Odyssey responds to anchor ban with new putter

• By Will Gray
• Dec 1, 2012 9:13 AM ET

Odyssey Golf wasted little time in responding to the proposed ban from the U.S. Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient on anchoring putters.

In a statement released Friday, the company announced the upcoming production of the new Metal-X Arm Lock Putter. Although the proposed ban on anchoring strokes is not slated to take effect until Jan. 1, 2016, the Metal-X putter will be available for retail purchase in January 2013.

"Odyssey's pledge to golfers has always been to push convention while respecting tradition in a quest to help them sink more putts," the company stated in the release. "The Metal-X Arm Lock Putters stem from extensive exploration into the different ways Tour professionals interact with the putter."

The Metal-X putter will conform to the new regulations announced by the governing bodies earlier this week, and per Odyssey's release will offer "an alternative method of stabilizing the putter through a natural-feeling extension of the golfer's arm."

The type of stroke described is similar to that of Matt Kuchar, who currently uses a longer putter but does not anchor it to a fixed point on his torso. Kuchar used the stroke to win The Players earlier this year, and the USGA and R&A both were clear that such motions would be permissible under the new regulations.

"At Odyssey we were adamant about offering alternative solutions to golfers who might change their current technique based on the recent anchoring proposal," explained Austie Rollinson, a principal designer at Odyssey, in the statement.

According to the company's release, the new Metal-X putters will retail at $189.99.