Toulon has come a long way since their initial introduction into the golfing world, shocking us with a combination of interesting shapes, high quality audible feedback, and fantastic roll on the golf ball. After their integration into the Odyssey Golf brand, it left many wondering what would become of the brand and how the connection with one of the most prolific putter brands in the industry would play into future lineups. If you followed along at all with some of the feedback on the original models, one of the most popular comments was the beautification of the profile, extending the milled profile across the face. That was followed relatively closely by the need to expand their offerings, taking on their own perspective of heads that we all have come to know and love.
2019 will prove to be favorable for Toulon. The infamous “Garage” will reopen soon, and golfers will be able to once again customize to their likings all that is available in the Toulon lineup. As far as fitting into the Odyssey landscape, a quick review of the overall scope of Toulon tells the entire story;
Making the most beautiful and best performing milled putters in the world isn’t easy, but we won’t settle for anything less. With world-class designs and a fanatical attention to every detail, we leave nothing to chance. The result is a line of putters that looks better, feels better, sounds better and performs better than any other milled putters in the world.
But what makes 2019 stand out from previous Toulon offerings? Let’s take a look at the features that golfers can anticipate this year.
First, and arguably the most visual as you get a hold of a new for 2019 Toulon putter, is the deep diamond milling which now continues across the entirety of the face. The cross-hatch grooves are directly involved in promoting forward roll on the ball (some would argue one of the best in the industry), as well as introducing a wholly enjoyable audible sound to the forward ear. Collectively, Toulon has presented continuity across the face for visual aesthetics that golfers were clamoring for, while maintaining the roll and feedback we have come to expect from the name.
The second and somewhat less obvious change for 2019 is the updated finish, which is being called charcoal smoke. While the original dark finish on Toulon putters was a strong offering that seemed resilient after extended use, the new finish boasts a slightly more satin profile, which promotes a sleek line across the head and limited glare. I will be eager to see how golfers find the overall resilience and presentation of this finish moving forward.
One of the most pronounced changes to the Toulon lineup for 2019 is the integration of the Stroke Lab putter shaft, which is forty grams lighter than a traditional steel shafted putter. They have concentrated the weight at the tip section as the shaft is a combination of graphite and steel, allowing for better weight distribution between the grip section and the putter head. This counter balancing effort is said to improve consistency of the backswing time, the way the face returns to impact, the ball speed, and the subsequent direction of the ball. It makes plenty of sense that golfers can now take that extra weight and add it to the head in the form of a 20 gram steel weight, or interchange it with a 7 gram aluminum weight or 40 gram tungsten weight to align with their weight preference. That is a total of 33 grams of flexibility to support what feels right in the stroke for the individual golfer.
At the onset of the 2019 putter release, Toulon is offering the following heads:
- Blade Style – San Diego, Austin, Azalea
- Mid Mallet Style – Atlanta, Palm Beach, Memphis, Las Vegas, Portland
These heads will more than likely be available in the Toulon Garage, set to open in April, and will allow golfers to not only customize the way their putter looks with paint fill, but also the type of hosel they want to incorporate into the model (single bend, double bend, center shaft, H1-H2-H3 plumbers, H4 short slant, H5 short flow, H6 standard flow, H7 long flow, H8 medium slant, and H9 long slant). While these hosels are unique to specific models in their lineup, the freedom of selection is fantastic for those seeking the perfect putter for their game.
There will be plenty of feedback on the THP forum as the Grandaddy participants discuss their Toulon selections, and we will look forward to continued feedback from THP Community members here. For more information on the 2019 Toulon putter lineup, visit https://blog.odysseygolf.com/toulondesign/.
