Two decades after its first appearance, a legend has returned.

Throughout the ages and across all industries we are constantly met with ingenious design, a design that sometimes is so good that they manage to stand the test of time. Think Porsche headlights, Converse all-stars or even a Rolex Submariner.

In golf, if you think putters, you think odyssey and if you think odyssey putters you think ‘White hot’. It’s as simple as that.

The ‘White Hot’ range has been trusted wand across the globe by both amateurs and pro golfers on tour and now 20 years later, the ‘White Hot’ range is back with a facelift in the form of the ‘White Hot OG’.

History of the White Hot

Since its inception in the year 2000, the Odyssey White Hot range has been adored by golfers of all playing ability. The best designs usually come in the form of starting with a problem and looking for a way to solve it, In Odyssey, The Callaway owned company went on to do just that.

During the late ’90s, Callaway was going from strength to strength as a brand and on the golfing circuit with notable products like the ‘Big Bertha’ and from a recruitment process, they were bringing in the best minds to aid their R&D.

With the help of Billiard designer Richard C Helmsetter (Who went on to become Callaway VP) and engineers from Du Pont and Boeing, Callaway golf went on to sink $170m into more R&D and they went on to design and manufacture the ‘Rule 35 Golf ball’, which according to Callaway at the time was the complete golf ball as it had a balance of control, distance, spin and feel.

 

 

But why is this important to the story?

Well, In 1997 the Odyssey sports group was acquired by Callaway. With some incredible talent in HR and with money at their disposal, Callaway/Odyssey went on to design one of the most iconic products in golf. The White Hot Putter range.

With contact, touch and feel so important in putting stroke, Callaway figured what could feel better than putting a ball than using well, another golf ball?

Using the same Urethrane cover on the Rule 35, an insert was created to go into the putter itself which would go onto change the way putting felt forever. Its soft feel but firm contact made it extremely balanced with its rebound easy to control, which is why it went on to be used by tour players worldwide.

Since the original insert was created, ‘White Hot’ has gone on to create 9 variations of the original with the 9th being the re-release ‘OG’ and in terms of success, the insert has gone on to claim 100 PGA tour wins including 48 majors. Truly astonishing.

“Since I switched to Odyssey, I’ve loved the White Hot insert. It goes into every one of my putters and gives me the confidence I need to make putts when it matters most”. Xander Schauffele

New White Hot OG – Legendary then, Iconic Now.

 

 

As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. So why exactly have Callaway re-released the iconic range of putters and are they any different to their predecessors?

We believe any great product can’t stay still and stagnant forever. There will always be room for nostalgia but in a high-performance sport where wins are decided in high-pressure situations, every centimetre matters.

From an Odyssey perspective, the relaunch of the product was only done because they listened. They listened to their customers, tour pros and their staff.

There could be no compromise on the original, the putter had to be improved only where it could no matter how subtle the changes, Odyssey were not trying to re-imagine the wheel when it came to this release, there is too much riding on it and the loyalty runs deep.

So what exactly has changed if anything in the new White Hot range?

Well, in short, nothing much has changed from a design perspective on the whole range of White Hot.

The 2-part Urethane white hot insert remains the same and in terms of the shapes of the putters, they too remain unchanged. The main differences come in the form of cosmetic design, shafts and grips.

On the surface of the new putters, you’ll find they’re finished in a premium silver PVD finish and if you look even closer you’ll find fine milling on the putter face which blends both the best of the old with the technology of the new really bringing the putter into the ages.

The new Grey DFX also adds an extra layer of comfort and feel for the putter and compliments.

One of the final differences we find in the range of the new White Hot range is the ability to customise your putter in the form of weight kits. Whilst these are now commonplace on most putters in the market,  these weren’t available on the originals 20 years ago and will no doubt be a useful addition to have.

Strokelab Shaft

The new Stroke lab shaft is a premium add-on to the standard stepless shaft you’ll get as standard. The lighter and stiffer shaft is said to promote your feel for the putter head, aid your putting stroke and giving you great connection through the putter from top to bottom.

 

The Full White Hot OG Range

There are 8 different types of putters in the new White Hot range including the iconic 2-ball and the #1. All putters are available in stepless chrome steel shaft or the new Stroke Lab shaft.

• #1
• #1WS
• 2-ball
• Rossie
• Rossie S
• #5
• #7
• #7s

 

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The Odyssey White Hot OG – 2-ball

 

 

The most iconic putter in golf is back and from the whole range of new White Hot, it’s no secret that the 2-ball will be the most sought after putter from the range from the golfing community as a whole.

When we first heard the 2-ball was making a return, we knew it was something we needed to see and take for a test drive.

Design

Given that we were already big fans of the original 2-ball, the news that there would be very subtle changes to the new OG was met with nothing but relief.

8 versions later, the 2-ball is back to the way the artists truly intended it to be and everything that should be changed has been.

The 2-ball now has a modern facelift but keeps its original design. It’s at address when the nostalgia really starts to kick in and you’re looking down at the iconic dual ball design.

We really liked the big bold OG typeface on the bottom of the putter itself and were extremely pleased with the weight kit addition, something we’ll definitely be toying around with in the future.

To support the big bold OG typeface and the bold red colours on the new premium tumbled leather headcover is that beautiful candy red ‘Stroke Lab’ shaft. It really makes the putter pop.

The new DFX grip really works in harmony with the red accents with its cool grey finish and it feels extremely comfortable in the hand. Whilst some may prefer a fatter grip we felt very connected to the putter through this new grip giving your thumbs a really natural feeling resting point.

Performance

Moving over from one putter shape to another is never an easy transition and it was the same for us having used a blade for so long to then trying a mallet.

Fortunately for us, the 2-ball is one of the easiest mallets to use on the market with one of the simplest and innovative alignment tools.

It wasn’t long before we got used to it and started to manage the touch of the ‘White Hot’ insert.

Distance control was extremely easy to pick up regardless of the putting surface and we were managing to turn cut our 3 putts down into 2 by around 50%.

Anything for 5 foot in gives you a real sense of confidence of following an invisible line with the 2-ball and we found our takeaway a lot easier to control given the lightness of the new shaft.

The ‘Stroke Lab’ shaft almost feels as though it’s not there and you feel even more connected to the putter head.

We didn’t get to test the putter with new weights but it’s definitely something we’ll be trying out to see if we can increase accuracy and consistency even further.

Verdict

It’s extremely hard not to love the Odyssey 2-ball putter if you’ve used one before and there is a reason why it’s been given the legendary status it has.

We’d say the updates to this putter are enough to sway anyone using the old version and definitely something any new punter should look into or at least try if they’re in the market for a new wand.

For us, the magic of the 2-ball is far from its expiration date and the new OG version will no doubt solidify its space in Golf history even further.

 

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