Odyssey is stepping up its game in the zero-torque space.
With zero torque putting being the talk of professional and amateur golf, the company is releasing the high-MOI Square 2 Square Max 1 and Max Stripe versions of its own to add to its line of zero-torque options.
These putters were initially teased on the PGA Tour in March, but now the company is releasing them for retail.
Here are four things to know about the new Odyssey Square 2 Square Max putters.
Pictures of the Square 2 Square Max putters from the PGA Tour’s Florida swing surfaced on social media back in March, and immediate comparisons were drawn to L.A.B. Golf’s DF3 putter, which was released last year. L.A.B. Golf was the first to market in the United States with zero torque technology, but other brands have caught up over the last year, including Odyssey, which released its three initial Square 2 Square models last fall.
With Square 2 Square Max, Odyssey is trying out a high MOI shape (over 6,300 g-cm² around the vertical axis) and Callaway VP of Product Strategy Jacob Davidson says that shape was driven by feedback from Tour players.
“With a lot of shapes and the putter market, there is overlap across every brand,” Davidson told GOLF. “We took feedback from the best players in the world and tested that thoroughly through prototypes and ultimately landed on a shape that gives the golfer the most performance and the most benefit.”
Both S2S Max models feature large concentrations of mass behind the shaft axis to help stabilize the head.
“When you start getting into that above 6000 MOI style shape, it really just enhances the zero torque feeling,” Davidson said.
While there are no current rules stipulating any bifurcation of equipment for professionals and amateurs, the only clubs that recreational amateurs play that are actually the same as the pros are putters.
Most amateurs wouldn’t dare try to swing Jon Rahm’s Elyte Triple Diamond driver with an extra stiff shaft, but they can play the same Ai-ONE Rossie mallet he uses. There are even game improvement wedges now. Davidson thinks that could change with zero torque potentially being the equivalent of a game improvement putter.
While zero torque putter usage has skyrocketed over the past few years, they are still far from taking over the Tour. Davidson said about 10-15 S2S putters are in play on the PGA Tour each week, a pretty small number for the Tour’s No. 1 putter maker.
“But then you look at the Korn Ferry Tour and you’re seeing much higher numbers,” he said. “I think the reason for that is the Korn Ferry Tour is loaded up with guys that if they were good putters, they’d be on the PGA Tour.”
There’s an even greater interest at the retail level as amateur golfers seek to improve their putting. The new S2S Maxes, which haven’t gone into play on the PGA Tour yet, are aimed at helping those golfers.
“Maybe, just maybe, for the first time, we’re starting to see the bifurcation of putting styles emerge for everyday golfers, and the best players in the world,” Davidson said.
Oydssey’s Square 2 Square putters also feature a built-in 3.3 degrees of forward press to help players get their hands ahead of the face, something Tour players don’t need as much help with.
Davidson is not saying Square 2 Square or zero torque putters are the end-all be-all of putting. They’re not for everyone. But for players who struggle starting the ball online consistently, they can be a great option.
The only difference between the Square 2 Square Max 1 and the Square 2 Square Max Stripe is the alignment options. The Max 1 features an all-Navy blue color scheme, similar to the existing Ai-ONE lineup, with a single half-sight line.
The Max stripe has a half-sight line, too, but the entire top part of the putter is painted white to provide contrast with the blue wings and provide parallel lines to the target. The tech is similar to the popular Versa paint scheme, made famous by Oydssey’s Jailbird model, which features perpendicular color blocks, and rotates 90 degrees.
Davidson said the overall design of the putter was influenced by Tour players wanting to have a variety of options for alignment.
“They wanted something that was all one level and was smooth so they had the ability to have a Versa 90 stripe or other alignment configuration,” he said. “From an overall aesthetic, looking down, it’s much cleaner to have just a single plane there across the back of the putter.”
While Square 2 Square is fairly new to the Odyssey lineup, what isn’t new are several of the company’s other technologies, which Davidson thinks help separate the Square 2 Square Max from other zero-torque options.
Both S2S Max putters feature the company’s Ai-ONE inserts, which were introduced in late 2023 and feature Ai-created contours on the back of the insert to help keep consistent speeds on mishits.
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In addition to the Versa 90 technology and Square 2 Square zero torque technology, the S2S Max also has SL90/140 and 180 shaft options to help optimize weight and feel for different configurations.
“For someone who struggles with putting, now they get a zero torque, which is going to help them get the putter to square,” Davidson said. “They get an insert that’s gonna help them if they do miss-hit it. They’re gonna have better speed control, and now they’re gonna have an alignment system and a stripe that’s going to help them align better.
“I think that those three key things plus the Stroke Lab shaft with the counterbalance, the golfer that struggles with putting is going to see benefits, and they are gonna putt better.”
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Odyssey Square 2 Square Max 1 and Max Stripe putters are available today and retail for $399.99.
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