Complete History of the Odyssey 2-Ball Putter

Clark Collins won the 1995 South Florida PGA Senior Open using the 2-ball putter he invented. Collins and his business partner Patrick Riley formed the Perfect Putter Co. in 1996 to begin selling 2-ball putters. In 1997, Callaway Golf, which owns Odyssey, was in discussions to purchase Perfect Putter. 

However, according to Collins, instead of completing a deal, Odyssey stole the trade secrets it had learned from Collins and Riley during negotiations to launch what you know today as the original White Hot 2-Ball putter in 2001. 

Odyssey, of course, denies the allegations and in November 2002, Collins and Riley sued Callaway Golf. That lawsuit was resolved in January 2005 when Callaway Golf finally did purchase four U.S. patents from Perfect Putter Co. As part of its announcement of the resolution, Callaway said that Perfect Putter’s claim that Callaway “misappropriated Perfect Putter's trade secrets and incorporated them into new products, including the best-selling Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball Putter,” was voluntarily dismissed by Perfect Putter.

Despite the lawsuit’s resolution, Collins doesn’t appear to have moved on from the saga. In 2020, 15 years after the lawsuit was resolved, he published a book titled “The Great Callaway Putter Heist” which is described as “an expose of the greatest scandal in golf history,” and calls Clark’s story a “tribute to his grit and tenacity to hold the bad guys accountable for their arrogance and criminal behavior.”

Odyssey dropped the original White Hot 2-Ball putter in 2001 for its tour staff, and released it to the public in January of 2002. 

The original design boasted that unique and recognizable alignment system, as well as a “weighting wing” that was built to optimize the center of gravity (CG) and produce a smoother roll by eliminating skidding.

Paul Lawrie put the original White Hot 2-ball putter in his bag immediately after testing it prior to the 2001 Dunhill Links Championship and promptly won the event at St. Andrews, immediately validating the putter’s merit.

The original 2-ball putter was almost appologetically different when it was released in 2001, but any concerns quickly dissolved when the putter’s performance proved to be a game-changer. However, in 2010, another 2-ball putter was defending its looks, the Backstryke.

The Backstryke 2-ball was a rear center-shafted edition of the 2-ball putter. Golfers used to looking down at a blade with a traditional shaft, and even players accustomed to the 2-ball look, might have a hard time adjusting to the Backstryke, but players searching for help with alignment and a smooth roll enjoyed the performance.

Since the shape of a 2-ball head never stopped Odyssey from making a blade version, Odyssey wouldn’t let that shape prevent it from released a fang version of the 2-ball putter.

In 2017, Odyssey introduced the O-Works 2-Ball Fang putter.

Obviously a bit different from most fang-style putters, the perimeter rails on the 2-ball fang are thinner than a traditional fang, leaving room for the full-sized 2-ball alignment aid down the middle.