Odyssey Stroke Lab Putter
Odyssey has introduced a line of putters that’s designed to make the putting stroke more consistent. In a world where most technology and design is being centered around improving alignment and roll, Odyssey decided to go after the stroke itself. Their solution is the new Odyssey Stroke Lab putter line. The premise is that the weight distribution has been massively overhauled courtesy of a new multi-material shaft, heavier weights in the head, and special weighting around the grip. At the time of publishing this review, Stroke Lab putters are available in ten different head shapes. As pictured, we tested this technology with popular #7 head shape.
The Looks
Odyssey has stuck with a multi-color theme for the Stroke Lab line. I wouldn’t quite put the color schemes in the Versa category, but the silver and black still creates a contrasting look. As mentioned before, the Odyssey Stroke Lab lineup comes in ten different head shapes. Six of those are blades and four are mallets. Many of these shapes, however, have different neck/hosel configurations to allow for different looks and toe hang.
Worth pointing out is the new shaft Odyssey is using for their Stroke Lab putters. It’s a combination of steel on the bottom half and graphite on the upper half. There are performance reasons for this, but we’ll cover this later. The shaft makes for an interesting look and I’d be lying if I didn’t say you can’t help but feel intrigued just by taking a quick glance at it.
How Does it Feel?
There are really two significant areas to discuss when it comes to feel for the Odyssey Stroke Lab putters. Let’s start with the how the ball feels off the face. The White Hot insert is notorious for being very soft and muted. Combine this with the Microhinge and you get a very responsive, soft, and pure-feeling strike of the golf ball. The ball comes off the face with very smooth feedback.
Now let’s talk about the meat and potatoes of the Odyssey Stroke Lab putters. The whole concept is that these putters are designed to have a totally different weight distribution for better balance. First, Odyssey added 10 grams of weight to the head with two heavier sole weights. Second, they used a new 65 gram grip and popped a 40 gram weight in the shaft underneath the grip. This totaled 30 more grams at the butt end of the putter. Lastly, Odyssey removed 40 grams of weight in the shaft by using a multi-material shaft which combines steel and graphite. What you’re left with is a putter that’s easier to control and has incredibly smooth feel, especially in the transitions. There are quite a few performance benefits as a result of this design, but we’ll cover those later.
How Does it Sound?
Historically, the Odyssey White Hot insert is known for having a very soft and muted sound. You might even be able to describe the sound as “puffy,” however, I do not find this to be the case with Odyssey Stroke Lab putter. I don’t know if it’s the addition of the Microhinge in the face, but the sound has a touch more click to it. The sound is still very soft and in the “insert family,” but the little bit of added click gives the putter a little more precise feedback. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t confuse the sound for a steel face, but there’s a bit more pop to the tone at impact.
On-Course Performance
Typically in the performance section for putters we spend a lot of time talking about how the ball rolls off the face. In the case of the Odyssey Stroke Lab putters, I’m more interested in the effect of the Stroke Lab technology. I might blow your mind here, but so much of having a good roll off the face of a putter is making a good putting stroke. Groundbreaking, right? Within a few putts with a the Stroke Lab I noticed an immediate difference with how I was “swinging the putter.” My biggest “miss” with the putter in general is that I tend to take it back to far and then decelerate at the ball. Aka bad tempo.
The way Odyssey has balanced the weight throughout the Stroke Lab putter using different components, including the new multi-material shaft, keeps the club smooth and instinctive. I felt like I was able to just let the putter just swing on its own. Don’t get me wrong, you have to keep a good path and the appropriate stroke length, but the balance seems to control the rhythm of the stroke rather than making you focus on your tempo. You know what that means? Better roll off the face of the putter. These smoother-tempo strokes resulted in very clean and tight end-over-end rolls on their line.
Final Thoughts
I genuinely think the Odyssey Stroke Lab is onto something here. While the general principle isn’t exactly new, Odyssey got the combination right and the putters are pretty impressive. One thing I really want to stress is that Stroke Lab is not a magic bullet, and that’s totally fair. You still have to maintain good mechanics and have a the appropriate head shape for your stroke. While your tempo may greatly improve with Stroke Lab, you need a putter head that you can line up and and keep square to your target at impact. Make sure you do thorough testing when selecting the right Stroke Lab putter for you. If you do, you’re in store for one of the best Odyssey putters to date.
