Equipment
The 8-foot putt
Love it or hate it, any round of golf naturally ends with putting on the green, and it’s ultimately where the game is won or lost.
How do you feel about your own putting ability? Do you approach each green with a smile on your face knowing you regularly find the line that gives you a subsequent tap-in, or are you full of dread at the prospect of trying to secure better than a 3-putt?
We often consider professional golfers to be flawless putters, but we’ve been mulling over some statistics regarding the putting performances of tour players, and we think you’re in for a surprise…
The facts of putting
We’re very used to watching highlights of some of the best players in the world regularly sinking long winding putts followed by fist-pumps and cheering, but these moments are often rare to surface.
Let’s say hypothetically you have a 3-foot putt ahead of you. Seems like an easy shot doesn’t it? How many often do you think you’d make a putt of this length? 70% of the time, 80%?
Now we’ll stand a bit further back, being 8-feet away from the hole throws a lot more doubt into question. We don’t blame you if you feel you’ll only make half the putts you send at the hole.
Well, here’s something you might not have anticipated:
Most Tour pro's make only 50% of putts within 8 feet.
Matt Fitzpatrick appearing on TalkSport
It’s a simple statistic to comprehend but one that really puts things into perspective. The best players in the world are constantly being challenged by the various slopes and contours on the greens of championship golf courses, and they’re only sinking an 8-foot-putt half the time.
Putting improves drastically with regular practice, which is why we’d recommend you to spend a good amount of time warming up on the practice green ahead of any round of golf. Training and having appropriate gear are the key to success, and you’ll certainly be playing better with the latest Odyssey putter in your bag…
Odyssey's 2025 putter range
When it comes to seeking the best in the best of putting performance, you’ll want to walk onto the green with the new Odyssey Ai-One putter in-hand. This putter looks fantastic from every angle thanks to the uniquely striking blue PVD finish.
The standard blade clubhead model features a panlite window on the back of the head that allows you to see the back of the Ai-One insert, and each model has a high-visibility alignment aid on the top of the head.
The lightweight shaft also contains a counterbalance weight that further aids in swing stability. There are 14 individual putters in the Ai-One range, each with their own head shape and hosel configurations, so there’s a huge variety and a lot of scope for helping you find your ideal putter setup.
If you’re looking for greater stability in your putting game, you’ll get on well with the Ai-One Square-2-Square range. These putters all have a central hosel placement and have been designed to minimise face rotation on your strikes for greater overall accuracy. This putter has also been pre-set with forward shaft lean to help counter the natural tendency to want to open the clubface at address.
If you’ve been considering whether your current putter is the best tool for your game, we’re available in the pro shop to walk you through your options and pair you with the best flatstick for your game.
