Equipment

James Patrick joins Titleist

Published

11 years ago

Jul 24, 2013

Wedgemaker James “Patrick” Harrington has announced on his website that he has joined Titleist “to further advance [his] passion and creativity” with wedges.

For years, there has been speculation that Titleist has been looking for a wedgemaker to succeed legendary wedge maker Bob Vokey, for whom the company’s current line of wedges is named. Vokey, 73, has suffered several health problems in recent years, including kidney cancer in 2008.

Harrington, 30, has a reputation as one of the best wedge grinders in the industry. He had a well publicized split with Edel Golf in January 2011, and has since been producing handmade wedges for his own company, James Patrick Golf, which he founded in his home state of Wisconsin.

Harrington did not make clear what role he would take with Titleist, only saying that the company is “providing the resources needed to continue to explore the unending pursuit of creating the world’s finest wedges.”

He thanked his fans for “helping to build the foundation,” and said that move to Titleist is “the next step in the journey of my life’s work.”

Above: Custom wedges created by Harrington for James Patrick Golf.

James Patrick wedges were created one at a time by Harrington, allowing him to make them with custom grinds, finishes and stampings that caught the attention of several golf websites and publications. Even though the wedges had a base price of more than $300, with custom options that could cost customers hundreds more, Harrington struggled to keep pace with demand for his products, which are currently listed as “sold out” on his website.

Harrington ground the handmade wedges from Kyoei forged blanks, and created them with a design that included a thinned out hosel for less resistance on shots from the sand and grass, as well a three tungsten weights in the toe section of the wedges that Harrington said move the center of gravity closer to the wedge’s sweet spot for more consistency.

Prior to starting his own company in 2011, Harrington attended Arizona State University, where he graduated from the PGA Management program. He went on to work as a grinder for leading club fitters Hot Stix and Cool Clubs, and trained under legendary clubmaker Don White in 2008.

According to his website, Harrington has worked with PGA Tour professionals Fulton Allen, Cameron Beckman, Robert Garrigus, Peter Jacobson, Matt Kuchar, Ryan Moore, Kevin Streelman and Aaron Baddeley, for whom he ground a set of irons that Baddeley used to win his first Tour event in 2006.

Click here to read what members are saying about James Patrick’s move in the forums.

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18 Comments

EZ

Jun 26, 2016 at 11:57 pm

…..And yet….3 YEARS go by without anything….did they just buy him out and make him sign a non-compete for the rest of his life? What a shame.

Reply Report comment
BigBoy

Jul 30, 2013 at 12:04 am

im going to sprinkle hundreds and thousands all over my Cleveland wedges

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Juan

Jul 29, 2013 at 2:11 pm

a good thing gone bad….bring on the mass production

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Jack Lives Here

Jul 28, 2013 at 6:30 am

James wedges are beautiful. Van Gough was under capitalized as well. I wish James every success with the new position.

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SAMPGA

Jul 27, 2013 at 6:40 am

I’VE GOT WORD FROM THE INSIDE THAT JP WILL BE IN CHARGE OF AN ULTRA HIGH END LINE OF WEDGES FOR JAPAN…Voke will be here forever!

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Blanco

Jul 26, 2013 at 9:15 pm

Does this guy ever smile? He needs to a visit to smiley-town. My guess is they don’t go into full on JP-mode for many years (if he stays on that long)– he’s there for more design and tour stuff not marketing. His name doesn’t ring out yet but will one day.

Personally I think his wedges look gaudy with the exception of the unstamped raw steel stuff I’ve seen. I think his grinds are excellent though.

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Scott Rose

Jul 26, 2013 at 1:04 am

Hmmm….form or function? I’d rather see an artist stay solo.

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Clayton

Jul 25, 2013 at 4:59 pm

“Show me the money!!!” – JP

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HBL

Jul 25, 2013 at 3:31 pm

Probably for us, the masses, there will be no change. Almost impossible to get now and, at least, in the near past. In the future, we can expect mass produced wedges with the pros getting the custom work like it is with Vokey.

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The Real James

Jul 25, 2013 at 1:49 pm

I wonder how a mass produced JP will look?

Ever try grinding a wedge? It’s pretty easy if you have a good grinding machine, and then 5 swings later all the prettiness is left in the turf.

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princeton

Jul 25, 2013 at 12:00 pm

This is the biggest news in the Golf Equipment Business in years!!!! This is huge that Vokey as tapped his heir apparent to take over once he retires fully! Vokey stated yesterday that he is only working two or three days a week and for the every so often special request from a Tour Pro! I wonder how Aaron Dill is feeling today? I am sure that this hurts him a little, as thoughts were that he would be Vokey’s pick for his replacement…?

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Jack

Jul 25, 2013 at 2:39 am

Plus, I doubt he is really taking over for Vokey. I think he is more likely to create his own line (much younger and different look), much like he is doing already, but backed by Titleist’s money and marketing power.

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Jack

Jul 25, 2013 at 2:17 am

I like the look of the wedges, but not at 300+ before custom options!

Reply Report comment
RatzA$$

Jul 25, 2013 at 1:45 am

Wow that’s awesome. Someone stamps a sand wedge, quick paint fill of skittles like colors and a “special grind” and presto! Every minute a sucker is born.
Those that can’t dress like Fowler can have clubs that approach his outfits.
BHahahahhaha

Reply Report comment
- Roger
  
  Jul 26, 2013 at 3:11 pm
  
  Ratz i’m still Lovin my Ping Eye 2 BECU wedge!!! Classic great looks and feel …and a great Wedge too !!!
  
  Reply Report comment
Desmond

Jul 25, 2013 at 1:41 am

“I don’t want to be the big-box retailer,” Harrington said. “I like the roots of where I’m at, me making hand-made stuff. I’m able to offer a unique look because I’m an artist. I don’t want to grow too fast.”

An odd change for a guy who didn’t want to be a big-box retailer, but wanted to be an artist.”

lol.

Reply Report comment
- KCCO
  
  Jul 25, 2013 at 8:41 pm
  
  Confused by this comment…..but anyway JP has always been an artist, and when at his level, each day his work will only progress, with that being said, when the time comes I wonder if he has more of a gamer wedge (meaning no frills on the looks, and just a performer), and be able to dull it down a bit, just a clean wedge and something thats gonna fill the vokey void when that day comes…. curious as to how they much different they would play then the beautiful designer stuff I’ve seen in his galleries history, as most look like collector pieces I would decorate my house with…..not being sarcastic, his work is top notch
  
  Reply Report comment
J

Jul 24, 2013 at 11:24 pm

His wedges are sick!

Will be curious to see what kind of prices come out of the Titleist custom shop now..

JP wedges and Scotty putters… You could spend 5,000 and walk away with just your wedges and a putter.

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Equipment

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

Published

18 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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