Equipment

TaylorMade launches TP putter line, enters the “classic” category

Published

8 years ago

Oct 18, 2016

The putter category can be broken down into two general categories: “technical mallets” and “classic putters,” according to Bill Price, Director of Product at TaylorMade.

Technical mallets would include high-MOI (moment of inertia) performance-first putters — such as TaylorMade’s popular Itsby Bitsy, or its newest Spider Red Limited putters that Jason Day has popularized — that work to stabilize the putter head throughout the stroke, and have greater forgiveness on off-center strikes.

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On the other hand, however, TaylorMade did not previously satisfy the needs of golfers searching for classic-looking, precision-made putters, according to Price. With its TP, or “Tour Preferred” line, TaylorMade will enter that category for the first time.

“Rolex and Breitling (watches) are classic designs that don’t change over time,” Price said. “This (classic) category is precision-based.”

The TP line features putters made of 303 stainless steel that are machine-milled to achieve the precision and classic look that Price says is crucial to the category.

“The toe hangs, sightlines, bumpers, they will all be perfect,” Price said. “In this category, you can’t have 90 percent (of the putter design and manufacturing) be perfect, it has to be 100 percent… there’s another guy out there making classic, precision putters, so we know we have to be perfect.”

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Although the classic look and attention to detail are of top priority to Price and TaylorMade, the putters also have performance and feel benefits thanks to TaylorMade’s new PureRoll insert, which is inspired by the insert in Day’s Spider Limited Red. It’s made from 6061 aluminum — like PureRoll inserts of previous TaylorMade putters — but the filler between the grooves uses a softer polymer for a softer feel. The direction of the grooves, which each face 45 degrees downward, help impart higher launch and forward spin on the golf ball to get it rolling faster along the ground.

If your ball currently jumps and skids along the surface off the putter face, that may be because you’re not launching the ball high enough, or with too much backspin, or both. The PureRoll insert in the TP putters is designed to offset those issues.

Movable weights on the heel and toe of the soles control head weight, balance and feel.

TaylorMade will release four TP models — Juno, Soto, Mullen and Berwick — on December 1, and then two more models — Ardmore and Chaska — in April 2017. Each of the names are inspired from “areas, regions, and landmarks of some of the world’s greatest golf destinations and historic courses,” according to the company. More on those later.

The putters will be available in 33- (special order), 34- and 35-inch lengths, and will all sell for $199 with Lamkin’s Sink Rubber grip, or $219 with SuperStroke’s 1.0 GT Pistol grip.

Find out more about each putter offering below, and see what GolfWRX members are saying about the TP putters in our forums.

Juno

The Juno, which references Juno Beach — home of Seminole Golf Club in Florida — was put into play by Sergio Garcia at the 2016 Ryder Cup. It has squared-off and elongated contours with a single sightline on the top line, a plumber’s neck, and has 10-gram stock movable weights in the heel and toe that can be interchanged for customization.

Soto

The Soto, which is short for Sotogrande — home of the “Real Club de Sotogrande” — has shorter, rounder edges than the Juno. It has a plumber’s neck with a “scalloped” hosel for a lighter head weight, and also comes with 10-gram stock weights that are interchangeable.

Mullen

The Mullen, which is a reference to Mullen, Nebraska, that’s home to Sand Hills Golf Club, has a compact mallet design with an “S” hosel, 38 degrees of toe hang, and two sightlines on the back cavity. It comes stock with 5-gram movable weights in the heel and toe of the sole.

Berwick

The Berwick, which gives a shoutout to Scotland’s famed North Berwick Golf Club, has a more compact and rounded mallet shape than the Mullen, and has a “step-down” cavity. The single-bend hosel has 0.75 degrees of offset, creating face balance. It also comes stock with 5-gram interchangeable weights.

Ardmore and Chaska

Reminder: The Ardmore and Chaska models will not be available until April 2017.

