50 Words or Less
The Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K putter blends classic White Hot feel with modern construction. Mallet-like MOI makes these blade putters extremely forgiving and stable.
Check out the new Odyssey Ai-ONE putters HERE
Introduction
Last year, Odyssey used the 20th anniversary of the original White Hot putter to bring those classic putters into the present [White Hot OG review HERE]. This year, Odyssey is bringing five traditional blade shapes into the future. The goal of the Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K putters is to build a blade that can outperform a mallet. Did Odyssey succeed? Let’s find out.
Looks
At a glance, the Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K is a traditional blade. For this review, I tested the Two, a classic Anser Two style putter. Everything looks as you’d expect with the cavity framing the ball and beautifully milled shoulders sloping to the flange.
A second look reveals that this isn’t just another Anser Two. First, there’s the red and silver Stroke Lab shaft. I’ll discuss this more later, but the look alone signifies that this putter has some tricks up its sleeve. Next, you might notice that the “front” is black stainless steel and the rest of the body is charcoal grey. Flip the putter over and you’ll find a fairly busy sole with two removable weights.
With so much going on, it would be easy for this putter to look overly busy. Odyssey did a good job balancing all these technical elements with moderate branding. The face has a silver Odyssey swirl logo on the heel. In the cavity, “Tri-Hot 5K” is written in a thin, futuristic font. On the sole, the focus stays on the Odyssey branding in white against the dark back metal.
Finally, I want to applaud Odyssey for the premium head cover that comes with the Tri-Hot 5K. First, it has a magnetic closure which elevates it above most covers. Beyond that, the grey and black base with red and silver metallic branding looks very slick. It’s different than 99% of the covers out there without screaming for attention.
Sound & Feel
The Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K putters balance their modern elements with a classic feel. These putters all use the original White Hot insert, easily the most recognizable putter insert ever. Striking a urethane-covered ball produces a pillowy soft feel with a slight bounce to it. The sound is a medium volume “thud.”
With the soft feel and high MOI, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of feedback. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could feel mishits quite easily. The sound and feel don’t change much, but your hands will know if the ball was struck on the toe or heel.
Performance
The Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K putters use a blend of steel, tungsten, and aluminum with the goal of creating a blade putter that performs like a mallet. They state that the inertia level of these putters exceeds anything found in the blade category. Additionally, the CG has been moved forward to improve roll.
With my Foresight GCQuad, I’m able to put claims about forgiveness to the test. I pitted the Tri-Hot 5K against a “normal” Anser 2-style putter, varied impact location, and evaluated smash factor. On centered strikes, both putters performed similarly. On small mishits the results were similar, too. However, as the strikes moved to the edge of the cavity and beyond, the Tri-Hot 5K flexed its muscles. On bigger misses, the Tri-Hot 5K putter retained a significantly higher smash factor than a standard Anser 2 putter. This can have a direct impact on your scoring because those big misses are more common at long range. At long range, retaining more ball speed can be the difference between an easy two putt and trying to make a ten-footer for par.
Odyssey also allows for some customization with removable weights in the sole. There are aluminum, steel, and tungsten weights, weighing grams, respectively. The weight kit is sold separately, though the price and availability remain to be determined at the time of publication.
Odyssey has also upgraded their Stroke Lab shaft for the Tri-Hot 5K. The steel section has been shortened, which dropped seven grams from the shaft weight. This further enhances Odyssey’s ability to put the weight in the head and handle where they believe it performs better. The new Stroke Lab shaft is also stiffer to promote consistency and stability in the stroke.
It’s hard to evaluate the Stroke Lab shaft independently, but I can say that I’ve enjoyed every Stroke Lab putter I’ve ever tested. The feeling of having more weight in the grip and head is very comfortable and allows for an improved sense of where the head is.
There are five putters in Odyssey’s Tri-Hot 5K family: One, Two, Three, Double Wide, and Triple Wide. The One and Two are Anser-style putters, One with rounded bumpers, Two with square bumpers. Both feature what Odyssey calls a “crank neck” but is more commonly referred to as a plumbers neck. The Three is a heel-toe weighted blade with a flow neck for players who want more toe hang. Double Wide and Triple Wide are, appropriately, wider versions of the Two. The Double Wide has the same “crank neck” as the Two, but the Triple Wide has a double-bend shaft which makes it face balanced.
Conclusion
If you want forgiveness in a putter, you’re no longer required to play a mallet. The Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K putter shows that, with the right technology, blade putters can be forgiving too. If you want classic White Hot feel with very modern performance, this line of putters deserves a look.
Visit Odyssey HERE
Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf
Matt has worked in nearly every job in the golf industry from club fitting to instruction to writing and speaking.
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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