if there is one area that to me could be vastly improved with the Metal-X #6 performance wise, it is the grip. One of the things I always traditionally liked about the Odyssey’s I tried over the years was that despite not caring for the inserts, I was always quite fond of the grip. I genuinely believe the older Winn style putter grips are vastly superior to the Lamkin 3-Gens on the current line. I’m sure the thought was that the 3-Gen would allow for more feedback to the hands, for me though it was much too slick and led to me catching myself practically trying to strangle the putter. I do however feel that realism is needed here since a grip is an easy change for someone if they feel it necessary. I may not like the stock grip at all as performance goes, but I do believe it really should not take away from the overall package of the #6.
OVERALL
We all know that golf is a game of innovation, we are all living in a golf world full of varied guarantees of more yardage, more feel, and better scores. In the end though it is also a very personal game and because of that we tend to see that while some claims come true, others simply do not. I genuinely believe that Odyssey achieved their goals of an insert that rolls the ball truer and quicker than any other out there and that, to me, is what leads to making more putts. Not only is the Metal-X face spreading like wildfire on the tours, it is also gaining quite a following of average golfers as well.
What I found in the #6 is a putter that not only has tech that works as advertised, but also a revival of a classic design into modern time for the masses. The Metal-X face is a breakthrough in putting and for me has laid waste to my long time arguments about insert putters because of things like sound and general feedback. I truly believe this is one that needs to be rolled at least once by everyone, insert believers and non-believers just the same.
For more information on the #6 and the rest of the Metal-X line please visit the Odyssey website at www.odysseygolf.com.
