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The Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Cruiser putter uses a longer, heavier build to make this super stable head shape even more forgiving. Ai-ONE face technology is outstanding.
Introduction
In golf equipment, sometimes a new trend gets eaten by another before it really gets a chance to spread its wings. Such was the case with the over-length, counterbalanced mallets. While they certainly had their moment – namely Wyndham Clark’s US Open win – they lost the spotlight to the zero torque movement. For this review, I’m checking out the Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Cruiser, the most successful putter of this style, to see if golf moved on too quickly from this concept.
Looks
I often find limited edition clubs a bit aesthetically disappointing for failing to take big chances. That’s certainly not the case with the striking Odyssey Ai-ONE Giraffe Beam putters. The standout looks start with the rich copper PVD finish. Odyssey left the address look conventional but covered the sole in the giraffe-skin pattern to complement the engraved giraffe head. The theme is furthered with a golden giraffe headcover, patterned grip, and golden Stroke Lab shaft.
Turning specifically to the Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Cruiser, this popular mallet shape features Odyssey’s Versa Alignment. I found the alternating white and copper stripes a bit busy, but they do offer a lot of reinforcement for where the putter face is aimed. The standard Ai-ONE model has alternating white and blue stripes.
The Jailbird Cruiser also has one of the largest footprints of any putter I’ve tested. Again, this doesn’t fit my normal preferences, but I found it very comforting to look down at a massive, forgiving head.
Sound & Feel
The Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Cruiser has the same insert as the rest of the Ai-ONE family, which is an aluminum backer behind a White Hot Urethane cover. White Hot is one of the most popular inserts in golf history for good reason – it provides a soft, solid feel at impact. The insert is at its softest on perfect putts, but it’s gentle across the entire length. Feedback is minimal with the combination of the heavy, stable head shape and White Hot insert.
This gentle feel pairs with a solid “tock” sound. It’s a little more lively than other White Hot inserts I’ve tested, but the sound is still below average in volume. You won’t hear a dramatic change in sound unless you miss the insert completely.
Performance
There’s a lot to discuss with the Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Cruiser Giraffe Beam, so we’ll take this in three stages: Giraffe Beam, Ai-ONE, and Jailbird Cruiser. Starting with the Giraffe Beam, this long neck makes each of the putters face balanced. The Jailbird Cruiser is typically face balanced via a double bend shaft, but the longer “crank hosel”/plumbers neck offers a look that’s more familiar and comfortable for some players, myself included. In addition to the Jailbird Cruiser, the Giraffe Beam line includes the Jailbird Mini, #7 (Fang), #2 (Anser), and Double Wide (wide body Anser).
Turning to the Ai-ONE portion, this is some of the best putter face technology in golf. The Ai-ONE insert consists of an aluminum backer – shaped to promote more consistent ball speed – beneath White Hot Urethane. As I found in my original Ai-ONE review [find it HERE], it works just as described, cutting my ball speed variability in half. More consistent ball speed translates to more consistent distance and fewer three putts.
Now to the Jailbird Cruiser design. “Cruiser” is the term Odyssey uses for their over-length, counterbalanced putters. In this case, it’s 38″ with a 17″ grip and a beefy 400 gram head. Jailbird is the large, uber-stable mallet head style. This model also comes with a heavier SL 140 Stroke Lab steel shaft.
On paper, there’s nothing about this putter that suggests it should work for me. I don’t typically like heavier putters, I’ve always used putters with toe hang, I prefer blades to mallets, and I’ve never had long term success with over-length putters. But despite all that, every time I took the Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Cruiser to the green, I made putts.
The first thing I noticed in my testing was how forgiving it is. By taking the stable Jailbird design and making it even heavier, Odyssey has produced a putter that barely notices mishits. Combining that stability with the Ai-ONE face insert means that the distance consistency is as good as you can get, and the putter holds its intended line on mishits.
For me, the Cruiser design excelled in two ways. First, it kept my hands quiet, letting my shoulders power the stroke. With conventional putters, my hands can get restless when I try to let my shoulders do all the work. The Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Cruiser has enough weight that the small twitches get smoothed out, leading to really excellent start line control.
The other thing I found was that the balance of a heavier head with the longer, heavier shaft allowed me to swing aggressively without losing my touch. When the head alone is heavy, I tend to make tentative strokes, fearing that I’ll blast the ball past the hole. With the Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Cruiser, I felt like I was making a confident, smooth, affirmative stroke without the concern for the long miss. While this putter and I are nowhere near a match on paper, the results have me bringing it along every time I head out to practice.
Conclusion
If you’ve been struggling to get your putting on track this season, you might find as much success with a Cruiser-style putter as I have. The Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird Cruiser pairs a longer, heavier build with one of the most stable head shapes and some of the best face technology in golf for a putter that can feel like it’s on autopilot.