Callaway’s new high-end putter brand, Toulon Design, is adding five new putters to its lineup in 2017, including four fully milled head shapes and one that’s off the track, you might say.
Toulon Design was launched in 2015 by golf industry veteran Sean Toulon, now Senior Vice President of Callaway Golf and General Manager of Odyssey Golf. The company carved its niche in the industry with premium milled putters that have a distinct face-milling pattern and interchangeable sole plates for improved customization.
Related: Our review of Toulon’s 2016 putters
In 2016, Toulon Design released five fully milled models (San Diego, San Francisco, Rochester, Madison and Memphis) that have found their way into the bags of PGA Tour players and golfers around the world. The 2017 release continues down that path, but adds a high-MOI putter that ventures from the norm. It’s called “Indianapolis,” and was inspired by Toulon’s work with Chip Ganassi and his racing team while in Indianapolis.
Learning from Ganassi’s insight on multi-material constructions, Toulon constructed the uniquely-shaped mallet putter with 6061 aluminum on the face, 303 stainless steel on the sole, carbon composite on the crown and about 65 grams of weight on the putter’s “back wings.” The combination of materials and overall head shape makes for a forgiving putter that has an MOI of 5,400 g/cm² (moment of inertia, a measure of forgiveness).
For better alignment, the putter also has 10 different alignment lines that are either parallel or perpendicular to the target, making it “almost impossible to misalign,” according to Toulon.
The other four models in the lineup — Austin, Columbus, Long Island and Latrobe — take after much more classic putter designs. Each of the four putters are milled from 303 stainless steel, and the faces have a diamond cut mill pattern that’s made to improve acoustics and get the golf ball rolling faster on the green.
The special pattern at the center of the face — the company calls it a “contact patch” — has crosshatch grooves to channel vibrations from impact for improved sound and feel. Much like Toulon putters from the past, the 2017 putters also have interchangeable sole plates made from aluminum, stainless steel or tungsten to create different head weights and counter-balanced options.
Like the 2016 lineup and the new “Indianapolis,” all Toulon Putters are named after cities that have influenced either him, his family or the game of golf in general.
Columbus
Toulon calls Columbus, Ohio, the “most golf-crazed city in America,” which is home to 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus. The Columbus putter is Toulon’s first longer neck design; it has about 20 degrees of toe hang, a notchback and “acts like a mallet” due to its stability.
Austin
Also, Toulon calls Austin a “great golf city,” where many Tour players were born and/or currently live. With an Anser-influence, the putter has a wider cavity, taller bumpers and “taller shoulders.”
Long Island
Long Island, New York, is home to some of the country’s greatest golf courses. The Long Island putter has a high-sweeping toe and a flowing neck that results in 60 degrees of toe hang. Toulon says the putter was designed “with Patrick Reed in mind.”
Latrobe
The Latrobe, named after Arnold “The King” Palmer’s birthplace in Pennsylvania, is influenced by the ever-popular Wilson 8802 putter and had design input from Callaway design gurus Austie Rollinson and Roger Cleveland. Toulon stresses how difficult it is to mill this style of putter well and get the hosel bend correct.
“We’ve done an incredible job,” he says.
The diamond cut milling on this putter, which has a shorter blade length than others in the line, is spread across the entire face. Toulon calls it “magnificently beautiful,” and we tend to agree based on the company’s Instagram photo, pictured above.
The five new models for 2017 will be available on March 31, and prices start at $399.99.
We also spotted a previously unseen Toulon putter called “Atlanta” on the range at the CareerBuilder Challenge, although the company has not confirmed if it will hit retail.
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