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Odyssey 2022 White Hot OG and Toulon Design Putters
Today, we get our first look at the 2022 Odyssey White Hot OG and Toulon Design putters. Actually, that’s only half of our Odyssey story today. I also have the scoop on the new Odyssey Eleven putter and the potentially game-changing Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K line.
But don’t jump over there just yet. We have a bunch of Odyssey putters to cover right here first. 2022 looks to be a big year for Odyssey. If 2022 is anything like 2021 was for them, “big” should probably be replaced with “huge” or “all-time.” From the tours to the shops, Odyssey smashed 2021.
Let’s take a quick look at last year before we jump into what Odyssey has in store in 2022.
Odyssey Putters, #1 in everything
As I said, before we dive into what is new for Odyssey in 2022, it’s worth revisiting 2021. As you can see from the graphic above, Odyssey continued to dominate all professional tours. I do mean all tours. Sure, Jon Rahm using a White Hot OG Rossie S to continue his winning ways was a highlight but his success was not an outlier for Odyssey users. Odyssey staffers and non-staffers made a bunch of money with Odyssey putters in 2021.
Speaking of money, 2021 was a big sales year for Odyssey. How big, you ask? How about second-best year-ever big? The only year where Odyssey sold more putters was when the 2-Ball was released. That year, nearly 60 percent of all putters sold were Odyssey 2-balls. Think about that with any other consumer product. What would the roads look like if 60 percent of cars sold were VW Beetles?
With the pandemic-driven golfing boom, Odyssey sales in 2021 got close enough to that 2-Ball number to initiate discussions about potentially eclipsing that decades-old record. It’s even more amazing when you consider that Odyssey got hit by supply-chain issues like all other global manufacturers.
By any measure, 2021 was a phenomenal year for Odyssey. In fact, the only downside from 2021 is that it set a giant expectation for 2022. This means that the orchestration of operations at Odyssey needs to be stellar to eclipse their own 2021 success.
How will they achieve this goal? It appears their putter plan for 2022 involves something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
2022 Odyssey White Hot OG Putters
Let’s get right to a big reason behind Odyssey’s 2021 success, the return of the White Hot insert in the White Hot OG putter line. In 2021, Odyssey gave golfers, both professional and amateur, the insert they had been asking for since it left the marketplace. At the end of the day, consumers wanted White Hot and Odyssey gave it to them. Obviously, that plan paid off.
For 2022, the White Hot OG line gets a bit of a refresh but will run with an “if it ain’t broke” design scheme. Shocking no one, the old faithful 2-Ball with various alignment options will return in 2022. The 2022 line will also borrow the #1, Rossie, Rossie S, #7, and #7S from the 2021 lineup.
Odyssey is offering four new putter heads for 2022 as well. The popular Double Wide is the most familiar model to join the party. There will be three new #7 variants. First, we have the #7CH with a “crank hosel” (aka plumber’s neck). This model is similar to what Xander Schauffele uses. Second, the new 7 Bird is the lovechild of the #7 and Jailbird models.
The most interesting new #7 offshoot is the #7 Nano. The #7 Nano is a smaller-profile #7 with the flow neck of a #9. That neck is going to give the #7 Nano lots of toe-hang, fitting players with strong arcing strokes.
The intended market position for this one is interesting. Rather than courting current #7 players, Odyssey thinks the #7 Nano will be a replacement for people currently playing the #9. I did not see that coming but it makes sense. The flow of the stroke should feel familiar to the #9 player and the #7 design should prove more forgiving. Once Phil has a #7 Nano in his bag, then we will know the putter paradigm has shifted from nine to nano.
2022 Odyssey Putters Feature Red Stroke Lab Shafts
The Stroke Lab shaft continues in the 2022 lines. Though steel shaft options are available, Odyssey believes that Stroke Lab shaft will continue to be popular with professionals and amateurs.
We’ve covered the Stroke Lab shaft design a couple of times but here is the gist. The Stroke Lab shaft’s design removes weight from the shaft, allowing that weight to be placed in the grip and head. In some ways, this gives the benefits of counterbalancing without needing a long or overly heavy putter.
For 2022, most of the Odyssey Stroke Lab shafts will be bright red. The play here is brand recognition. Red putter shafts on Tour will stand out as will red shafts in the golf shop. Speaking of golf shops, Odyssey is cautiously optimistic that their supply chain issues are improving. They fully expect there to be lots of Odyssey putters of all models in shops when these hit retail in the beginning of February.
Odyssey White Hot OG – Women’s Version
We’ve covered “old”, “new” and “borrowed” and the 2022 Odyssey White Hot OG Women’s putter line brings us the “blue.” Odyssey understands it’s not just the dudes who have picked up golf during the pandemic. A great number of women have caught the bug as well. Odyssey would love to be their putter of choice.
