Odyssey has been producing some of the best putters on the market for some time now but it’s the success Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley have experienced using the Jailbird model that makes it stand out from its comprehensive range. If you like this head design but are looking for even more face stability then you’re in luck thanks to the launch of the Odyssey Square 2 Square range - a stroke balanced collection of putters designed to minimize face rotation.
Putters that don't want to rotate away from square, lie the lie angle balanced L.A.B. Golf DF3 and the zero torque technology found on the PXG Allan putter more recently certainly seem to be the start of something bigger in putter design. They are intended to help golfers start the ball on their intended line more often and it now looks like Odyssey has joined the party with its unique approach to the principle.
Credit where it’s due, Odyssey has done a great job with the Square 2 Square Jailbird design. It hasn't strayed too far from the original head design but managed to build it in a way that incorporates a 'stroke balanced' design. I really like the Versa-style colouring on these putters and found the blocks of highly contrasting colors in black and white extremely helpful when setting my putter face square to target at address.
The modern centre shafted design on this putter certainly takes some getting used to at first given the on set at address and built in 3.3° of shaft lean, which encourages a forward press. By placing the shaft in the centre of the head directly through the balance point and CG, the putter then sits with the toe up and in a reverse torque position. This reverse torque position is the complete opposite of what you would find in a traditional bladed putter which typically possesses a large amount of toe hang, and therefore makes the face want to stay square relative to the path of the stroke.
I was really impressed with this putter upon initial testing. Not only does it feature this new stroke balanced face design, it comes with all the technology found in the Ai-One putter range. The computer-powered White Hot insert has variable face thickness to produce consistent ball speeds and it was certainly working for me out on the golf course - I barely had any of those nervy five footers coming back for par when putting from long range. The odd one I did leave myself just outside the pick-up range, I nailed home with confidence thanks to the easy alignment this putter offers and the way the face wants to almost return to square automatically at impact.
This Jailbird is one of three Odyssey Square 2 Square putters available, with the other two coming by way of the popular #7 model and the Double Wide. This variety of head allows golfers to pick a model that suits their eye the best without having to sacrifice any of the clever technology packed into these putters.
All of the putters come with a slightly larger oversize grip compared to the standard Ai-One models and personally I loved it. It just felt as though it fitted in my hands much more naturally - this is very much a matter of personal preference admittedly. As if there wasn’t already enough technology packed into the head, the Square 2 Square putters will also come fitted with a Stroke Lab steel shaft to ensure perfect balance is created in conjunction with the head and grip.
If you find yourself struggling with distance control or more importantly starting the ball on line from shorter range, then this Odyssey Square 2 Square Jailbird is certainly worth your consideration. Coming to retail at $299/£289, the Sqaure 2 Sqaure putters enter the market considerably cheaper than their two current competitors in this emerging category of putter design. If you’re looking to hole more puts and get great value for money, you may not need to look any further than this putter.
