NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
It’s a hot Jailbird summer.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the distinct black-and-white striped Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter – which was first released nearly a decade ago – is the talk of the town.
As we’ve previously reported, the hubbub started in January when Rickie Fowler randomly asked Odyssey for an exact replica of caddie Ricky Romano’s Jailbird. That request included a 17-inch SuperStroke grip, lead tape on the sole and a blacked-out microhinge face insert, matching Romano’s build.
Fowler started to pick up steam on the greens, ascending more than 100 spots in strokes gained putting and, with his recent victory in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, igniting his Ryder Cup candidacy. Requests started pouring in for “the Rickie Fowler putter,” and one of those requests came from Wyndham Clark after he played around with Fowler’s putter during a money game at Medalist Golf Club near Fowler’s residence in Jupiter, Florida.
Well, the rest is history. Clark won the U.S. Open – playing with Fowler on Saturday and Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club – and is now virtually guaranteed a spot on the Ryder Cup team.
But the story doesn’t stop there. Odyssey says it has received at least 100 requests from pro golfers looking for the putter, and it’s actually been a challenge for supply-and-demand reasons. This head shape – including the rare blacked-out insert – of the Jailbird is not something Odyssey has kept a high inventory of during the past few years. A new line of the Versa putters was unveiled early this year, but the old Jailbird shape was not particularly popular six months ago and was on the verge of being removed from the Odyssey tour van.
As you might guess, players are clamoring for the exact build that Fowler and Clark have employed. It’s been tough to keep up with the demand given how few of the heads were still remaining. Recently, Odyssey has been working with its suppliers to create more. When players ask for an exact build, Odyssey is trying to first direct them to try the new Versa line that has similar (but not exact) offerings.
The mad dash to get one of these putters extends to golf at-large. Secondary markets are buzzing as so many golfers want to get their paws on the putter that Fowler has made famous.
As if the putter needed any more momentum, Keegan Bradley won the Travelers Championship using the Jailbird. The only difference is that he has been using this putter since September 2021. Bradley has transformed his once woeful putting – he is now in the top 30 of strokes gained putting after enduring a stretch of seven seasons (2014-21) during which he never finished better than No. 128 in the category.
Plain and simple, this is the unexpected gear story of the year.
Sean Fairholm