Golfing News & Blog Articles
Is The Third Time The Zero-Torque Charm For Odyssey Golf?
You might mistakenly accuse Odyssey of jumping on the zero-torque putter bandwagon. I get why you would make that assumption. Thanks to the success of L.A.B. Golf putters over the past few years, consumer demand for this style of putter is at an all-time high. As a result, multiple companies are designing zero-torque putters this season.
What separates Odyssey from the other companies is that they have previously dabbled in zero-torque putter designs.
Do you remember the 2010 Odyssey Backstryke? That was the putter where the shaft entered at the rear of the head. In 2016, Odyssey released the Toe Up line. As you can likely guess, all of the Toe Up putters had toe-up toe hang and, once again, zero torque. That release was when Odyssey first used the Square to Square tag line for face rotation.
A combination of the two Odyssey designs emerged in 2020 with the Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Toe Up Big Seven Backstryke putter. Not only did that putter have the longest name ever but it was yet another reduced-torque design from Odyssey.
The bottom line is that the Square 2 Square line is not Odyssey’s first zero-torque rodeo. They have been tinkering with zero-torque designs for quite some time and believe that this new design plan is their best yet.
The Square 2 Square story
Many of you are familiar with the Lie Angle Balance/Zero Torque/Square 2 Square design concept. The primary goal is to eliminate putter head rotation during the stroke, keeping the face square to path during the stroke, thus returning square to the target line at impact.
A putter face that is open or closed even a little bit at impact will cause the ball to deviate from the target line. Assuming that you picked a good line and hit it with the correct pace, having the face square at impact means your putt is likely going in the hole.
That’s the real benefit of the design. The putter keeps the face square for you so all you need to worry about is pace and aim.
Like with the Backstryke, Odyssey is again using a novel shaft position to eliminate face rotation. Unlike the Backstryke, the Square 2 Square shaft enters the head at a more central position, near the putter’s center of gravity. This makes the putter balanced around the shaft and that is why it doesn’t rotate one way or the other from its toe-up position during the swing.
This shaft position is far more aesthetically palatable this time around. The S2S putters look significantly more like traditional putters than the Backstryke or Toe Up models.
The Odyssey bonus technologies
While most of the focus will be on the zero-torque nature of these putters, it is important to remember that these are also Ai-ONE putters. That means they also include all of the assistive technologies associated with the Ai-ONE putter line.
Each of the new Odyssey Square 2 Square putters has a supercomputer-designed Ai-ONE insert. This insert normalizes putt distances across the face of the putter, essentially expanding the sweet spot.
Yes, this means the putter helps you return square to the ball and also helps you to roll the ball the intended distance, even on mishits.
The Square 2 Square putters are high-MOI designs with the elongated blade shape of the Double Wide scoring the highest MOI value of 6,108. The other two models are right around the 5K MOI mark. You may remember that Odyssey released a whole line of putters with MOI scores of 5K or higher, stating that this was the MOI sweet spot for reducing rotation and improving forgiveness.
Each Square 2 Square putter will be shafted with Odyssey’s Stroke Lab 90 putter shaft. These lightweight shafts enable the standard-length putters to have a counterbalanced architecture. Odyssey’s data shows this counterbalanced design leads to a more consistent stroke and a better smash factor.
Shocking price
The one feature about the new Square 2 Square line that stopped me in my tracks was the $299 price. These are priced exactly the same as the other Ai-ONE putter models. Odyssey does not see this type of putter as a replacement for traditional designs but rather as another option for golfers with certain putting needs.
Odyssey testing showed the players who benefitted most from the Square to Square design were already typically square at impact or missed to the right due to an open face. Players who typically miss left were not as successful with the Square 2 Square design, likely because they need a putter with more rotation, not less.
As such, they are priced like neck options, not like a new fancy design. The Square 2 Square #7 will cost you the same as the Ai-ONE #7 or an Ai-ONE #7 with a plumber’s neck.
Remember, too, that all of these putters are manufactured to Odyssey’s tight tolerances. The fact that these are $299, not $399 or higher, is astounding and delightful.
Enough generalities Let’s check out the three models.
Odyssey Square 2 Square #7
The Square 2 Square #7 is a standard-length version of last year’s Ai-ONE #7 CS broomstick putter. I think that putter’s popularity pushed along Odyssey’s plan for developing the S2S line.
The Square 2 Square #7 looks a little Backstryke-y. The shaft is rearward of where it would be in a normal center-shafted version of the #7 but not as far back as with the Backstryke.
