Fowler’s and Clark’s putter

[wely324]

5 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Not every PGA pro gets fit for their putter.  just because  they are pros does t mean they know more about equipment than anyone else.  They are just like us, they see someone with new equipment and they ask to try it and sometimes just switch.   

Exactly my point, they are just like us, so why is it funny that golfers want to try a putter out that has won the last 3  professional men’s events. Just because we are not as good as them, the unique design of the counterbalanced putter and also gripping down on the grip due to longer length is not like switching from  odyssey 2 ball, to a Cameron x11.

[wely324]

4 minutes ago, Preeway said:

Willing to bet dollars to nickels that Wyndham will have someone from Odyssey get that putter fit to his specs. Especially since he’s already repoing their brand.  

The putter was built to his request to be the same as ricks why change it if he is winning?

[cnosil]

7 minutes ago, wely324 said:

Exactly my point, they are just like us, so why is it funny that golfers want to try a putter out that has won the last 3  professional men’s events. Just because we are not as good as them, the unique design of the counterbalanced putter and also gripping down on the grip due to longer length is not like switching from  odyssey 2 ball, to a Cameron x11.

I think it is more the mentality.   IMO, many of the people buying this putter are doing so simply because it won three recent events and not because it was a good putter for them and accomplished something.   Many buy off the rack simply because it is the hottest equipment. 
 

it like people getting the slant neck on their phantoms becuase JT was winning or getting Nike clubs because Tiger was winning.    This is why the OEMs pay players to play their clubs.   

[Preeway]

1 minute ago, wely324 said:

The putter was built to his request to be the same as ricks why change it if he is winning?

Well, since they both rock the same model putter, he might want to try using a longer shafted putter. Pros are always tinkering. 

[wely324]

2 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I think it is more the mentality.   IMO, many of the people buying this putter are doing so simply because it won three recent events and not because it was a good putter for them and accomplished something.   Many buy off the rack simply because it is the hottest equipment. 

I’d love to try one out but not sure where you can find a 39” long jailbird versa counterbalanced intended to be gripped halfway down, with a 380 gram head weight to demo.

[No3Putts]

1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The same materials that are used for the clubs that pros use are in the retail clubs. Jordan Speith’s T100 irons are the same as what you buy from titleist, same for his everything but his putter. If they weren’t then there would be a separate listing on the approved equipment list with USGA and R&A

Same with shafts. 
 

It’s usually only clubs like hovlands irons, tw and other tm staff protos or other protos on tour, again those are also listed on the ruling bodies equipment list.

 

Shafts are where you can see the biggest differences in materials.  While you COULD buy the same shaft, the cost would be very different. I've seen clubs being made on the tour vans with shafts that were easily $3oo-500 more expensive than anything listed as available.  In some of the drivers and irons, while they are technically the same, the weighting is customized, using materials to change swing weight, balance point, COG, that traditional aren't available to the regular consumer.

[KenRider]

5 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I think it is more the mentality.   IMO, many of the people buying this putter are doing so simply because it won three recent events and not because it was a good putter for them and accomplished something.   Many buy off the rack simply because it is the hottest equipment. 
 

it like people getting the slant neck on their phantoms becuase JT was winning or getting Nike clubs because Tiger was winning.    This is why the OEMs pay players to play their clubs.   

I started looking for this putter before Wyndham, Keegan, or Rickie won. I saw Rickie's and it appeared to be a combination of the two Odyssey putters I alternate between (a Tank #7 with a counterweight in a longer handle and an old Rossie with a large grip), so I wanted to try it. I'm guessing if Wyndham hadn't won, I wouldn't have gotten that chance.

[RickyBobby_PR]

27 minutes ago, No3Putts said:

Shafts are where you can see the biggest differences in materials.  While you COULD buy the same shaft, the cost would be very different. I've seen clubs being made on the tour vans with shafts that were easily $3oo-500 more expensive than anything listed as available.  In some of the drivers and irons, while they are technically the same, the weighting is customized, using materials to change swing weight, balance point, COG, that traditional aren't available to the regular consumer.

Correct the shafts used on your could be an expensive upgrade either aftermarket or as an upcharge thru an OEM that offers them like the Ventus Velocore that is $250 upcharge from TM and a couple others.

