Gear: Odyssey Stroke Lab Black #7 Toe Up putter
Price: $199.99
Specs: Graphite and steel shaft, multi-material face insert and PVD finish
When Odyssey released the original Stroke Lab putters just over two years ago, golfers took notice because the shafts are made using a combination of graphite and steel. Opting for weight-saving graphite in the upper portion of the shaft allowed Odyssey designers to put more weight at the top of the shaft and into the head, which studies revealed to them would help golfers develop a more-consistent, higher-quality stroke.
Dark-finished versions of the putters followed, but for golfers who are looking for even more consistency on the greens, Odyssey is now releasing the Stroke Lab Black #7 Toe Up putter.
The club comes standard with the same Stroke Lab shaft that is on previously-released putters, but it has a unique hosel configuration that creates a different balance in the head. Held loosely in your hands, the toe of most putters either drops downward, opening the face, or points directly to the side while keeping the hitting area pointed skyward, indicating that the putter is faced balanced. According to Odyssey, the advantage of balancing the putter so the toe goes up is the face rotates significantly less during your stroke, so you are more likely to strike the ball with the face pointed down your target line.
This is not the first time that Odyssey has headed down the toe-up path. It released two toe-up putters in 2016. It is, however, the first time a toe-up style putter has been made using the #7 head, a mallet that is among Odyssey’s most popular shapes.
Like the previously-released Stroke Lab putters, this club has a White Hot microhinge face insert that is designed to soften the feel at impact and get the ball rolling quickly instead of skidding, for improved distance control.
