Where did the Odyssey #9 go and will we see it again?

[Chappie]

As far as I can tell, unless you're buying a Scotty Cameron Del Mar, the #9 is all but dead on the retail side, and I'm not really sure why. I know that the mallet has become the dominant non-anser style head shape these days, but there has to be a place for the #9 still, no?

[MattM97]

Seems like heel shafted putters in general are just falling out of favor with a lot of golfers and for OEM's if they're not selling they're not going to make them as a standard offering. You also don't see many of them on tour as well. 

 

Plenty of smaller brands that can mill one but people don't want to pay custom prices. 

[Chappie]

9 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

Seems like heel shafted putters in general are just falling out of favor with a lot of golfers and for OEM's if they're not selling they're not going to make them as a standard offering. You also don't see many of them on tour as well. 

 

Plenty of smaller brands that can mill one but people don't want to pay custom prices. 

For me, I just think Odyssey makes that head shape better than everyone else. They also made a killing on it forever, you'd think there would still be a place among a subset of golfers that would still make it profitable for a brand that's made it so much a part of their lineup as Odyssey has. 

[MattM97]

17 minutes ago, Chappie said:

For me, I just think Odyssey makes that head shape better than everyone else. They also made a killing on it forever, you'd think there would still be a place among a subset of golfers that would still make it profitable for a brand that's made it so much a part of their lineup as Odyssey has. 

 

Odyssey has made a lot of great heads but lately they've had entire lines dedicated to just mallets ie, Ten and Eleven maybe their shift has focused and a lot of blades other than the most popular have been cut. It could always make a return at some point wasn't the Rossie gone for a while but has come back and been popular minus the alignment lines? 

[jholz]

I'd say Phil Mickelson single-handedly kept the #9 alive in the Odyssey line for a number of years. 

 

The Black Series models were always my favorite #9's - but have never owned one.

[Is Golf Fun or Work]

Glad I kept several models of #9

[Abh159]

24 minutes ago, jholz said:

I'd say Phil Mickelson single-handedly kept the #9 alive in the Odyssey line for a number of years. 

 

I completely agree with that. I also think Rham has been the main factor behind the resurgence of the Rossie.

 

Sad truth is that most of the golfers out there (non-WRX golfers) buy something because they saw *insert tour pro* using it when he won *insert tournament* last Sunday. If guys on tour aren't using the #9 it's not going to sell, and if it doesn't sell they aren't going to make it a regular offering.

[mitchl]

3 hours ago, Chappie said:

As far as I can tell, unless you're buying a Scotty Cameron Del Mar, the #9 is all but dead on the retail side, and I'm not really sure why. I know that the mallet has become the dominant non-anser style head shape these days, but there has to be a place for the #9 still, no?

In my group of about 20 guys I normally play with there are 3 #9s, an old White Hot #9, a Metal X #9, and my O-Works #9.  While we have some Scotties, they are all Newports or mallets, and no Del Mars.

I also play an O-Works Red #1 Wide, and Toulon Columbus, but tend to putt best with the #9.  

I specifically asked about the absence #9 at the PGA Show.    The Callaway guy said he was confident it would come back, but did not know if that would be soon or not.   He pointed out that there is not a #9 in every line going back --- to me it seems like it's on a McRib type cycle.

I am kinda shocked that after all the "innovations" in putter faces over the past few years, they are back at thinking what they had in 2005 is the best.   I tend to think my #9's micro hinge face is the best rolling design of the 3 Odyssey's I play.     Are they now going to go back and cycle though their putter faces again from the past 20 years?

[dmeeksDC]

Bobby Grace still makes a beauty and has offered it in many necks. If you call he’ll answer the phone and tell you what he can make. Below is the S bend Blade 18. I have an older flow neck version. Took that one on a trip to Ireland and it was money. Excellent speed forgiveness with his putters. 
 

 

[ThreePuttForPar]

I loved the number 9’s. I spotted a used one at a Roger Dunn a while back for $30, I bought it for nostalgia just because it was so cheap and in pretty good shape. Crazy thing to me was, that meant someone traded it in for like $10-$15, how would you not rather just keep it? Their loss. It’s my putter that lives in different rooms in the house for when I’m putting on carpet. I am quite fond of it, but don’t game it… might give it a go for a round or two thanks to this thread.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by ThreePuttForPar

[Chappie]

1 hour ago, dmeeksDC said:

Bobby Grace still makes a beauty and has offered it in many necks. If you call he’ll answer the phone and tell you what he can make. Below is the S bend Blade 18. I have an older flow neck version. Took that one on a trip to Ireland and it was money. Excellent speed forgiveness with his putters. 
 

