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.

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.”

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.

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.