The most impressive thing about the Square 2 Square #7 is that it doesn’t look that unusual to me. Perhaps my time spent with my L.A.B. Golf DF3 has made me more comfortable looking at a central shaft but I do think Odyssey did a great job of making this #7 look unusual as opposed to odd.
The long targeting lines on the interior edges of the fangs are awesome alignment aids. They help you aim at the target and the S2S build will bring that face back to where you aimed it.
Odyssey Square 2 Square Jailbird
Jailbird-mania has died down a bit. Funny to think that just a year or so ago, the counter-balanced Jailbird Cruiser, first sold 10 years ago, was the hottest Odyssey putter out there. Tip of the cap to Mr. Fowler and Mr. Clark for making that putter so popular.
The Square 2 Square Jailbird may rekindle the Jailbird frenzy. This putter is a standout. The balance is spot-on and it feels very natural when swung. Keep in mind that I have been gaming a DF3 for a while now. The Square 2 Square Jailbird may not feel comfortable at first if you are currently using a traditional putter.
When you try one of these, or any zero-torque putter, make a few strokes with your thumbs off the grip. This will allow you to feel what the putter wants to do, not what you are making it do. You may be surprised at how much you want to manipulate the face during your stroke.
Odyssey Square 2 Square Double Wide
Torque-balanced blades are a rarity. You basically have the L.A.B. Golf Link.1 and a couple of Edel models to choose from. Though it is a big, beefy blade, the Square to Square Double Wide is still a blade at heart.
It fits in a blade headcover so that makes it a blade, right?
As I mentioned, the Double Wide has the highest MOI putter in the cohort. That MOI, along with the rearward hosel position, makes the Double Wide the most anti-twisting of the Square to Square putters.
Like the #7, the Double Wide looks like a traditional center-shafted blade. Obviously, the shaft is attached in the cavity rather than on the top line but it still looks normal.
Folk who have resisted trying zero-torque putters because they look too “out there” may actually give this one a shot. Should you game a Double Wide, your playing partners won’t give you a hard time about putting with an esoteric design.
Final thoughts Odyssey Square 2 Square putters
Odyssey is very excited about their new Square 2 Square putter line and they should be. Not only have they built putters in sync with today’s hottest putter trend but they have also incorporated their new Ai-ONE technologies.
I can see these putters doing very well in the marketplace for a couple of reasons. First, they look like traditional Odyssey putters. Customers looking for classic Odyssey shapes shouldn’t be turned off by the Square 2 Square hosel scheme.
The other reason these will be popular is the $299.99 price. This puts the Square 2 Square putters well below the pricing for L.A.B. Golf, Evnroll and other zero-torque putters. Golfers are more likely to experiment with a $300 putter than with a $500 putter.
Having the trusted Odyssey name on these putters doesn’t hurt, either.
Does this release foretell the demise of the smaller zero-torque putter companies like L.A.B. Golf? Not at all. In fact, I can see a pathway where someone learns about zero-torque putters via the Odyssey Square 2 Square putters and then moves on to L.A.B. Golf when they are looking for something more custom.
Regardless, the release of the Odyssey Square 2 Square line should erase all doubts about the upcoming season being zero-torque putter season.
Find out more about the Odyssey Square 2 Square putters at OdysseyCallawaygolf.com
FAQ: Odyssey Square 2 Square putters
If you know your standard putter specs, you should have enough information to customize your Square 2 Square. I asked Odyssey about the effect of adjusting the lie angle and they said that doing so within reason (+/-2°) will not change the rotation of the putter. Changing out the sole weights will influence the torque, though, so proceed with caution there.
So far there are no high-profile Square 2 Square users but that should change rapidly now that they are officially released. The big question is will Rickie Fowler, who has recently been using a L.A.B. DF3, make the move back to Jailbird when he tries the Square 2 Square version. The suspense is terrible! I hope it will last.
The stock grip is a standard oversized Odyssey putter grip. It does not have any forward press-promoting properties like you would find in a L.A.B. Golf grip.
I, too, found this data interesting. Here is my interpretation of their results. People who push putts to the left are typically striking the ball with a face that they over-rotated closed. In that situation, the putter doesn’t rotate open enough in the backswing to allow it to return square to impact. Since the Square 2 Square putters don’t open and close at all, the left-missing player will continue to manipulate the face closed and miss left. I’d be interested to see if this miss tendency would diminish with use or if that player should just buy something with lots of toe hang.
The post Is The Third Time The Zero-Torque Charm For Odyssey Golf? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
