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Toulon Design to launch 5 new putters in 2017

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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

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.

IndyToulonCollection

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).

ToulonIndyPutter

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

SeanToulonOdyssey2017putters

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

ToulonAustin

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

LongIslandToulon

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

ToulonLatrobe

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.

ToulonATLProto

Join the discussion about Toulon Design putters here.

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16 Comments

16 Comments

  1. Travis

    Apr 21, 2017 at 7:25 pm

    Also love how it’s April 21st and none of these are available yet…

  2. Travis

    Apr 21, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    I guess they totally abandoned the Latrobe model? Sad, that’s the only one I wanted…

  3. 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.

  4. JThunder

    Jan 26, 2017 at 9:55 pm

    Internet comments sections;

    “everyone is entitled to my own opinion”

  5. 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.

  6. 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!?

  7. 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,,,,

  8. 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.

  9. 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

  10. Big Mike

    Jan 20, 2017 at 11:54 pm

    Loving my Memphis. Best feeling and sounding putter I have owned. Scotty who?

  11. S Hitter

    Jan 20, 2017 at 8:10 pm

    Hate the names. Ugh.

  12. 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.

  13. 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!!

  14. Dj

    Jan 20, 2017 at 11:32 am

    Not one of these is appealing.

  15. bogeypro

    Jan 20, 2017 at 9:08 am

    more putters named after cities… how original.

  16. Michael

    Jan 20, 2017 at 7:45 am

    Any of the upcoming models available to us lefties? I’m crossing everything that Latrobe does.

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (3/28/24): L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick with LA Golf Paige Spiranac shaft

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick putter with LA Golf Paige Spiranac shaft.

From the seller: (@hibcam): “L.A.B. GOLF Mezz.1 Max Broomstick- LA Golf Paige Spiranac Shaft- 44″/79.5. Brand new, never used brown leather cover. The head was professionally anodized from Orange to Blue (Orange looked bad with the Pink shaft so I had it changed). Only a few rounds on this combo. Please see last pic- slight ding on back corner. 8.5-10 condition. THE SHAFT COST $475/ THE PUTTER $625. $799 shipped in the US. ONLY $699 SHIPPED.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick with LA Golf Paige Spiranac shaft

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Equipment

Spotted: Tony Finau’s driver shaft change at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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Tony Finau has always been known as one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, but he has recently been working on adding a little more distance. Last year, Finau averaged 118.3 mph club head speed and 178.08 mph ball speed, all while playing a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX driver shaft. This year, he has increased his club head speed to 123.93 mph and his ball speed to 183.32 mph.

However, Finau’s overall distance has decreased by two yards in that time. From a fitting perspective, something was amiss. We asked Tony about the shaft change at the Texas Children’s Hospital Open.

“[I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin. My driver’s been a little high spin for me over the last month or so, and so I just figured it was time to probably check out the equipment,” Finau said. “And it definitely showed me that I was using a shaft that’s maybe a little too tip-stiff for me, the way I load the club now. [I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin.”

Finau switched from the Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX into the Diamana GT 70 TX. The newer Diamana GT has a slightly different profile than the D+ Limited with the stiffest handle section in the Diamana lineup. The mid sections between the two are similar stiffness but the tip is just slightly stiffer in the Diamana GT. Both shafts are within one gram of each other in the 70 TX. The torque rating on the GT is 0.1 higher than the D+Limited’s 2.7 measurement.

Mitsubishi lists the Diamana GT as a shaft between the mid-launching Diamana TB and the new low-launch Diamana WB shafts. For most players, it would be considered a mid/low launch and low-spin shaft option. Mitsubishi’s Xlink Tech Resin System makes sure the maximum carbon fiber content is there for smooth feel without reducing the strength of the shaft. MR70 carbon fiber is used for reinforcing the shaft and boron is used in the tip for its high strength and compression properties.

Finau is still using his trusty Ping G430 LST driver in 9 degrees and has the adjustable hosel set to -1 degree of loft (standard lie angle). Finau’s long-time favorite Lamkin UTX Green grip is installed. He definitely has a few extra wraps of tape under that grip as you can see the bulge down where the grip meets the shaft.

One final note: Per Ping’s PGA Tour rep Kenton Oates, Finau’s driver is also adjusted to play with an additional degree of loft to help dial in his desired launch.

We’ll see how he fares with the new setup this week in Houston!

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