Odyssey White Hot XG 2-Ball Putter - Review

In honor of Masters week (arguably the best week in sports, definitely the most prestigious), a review of a piece of golf equipment seems appropriate. Odyssey, who is owned by Callaway Golf, generally is incapable of producing a poor product. So instead of a strict product review, this post might lean more towards the pros and cons of using a mallet style putter versus a more traditional blade. The putter featured here was revolutionary when it debuted, and has given me (with my putting style) the best chance to make putts consistently.

When selecting a putter, there are tons of small factors that go into this decision, like how the putter lines up to your eyes, the weight, the grip, the shaft length, how the putter rests on the ground at address, etc. It's also extremely difficult to pick a putter based on how well you do on the little practice green inside your local sporting goods store. If you have a place in your town where you can demo clubs, it would absolutely behoove you to head out and select some putters from all different styles and see what suits your game the best.

When I selected this putter for myself, I really loved the two ball design, as well as the other advantages of the full mallet style. I consistently hit more putts on the center of the putting face, because lining up my golf ball with the two balls on the putter was very easy for my eyes to do. I also found that the heavier bottom weight helped keep the putter in line during the stroke, because my hands tend to get pretty wild.

Advantages: The Odyssey White Hot XG 2-Ball Putter is not a widely used putter on the tour, but some golfers like YE Yang and Padraig Harrington have used it and had great success. If you have trouble seeing the middle of a blade style putter, and lining up your golf ball appropriately on the face of the putter, the Odyssey 2-Ball is probably a great option for you. It's perfectly weighted and balanced, the stock grip is firm enough without sacrificing feel, the two ball system allows for great alignment.

Disadvantages: Not all people will naturally perform well with a mallet putter versus a more traditional blade putter. The blade offers much better feel, and generally offers better speed control, especially early. The mallet style can be more difficult to learn and get good with. The Odyssey 2-Ball is hard to judge speed with, because of its weight.

Verdict: Once you've decided a mallet style putter is better for you, definitely give the two ball design by Odyssey a hard look. They have been about the best mallet putters on tour for the last 10 years.

-PH