Callaway was one of the first manufacturers to utilise Artificial Intelligence in its golf club design and since then, other brands have followed suit. Now, for the first time, Odyssey has incorporated it into two new lines of putters. The Ai-One and Ai-One Milled ranges looks set to extend the putter brand's dominance in professional golf while also resonating with amateur golfers thanks to their user-friendly performance traits. With Jon Rahm putting one of the new putters in play before heading into the Ryder Cup in Rome and Sam Burns changing out of the same putter he had been using ever since turning professional, the Odyssey team knew instantly it was onto a winner.
“For me changing is a big deal, but I was given the same head design in the Rossie and I just loved how it looked, I really found that the contrast between the head and the face, helped me square the face up a little quicker through impact,” Jon Rahm said of his new Ai-One Rossie S putter ahead of the Ryder Cup. He paid testament to the new variable face technology too, exclaiming "I can confidently say, I heeled that putt on eighteen against Scottie Scheffler and it found its way down to about six inches.”
Rahm was talking to media at a glitsy launch event alongside Burns and Schauffele in Dallas where Odyssey was unveiling the new high-tech putter ranges to the world. Both the models look premium, but in different ways. The Ai-One range comes finished in a navy blue PVD finish with white accents and really highlights the innovation on display, as opposed to the Ai-One milled range that still features much of the same technology, but comes with rose-gold color accents that really give this putter a sense of prestige. These premium putters, which includes the Ai-One Milled Two T putter, feature a 100 percent milled stainless steel body for the most discerning golfers to appreciate, along with a milled titanium insert.
The Ai-One and Ai-One milled ranges feature cleverly designed inserts that are created through the use of data captured through A.I. The same ‘super computer’ that was used to create Flash Face technology in the likes of the Epic Flash driver and Rogue ST Max driver, has been used to identify how and where golfers were missing the sweet spot on a putter and what was happening when they did.
Much like the technology seen in some of the best fairways and hybrids, variable face technology has now been incorporated into a putter range to allow for maximum forgiveness and consistency of speed and roll when a putt has not been struck out of the middle. The fascinating thing about the Ai-One range in particular, is that this technology and face pattern can actually be viewed through a Panlite window on the rear of the blade or underside of the head depending on which model you have.
While there is no doubt that that tour players hit the center of the face a lot more frequently than amateurs, they still don’t find it every time and that one time they don’t hit that putt out the sweet spot, it could easily lead to a three-putt. In fact, Odyssey has calculated that Jon Rahm lost around $2.5 million during his 2023 season purely down to three-putting - talk about a heavy price to pay.
The Ai-One putter range will feature five models including a blade, double-wide and the popular number 7 model, features a softer polymer insert and will retail at $300 compared to that of the Ai-One Milled range that will come in eight models, feature a firmer metal face and will come to retail at $450.
While both of these models are designed to increase performance on mishits, Odyssey claims that during testing, putts from 32 feet with the Ai-One range finished on average 21 percent closer to the hole on mishits compared to a standard flat faced putter. The high levels of technology within the Ai-One and Ai-One Milled putter range as well as their stunning looks, make these sure to be not only some of the most forgiving putters available, but some of the best putters on the market in general.
Both of the new ranges come equipped with very premium looking and feeling headcovers as well as a soft premium grip. One of the major changes on this product line compared to recent Odyssey putter launches is the move away the Stroke Lab shaft design. While the new Ai-One ranges are said to feature the same concept, the lightweight SL 90 steel shaft has an extra 20-30 grams (depending on the grip) of weight towards the butt end to help with tempo during your stroke. It's a bold change to make considering the Stroke Lab design has been so popular in many of the best Odyssey putters.
Both the Ai-One and Ai-One Milled putters will be available to purchase from the 3rd November.
