Okay, so I’ve been messing around with these two putters, the Jailbird Mini and the regular Jailbird. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about, and honestly, I was pretty curious about the whole alignment thing.
Getting Started
First, I grabbed both putters from my local golf shop. They let me take them out to the practice green, which was awesome. I started by just looking at them side-by-side. The Mini is, well, mini. It’s noticeably smaller, but it still has that same Jailbird shape. The regular Jailbird is a chunkier, bigger putter.
Rolling Some Putts
I began with the regular Jailbird. I set up a few six-footers, straight putts, nothing fancy. I just wanted to get a feel for it. I rolled a bunch, and I have to say, the alignment was pretty easy. That Versa high-contrast thing really does work. I felt like I could just line it up and go.
Then, I switched to the Mini. Same drill, six-foot putts. Immediately, I noticed it felt a little lighter. Because it’s smaller, it just felt different in my hands. I rolled some putts, and honestly, I was making them, but it felt a little less stable. It might have been in my head, though.
Moving Around
Next, I moved to some longer putts, maybe 15-20 feet. With the regular Jailbird, again, that alignment was great. I felt really confident I was aimed correctly. The bigger head felt like it had more “oomph” behind it, if that makes sense. The Mini, on longer putts, felt a little trickier. I had to work a little harder to get the ball to the hole, it was harder to control my speed.
- The regular one, that weight just felt good.
- The Mini, I had to put more “umph” in my swing.
Trying Different Breaks
After that, I started playing around with some breaking putts. Left-to-righters, right-to-lefters, just to see how they handled. Honestly, both were pretty good. The alignment on both helped me visualize the line. It felt like the weight of the regular Jailbird helped a bit on the longer, breaking putts. It just felt more solid, but that could be a personal thing.
Final Thoughts
So, after spending a good hour with both, here’s what I think. The regular Jailbird is probably the easier putter to use, especially for beginners or if you like a heavier putter. It is like you can see the lines more clearly, and the ball rolls right in. The Mini is cool, and it might be better for someone who prefers a lighter feel, or maybe someone with a faster putting stroke, or if you have really fast greens.
I decided for myself, I’m sticking with the regular Jailbird. It just felt more comfortable and consistent for me. But hey, that’s just me!
