I have always been interested in the ZERO TORQUE or center shafted putter story. In my days at GolfWRX.com, I tested numerous designs that mostly catered to players who preferred the “center shafted” look. The look was there, but the idea to take advantage of the center shafted platform was not 100% cooked. Some tiny details are needed to really make this take flight.
My buddy Eric has always used a center-shafted putter, and when asked about it, he explained this reasoning.
“I have been using a CS putter for the last 5 years. I like the loft that most of them have, which immediately puts my hands in the right position. With that, the club setting is more straightforward. My overall putting stroke has improved with the pendulum motion, not allowing the club to close or stay open at impact. Lastly, it eliminates some of the decision-making process for me.”
That was interesting feedback. Regardless, I left it there as a niche, tested it, wrote my thoughts, and moved on. Curiosity still there but not enough to go much deeper. I had a weird experience in testing that you’ll read about below.
Now, we are on to a new day.
” I think we have a real advantage over competitors with Square 2 Square. Ai-One and Stroke Lab are legitimate technologies that help players putt more consistently, and our manufacturing advantages allow us to sell these for significantly lower prices than our competitors. All the tech without the hefty price tag. What’s not to love?”
Eric Stubben, Odyssey R&D
Introducing Odyssey Ai-One Square 2 Square
Here’s what you need to know:
Via Odyssey
Ai-One Insert
Designed using Artificial Intelligence, we’ve created contours on the
Aluminum backer of the insert, which we co-mold to a White Hot
Urethane striking surface to promote consistent ball speed across the
face with the classic White Hot feel that Tour players and amateurs love.
Modern Center Shafted Design and Built in Forward Press
This design centers the shaft on the CG plane of the putter. This results
in putters that rest with the toe up in a reverse torque position, opposite
of a traditional putter with toe hang. This design promotes a square face
throughout the stroke.
3.3° of forward shaft lean presets the hands in a forward press position
eliminating the opening of the face that often happens when the golfer
forward press on their own.
Standard, Cruiser, and Broomstick configurations
There will be Square 2 Square putters in Standard, Cruiser, and
Broomstick configurations for the three most popular putting techniques.
SL 90/140 and 180 Shafts
Different shafts for different configurations provide the proper weight
and balance to complement the different head weights and lengths that
are offered.
Unique Navy Blue PVD Finish
This line features a beautiful navy blue PVD finish that really sets the
apart and gives them a premium look and of course, the Jailbird models
come with our classic Versa alignment.
Odyssey Oversized and Overlength Grips
The standard length versions in this line get our Oversize grip, the
Cruisers get our oversized 17” grip, and the Broomstick gets our two-piece
Broomstick grip.
ZERO TORQUE
“Zero torque is one of the hottest trends in putting. There are lots
of options, but only Odyssey can perfect it with Tour-proven shapes
and an Ai-ONE insert for more consistent ball speeds across the
entire face, all from the #1 Putter in Golf.”
Torque or its mitigation is HUGE for all putters. The ability to square up the face consistently, regardless of your path, has been a critical element in every design. That’s why CG and hosel configuration has become so important in fitting. For example, a crank hosel is excellent for players with an open door or a closed door path. WHY? It promotes toe release. Our S neck cranks this up a notch even further. Our Double Bend lends itself to players who want a more square path with minimal toe swing. Have you ever used a putter that you hit out of the middle a bunch but can’t get it on-line? Your hosel setup causes a lot of that.
With Square to Square and its ZERO TORQUE technology, the putter will instinctively want to make its way down the path regardless of your path. It’s like a governor on a golf cart; the user can do what they want, but ultimately, the cart will stay within the efficiency limits.
Self-correcting? Well….sort of.
This is what Eric Stubben from Odyssey R&D had to say…
“Both on Tour and in the market, this “Zero Torque” style of putter was one of the hottest trends over the past 18 months. We’ve dabbled in the category before, both with Backstryke and with Toe Up, but we wanted to re-introduce this style of putter more elegantly, with the shaft going straight into the head – we feel it’s more palatable for players to look at and putt with. Marrying this trend with our Ai-One technology and top-played shapes on Tour, we have a solid lineup with Square 2 Square.”
