Equipment

Odyssey Havok and Jailbird putters

Published

10 years ago

Jan 6, 2014

Happy New Year to fans of Odyssey putters, who only six days into 2014 are greeted with two new radical designs from the putter company, the Havok and Jailbird putters.

The Havok is what Odyssey calls an “ultra high MOI putter,” with a low, deep center of gravity that creates forward roll and more consistent ball speed on impact points across the face. The Jailbird is similar to Odyssey’s extremely popular No. 7 putter, with an added bar on the back of the mallet that gives the Versa putter what the company is calling “Double Versa Technology,” or four alternating black-and-white lines instead of the three lines used on other Versa putters.

The putters will make their Tour debut this week at the Sony Open. The Havok will retail for $159.99 ($199 with a SuperStroke 3.0 grip), while the Jailbird will sell for $169.99 ($199 with a SuperStroke 3.0 grip). The Jailbird is available in both the white/black/white/black and black/white/black/white color options. We’ll update this story with a release date for the putters as soon as it becomes available.

Both putters feature Odyssey’s new White Hot Pro insert that made its debut on the 2013 line of White Hot Pro and Versa putters.

Havok

Jailbird

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the putters in our forums.

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14 Comments

Tony

Jan 7, 2014 at 6:52 am

I like them, but I’ll take a guess and say neither of these will be made in LH?

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Random

Jan 6, 2014 at 11:51 pm

Everyone just wait for the Metal X Milled to come out. That is a proper putter.

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Sam

Jan 6, 2014 at 4:08 pm

Hideous!! But also a little bit beutiful at the same time.. No2 wide Milled black series for me pure feel pure roll…

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snowman

Jan 6, 2014 at 12:29 pm

Still cannot for the life of me understand why Callaway does not have a Tank/Versa offering. Seems like a no-brainer to marry 2 of their new ‘innovations’.

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Chris

Jan 6, 2014 at 11:26 am

Interesting to see companies push the boundaries with technology. These two are certainly new designs and will never make my bag but to each their own. I am certain that these putters will work for some and will have others who hate them as that is the way equipment goes these days. I don’t really care about the names either, but I am glad they brought back the White Hot insert.

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- Joel
  
  Jan 6, 2014 at 2:47 pm
  
  No doubt they are both “new designs” that have benefits over the old designs but all I see is a #7 and a sabertooth with crossbars added and a very slight altering of shape. That being said I still game a sabertooth from time to time so I’m sure they will do great.
  
  Reply Report comment
NS

Jan 6, 2014 at 10:28 am

Gimme a break. Jailbird? Who comes up with this crap for Callaway and why does Callaway allow it? It really is such poor manners and no respect for the game. It’s not even funny. So completely classless and ungentlemanly to use such terms in relation to golf. Puts out a really bad vibe. They really ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Reply Report comment
- Mike
  
  Jan 6, 2014 at 10:43 am
  
  wow, i didn’t mind the names. this type of putter hasn’t worked well for me in the past because i have a mental block when i’m using something other than a blade style putter but i had no issue with the name jailbird. i don’t think it has any impact on the image of callaway and certainly not on the game of golf. i think you over-estimate the influence of the name of an individual putter model from an individual manufacturer. of course maybe i’m underestimating it and once all the hooligans and nogoodniks see this as a putter option, they’ll completely take over the game and courses will be covered in gang related graffiti. i guess we’ll see who’s right this season. enjoy the new equipment. 2 jailbirds please!
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Alex
    
    Jan 6, 2014 at 2:56 pm
    
    Same here, mate, I have the same kind of block when playing one of those ugly putters.
    
    Now these putters are average ugly, nothing beats how ugly the Spiderghost by TM is.
    
    Reply Report comment
- N
  
  Jan 6, 2014 at 10:58 am
  
  Wow, calm down…I agree it’s sort of a silly name, but “completely classless and ungentlemanly” to use the term jailbird in relation to golf? If Fowler rolled up in his bright orange head to toe and was rocking one of these, I think you’d have an aneurysm. It’s surely no worse than Rocketballz(ier)…
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Brandon
    
    Jun 26, 2023 at 11:08 pm
    
    You predicted the future.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - andybucket
      
      Dec 23, 2023 at 12:05 am
      
      Wow, sure did. Never seen a comment age that well
      
      Reply Report comment
- BS
  
  Jan 6, 2014 at 6:02 pm
  
  you are a troll. shame on you mr. bad vibes.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Rob
  
  Feb 12, 2016 at 12:56 pm
  
  WHAT A LAMO YOU ARE
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

4 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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