Odyssey’s Toe Up putter line: The putting giant’s latest in innovation.
By Dave Pauley, Director of Club Fitting and Merchandise
At the PGA Merchandise Show in January, Odyssey launched the Toe Up Putter family in two models: #1 (blade) and #9 (half-mallet). It’s an interesting concept with an unconventional feel, and it’s gained the attention of amateurs and touring professionals alike, most notably five-time major champion, Phil Mickelson.
Odyssey has now released the club to the public, so let’s take a look at the world leading putter company’s newest innovation to hit the market.
Face Balance
Odyssey’s new putters are balanced so the toe of the clubhead points up when balanced horizontally. The idea of this design is to reduce torque and minimize twisting in the hands to deliver a truly square and consistent impact. In order to achieve this, Odyssey has aligned the shaft with the center of gravity in the clubface (and slightly toward the toe), which allows the putter to travel straight back and through like a pendulum, without rotation. As a result, this putter may be more beneficial to players employing a straight back and through putting stroke, rather than a slightly arched stoke.
Laser-Milled Clubface
Like many of Odyssey’s newest putters, the Toe Up family comes standard with the company’s patented laser-milled Metal-X clubface. The face is fly-cut to make the flattest impact zone possible. This allows Odyssey’s engineers to further pinpoint face’s the center of gravity, providing a more precise balance point. The laser-etched oval pattern adds friction to promote a pure and smooth roll every time.
High-Definition Alignment
The Toe Up family uses a white three-line alignment system on a charcoal-colored clubhead. Along with these vibrant lines, the slight onset of the shaft takes away any visual interference when standing over the ball at address. The addition, the Superstroke Flatso grip guides the player’s vision down a flat plane through the shaft to a perfectly-aligned golf ball.
Next-Generation Grips
Odyssey teamed up with Superstroke for the introduction of the Toe Up series. These putters come standard with Superstroke’s Flatso 1.0 Countercore grip (although players can customize with up to seven versions and sizes of the Flatso). This grip helps eliminate the hands and wrists by strategically adding weight to employ the larger muscles in the shoulders and back, which furthers the cause to create a smooth, pendular stroke. A larger and non-tapered grip, according to Superstroke, distributes grip pressure evenly.
Unconventional, but it works
Odyssey has introduced a completely new feel to the putting game with the Toe Up family. Almost everything (shy of the look of the clubhead) is unconventional about this putter. A slightly onset shaft seems odd at first address, and the weighting and feel of the club is unlike any putter you’ve held. But, like with most new things, a little time with the Toe Up putter goes a long 
way. After a few putts, Odyssey and Superstroke’s design goals are instantly apparent. The alignment system falls into place once your eyes adjust, and the foreign weighting of the club soon starts to feel comfortable. Odyssey has nailed their main goal with this putter, which is to eliminate the twisting of the hands and wrists throughout the stroke. Roll a few and you’ll immediately notice the difference.
This is ideal for …
Players who struggle with squaring the putter through the stroke, particularly at impact. While this can be true for both golfers with a “straight-back-straight-through” stroke and an “inside-to-square-to-inside” stroke, Odyssey’s low-torque weighting and Superstroke’s hand-eliminating grips may be more appealing to the players employing the former, a pendular-type putting stroke. If this sounds like you, then the new Odyssey Toe Up putter just might be the next must-have in your bag.