/cdn-cgi/mirage/e7549045455b02c1e4dd55cd9c158750b835c990d012716c6b42e7ec2c92bbec/1280/cdn-cgi/mirage/e7549045455b02c1e4dd55cd9c158750b835c990d012716c6b42e7ec2c92bbec/1280/https://wrxcdn.golfwrx.com/uploads/monthly_2023_02/43BBA681-57E1-417E-8702-6C5BFEE3DF55.webp.ea9c7037e320ea28757eafd9568f5abe.webp

 

/cdn-cgi/mirage/e7549045455b02c1e4dd55cd9c158750b835c990d012716c6b42e7ec2c92bbec/1280/cdn-cgi/mirage/e7549045455b02c1e4dd55cd9c158750b835c990d012716c6b42e7ec2c92bbec/1280/https://wrxcdn.golfwrx.com/uploads/monthly_2023_02/478EB23D-29C6-4611-A611-7AEFA7565086.webp.a80b951b5d19b78322e540ab84700ebf.webp

There are definitely some great specialists making that head shape still, but I’m telling strictly retail. 

[Chappie]

2 hours ago, mitchl said:

In my group of about 20 guys I normally play with there are 3 #9s, an old White Hot #9, a Metal X #9, and my O-Works #9.  While we have some Scotties, they are all Newports or mallets, and no Del Mars.

I also play an O-Works Red #1 Wide, and Toulon Columbus, but tend to putt best with the #9.  

I specifically asked about the absence #9 at the PGA Show.    The Callaway guy said he was confident it would come back, but did not know if that would be soon or not.   He pointed out that there is not a #9 in every line going back --- to me it seems like it's on a McRib type cycle.

I am kinda shocked that after all the "innovations" in putter faces over the past few years, they are back at thinking what they had in 2005 is the best.   I tend to think my #9's micro hinge face is the best rolling design of the 3 Odyssey's I play.     Are they now going to go back and cycle though their putter faces again from the past 20 years?

I just don’t remember a time when you couldn’t get a #9 at all. It’s incredible to me considering how popular it was only 10 years ago. Obviously Phil was a huge factor, but still. It’s not just a “fad” head shape imo, it’s a classic and has a track record of being very successful. 

[RH82]

Always hated the shape and it never suited my stroke whatsoever. 

[ALX]

21 hours ago, jholz said:

I'd say Phil Mickelson single-handedly kept the #9 alive in the Odyssey line for a number of years. 

 

The Black Series models were always my favorite #9's - but have never owned one.

I had a Black series for a short time. Bought it based off the shape alone (before I knew about toe hang etc). Love the look and the Black series felt great, but didn't suit my stroke....at all.

[SUITS]

I’ve always loved the look of the 9 shape but putted terrible with it. 

[jholz]

4 hours ago, ALX said:

I had a Black series for a short time. Bought it based off the shape alone (before I knew about toe hang etc). Love the look and the Black series felt great, but didn't suit my stroke....at all.

 

Yeah, totally guessing but I wouldn't be surprised if that experience was common.

 

Phil was putting very oddly during that time. 

[MCCA]

8 hours ago, RH82 said:

Always hated the shape and it never suited my stroke whatsoever. 

I agree for me you need to have a very gated stroke to make it work, which doesn't work for me.

[Chappie]

2 hours ago, jholz said:

 

Yeah, totally guessing but I wouldn't be surprised if that experience was common.

 

Phil was putting very oddly during that time. 

His putting wasn’t odd at all imo. He won a lot with it. He had a press which isn’t practiced a ton now but for a long time was very common. 

[shankz]

I was a long time user of the 9 but switched to the slant/flow neck mallets like the odyssey s, spider and Scotty .5’s. Same stroke but better alignment for me. Odyssey has that 9/7 hybrid with the flow neck and 7 wings but didn’t work  for me. 

[JDTex]

On 2/24/2023 at 5:44 PM, MCCA said:

I agree for me you need to have a very gated stroke to make it work, which doesn't work for me.

I always loved the look of the #9, and have tried several, but like several have noted it didn’t fit my stroke and I don’t think I ever made one putt with that head style. 

[jholz]

On 2/24/2023 at 8:25 PM, Chappie said:

His putting wasn’t odd at all imo. He won a lot with it. He had a press which isn’t practiced a ton now but for a long time was very common. 

 

Well, "odd" is, of course, a matter of opinion...and I'm not trying to criticize.

 

But, Phil has been through a lot of various "styles" of putting over the years and he's used a few different styles of putters.

He's always had a pretty aggressive "putting off the front toe and extreme forward press" method. He's toyed with various degrees of this approach.

I'd argue that with the Odyssey #9...he became "extreme" with his positions and approach. As a result, it did indeed look "odd" in comparison to what he has done before and since.

 

That's about as good as I can do. 😁