Odyssey’s new StrokeLab putters incorporate a new method of weight distribution which is designed to improve the consistency of a player’s stroke.
The theory behind the design is that most putting strokes vary in pace from shot to shot, yet most putting technologies focus on improving alignment or improving the quality of roll, rather than consistency. StrokeLab putters helps improve the stroke through a change in weight distribution made possible by an new multi-material shaft which is 40g lighter than a standard Odyssey steel shaft putter.
Featuring a graphite body with a steel tip, the shaft weighs just 75g, with most of the mass concentrated in the tip. The weight saved has been moved to the head in the form of two 5g sole weights, and by adding 30g to the grip-end via a 10g-lighter grip and a 40g end-weight.
Tests on the effect of this change in weight placement has seen improvements in the consistency of backswing time, face-angle impact, ball speed, and ball direction when compared to a standard Odyssey #7 putter. Feel for the head becomes more acute, helping the golfer repeat the same stroke.
“You feel the difference immediately,” said Luke Williams, Odyssey’s senior director of putter marketing. “The head moves freely, smoothly, and on a sound path, helping the ball roll accurately while giving greater speed control.”
The Stroke Lab range comprises 10 different heads – six mallets and four blades – all of which feature White Hot Microhinge face insert and a choice of pistol grip or oversize grip. All are priced at £239, with the exception of the R-Ball and 2-Ball Fang models, which are £269.