Odyssey Alignment Technology
Shapes
DOUBLE WIDE: The players coming from a traditional blade that prefer a blade look over a mallet.
JAILBIRD: Stable mallet design that caught fire (again) on TOUR and all over the consumer market. VERY STABLE.
SEVEN: The Tour favorite and now iconic shape. Sleek mallet design that’s easy to line up and offers an in-between stability platform between Double Wide and Jailbird.
Tour Validation
So far, the feedback and curiosity have been quite substantial; we launched them in earnest at The Shriners in Vegas with all available models available to TOUR. The biggest thing was the new shaft insertion, which went from a welded design to a shaft directly into the head with some lean to help players square it up more easily.
“Zero Torque style of putters has quickly become one of the hottest new trends on Tour. Through listening to our players’ feedback, we could apply this style of balance into three head shapes trusted by so many on Tour. The early feedback on S2S has been extremely positive, and having a proven shape that players know performs, paired with the feel and consistency of the Ai White Hot insert, has led to several #7 and Jailbird S2S models already going into play on the PGA Tour. We are excited about the momentum and player testing we’ve seen on Tour the last few weeks with the S2S lineup.”
-Cody Hale, Odyssey PGA Tour Rep
Players liked three main things even with the stark contrast in appearance vs. a traditional design OR the competition.
- Alignment: It is much easier to line these up square to the line, as the design demands that your setup be locked in from the start. If you are not locked in correctly, the blade putter will appear to have too much loft, which in turn requires a reaction during the stroke to control dynamic loft. Anytime you can eliminate variables is huge on TOUR.
- Odyssey Technology: See above
- Shapes they know: Although the competition is utilizing a similar idea (which is popular, make no mistake) on TOUR, we ask our TOUR staff to concede less in terms of look, which, again, is a variable eliminated.
AJGA player of the year Blades Brown has been in a center shafted model for years, and this is what he had to say…
“A Center shaft putter works for me because it’s so simple. Almost robot-like. It simplifies everything in my head while over a putt.
I’ve had a center-shafted putter for pretty much all my life.”
As you can see with the Blades model, the shaft is inserted at the top line, which makes it perform more like a traditional putter without the shaft leaning.
The main tester in 2024 was Akshay Bhatia, who investigated a few variations. In his case, it’s face rotation that he tends to focus on. As a broomstick player, head stability in harmony with the path is paramount. He already had a huge uptick in SG putting this year with his Jailbird, but he’s also not one to ever leave meat on the table. He’ll do it if there’s a chance to get even 1% better.
My Opinion and what this all means for you
I have a weird experience with CS putters; I remember doing a review on one for WRX, and in my first on-course test, I had the best-putting round of my life and shot 66 on a tough track. At the time (and today), it was the lowest score I had ever carded. Golf was easy. The next day, I couldn’t hit the hole from 2 feet and shot 13 strokes worse. That was a short-lived relationship.
However, square to Square is a different animal than just a CS piece. The shaft lean and set-up demands allow the player to eliminate so much room for chaos that even someone as random as me can lock this thing in 90% of the time. That’s a big deal. I’m sure you heard me nauseam utter, “Raise your floor.” The biggest part of doing that is eliminating the extraneous BS we live with on the golf course. On the greens, it’s always gonna come down to set-up and alignment.
You can be a good putter with a poor stroke if your alignment and set-up are consistent, but it’s almost impossible to succeed if you have a good stroke but can’t aim or set up square. There is more to Square 2 Square than just set-up and alignment; just that alone should pique your interest.
I believe this idea will become the go-to thing in 2025 for TOUR and Big Box. The performance is just too hard to ignore…sounds like I need to revisit this whole center-shafted thing:)
These hit the stores on 11/29
Happy Hunting
LFG
JDub
Pics from the TOUR (Shriners Week) that bottom #7 was the pick of Mr. Curry:)
