Equipment
Toulon Design to launch 5 new putters in 2017
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.
The face of Toulon’s new “Long Island” putter
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.
Join the discussion about Toulon Design putters here.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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- Pavon’s WITB accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 Max (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Ping G430 LST (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 10 X
Irons: Ping i230 (3-PW)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: Ping Si59 (52-12S, 58-8B)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Ping Cadence TR Tomcat C
Grip: SuperStroke Claw 1.0P
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Pavon’s gear here.
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Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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Travis
Apr 21, 2017 at 7:25 pm
Also love how it’s April 21st and none of these are available yet…
Travis
Apr 21, 2017 at 7:24 pm
I guess they totally abandoned the Latrobe model? Sad, that’s the only one I wanted…
joepz
Jan 29, 2017 at 1:43 pm
Didn’t PING and/or Nike have a putter that looked like the Indianapolis? Must admit, it looks interesting.
JThunder
Jan 26, 2017 at 9:55 pm
Internet comments sections;
“everyone is entitled to my own opinion”
tlmck
Jan 24, 2017 at 9:23 pm
That Indianapolis would be cool without the big X thing on the back. Just a straight simple blade with double bend shaft. Looks like it is detachable, but that would probably mess up the weighting.
Drew
Jan 24, 2017 at 4:18 pm
I second the above comment. I’d like to know if Latrobe or Long Island available in left handed!?
Mad-Mex
Jan 22, 2017 at 6:35 pm
$400 with zero customizing ?!? Really like the Latrobe but Ill wait a year and pick one up along with an Epic driver for less than $300 for both,,,,
DB
Jan 21, 2017 at 9:20 pm
I see the usual haters in the comments section. Haha
Great looking stuff here from Toulon. I’m sure more pics will be coming after the PGA show.
rymail00
Jan 21, 2017 at 8:55 pm
Was really hoping to see a few pics of each putter. Like the Austin, Latrobe, and Long Islandl the view to see is from the back so you can see the details of the design, not the face view.
JMHO
Big Mike
Jan 20, 2017 at 11:54 pm
Loving my Memphis. Best feeling and sounding putter I have owned. Scotty who?
S Hitter
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:10 pm
Hate the names. Ugh.
BM
Jan 20, 2017 at 7:55 pm
6061 aluminum is way too soft to be using on the face. Should have used 7075. it is not that much more difficult to machine, but is much harder and more durable.
BallBuster
Jan 20, 2017 at 2:42 pm
Exciting new styles (yawn)… However, I was intrigued by the Indy picture that had all those jazzy green flow lines and saw the claim “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””, but fail to see any but the square face. No lines at all. But I’m just an aerospace engineer who works in aerodynamics I guess!! No imagination. Good marketing hype tho… to some I’m sure.
$400 = insanity to me… I did think it also insane I spent $100 for a Cameron Red X in early 2000’s but that proved to be very worthwhile for over a dozen years. I feel totally confident in it, still love it in every way, and by my own statistical measurements and gut feeling, works quite well for me. I doubt these new models could elevate my game or replace my favorite that has beaten back all other challengers to date! Mine also has a square face plus 2 lines that seem to work well for alignment purposes!!
Dj
Jan 20, 2017 at 11:32 am
Not one of these is appealing.
bogeypro
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:08 am
more putters named after cities… how original.
Michael
Jan 20, 2017 at 7:45 am
Any of the upcoming models available to us lefties? I’m crossing everything that Latrobe does.