Odyssey's Backstryke putter claims first win

Just a matter of weeks after its launch, Odyssey’s game-changing Backstryke putter has claimed a first win on the European Tour.  

Callaway Staff player Thomas Bjorn – using a Backstryke Marxman - secured victory at the recent Estoril Open de Portugal by a commanding five-shot margin, averaging just 28 putts per round and 1.66 putts per greens in regulation. That’s an average of one birdie every third hole.

Thanks to its unique design, the Backstryke is perfectly equipped to help all golfers – from Ryder Cup veterans to aspiring amateurs - make a more efficient putting stroke.  

The shaft has been moved backwards in the head, placing the axis of the shaft point as close as possible to the putter head’s centre of gravity. This in-line axis develops what Odyssey design experts call Stroke Balance – a fluid and stable stroke path, promoting better distance control, consistency and accuracy.

The Backstryke also uses a Visible Face Alignment feature that allows golfers to clearly see if the face is square to the target line without the shaft impeding the line of sight. This significantly benefits golfers who struggle with long putts and consistently position their existing putter away from the intended target line.

“The Backstryke was an immediate hit for me,” said Bjorn, who put the Backstryke Marxman in play in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year and has since shown signs of the form that made him a Ryder Cup regular. “The design of the head and the shaft really does promote an ideal putting position which I can maintain throughout my stroke.”

Bjorn’s success with the Backstryke is the result of a close working relationship with Odyssey Tour Rep Seamus Sweeney to fine-tune his exact requirements. “Thomas had been searching for a different putting option for a while,” said Seamus, recalling how a number of options were explored before they settled on a customised Marxman model that features a darker finish, a more prominent sight line and a midsize grip.  

“His victory comes off the back of a lot of hard work on his stroke, and the introduction of this new putter. The two are inter-linked,” he added. Bjorn’s putting in Estoril, where he ranked third in both putting categories, was a clear validation of the work put in by both parties.  

And Bjorn is not alone in enjoying the improved control, stability and accuracy of the Backstryke. Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson switched from his Sabretooth to a customised Backstryke Blade at the start of the season and has already secured three Top-10 finishes, including reaching the quarter-finals of the WGC Match Play event in Arizona. Also in the United States, the Backstryke Blade was used to win an event on the Nationwide Tour last week, the first of what will hopefully be many on American soil.