The main difference between the women’s and men’s/standard line is length. The standard lengths for the women’s OG putters will be 33 and 32 inches. Obviously, Odyssey is targeting the middle of the height bell curve here. Some women will need a longer putter, just like some men will need a shorter one.
Regardless, I’ll exclusively be referring to these as Odyssey White Hot OG Shorty Series. It works on multiple levels. The reimagined name better says what they are (short putters) and the intended-gender slang fits with the OG moniker. Royalty checks can be sent to my home address, Mr. Toulon.
Getting back to the blue. The Shorty Series features unique aesthetics. These putters will have blue headcovers and a sweet looking white pearl version of the Stroke Lab shaft. No word yet if the three putters in the line can be ordered with longer shafts.
2022 Toulon Design Putters
Odyssey’s fully milled Toulon Design line gets an overhaul in 2022. Like the White Hot OG line, the 2022 Toulon Design line will feature new models, along with player favorites. You’ll see that this is an overhaul, not a tweaking. Design changes in the line are significant, even if the end result has a subtle sensibility.
Refined Favorites and New Models
Toulon fans will welcome the return of their favorite models. The Atlanta, Memphis, Las Vegas, San Diego and Madison will all be back in 2022. Though we have seen these models before, these returnees all feature design tweaks and tugs. You’ll recognize the heads but Toulon is not just rolling out the exact same heads.
Two new mallets join the team this year as well. The Daytona Beach and Le Mans mallets are both pretty “out there” designs. Out there but effective. Danny Willet won in Europe the first week that he dropped a Daytona Beach in the bag.
Refined Toulon Design Tech
At first glance, you may not realize the putting tech in the new Toulon Putters has changed. The face still has a diamond-milling pattern but the design has changed so that horizontal lines now bisect the diamonds along the length of the face. The face is also fly milled across the surface to add texture. If you run your finger up the face, you’ll feel the increased friction that your ball will feel.
The weight scheme in the 2022 Odyssey Toulon Design putters has changed as well. Previous Toulon Design putters used variable sole plates to adjust the weight. This time around, the weights are found in the front corners of the putter. This change fits into the new design pathway that Odyssey is implementing in their new Eleven and Tri-Hot 5K lines. I’ll get into that more in the other Odyssey article covering those putters. Short story is that moving the weight to the front corners improves moment of inertia (MOI) and moves the center of gravity (CG) forward.
Simplified Yet Solid Aesthetics
Compared to previous models, the aesthetics of the 2022 Toulon Design putters are very minimalistic. Losing the sole plate helps this greatly. Now the center of the sole of the putter shows just the Toulon Design logo and little else. The model’s name is there but no longer will you find a model graphic.
These putters are simple, clean and spectacular looking. Sure, that’s a subjective statement but I feel it is true.
These putters get out of their own way, letting the shapes and shadows speak more than the engravings. Some of you may remember how I harped on Scotty Cameron for wrecking the visuals by adding words above the cavity in the Special Select line. These Toulon Design putters provide context for what I was upset about with the Cameron line. Less is more. Why yell when a whisper is sufficient?
I’ll fight anyone who says these are not the best-looking versions. I said “damn” out loud when I took the headcover off the Madison. No lie. I’ve disrobed many a putter in my days and the number of damns is damned few.
2022 Odyssey Putters: Still More To Come
The White Hot OG putter line was a huge success for Odyssey. There is no reason the 2022 Odyssey Golf putters shouldn’t continue that success. The updated line features the consumer favorites and a handful of new models to attract the curious. This line hits the sweet spot for White Hot insert nostalgia coupled with performance-improving Stroke Lab technology.
The only reason the White Hot OG line could see a dip in 2022 is that so many people bought one in 2021. New models and the Shorty Series (or women’s line, if you prefer) could help to drive new sales. Undoubtedly, we will be seeing a bunch of red Odyssey shafts on TV and on courses in 2022.
The Toulon Design putters should put some real pressure on the milled putter marketplace. No, they won’t outsell Scotty but they may sell enough to be noticed by Mr. Cameron. The 2022 Toulon Design putters look like $449.99 premium putters and their chops on the green ain’t bad, either.
So that’s a whole bunch of Odyssey putters and we are nowhere near done yet. Let’s move onto the second leg of our putter Odyssey.
Why was 2021 such a big year for Odyssey putters?
While you are waiting for the 2022 Odyssey putters to hit your shop, check out these Odyssey 2021 highlights.
Odyssey brings back the White Hot insert
The Odyssey Triple Track 2-Ball wins 2021 Most Wanted Mallet
Odyssey White Hot OG #1 with Stroke Lab shaft wins 2021 Most Wanted Blade
Which Odyssey putter was best overal in 2021?
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