Having the right putter in the bag is so important when it comes to shaving every last stroke from your scores across a season, and with there being so many customisable options available, it can be challenging to know exactly where to start and what to look for. Earlier this year, Hannah travelled to Callaway Golf’s Headquarters in Carlsbad, California, to see if a putter fitting with Jon Rahm’s putter fitter could help her find something that works.
Getting invited to Callaway’s world headquarters in Carlsbad, California, is a big deal. Getting the chance to get an Odyssey putter fitting from a tour fitter that Jon Rahm and Phil Mickleson have used is something that most golfers can only dream of, and Hannah got to do both on our recent trip to the United States.
Arriving at the Ely Callaway Performance Centre is a crazy experience. Just a short journey from the head office, you have to have an appointment just to be let through the gate; if you are not expected, you are not getting in. As you open the door to the facility, Callaway have replica sets of all of the big tour players lined up for you to ogle over. You can’t help but pick up Jon Rahm’s clubs just to get a feel of if you hit them or not.
The Ely facility is a state-of-the-art centre built for research and fitting golfers of all skill levels, from PGA Tour players like Xander Shauffele to Hannah Holden to just your average mid-handicapper. They have every single shaft, head and club you can imagine available, from all the 2023 Callaway equipment to the Callaway Chrome Soft golf balls to the full range of Odyssey golf putters. It is basically impossible to leave the facility without improving.
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We spent an hour with Odyssey’s head tour fitter, who has worked with pretty much any of the top golfers that have ever won with an Odyssey putter, who took Hannah through the whole experience, starting with questions on what her current putting performance is like, what her good and bad putts look like and what is her current preference. This is an important part of the process as it allows the fitter to mentally eliminate a lot of options from the huge putter lineup.
You might think of putters as just a flat face that you use to roll the ball to the target, but there is so much more to it than that. Things like grip size, shaft length, lie angle, neck type, head shape, and alignment aids can all make a huge difference to a golfer’s performance and confidence in the putter. It is so important that when you are interested in getting a new Odyssey putter, you go see a custom fitter who has in-depth knowledge and facility where it is possible to test all the different options available to see what is best for you.
Hannah rolled the ball really well, and after a bit of fiddling around with different putters and making adjustments in the workshop, she was fit for an Odyssey Toulon San Diego putter with 4 degrees of loft, 33.5 inches long and a 69-degree lie angle.
This putter not only suited Hannah’s eye but also worked the best for her stroke tendencies. It is important to note that one player’s putter will not work optimally for the next player, even if they are of similar height and build. All golfers swing the putter differently and deliver the putter face differently at impact. It was really clear that at the end of the fitting, they had left no stone unturned with all the customisation options to see what set-up would lead to Hannah hitting the best putts most often.
It was really interesting to spend time with a true expert in their field who had clearly worked with so many elite golfers. His knowledge of the range of putters Odyssey have on offer was incredible, and it has no doubt helped Hannah’s putting performance out on the golf course. The fitter’s knowledge, combined with the ridiculously advanced technology in the putting studio, creates an environment where questions can be answered and putting can be improved.
Hopefully, seeing how much depth the Odyssey expert and Hannah go into gives you some insight as to what a tour standard custom putter fitting looks like and will make you think twice next time you wander into a pro shop and think about buying the first putter you pick up from the shelf.
Find out more about the drivers in Odyssey’s 2023 lineup
- Odyssey Tri Hot 5k Double Wide Putter review
- Odyssey White Hot Versa Twelve Putter Review
- Best Putters 2023
What do you think of this fitting? Let me know with a tweet. Â
This video was filmed at Ely Callaway Performance Centre, Carlsbad, California, and Hannah is wearing Puma apparel.
What’s In My Bag?
- Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD
- 3 Wood: Callaway Paradym fairway wood
- Irons: Takomo 301mb
- Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw wedge
- Putter: TaylorMade TP Reserved putter
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