Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Toe Up Big Seven putter
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Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Toe Up Big Seven putter

Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Toe Up Big Seven putter

On this very day, Odyssey will be announcing and releasing their Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Toe Up Big Seven putter.

Yes, you read that right. I’m going to give you the scoop on this new putter today and it should also be in your golf shop today as well. Let’s hear it for instant gratification!

For any other putter release, the fact that you can buy one on the same day that it is announced would be the big deal. But there is something even bigger going on with the Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Toe Up Big Seven.

Sing it with me!

Everybody
Rock your body
Everybody
Rock your body right
Backstryke’s Back, Alright!

Oh, my God, it’s back again.

After a nearly 10-year hiatus, Odyssey has brought back the Backstryke hosel. This time around, Team Toulon and company have paired the party-in-the-rear hosel with their beloved Number Seven, one of the most popular models from the Stroke Lab Black putter line.

Hefnering, the pairing of the old with the new, is a common practice in the putter industry. Surprisingly, putter makers who labor to produce neo-classic putter designs face significant challenges. Don’t innovate enough and you’ll be accused of copying. If you push the boundary too far though, the golfing public will reject the design because it lacks familiarity.

How does the Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Toe Up Big Seven straddle the future-past continuum? Did they bring the flavor? I’ve got more questions that I’ll answer now.

Is it original? (Yeah)

To answer this question, I spent days (minutes) scouring the Internet for putters with similar hosel designs, especially curious to see if there is a version that predates the 2011 Backstryke release. Outside of the abominations that are the Orlimar Hindsight and Inertia Transfer putters, I actually struggled to find other putters with their shafts stuck in their rear ends. I feel like they must be out there, as nothing is ever new with putters. Which ones did I miss? Feel free to chime in with those that you know in the comments below.

Let’s return to the name for a bit. Now I’ll forgive you if your attention wanders while reading the name of this putter. It is an eight-word name. To make things quicker, I should probably come up with a nickname for it like the Odyssey Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla putter. Shorter names like the Stroke Lab Black Antidisestablishmentarianism were probably already trademarked. Abbreviating the name doesn’t help either as OSLBTUBSP sure doesn’t roll off the tongue like NKOTB.

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Toe Up’s Back, Too

Moving past that distracting nomenclature tangent, did you catch the Toe Up part of the name? Do you remember the Odyssey Toe Up putters? Circa 2016, Odyssey stunned the PGA Show crowd with a surprise launch of their Toe Up line. Maybe stunned is a bit exaggerated but it was a pretty big deal at the time that Odyssey had kept a release secret all the way until the show. That just doesn’t happen these days. The Toe Up’s surprise release really maxed out the hype meter.

The Toe Up putters, and this new putter with the too-long-to-type name, are designed so that the toe of the putter points up, not just balancing on your finger but at address and also during your stroke. This design reduces twisting during the stroke. What does that do for you? This guy had a solid explanation back in 2016.

The theory of the Stroke Balanced technology is that because these putters don’t gate open and closed during the swing, they should be easier to return square to the ball – ultimately enabling you to roll the ball more consistently, and potentially straighter.

-Dave Wolfe, MyGolfSpy Putter Guy

Dude nailed it! Basically, you are looking at a torque-balanced putter that should not twist as much as a traditional putter during the stroke. And, yes, other companies like Edel and PING offer putters of similar design or at least similar intention.

Is it the only one? (Yeah)

The Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Toe Up Big Seven putter (I’m just cutting and pasting the name now) is the only Stroke Lab Black putter that currently features this Backstryke hosel. Perhaps if it catches on, then we will see some additional models. My favorite was the Backstryke D.A.R.T., though I never learned what D.A.R.T. actually stood for. Maybe it was Dat’s Awesome Right There. Regardless, since the original Backstryke line featured four models, we could see some of those models get the Stroke Lab Black modernization treatment.

Now before you correct me and say there were five original Backstryke models, my counting is in fact correct. Some do speak of a fifth model, though. These heathens suggest Odyssey also perverted the best Odyssey mallet ever, the Sabertooth, into a Backstryke configuration. Obviously, that did not happen as the Sabertooth is canon in the putter world and such an abomination in design would not be tolerated!

Is it sexual? (Um…)

I love putters but am thinking that loving a putter is likely socially unacceptable. Let’s just move to the next question.

Is it everything you need?

For a one putter, existing-line extension, there is quite a bit to digest with the Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Toe Up Big Seven putter. Remember, in addition to the Backstryke and Toe Up elements, this putter also features the Stroke Lab shaft and Microhinge Star insert. That’s a ton of tech for $199.

As I mentioned, these should be in your shop today for demo. I’m curious to hear about your experiences with this putter. I know that for some of you, this will be your first time Backstryking. Be prepared for some initial address oddness. That will quickly pass after a few rolls of the rock. OG Backstrykers need to chime in, too, knowing that you are likely ecstatic that you can now have a brand-new Backstryke putter. You rock your body now. We know that the putter drought for the Backstryker has lasted longer than any center-shafter or lefty lover has had to endure. Sing it loud, Backstryke’s back, alright!

For more information, visit OdysseyGolf.com.