For the bolder part. The weighting can be customized for retail heads either thru an order with an OEM or a custom build thru a club builder or for those individuals who are into club building. it could be done via hot melt, tip weights, lead tape(many pros cns be seen using lead tape on their clubs. The difference is for amateurs those type of things cost whereas for the pros they aren’t paying, but outside of truly one off builds what is on tour is available at retail just at a cost. A tour only head can be purchased from club builders who have those type of accounts. I have a tm m5 tour head fairway wood in my bag and have had tour head drivers as well over the years.

 

 

[No3Putts]

19 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Correct the shafts used on your could be an expensive upgrade either aftermarket or as an upcharge thru an OEM that offers them like the Ventus Velocore that is $250 upcharge from TM and a couple others.

For the bolder part. The weighting can be customized for retail heads either thru an order with an OEM or a custom build thru a club builder or for those individuals who are into club building. it could be done via hot melt, tip weights, lead tape(many pros cns be seen using lead tape on their clubs. The difference is for amateurs those type of things cost whereas for the pros they aren’t paying, but outside of truly one off builds what is on tour is available at retail just at a cost. A tour only head can be purchased from club builders who have those type of accounts. I have a tm m5 tour head fairway wood in my bag and have had tour head drivers as well over the years.

 

 

Agreed.  I had a Steelhead III years ago that came straight off the truck.  The hot melt had come loose and rattled, so when I called Calaway they asked for the serial number and I found out it was originally made for one of their players.  They asked if I wanted it to match the specs, and I said yes.  When it arrived, I found out the things that had been done to it - including an upgraded shaft and some extra weight.  It was under warranty and it didn't cost me. In fact, I ended up with two), but it made it clear the differences that exist between pros clubs and off the rack clubs.  You can get just about anything you want, you just have to be willing to pay for it.  That was my original point -- cost is why you can't just walk inti PGA Superstore and buy the exact same clubs your favorite pro uses.

[RickyBobby_PR]

19 minutes ago, No3Putts said:

Agreed.  I had a Steelhead III years ago that came straight off the truck.  The hot melt had come loose and rattled, so when I called Calaway they asked for the serial number and I found out it was originally made for one of their players.  They asked if I wanted it to match the specs, and I said yes.  When it arrived, I found out the things that had been done to it - including an upgraded shaft and some extra weight.  It was under warranty and it didn't cost me. In fact, I ended up with two), but it made it clear the differences that exist between pros clubs and off the rack clubs.  You can get just about anything you want, you just have to be willing to pay for it.  That was my original point -- cost is why you can't just walk inti PGA Superstore and buy the exact same clubs your favorite pro uses.

 But for the most part you buying them, you just aren’t buying their specific setup, but then again you can walk into pga superstore and buy a driver off the shelf that is probably going to be different than the one i buy. Just like one pros specs are going to be different from another based on their preference and their needs.

Thats what custom clubs are about. Their clubs start out the same way retail clubs do. The thing is most golfers don’t get fit so they just buy off the shelf standard specs for the oem they are buying from.

[richk9holes]

3 hours ago, Preeway said:

Willing to bet dollars to nickels that Wyndham will have someone from Odyssey get that putter fit to his specs. Especially since he’s already repoing their brand.  

I think how it went is he didn't expect to putt well with someone else's specs but he did and he's superstitious so he'll stick with it until it fails him.

[TooSteep]

"Clark measured his performance with the putter on a Quintic putting analysis system, and Odyssey made small tweaks to the loft and lie angle for Clark’s particular stroke"

https://www.pgatour.com/es/article/news/equipment-report/2023/05/15/how-rickie-fowler-putter-helped-wyndham-clark-become-a-pga-tour-winner-odyssey

[ballhawk]

On 6/24/2023 at 8:19 AM, ballhawk said:

I'm making a facsimile one. No way that I would fork over a couple of hundred bucks on a putter (if it was available to us lowly golfers). Using a Ray Cook copy of a TM Spider, bumping the shaft out to accommodate that 17 inch grip, so it's actually a copy of a copy. The darn grip costs more than the putter, but I do like to tinker and I've seen several of those what I call semi arm lock on the both tours, so there must be something to them. If it seemingly works I'll give a review with pics.  

