Despite having released the majority of its Square 2 Square putter range towards the back end of 2024, Odyssey has just extended the family with the most stable putter yet. The Ai-One Square 2 Square Max 1 putter is one of the largest putters on the market, but does that equate to it being one of the most forgiving putters money can buy? I put it through its paces on the putting green and out on the golf course to see if this is a putter you should consider if you’re struggling on the greens.
The Square 2 Square putter family certainly divides opinion when it comes to looks but I think that’s just zero torque putters as a whole. The center-shafted design and on-set nature of these putters certainly take a little getting used to. That said, the Max 1 putter raises eyebrows due to its branding iron-style shape which, it has to be said, resembles that of the popular L.A.B. Golf DF3 putter.
While I’m someone who has typically always gravitated towards a blade putter design, I liked how the Square 2 Square Max 1 putter sat at address and framed the ball. The head itself dwarfs the ball a little, but the single sightline at the front of the head really helped me set the putter up precisely alongside the alignment mark on my ball. For those seeking even more help with aiming the putter, the Max 1 Stripe is worth considering. It features the same head as the Max 1, just with the addition of the Versa 90 alignment technology, which sees a white strip run from the face to the rear of the putter.
The thing I was most surprised by with the Square 2 Square Max 1 putter was how well weighted it felt and how smoothly it swung. The Strokelab shafts that have been used in previous Odyssey putters continue in the Max 1, and alongside the Ai-One smart face, the two dramatically helped with distance control on longer putts. I ran through a series of long putting tests on the putting green, dialling in my pace, and felt as though this putter took hardly any time to get used to.
The Ai-One smart face has been designed thanks to thousands of data points collected to determine where golfers are regularly striking the ball on the putter face. The face is then designed with varying thickness to allow the ball to bounce from the face at the same speed, regardless of whether that’s from the middle of the face, towards the heel or the toe.
When testing putters, I usually find those that are better at controlling speed from long range aren’t quite as accurate when used nearer the hole, but the Square 2 Square Max 1 excelled when I was faced with what I would call ‘makeable’ putts. Because of the larger mallet head and zero torque design, you have to be assured on where you’re aiming as the face doesn’t want to deviate throughout the stroke. However, once you’ve nailed down your reads on the green, you’ll likely see yourself become a lot more consistent from putts inside 10ft.
At $399/£369 the Odyssey Ai-One Square 2 Square Max 1 putter is what I would consider great value for money. Considering the price of some of the best putters on the market at the moment, this putter falls in the middle ground in regards to price, but when you consider the amount of technology packed within this putter and how well it performed from long and short range, I think it’s well worth the investment.
