Tour Issue Odyssey Ai-One Milled Two Review
An interesting find in Auchterlonies’ second-hand store
Introduction
This putter caught my eye in the Auchterlonies second-hand shop for one simple reason: it is not the same as the retail version.
This “Tour Issue” Odyssey Ai-One Milled Two comes with a short top alignment line and a slant neck, rather than the rear flange line and plumber’s neck found on the retail model. That immediately made it more interesting to me. If you read my post about aiming issues with standard Anser heads, then you’ll know I’ve been looking for one like this to try. Having quite liked the similarly shaped Double-Wide putter, I was interested to see how this would work.
On paper, this looked like a version of the Ai-One Milled Two that should suit me much better than the retail one.
The question was whether that would show up in the results.
First Impressions
My immediate reaction was that this is a nice-looking putter.
The straighter lines appeal to my eye, and while the blue finish was perfectly inoffensive, I would still prefer a plain black finish. More importantly, I liked the short top line much more than I would have liked a flange line, and the slant neck was a big part of the appeal. I’ve never had much success with plumber’s necks.
Looking at the rack of second-hand putters, this one immediately stood out to me.
Compared with my SeeMore Nashville mFGP gamer, the blade did look slightly long at address. I think that is partly because the SeeMore shaft enters the head in a way that visually divides it more centrally, while this Odyssey is heel shafted, so you simply see more blade length.
That does not make it bad.
But it does change the picture.
Specs (as tested)
Total weight: 570g (SL120 shaft)
Head weight: 350g (assumed that it had standard sole weights)
Swing weight: D8
Length: 33”
Loft: 3°
Lie: standard 70°, but suspect this is flatter
Toe Hang: 60°
Grip: SuperStroke Tour 1.0
I suspect this putter may be flatter than standard, and I have assumed it has standard headweights fitted. Note that the SL120 shaft is not standard.
Protocol Snapshot (How I Tested It)
Surface: The old Eden green at the St Andrews Links Academy. An excellent, mature putting surface, with lots of variety on offer.
Conditions: A lovely, but slightly chilly, March afternoon. The green had recently had some maintenance work (you can see the marks in the photo), but was rolling nicely.
Make Test: 6 putts x 3 reps from 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 ft
Lag Test: 40 ft to 3 ft - uphill and downhill - run once
Start Line: Gate drill (two tees at 18 inches ahead, gate only just wider than a ball)
Benchmark: SeeMore Nashville mFGP
Full testing framework: HERE
How did it perform?
Notes
This was one of those tests where the theory was more appealing than the result.
The tour issue changes made this version more interesting to me than retail, and the feel was better than I expected. But the performance never matched that early promise.
The short putts were solid enough, and the gate test suggested my start line was not really the issue. But as the stroke lengthened, the Odyssey became much less convincing, and my SeeMore stayed comfortably ahead.
In the end, this was a putter I liked more in concept than in use.
Pros and Cons
Looks (+ve): This is a very appealing version of the Ai-One Milled Two. The slant neck and short top line make much more sense to my eye than the retail version’s plumber’s neck and rear flange line. It set up cleanly and looked good behind the ball.
Aim/Alignment (+ve): I preferred the short top alignment line, and on short putts, I felt I was starting the ball on line. The gate test backed that up with a score of 6, matching the SeeMore.
Feel (neutral to +ve): Having disliked the same insert in the Ai-One Milled One CH, I was pleasantly surprised here. The insert felt better than expected in this head. It is not as firm as a fully milled face, but it was nicer than some of Odyssey’s more synthetic-feeling inserts.
Sound (neutral to +ve): Very much the same as feel. The sound was better than anticipated, and I could quite happily live with it.
Pace control (-ve): This was the main issue. The Odyssey became much less convincing as the stroke lengthened. In the lag tests, it only scored 4 uphill and 3 downhill, versus 6 and 5 for the SeeMore, and I was generally coming up short. With longer putts, I often caught it out of the toe, causing issues with pace.
Performance (-ve): Relative to my SeeMore, I was surprised by how poor this putter was across all tests, especially the relatively short ones. Those putts can be stressful enough on their own, and don’t need the added stress of not trusting the putter. I felt that I had to work hard and really concentrate on my stroke with this putter. It was hard work. I also suspect that the lie angle may be a bit flatter than standard, which may have contributed to my problems.
Headcover (+ve): Odyssey make good head covers, with strong magnetic closures. There is nothing to dislike here, other than a suspicion that the white may get dirty.
Grip (neutral): This was fitted with a non-standard SuperStroke Tour 1.0 grip, which is one I like and have on my other SeeMore putter. The standard Ai-One grip is slightly disappointing compared to the one on the new Ai-Dual range.
Price (neutral): As this is a non-standard putter, it’s really hard to put a value on it, as I have no idea what the original cost was. However, it is being sold on behalf of a customer, so the price has been set by them, rather than by the shop. The Ai-One Milled line is now discontinued, but you can still pick them up for around £250 new, although stocks are limited. Ultimately, it’s only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it, and the only reason to pay the £250 asking price is if you really want the short slant neck and top line, as it’s the only way you will get them. If it had performed better, I could have been tempted. I suspect it may sit a while.
Conclusion
I still think this tour issue version of the Ai-One Milled Two suits me better than the retail model would.
The slant neck and top alignment line are much more appealing to my eye than a plumber’s neck and rear line. In theory, this should have been a better fit for me.
But in practice, it was not good enough.
My SeeMore Nashville mFGP performed better across the tests, especially once the stroke lengthened. The cleaner visuals and better-than-expected feel of the Two were not enough to overcome that.
This is one of those putters I can admire more than trust.
Fit verdict (for me):
Would I game it tomorrow? No.
What would I change? I’d check the lie angle and possibly re-test.
What did I learn? That visual preferences and a better-than-expected feel are no compensation for poor performance!
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Links:
Full testing framework: here
All my other putter reviews: here