Odyssey Triple Track putters generate buzz at PGA Show

By Drew Mahowald -- 2nd Swing Staff Writer

The PGA Merchandise Show is perhaps the most important event in the golf industry every year. Thousands of golf nerds gather in Orlando, Florida to discuss, showcase, and learn about all of the new golf gear being released for the new year.

Last week, I made my second trip to the PGA Show and once again, it did not disappoint. Nearly all of golf’s most recognizable brands were on hand to display their new gear and the new technology they’re bringing to market in 2020.

While several products grabbed my attention, Triple Track technology from Callaway and Odyssey seemed to generate buzz not just from myself and the 2nd Swing team but everyone at the PGA Show.

Triple Track technology was first introduced on Callaway’s ERC Soft golf ball in 2019. Triple Track features three parallel lines -- two blue lines surrounding a wider red line -- that were scientifically designed to improve alignment on the greens.

Over the course of 2019, Callaway added Triple Track technology to its tour golf ball offerings, Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X, as requested by members of its professional staff.

Callaway worked with Odyssey designers to take Triple Track to the next level in 2020, introducing the Triple Track putter series. Each of the seven models in the series contains the patented Triple Track design on the putter head. Pair that with a Callaway golf ball that features Triple Track technology and it’s nearly impossible to misalign your putting setup, especially when putting from a shorter distance.

“Our general manager, Sean Toulon, was joking that this took about 37 seconds to develop,” said Austie Rollinson, Chief Putter Designer for Odyssey. “It started with the golf ball, and it was natural to extend it onto the head.”

Throughout the past couple of years, the golf industry as a whole has invested more time and resources into improving alignment aids. Sidestamps on golf balls are evolving, while alignment aids on putters are becoming more vivid. Extending the same design from the golf ball to the putter head is both aesthetically pleasing and effective.

According to Rollinson, the thousands of fittings he’s conducted over the years with laser technology have suggested that nearly every golfer is misaligned at address. And sometimes, those golfers are surprised by just how incorrect their alignment is.

“We do hundreds of thousands of fittings each year with golfers. Where that face is pointed is going to be paramount for that golfer to get the ball on the right line and making the putt, sometimes more than the club path,” Rollinson said. “Using the laser, it’s shocking to some golfers how far off they really are. Getting it pointed in the right direction is key and this technology will help you do that.”

The science behind Triple Track technology is referred to as Vernier Hyper Acuity, which is the way in which people visualize straight lines. Callaway engineers worked extensively with Dr. Carl Bassi, the director of Research at the University of Missouri St. Louis College of Optometry, to create the Triple Track design of three parallel lines on the golf balls.

Now, when lining up a Triple Track putter behind a golf ball with the Triple Track design, golfers will immediately notice if they are misaligned and can easily correct their setup.

While the Triple Track design will catch your attention right away, that’s not all these putters bring to the table. Odyssey’s Stroke Lab technology, introduced in 2019, features a revolutionary weighting method to improve the putting stroke.

“We had such success with Stroke Lab last year and with continuing the Stroke Lab line and coming out with Triple Track, we just had to add it in,” Rollinson said.

Odyssey developers also tweaked the face insert featured in the Triple Track series. The new Microhinge Star insert still relies on Odyssey’s trademark Microhinge technology, but Rollinson said the Microhinge Star produces a firmer feel and more feedback than the White Hot Microhinge insert that was introduced with the 2019 Stroke Lab series.

“There are still those golfers that might be using softer golf balls that want a little more feedback,” Rollinson said. “So we went back to the drawing board and asked what we could do to make the White Hot Microhinge firmer. One thing was to get rid of the grooves. We found that even without the grooves, the hinges work with the ball to produce the same great topspin, but getting rid of the grooves upped the acoustics of it.”

The Odyssey Triple Track series features seven putter models: 2-Ball, 2-Ball Blade, Marxman, Ten, Ten S, Double Wide, and Double Wide Flow. The series offers options that will be a great fit for any type of putting stroke.

Putting can be one of the most frustrating skills in golf. The slightest flaw can be the difference between a much-needed par save and a bogey. And often, that flaw can be alignment.

The Triple Track putter series is designed to help with putting accuracy before the putting stroke even starts. Pair a Triple Track putter with a Callaway golf ball featuring Triple Track, and you’ll probably find yourself making more putts and shooting lower scores.