Odyssey Introduces White HotTM Putters Featuring Proprietary Golf Ball Insert

February 2, 2000 at 12:00 AM EST
CONTACT(S): Larry Dorman, Dana Shertz (760) 931-1771

Carlsbad, CA, Feb. 2, 2000 - Golfers can now experience improved putting through chemistry with the new Odyssey® White Hot™ Putters. Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:ELY) announces the introduction of this exciting new Odyssey line that features a high-performance insert made from the proprietary cover material of the new Callaway Golf ball.

The Odyssey White Hot Putters are the result of a quest by Odyssey engineers to find an innovative insert material combining soft feel with improved roll and increased resilience. Of the numerous materials tested, many had soft feel, but all were too soft to provide consistent performance – except one. The proprietary cover material of the new Callaway Golf Ball has proved to be ideal. A blend made from the proprietary cover materials Callaway Golf uses in its new golf ball, the insert has all the dynamic properties that Odyssey engineers were seeking.

“The way a golf ball rolls after being putted is tied to the natural vibration of the putter hitting the ball,” says Richard C. Helmstetter, senior executive vice president and chief of new golf club products for Callaway Golf. “The natural vibrations between the White Hot insert and a golf ball are very similar, since their chemical properties are very similar. That helps the golf ball dwell on the putter face for a fraction of a second longer than other putters we’ve tested, which helps get the ball rolling with overspin more quickly. By matching the chemistry between putter and ball, we’ve found a way to improve feel and performance.”

Each of the five Odyssey White Hot Putters features this new Callaway Golf ball insert pressed into a stainless steel putter head and machined flat through a computerized process that ensures a precise fit. The new insert is lighter than steel, increasing the amount of perimeter weighting and forgiveness built into each putter.

In addition, the White Hot Putters have been designed with extra weight placed low and away from the putter face to produce a smoother roll and increased forgiveness, even when a putt is struck off-center. The Odyssey White Hot Putters have stepless, fluted steel shafts and a proprietary cross-line grip.

Odyssey White Hot Putters will be available at selected golf shops in mid-February at a suggested retail price of $135.

Carlsbad-based Odyssey Golf, a division of Callaway Golf Company, produces the Dual Force® Putter line, Dual Force Wedge line, and the TriForce™ putter line. For more information, please visit our World Wide Web site at www.odysseygolf.com.