When brands make performance-based promises about their new products, the claims typically suggest a one or two-percent increase in performance. With Odyssey's new Ai-ONE range of putters, however, the brand is claiming they are 21% more accurate than a traditional milled putter. While we don't want to give too much away, we were so impressed with his putter that it's gone straight into our best putters guide.
Now, that is quite a statement. But before we dive into how the putter performed, it's important to pick apart exactly what has gone into this new line of putters.
Artificial intelligence has become a bit of a buzzword in the golf industry in recent years, and it's the driving force behind this new range if you haven't picked that up from the name.
WATCH OUR FULL VIDEO REVIEW OF THE ODYSSEY AI-ONE PUTTER BELOW
Utilising AI and Callaway's supercomputing powers, Odyssey has designed the inserts on the Ai-ONE putter to be optimised for ball speed control thanks to variable thickness.
The advanced multi-material insert includes unique contours on the back of the face to minimise ball speed losses on off-centre hits, resulting in putts finishing closer to the hole.
While brand promises can sometimes be taken with a pinch of salt, the performance of these putters has already been justified on Tour. Both Jon Rahm and Sam Burns have already opted to upgrade their putting options to the new Ai-ONE models, and they are both players who don't take equipment changes lightly.
To see if we could putt like Rahm and Burns, we took the putter down to Chart Hills Golf Club to put it through its paces.
Let's get into it.
Odyssey Ai-ONE
Odyssey Ai-ONE 7 CH Putter Looks and Feel
If you've enjoyed putting with Odyssey's White Hot insert before, then you will love the new Ai-ONE because it produces an almost identical feel at impact.
Soft out of the middle but responsive from the toe or heel, this putter provides a very satisfying putting experience and one that has made Odyssey the number one putter on Tour for a number of years.
The new Ai-ONE insert doesn't really change the feel of the face at all, which we have to say is a good thing. Odyssey's White Hot inserts have been some of the best feelings on the market for quite some time, and as the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
In terms of looks, there has been quite a considerable change from previous models.
The most notable of those is the introduction of a new Panlite window. On the CH 7 model, the window is on the sole of the club, and it gives users a direct view of the back of the insert and its variable thickness construction.
Odyssey Ai-ONE
We really enjoyed this addition. It's rare you get to see the inside of a club without having smashed it in a fit of rage or accidentally closed it in your car door, so to be given a sneak peek at the tech is an excellent addition.
The overall aesthetic and shape of the putter are very pleasing. The CH 7 features a fang design that's been a proven winner on Tour for a number of years, and it allows you to square the ball nicely to target and gives a stable sensation when you take the club back.
The other big change for the Ai-ONE models is the new navy blue PVD Finish. Combined with the white insert and silver and white detailing, this blue matte finish looks stunning in hand.
All in all, the Ai-ONE range looks and feels superb, and the designers at Odyssey can give themselves a big pat on the back.
Odyssey AI-ONE
Odyssey Ai-ONE 7 CH Putter Performance and Forgiveness
While looks and feel are essential, when a brand claims that a putter is 21% more accurate than its competitors, performance is what really counts.
So, to put the Ai-ONE through its paces, we hit a whole host of different length putts from various places on the face to test out just how forgiving and consistent this new AI design is.
The key area we were looking at was how effectively the ball would hold its line and pace when struck from the heel or toe, so in order to replicate this mishit, we intentionally did just that. First, we would strike one out of the middle, and then, for comparison, we would strike a number of putts out of the heel and toe to see where they all finished.
It is important to mention at this point that despite our desire, we aren't as consistent as a putting robot; however, with that being said, the results we received were very encouraging.
From roughly 8 feet, we found that no matter where we struck our putts from, the distance and line the ball travelled on were incredibly consistent.
Moving further away to roughly 20 feet, we found the results almost identical. It was incredibly impressive just how well this putter is able to salvage a poor strike and aid the ball in retaining both line and length.
Is this putter 21% more accurate? we will have to take Odyssey's word on that one, but we did see a remarkable level of forgiveness on offer, and on all of the putts we hit, you could easily throw a hat on them; the grouping was that tight.
All in all, we were really impressed with the performance of this putter, and the level of forgiveness is right up there with the best we've ever tested.
Odyssey AI-ONE
Should you buy the Odyssey Ai-ONE 7 CH?
If you're a golfer who struggles to consistently get the ball to the hole, resulting in a disastrous amount of three putts, then this could be the putter for you. Thanks to the new AI-designed insert, this putter offers outstanding levels of forgiveness that will help roll your putts with a more consistent line and length.
So, if you want to bring down your scores on the greens, then we would highly recommend visiting your nearest Odyssey stockist to find out which Ai-ONE model is best suited to your stroke.
