Let it be known that Odyssey Golf listens. They listen to their Tour staff, their professional staff, sales team, and they listen to us. Why do I lead with this? Because finally, the company is giving us what so many have asked for, the White Hot is back!
That said, in the immortal words of one LL Cool J, “Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years”.
For 2021 Odyssey Golf is officially releasing the White Hot OG lineup of putters, and this putter nerd who has been screaming from the rooftops for years about officially bringing the greatest putter insert of all-time back couldn’t hold back the excitement even if I wanted to.
Let’s dive in.
Legend of the White Hot
Before we get to the White Hot OG line, it is worth diving into just what makes the re-release of this insert such a big deal. Normally, if a company goes back to the well then there will be keyboard warriors and squeaky wheels whining until the cows come home, but the White Hot isn’t just tech, its legend, and from THE #1 putter company on Tour for the last decade that is saying a lot.
I realize writing this, that though some will fondly remember the White Hot and hold it in the same regard as so many of us do, after all Odyssey admits to hearing a desire for this insert to come back for years upon years, others may not have been around to experience the heyday. If that is the case, I bet you have still seen the insert either on a course somewhere or just on TV as over half of the company’s Tour staff uses the White Hot insert retrofitted into their modern putter head-shapes.
The White Hot insert came about when Odyssey’s putter designers were looking for insert materials and had a conversation with Callaway’s golf ball engineers. In that conversation they were lead to the also legendary Rule 35 golf ball and its urethane material. The material itself is a two-part urethane that is firm to the initial touch, but under impact performs much softer and these traits allow it to have better rebound and faster speed compared to other soft feeling options. This is what gives the White Hot insert its legendary feel and roll combo.
For years now, the company has tried to replicate the feel of the White Hot while improving the roll, and to do that they continuously tried to match the hardness as closely as possible, but even as they have accomplished that, something was still off feel and sound wise. Turns out, when they looked at the flex of White Hot compared to their other inserts, though the various designs may have had the same hardness, none of them compared to the White Hot in how it flexes. What does it mean? Basically, that the White Hot was the perfect storm, and though they have designed many inserts since that put a better overall performance roll on the ball, the White Hot remains the be-all for many.
So here we are, 20 years later, and the White Hot is back. Not only is it back, Odyssey wants it made clear, this isn’t a new take on the original, this is the original. The formula, composition, processes, and the way it is cast into sheets and then cut for the models is all the same. It is truly the OG.
Odyssey White Hot OG
While the insert is clearly the star of the show here, Odyssey didn’t want to just throw it into any old head design, nor did they want to miss on the looks. So, they went through their arsenal and selected some of their most popular designs, then they focused in on milling the heads and finishing them with a classic satin silver PVD. With major attention paid to the edge radii of the putters as well as fine milling marks, the company vehemently believes when combined with sole weights, clean graphics, as well as an all-new Stroke Lab (SL) shaft and popular DFX grip in grey, that they will make a lot of golfers incredibly happy.
While the putters will be available with steel shafts for a lower price, the new Stroke Lab is sure to turn some heads. Some of you have spotted a couple on Tour already and the Candy Apple Red upper section is a major departure from the stealthy black of the previous iteration. The new SL has a shorter stepless steel section, is 7 grams lighter, and is a stiffer overall profile which has led to Odyssey’s testing to show 6% more consistent time to impact, 9% more consistent impact location, and a 6% more consistent swing arc.
As for the head shapes, the ever popular #1 and #1 WS (wide sole) make up the blade models alongside the classic #5 SB (single bend) for the mid-mallet option. For mallets, the Rossie with a thinner topline and modernized overall flow is returning in a double bend and slant neck, and naturally their most popular shapes of all time the 2-Ball in double bend, #7 in double bend, and slant neck are also coming to the party.
The Odyssey White Hot OG putters will drop on 1/28/21 and come in at $219.99 for steel and $269.99 with the new Stroke Lab. Do not miss our THP Showcase next week featuring testing of each of these new putters and so much more.