The Ardmore, a name inspired by Merion Golf Club which is located in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, is a 355-gram mallet cast from 303 stainless steel. It has dual sighlines, a double-bend shaft with 0.75 degrees of offset, and is face-balanced with 3.5 degrees of loft.

The Chaska, which references the city in Minnesota where Hazeltine National Golf Club is located, is modeled after TaylorMade’s Corza Ghost. Unlike the rest of the TP line, the Chaska is made from aluminum zinc alloy, but like the Ardmore, the Chaska is face-balanced, with 0.75 degrees of offset.

Click for more photos, and see what GolfWRX members are saying about TaylorMade’s TP putters here.

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

17 Comments

VanSEGA

Jan 3, 2018 at 11:44 am

You have the Mullen and Berwick mixed up I believe. Could be wrong but Mullen is the toe hang model with 2 lines. The aluminum tru roll insert is one of the best out there IMHO. DJ, Rahm, Rory and Hideki wouldn’t use it otherwise.

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Dylan

Oct 19, 2016 at 9:31 pm

TaylorMade is hoping that their TP logo still means something. It stopped meaning something the second you stopped using the badge the way it was designed to be used. These putters have appeal in the sense that they have a non-glare finish and the best insert TaylorMade ever made in it. The shapes are industry standard anser-style and mallets used by all the other manufacturers. At best these butters limp by as “usable” putters but I doubt their Tour players even touch them. Sorry TaylorMade you haven’t made a decent putter since Kia Ma.

Reply Report comment
- richard patten
  
  Oct 21, 2016 at 12:17 am
  
  Taylor: Samo-o, same-o: A Taylor putter needs a distinctive, patented, priority look or feature and a solid feel-not like your thin, clanky Ghost blade.
  
  Reply Report comment
Dave r

Oct 19, 2016 at 8:23 pm

Are you sure Scotty didn’t design these looks like something he would make only for Costco or Wally World .

Reply Report comment
B. Parsons

Oct 19, 2016 at 7:14 pm

Those TM weights look an awful lot like a Cameron CT weight.

Insert = FAIL

Reply Report comment
Will Skeat

Oct 19, 2016 at 11:02 am

re: “”If your ball currently jumps and skids along the surface off the putter face, that may be because you’re not launching the ball high enough, or with too much backspin, or both.

It is physically impossible to put backspin on a ball while putting.

Reply Report comment
ian

Oct 19, 2016 at 9:35 am

Sweet

Reply Report comment
Taylor59

Oct 19, 2016 at 7:31 am

No roho??? boooo

Reply Report comment
Mikko U

Oct 19, 2016 at 3:34 am

They look like Walmart Camerons to me. No thank you.

Reply Report comment
cgasucks

Oct 18, 2016 at 9:06 pm

TM is still trying to find its place in the putter market…they did ok with their Rossa line and I thought their Kia Mia association was putting them in the right direction (whatever happened to that relationship?) and now this?

Reply Report comment
TD

Oct 18, 2016 at 8:45 pm

Classic TM is the old TP badge. Like on the Rac TP MB heads. Not that…

Reply Report comment
NoDoubt Stout

Oct 18, 2016 at 5:49 pm

The Ardmore and Chaska look so good…

Reply Report comment
Jnak97

Oct 18, 2016 at 4:50 pm

the top lines on the mallets look a little too thick for my taste, but the proof is in the putting. Let’ see how they perform come December!

Reply Report comment
JGOLF

Oct 18, 2016 at 4:29 pm

I respect what TaylorMade is trying to accomplish, but these putters, in my opinion, are ugly and cheap looking.

Reply Report comment
Tp

Oct 18, 2016 at 4:22 pm

Let the Putter Wars begin! Scotty Cameron take down here we come! Yeah!

Reply Report comment
- Egor
  
  Oct 18, 2016 at 4:26 pm
  
  Nah..
  
  Reply Report comment
  - ACGolfwrx
    
    Oct 19, 2016 at 8:55 pm
    
    Definitely no!!!
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

10 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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