Callaway and Odyssey golf have always been known to go above and beyond to validate their latest technology when launching it on the PGA TOUR.

The companies once studied the science of Vernier Acuity, a measure of the visual system's ability to spot slight misalignments between two line segments, with the University of Missouri – St. Louis' College of Optometry to help create better alignment visuals on a golf ball. (The same technology is used on aircraft carriers to help pilots align properly with a moving landing area.)

The validation continues on Odyssey's new Ai-DUAL 1/2 Ball putters, which feature alignment technology designed to frame the golf ball better. The design sees the white insert of the putter wrap onto the leading edge and into a semi-circular alignment aid with a black sightline to help center the ball better.

"Through the research of the R&D team, they really focused on a theory out there, where you look at a lot of the sports visual doctors, they call it 'Prototype Theory,' which talks about how our brain is really highly sensitive to detecting symmetry," Jacob Davidson, Callaway Golf's vice president of product strategy, told PGATOUR.COM. "We live in a world where your brain tries to put together patterns. It tries to put together symmetry, and when things are off centre, and there's deviations of those shapes, a lot of times, your brain will naturally, you know, correct it. Being circles is one of those, so when you put that half circle up there, it gives you the heel-toe alignment, but also still gives you the framing of the golf ball being that's the same size."

As part of the research with 1/2 Ball, Odyssey partnered with academics at Clemson University and Baylor University to validate the alignment benefits used on the putter head. The study released showed positive results of the technology, which included an advantage on 6-foot putts. In a randomized set of 10 putts with each club, testers were making 1.13 (or 11.3%) more putts from that distance with the 1/2 Ball than with others.

Akshay Bhatia has been an enthusiastic adopter of the 1/2 alignment, adding the update to his broomstick Jailbird putter as early as the Procore Championship last season, where he ranked fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting at Silverado Resort. The success has continued into 2026, with last week's Dubai Invitational winner Nacho Elvira switching to the technology to earn his third win on the DP World Tour.

"If you watch Akshay (Bhatia), he can be a little fidgety at setup," Davidson said. "And now (with the 1/2 putter) he just said that, 'hey, I feel like I have reduced my time at address significantly based on how quickly I feel and know from the feedback that I'm lined up quicker.'"

The 1/2 Ball is part of a wider range of Ai-Dual putters featuring the latest insert developed by engineers at Odyssey. The dual-layer urethane insert, first spotted in the S2S Tri-Hot line launched in the fall, has a soft outer layer and a firm inner layer to deliver consistent ball speed no matter the strike point across the face.

“We used AI to contour and combine them (the two urethane layers) together to really just optimize the material contributions,” Davidson added. “The outer layer being a bit softer, the core layer is a little bit firmer. And then we added in an all-new grove package, … which gave us even more roll.”

Fifteen different putters are part of the Ai-Dual launch package, featuring varying shapes from blade to mallet, styles ranging from traditional to zero-torque, and lengths with standard, cruiser, and broomstick options.