The Club Report — Odyssey White Hot Pro Putters

Well Hello Old Friend!

Written by Dave Wolfe (@Golfspy Dave)

Odyssey Golf is a big deal in the putter market.  I know that’s something that I have gone on about before, but it’s always worth mentioning when we discuss Odyssey putters.  They have a huge presence on all of the professional tours, with many pros gaming Odyssey putters even though they are not under contract and thus not getting paid.  The number of amateur golfers playing Odyssey putters worldwide is likely staggeringly uncountable.  They are huge in the market, and they stay huge year after year.

How can they do this?

The way that Odyssey stays on top is that they are a forward-moving company.  For example, Odyssey takes risks with new crazy head shapes.  Some of them are winners and help propagate the brand, but others are not-well-received misses.  Is anyone still gaming that F7?  On the others side of the coin though, the Odyssey Versa line really shows how they can thrive outside of the “safe” zone.  Producing the Versa line at first looked risky, but later proved genius.  Odyssey stays competitive by being a progressive putter company.

So why did they go backwards with the re-introduction of the White Hot insert?  Why dial back the insert rather than moving forward ?  It’s not a recent past with the insert either.  The original White Hot line rolled into the market in 2000.  Yep, we are talking a thirteen-year rollback in golf technology.  Thirteen years in the golf industry is a lifetime of difference.  We are talking dinosaurs to dirigibles here.

Don’t believe me.  Well then go and replace your fancy new Callaway Optiforce driver with a vintage 2000 Callaway ERC driver.  I know, that guy, you loved the ERC.  However, ignoring that guy, the golf consumer will not typically tolerate a decade plus regression in technology.  Progress is the Odyssey plan though, so perhaps the “Pro” in White Hot Pro indicates something new.

So Why Bring the White Hot Insert Back?

People Love The White Hot

I know that I just gave that guy grief, but consumer adoration was likely one of the key motivators in resurrecting the White Hot insert.  When we visited Callaway last December and discussed the resurgence of the White Hot insert in the to-be-released White Hot Pro line, the designers cited demand as the first reason for bringing it back.  Consumers and professionals alike held fond memories for the White Hot insert.  Many pros who bag Odyssey putters were still using models with the White Hot insert.  The market demand was there, so it made sense to produce it.  Perhaps the less high-tech arena of putter technology also makes it easier to travel in reverse, unlike what would happen with a retrograde driver technology change.

The Technology Has Improved

Perhaps the most interesting thing about our White Hot Pro conversations at Callaway HQ in Carlsbad centered around the fact that this new insert was actually an improved, and more high-tech version of that year 2000 White Hot.  During the past decade, manufacturing techniques have improved such that this new White Hot Pro insert is not just a rehash of the old one. They share the name, but the “Pro” in White Hot Pro could as easily be short for progress as it is for professional.  These are some of the advances in the insert manufacturing process:

• more precise insert thickness
• improved flatness tolerance
• improved chemistry, including greater chemical cross-linking between polymers (improves tone and feel)
• inserts now laser-cut to shape and can thus be optimized to the head shape

How this all reads to me is that Odyssey has managed to take the essence of a putter insert, that many players view as being their historical best, and make it better.  Thus, the White Hot Pro line is not White Hot redo, but rather White Hot 2.0.

Which One Should You Try?

As always, the goal of a Club Reports article is to give you an idea about which of the new models would likely match your stroke.  Lets take a look at the fitting system that Odyssey is currently using via eyeFIT.  To get fit, you find an eyeFIT mirror, stand over it, and get your dash value.  Easy.  The number of dashes corresponds with how far your eyes rest inside the ball at address with an increase in distance from the ball translating to a hosel position change and an increase in putting arc.  We don’t have photos of all of the models today.  This time I focused on the more interesting ones, but I have included links to all of the available models under each fitting category.  You’re welcome…

Face Balanced – One Dash Putters

WHP #2 CS

White Hot Pro #2 CS Features

• Squared off, heel-toe-weighted blade
• Center-shaft
• Zero Offset
• Weight: 343g
• Loft: 3°
• Lie: 70°
• Lengths: 33″, 34″, & 35″

WHP V-Line

White Hot Pro V-Line Features

• Perimeter-weighted Mallet Head
• Hi-Def Alignment System
• Double-bend shaft
• Full-Offset
• Weight: 350g
• Loft: 3°
• Lie: 70°
• Lengths: 33″, 34″, & 35″

WHP D.A.R.T. MINI

White Hot Pro D.A.R.T. MINI Features

• Perimeter-weighted Mallet Head
• D.A.R.T. alignment system
• Smaller than the original D.A.R.T.
• Double-bend shaft
• Full-Offset
• Adjustable Weight: 350, 360, or 370g
• Loft: 3°
• Lie: 70°
• Lengths: 33″, 34″, & 35″

Other One Dash Putters:  WHP D.A.R.T., WHP 2-Ball, WHP #7, WHP Rossie, WHP #5

 

Slight Toe Hang – Two Dash Putters

WHP 2-Ball Blade

White Hot Pro 2-Ball Blade Features

• Blade-like head featuring the 2-Ball alignment system
• Crank-Neck Hosel
• Full-Offset
• Adjustable Weight: 350, 360, or 370g
• Loft: 3°
• Lie: 70°
• Lengths: 33″, 34″, & 35″

Other Two Dash Putters:  White Hot Pro #1

 

Moderate Toe Hang – Three Dash Putters

WHP #3

White Hot Pro #3 Features

• Heel-toe-weighted blade
• Soft-Stepped Pocket
• Flow-Neck Hosel
• Half-shaft Offset
• Weight: 343g
• Loft: 3°
• Lie: 70°
• Lengths: 33″, 34″, & 35″

Other Three Dash Putters:  None

 

Advanced Toe Hang – Four Dash Putters

Four Dash Putters: White Hot Pro #9

What Looks Old is Actually Quite New

White Hot Pro does share most of its name with the old White Hot Odyssey putter line, but this is definitely not the old line with new paint.  The Odyssey White Hot Pro insert keeps the characteristics that made the original White Hot a favorite, and makes it even better.  Consumers will likely find his or her favorite head shape, along with some that are new to the line.  2013 is truly the year of the Versa for Odyssey, but the White Hot Pro line should not be overlooked, especially if you are not a fan of the Versa alignment system.  The White Hot Pros are more traditional in appearance and also familiar in feel.  That’s a combination that should make Odyssey players very happy.