Equipment

Jason Day’s new putter inspired by venomous Australian Spider

Published

8 years ago

Apr 28, 2016

With two wins already in 2016 (Arnold Palmer Invitational, WGC-Dell Match Play), and four wins late in the 2015 season that included the PGA Championship, you wouldn’t think Jason Day would change putters… but he did.

Day’s previous gamer (left) and his new Spider Limited Red putter.

Day has used a TaylorMade Itsy Bitsy Spider prototype putter since 2015. He’s a huge fan of the color red, though, and made a special request for a matte red model, which become the “Spider Limited Red.” The particular shade of red employed is inspired by the venomous Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), which, like Day, is native to Australia. After the 2016 Masters, where he finished T10, Day put the new putter in play at the RBC Heritage, where he finished T23.

Photo credit: China Insider (www.scmp.com)

It may sound like a ridiculous connection to make, but to be fair, the red spot on this particular Redback — which was actually found in Guangdong in a shipment of metal frames from Australia — looks like the putter itself. Impressive work from TaylorMade.

If you’re interested in buying one, TaylorMade will be releasing 15,000 Spider Limited (black-and-red) putters for $219, and 2,000 Spider Limited Red (all-red) putters for $299 on June 3.

Each release includes TaylorMade’s Pure Roll face insert. Both putters will be sold with a sightline, and in the following lengths:

Black and Red: 33, 34 and 35 inches (RH only)
All Red: 34 and 35 inches (RH only)

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

13 Comments

Myvoice

Aug 26, 2016 at 10:28 am

I purchased one of these putters from a previous run, made in Japan. It’s by far the best putter I’ve ever used. The main reason it works well for me is the balance and face loft; gets the ball rolling without skipping, which is what I’ve always noticed on Jason’s putts. After that, the most powerful thing is that you can change the weight of the putter using the Taylor Made standard weights. I purchased two kits. The putter comes standard with a 1G weight in each side. I ended up with 10G in each side as perfect for me and the greens I generally play on. It makes sense; pros are usually playing very, very fast greens, but the greens we play on are generally a lot slower. Heavier weight for slow greens and lighter for fast. All you have to do is unscrew the weights and replace for various conditions.

NOW, they come out with the new one for general release. Guess what? That’s right, they glued in a cheesy aluminum thing that resembles a weight, but it’s not, and there are no screw holes to use the Taylor Made weights with these new putters. For me, that defeats the best part about this putter.

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gunmetal

May 1, 2016 at 1:04 am

Good idea for Day to switch his putter. With the season he had last year, 2 wins this year, and his shaky #1 ranking in the world, what better time to switch flatsticks.

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Brian

Apr 30, 2016 at 7:25 pm

Is the one on the left modeled after an Eastern Grey Kangaroo?

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GolfRocks

Apr 28, 2016 at 11:47 pm

Cool write up for Day. He ditched this putter already. Is it just me or does the spider that inspired it look burnt orange and the putter looks maroon? Seems a bit cartoonish. Taylor Made felt like having another reason to release something today. I’ll still take an old Scotty or a milled Miura putter any day.

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Hooker T. Washington

Apr 28, 2016 at 6:09 pm

I enjoyed reading this, and always find it cool to hear the stories or reasons behind a player’s choice of club colors, stampings, etc. I myself carefully chose all of my different paint fill colors for various reasons.

…However, Day has already ditched this one and is back to using the matte black model this week at the Zurich…

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Hooker T. Washington

Apr 28, 2016 at 6:06 pm

I enjoyed reading the article, and always think it’s cool to hear the story behind a player’s choice in club colors, stampings, etc. I myself carefully chose all of my different paint fill colors for various reasons.

…However, Day has already ditched this one and is back to using the matte black model this week at the Zurich…

Reply Report comment
RoGar

Apr 28, 2016 at 3:12 pm

Every company world wide does this!!! Who cares? If you like it buy it, if you don’t, don’t. TaylorMade makes very good products, so does Ping, Titleist, Callaway, etc. etc. If they release a new driver every week, great!!! I still game the R1, cause it gives me the best numbers, and I’m happy and confident with it…

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Nick

Apr 28, 2016 at 1:20 pm

Im glad theyre re-releasing this. I used a friends itsy and it felt great. 15,000 more will be released… Ill take one ar two for sure

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Rob

Apr 28, 2016 at 11:29 am

So, it’s the same putter he used before except it is red.

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Jim

Apr 28, 2016 at 10:30 am

And again… The same worthless comment

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mitch

Apr 28, 2016 at 9:44 am

and again taylormade flooding the market with “new” stuff that is the same just different color and name.

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- Jamie
  
  Apr 28, 2016 at 11:59 am
  
  You think the other OEM’s are putting out groundbreaking stuff that isn’t just repackaged/rebadged gear?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Jacob
    
    Apr 28, 2016 at 2:20 pm
    
    TM does a much better job of coming out with new putter designs than anybody else dude…
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

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

Published

15 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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