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Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe

A putter-obsessed recreational golfer, constantly striving to improve his game while not getting too hung up about it. Golf should be fun, always.

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe





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      Jim

      3 years ago

      Any ideas where we could purchase the stroke lab backstryke now?

      Reply

      Simon

      4 years ago

      Look at the old Prestige Pool Putter, swedish designed putter if I recall.

      Reply

      Derek

      4 years ago

      I have been using a backstryke since it originally came out I have tried to switch many many times but it’s still in the bag and I still get made fun of until I take their money. Charles Swartzel has that pxg on tour so I was doing some research and came across here. I do think people like me should have our own club. One more note I was an assistant professional on callaway staff at the time when I got mine. ?‍♂️

      Reply

      Catoctin

      4 years ago

      Bobby Grace has been making “Ass Kicker” putters for years with a similar hosel location. I believe he claimed to have pioneered this type of balance point design. I used to have a Backstryke dart and loved it with the exception of the face felt too soft and I couldn’t get used to it. This might be interesting but I already have too many putters (at least according to my wife). Bettinardi BB56 (former gamer), Bobby Grace GT Mini (sweet Berillium cooper face and former gamer but just a little too small of a head), Evroll ER5 Hatchback (current gamer), BioMech Acculock ACE Putter (never put in play, interesting but couldn’t hit long enough, worked pretty well for shorter putts), and too many putters that aren’t around anymore and have moved on to other lives.

      Reply

      James

      4 years ago

      It’s the old assbackwards Putter from 70/80s didn’t gene littler use on back in the day! He did

      Reply

      Mike

      4 years ago

      Wow, they really must be running out of ideas. Next year, a 46″ putter that you can’t anchor, but someone at an OEM will convince some folks that it’s still hot ,new technology.

      Reply

      DaveyD

      4 years ago

      Apart from the looks, that previous Backstryke putter made the coolest noise on contact. Nothing else sounded like it, sort of a metallic pop..
      I wonder if they’ve engineered the noise out of this offering.

      Reply

      Mitchell

      4 years ago

      An effort to match the Axis 1 Rose without infringing on patents?

      Reply

      Sam Hahn (From L.A.B. Golf)

      4 years ago

      I think its an effort to further explore torque and its relevance/impact on putting. They’ve had this design but perhaps the success of Axis and L.A.B. have them pulling the old design out to explore it more. The first toe up backstrykes were released before axis 1 I believe and certainly before ours. The Axis patent is quite unusual with the CG out in front of the face. This way of reducing torque is unique.

      Reply

      Es

      4 years ago

      Titleist Scotty Cameron Futura Mallet?

      Reply

      Andrew

      4 years ago

      So is this the same idea as a L.A.B. Putter but half price?

      Reply

      Dave Wolfe

      4 years ago

      Similar concept as the Directed Force mallet I believe.

      Reply

      Similar idea and they have done a good job reducing torques with this design. Some draw backs with an onset head with no shaft lean (or press grip) and they have not developed the tech to the extent we have in the sense that this putter does have some torque and ours has none.. Definitely a good cheap option to dip your toe in the water on low torque technology.

      Reply

      Claus Ingemann Moeller

      4 years ago

      WTH…An upside down putter?? They out to change their name to SMOKELAB ;-)

      Reply

      Carl Bunch

      4 years ago

      The Farrar Verex is a great putter IF you hit the center, the head is small and has a low MOI.

      Tour Edge has a T-Balance line of backshafted putters.

      The problem with the BackStryke line is that they also (for some unknown reason) made the shaft line up BEHIND the putter face, which forces you to dramatically shaft-lean forward, which very few golfers want to do.
      The whole BackStryke would have been a success if they hadn’t tried to force TWO unusual characteristics on to golfers.
      There have been tests that show backshafting is the most accurate hosel placement for golfers of all handicaps.
      However, the same can not be said of dramatic forward-pressing.

      Reply

      Tony

      4 years ago

      Still playing with the original backstryke until last month. Too bad my funds just went to a PXG Drone C because of PXG current sale, or else I’ll be buying this one too.

      Reply

      Brandon

      4 years ago

      OG did make a Backstryke Sabertooth putter. I have one in the bag!

      Reply

      Dave Wolfe

      4 years ago

      I believe we had an agreement not to speak about this ever again… (putting my head back in the sand.)

      Reply

      Tyler

      4 years ago

      That’s a putter only a mother could love!

      Reply

      Dirty Dan

      4 years ago

      Had the Marxman Backstryke for a while and it worked great but it was hard to look at sometimes.. eventually retired it for a more conventional looking mallet and ended up selling it. I still look for it on eBay from time to time though after I miss a couple putts in a round… I will certainly roll this one in the shop a couple times and see how it feels!

      Reply

      Eric

      4 years ago

      I absolutely loved the Backstryke! I will definitely try this one too. Looking forward to seeing one in person. thanks.

      Reply

      Barry

      4 years ago

      I’ll always remember Dave Feherty commenting on a missed putt by Jim Furyk with a Backstryke- ‘such a tough putt-even tougher when you’re using a putter with the head on the wrong way round!!’

      Reply

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