Edited July 4, 2023 by ballhawk

[ballhawk]

The overall weight of the putter changed drastically, but in a good way. The feel is much more pronounced and the larger grip stabilizes my wrists without having to overly concentrate on that aspect. The putting stroke itself has become more of an actual mini golf swing and has allowed the stroke to seemingly free wheel itself. Surprisingly, length control is looking to be much better because of those aspects, where as the shorter putter(s) have always needed a firmer stroke and in doing so, more than likely the head would be pushed/pulled off line enough to stray off course. All and all, it's new and it's in the honeymoon stage, but it looks really promising.........   

[Preeway]

Pics didn’t load

[ballhawk]

2 hours ago, Preeway said:

Pics didn’t load

????

[Preeway]

52 minutes ago, ballhawk said:

????

You recent post above looks like you tried to add images but they appear as question marks. 

[Wicki]

On 6/23/2023 at 4:17 PM, KenRider said:

Does anyone have the details on or, even better, a link to the Odyssey putter Fowler and Clark are using? It’s almost as if someone combined the two putters I have.

Callaway was taking pre-orders on the Jailbird Putter, exact measurements as theirs thru Sunday 7/2!  Just checked and it is closed out.  Sorry.  Measurements are 39" shaft, with a 17" putter grip 3.0 Fatso grip.

[ballhawk]

3 hours ago, Preeway said:

You recent post above looks like you tried to add images but they appear as question marks. 

Tried again, the pics look like they are viewable, at least on my screen.

[Preeway]

I can see the putter and the grip now

[ballhawk]

For a follow up: Long putts with gripping the putter on the upper end is great, but not so good on short putts. For those I find that gripping half way down on the shaft is much better and allows the upper portion of the shaft/grip to not influence the stroke (back weighting). On fast(er) greens (ours run 11 to 12+) trying to hold the putter on the upper portion allows (at least for me) too much head weight for short(er) putts and  I struggled with keep the head square while losing stroke speed. Left a lot just short and mostly pulled. Went to the half way down the shaft grip and everything fell into place. I also noticed that a slightly open stance was beneficial in a free release of the stroke.

[GT1885]

I’m an inveterate tinkerer also. This has me intrigued. What head weight are you using? What shaft? How long? Any weight in the butt?

[KenRider]

The putter is still on backorder. The last date I saw was for the end of September.

[KenRider]

I got my Odyssey Versa Jailbird 380 putter a couple of weeks ago and have been incredibly happy with it. The heavier putter head will take some more repetitions on long putts, but it's been money inside 10 feet.

[Nick_D]

16 hours ago, KenRider said:

I got my Odyssey Versa Jailbird 380 putter a couple of weeks ago and have been incredibly happy with it. The heavier putter head will take some more repetitions on long putts, but it's been money inside 10 feet.

I agree. I haven't put mine in the bag yet, but this thing is so easy to hit a putt on line no matter where you hit it on the face. Feels the same to me wherever I hit it and the ball just gets to the hole no matter what.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Nick_D
*spelling

[TylorJudd]

 Not to revive old threads, but I’m attempting to build a jailbird to see what they’re about. They’re impossible to get in Canada, so I’ll go the DIY route with a used Oworks Jailbird Mini S. Currently I’m using a 2 Ball 10 Stroke Lab at 35”. At my height of 6’4”, I find the butt end of my putter just below the heel of my palm. 
 

I just received the putter today and I have extended the shaft with another iron shaft an additional 5” to 40” total playing length. I’m going to have the head re painted to the versa paint scheme as I want to try that alignment aid over the 2 Ball. I found the Winn grip that comes stock on the to be slightly narrow and a touch too soft so I have a Super Stroke 17” 3.0 Flatso to give the grip a little bit more real estate for my mitts. 
 

I’m going to keep the micro hinge insert in this jailbird, Ive never tried one and want to compare to the white hot insert. May swap them as I do like the white hot insert. I’ll throw some lead tape on the bottom of the head and play around with hand position on the grip. If I end up gripping high enough on the grip, I’ll start with a 40g weight up top and see how that feels.

