Equipment
Spider Tour: TaylorMade releases Jason Day, Dustin Johnson putters
Ever since Jason Day started using a red TaylorMade Spider prototype putter in 2015, golfers have been demanding it — even fellow Tour players. While TaylorMade did release a red version of its Spider Limited putter, it was not a replica because it had a sight line and a different hosel. That has changed.
Jason Day, Spider Tour (Red)
With its newest release, golfers can have the same putter Jason Day uses and the same one Dustin Johnson uses (as of late 2016). That includes the same shafts, face inserts, hosels, head shapes and colors.
According to TaylorMade, there are two general categories of putters available in today’s market: classic shapes and technical mallets. Technical mallets are a way to raise moment of inertia (MOI), which is a measure of forgiveness, to help golfers increase their consistency on the green. With its new TP line, TaylorMade satisfies the demand for classic shapes, while the Spider Tour putters are for those who seek technical mallets.
Related: Did Jason Day just have the best putting year of any Tour pro ever?
The most notable of the new releases is Day’s Spider Tour Red, which has been in especially high demand among GolfWRXers. TaylorMade says Day selected his particular shade of red from a group of about 20 different colors. It just so happens to be the color of a venomous Spider that inhabits his native Australia.
Dustin Johnson, on the other hand, started using a prototype Spider Tour Black putter because it’s what his brother had in the bag, and he took a liking to it. According to TaylorMade, he was ecstatic about the performance of the Spider Tour Black after playing with it for just four holes in a pro-am at the 2016 BMW Championship, so he put it in play that week. And he won.
Dustin Johnson, Spider Tour Limited (Black)
There is a slight difference between Day’s Spider Tour Red and Johnson’s Spider Tour Black, and it will be reflected in the retail releases. The Spider Tour Red uses a Pure Roll Surlyn insert, which offers a softer sound and feel at impact than the Pure Roll 80/20 insert Johnson uses in his Spider Tour Black putter.
The Spider Tour Red putter will be sold with a custom Jason Day putter cover, while the Spider Tour Black will have an all-black putter cover. Both putters are equipped with short, slant-neck hosels and will sell for $299.
Spider Tour Platinum
TaylorMade will also be releasing a new putter along with the Spider Tour Red and Black on March 1. It’s called the Spider Tour Platinum ($219), and has a double-bend steel shaft and a black sightline on its platinum-colored body, which features red “wings.” It also has a 6061 aluminum face insert. Its putter cover is red and platinum, and it will be sold with a SuperStroke Pistol GT 2.0 grip.
All three putters have head weights of 355 grams, and will be sole with 34- and 35-inch standard lengths. Want one? You can currently pre-order from TaylorMade.
Related: See what GolfWRX are saying about TaylorMade’s Spider Tour Limited putters here.
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Whats in the Bag
Rory McIlroy’s winning WITB: 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X 7.0 (4-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB) Buy here, Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-K @59) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X3 Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour
Ball: 2024 TaylorMade TP5x Buy here.
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s WITB in the forums.
View this post on Instagram
The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Hedge Hog
May 23, 2017 at 10:53 pm
Ron Jeremy uses his Johnson for putting. He’s got a
Fatso SuperStroke ..keeps his hands out of the equation. He holes out everything..
Lambo
May 13, 2017 at 12:25 am
Does both the black and red come with black shafts as stock shafts?
Lambo
May 13, 2017 at 12:23 am
Does both the black and red come stock with a black shaft?
rodger Davidson
Jan 7, 2017 at 1:22 am
Can you still pre order ?
Brent
Dec 31, 2016 at 10:55 am
Just got mine…great putter! Really like the looks and feel.
TexasSnowman
Nov 17, 2016 at 10:50 pm
I like the absence of the Sight Line on the Black and Red: I prefer to aim the face if that makes sense.
MG2
Nov 17, 2016 at 7:24 pm
Do folks on eBay know that these are about to be $300? Yet they’re still listing for thousands?
Jas3
Nov 18, 2016 at 8:56 am
Haha thought the same hope the wakers get stuck with them…
Ryan
Nov 16, 2016 at 10:01 pm
Thank you Taylormade !! You listened and delivered. Bravo !
Joe Perez
Nov 16, 2016 at 7:20 pm
Looks like TM really -is- feeling the finiancial pinch, since they’ve apparently decided to cut back on options, specifically abandoning the 33″ inch market. Would’ve liked to get one.
JJ
Nov 16, 2016 at 8:49 pm
Dumbest comment ever.
Last year TM was selling this exact JDay version for $750 custom orders only.
nick
Nov 16, 2016 at 6:01 pm
what a riot… now there’s the “real” JD putter without the sightline and the slant hosel… TM is a joke…
Mongoose
Nov 16, 2016 at 4:18 pm
Let’s not forget who made these putters popular. If DJ and Jason were using a pitchfork we would buy that too… It’s not the putter, it’s the player…
Someone
Nov 16, 2016 at 1:57 pm
Black sightline, not white.
I like dj’s, but I wonder what the inserts feel like in comparison.
peter collins
Nov 16, 2016 at 1:52 pm
one minute wonder, EVNROLL is the way forward imo
new stuff!!
Nov 17, 2016 at 5:16 pm
whatever man – you see how well these guys putt with wedges?
bh
Nov 16, 2016 at 1:06 pm
Looks good to my eye, but $300? When it’s on sale for $75 in a couple years I’ll pick one up.
Warren Schroer
Nov 16, 2016 at 12:41 pm
Day putted better wit the black one before switching to the red and DJ putted better than ever with the black – I’ll wait until these are under 100 and have a sight line….bout 1 year.
BradT
Nov 16, 2016 at 12:03 pm
id give em my money but apparently I stand on the wrong side of the ball.
Rafibomb
Nov 16, 2016 at 11:38 am
Well TM just got my money. One black version please.
Tony Rich
Nov 16, 2016 at 9:33 am
Why does the red one have to be so ugly? It will be distracting to look at.
The black is not so bad and DJ makes almost anything look cool.
But Day’s putter is ugly on TV let alone in your own bag.
Jackson Galaxy
Nov 16, 2016 at 12:21 pm
Let’s be honest, nobody buying these putters for the looks.
Jas3
Jan 9, 2017 at 8:19 am
Speak for yourself I love the look! ????
JayG
Nov 16, 2016 at 9:25 am
THANK YOU!!!!!!
MR B
Nov 16, 2016 at 9:11 am
about darn time!