[TylorJudd]

Putter is finished, (waiting for a syringe so I can fill the sight line dots), and the initial testing is quite positive. The fit of the putter as a whole is better, forgetting the type and hype, 40” counter balanced works better for me. This Jailbird has a slant neck vs the double bend of the 2 Ball 10. I can putt well with the 2 ball but it feels like more work to keep the face balanced head on a straight back straight through stroke, where this slant neck is a nice natural toe hang for me. 

Ended up adding a 5” extension which is really 6.5 with the bit inside the shaft then put one extra wrap on the extension to have it flush with the shaft for the new grip. The 3.0 super stroke was a much better call for my hands vs the stock Odyssey Winn Grip. Not a bad grip by any means, just a little small. 
 

The versa colour scheme does have some merit. You can see twisting of the head much easier, it by no means makes the putt for you but brings awareness to your tendencies. I prefer the micro hinge face as well, it’s a touch firmer than the white hot insert but I believe you can feel the ball roll better off the face. More than likely subjective but you can feel a difference hitting the two side by side.
 

Added ~10g to the head of lead tape, that coupled with gripping the club at ~37” with the 3” counter weight above my hands seems great right now. I don’t know if I’ll add more weight to the head but for now it has been a big improvement. I don’t know overall weight of the putter but ~135 for the shaft, ~365 for the head, ~25g for the extension (120g shaft at 34”, 120/34=3.5g/inch x 7”), and the grip is ~100g, so total estimate is ~625g. 
 

For a mid length putter, these are pretty great, and not hard to put together because purchasing the hype for 700-1200 CAD, and sometimes higher isn’t worth it. All in all this cost me 350 CAD for the putter, and the grip. Is it a touch high for a used putter? Ya, but everything cost more than it should right now. I hope this helps anyone out looking to do the same thing 

Edited December 24, 2023 by TylorJudd

[KenRider]

I had to share this article from today's Golf newsletter, This was the biggest golf equipment story of 2023.

[Nick_D]

On 12/24/2023 at 2:33 PM, TylorJudd said:

Putter is finished, (waiting for a syringe so I can fill the sight line dots), and the initial testing is quite positive. The fit of the putter as a whole is better, forgetting the type and hype, 40” counter balanced works better for me. This Jailbird has a slant neck vs the double bend of the 2 Ball 10. I can putt well with the 2 ball but it feels like more work to keep the face balanced head on a straight back straight through stroke, where this slant neck is a nice natural toe hang for me. 

Ended up adding a 5” extension which is really 6.5 with the bit inside the shaft then put one extra wrap on the extension to have it flush with the shaft for the new grip. The 3.0 super stroke was a much better call for my hands vs the stock Odyssey Winn Grip. Not a bad grip by any means, just a little small. 
 

The versa colour scheme does have some merit. You can see twisting of the head much easier, it by no means makes the putt for you but brings awareness to your tendencies. I prefer the micro hinge face as well, it’s a touch firmer than the white hot insert but I believe you can feel the ball roll better off the face. More than likely subjective but you can feel a difference hitting the two side by side.
 

Added ~10g to the head of lead tape, that coupled with gripping the club at ~37” with the 3” counter weight above my hands seems great right now. I don’t know if I’ll add more weight to the head but for now it has been a big improvement. I don’t know overall weight of the putter but ~135 for the shaft, ~365 for the head, ~25g for the extension (120g shaft at 34”, 120/34=3.5g/inch x 7”), and the grip is ~100g, so total estimate is ~625g. 
 

For a mid length putter, these are pretty great, and not hard to put together because purchasing the hype for 700-1200 CAD, and sometimes higher isn’t worth it. All in all this cost me 350 CAD for the putter, and the grip. Is it a touch high for a used putter? Ya, but everything cost more than it should right now. I hope this helps anyone out looking to do the same thing 

What are your thoughts on the microhinge insert? I can't decide if I like it or not, seems too soft or muted for me so far.

[KenRider]

27 minutes ago, Nick_D said:

What are your thoughts on the microhinge insert? I can't decide if I like it or not, seems too soft or muted for me so far.

I'm a fan. I hear the ball, not the putter, which is what I want to hear.