Fancy treating yourself to a putting masterpiece but don’t want to be like everyone else. Why not try an Odyssey Toulon?
This year see’s the introduction of eight sleek midnight black heads named after famous American cities. Callaway and Sean Toulon himself claim that they are the best milled putters in the world.
Callaway, whose putter brand Odyssey is the number one selling in golf bought Toulon Design in 2016. Toulon is what Scotty Cameron is to Titleist but to the Odyssey brand. The putters are designed by and therefore named after called Sean Toulon, just like Titleist’s Scotty Cameron.
It’s become a bit of theme in the premium putter market, the thought of one man crafting your putter especially for you. It makes you think the love and care they have in designing these putters will make the connection between you and your putter so strong that you’ll hole more putts. We can all dream can't we?
Toulon smashed it when working with TaylorMade, but can he do the same with Callaway? I headed to Stockport Golf Club's putting green which sits in front of their gorgeous black and white clubhouse to review the latest Toulon Las Vegas and Chicago putter heads.
The Tech
The latest range of Toulon Design putters feature four key areas of technology:
- Deep Diamond Groove Mill Pattern
These putters will apparently create the best rolling putts Toulon have ever produced thanks to the deep grooves and sound dampening. If you take a close look at the face, it looks like a flies wing design.
- Midnight Black Finish
One thing that Toulon Design is recognised for is it's premium look and construction. The new beautiful black finish is played on Tours worldwide and showcases the meticulous craftsmanship milled putters. The previous Toulon putters Golfalot reviewed featured a lighter grey finish.
- Stroke Lab Weighting
For 2022 Odyssey has updated their Stroke Lab shafts slightly, now there is 40 grams less steel in the shaft which can be redistributed elsewhere - basically the graphite section of the shaft is now longer and closer to the putter head. The awarding winning Stroke Lab shaft increases stability and aids tempo in the swing of the putter.
- Adjustable Weighting System
A new two split weight design to push weight forward and towards the heel and the toe. The weights range in mass from 20 grams to 5 grams in 5 gram increments. This system helps inertia, strike quality and therefore speed control.
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Odyssey Toulon Design Las Vegas and Chicago Putters Review
Looks
I have to say I'm loving the new black finish on these putters. Coupled with the simple white line as an alignment aid, these are slick and classy looking.
I’m also a fan of the dark emerald green Stroke Lab shaft, putter grip and head cover. It reminds me of The Masters and the build quality from top to bottom is magnificent (which you'd expect from a £379 putter).
The Chicago is a face-balanced wide blade putter best suited for strokes with minimal arc and face rotation, it was my favourite looking out of the two putters.
The Las Vegas (I tested the DB neck, this shape also comes available in H7) is basically shaped like the famous Odyssey #7, a classic fang shaped putter made famous by Ian Poulter who started the miracle at Medinah on that famous Sunday afternoon with Rory McIlroy. It's also a shape that has been used by Open Champion Henrik Stenson and Carlotta Ciganda.
Once you find the model that suits your eye and putting stroke within this range, you'll do very well to find any fault at all with the looks.
Feel
With the Chicago, the consistency off the face is awesome, making the roll true. During my testing the ball seemed to hug the putting surface.
It’s a totally different sound and feel to the White Hot insert used on in the recent OG White Hot Odyssey putters. The sound is thick, full and compact, the White Hot inserts feel much louder and a little 'clickier' at impact.
The Las Vegas is similar to the Chicago in strike but with a higher pitch and slightly lighter feel than I expected. The gap between the two fangs really helps the putter flow and holds the face stable through impact.
It is easy to line the ball up in the middle of the face as you set it inside the gap between the fangs. The weight sits at the very tip of the fangs and you can see how easy the head swings without rotating due to this.
Performance
I started this test by rolling a few putts with my favourite looking which was the Chicago as I my eye is more suited to a traditional blade, however as I mentioned earlier it is fuller at the back to give it more stability than the thinner San Diego.
To start with I didn’t line the balls up and although the strike was good, my direction wasn’t good and I didn’t hole any. I decided to take a lot more care in lining up the ProV1 alignment line to the white line on the head and then I couldn’t stop making putts.
When I took care I hit good putts, they felt great and they went in. Simple as that.
This just shows that a blade needs more care in this area compared to the a mallet. Which was way easier, I casually walked up to the putt and lined the head so much easier.
To close the comparison test between the two putters I played the ladder game with fourballs.
One ball, one putt each from 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet and 12 feet.
My results gave a good reflection of the Toulon Designs performance. I made 3 out of 4 with both heads, an impressive tie. I knew straight after impact if the ball was going in or not.
The roll was solid and reliable, the misses where my fault, as I opened or closed the face. Both times I could feel this, they were more human errors than the putters.
Odyssey Toulon Design Las Vegas and Chicago Putters Verdict
I don’t mind spending money on a putter, whereas others think it is a waste of money compared to a driver due to the amount of technology you're getting. I've always been a fan of hearing the craftsmanship stories and love that goes into making a putter.
The weight, feel and how the club sits at address is important to me. If I find a putter that suits me I won't change it for years. My favourite model in the 2022 Toulon range was the Chicago but that is only because of the looks, both putters performed similarly and at a high level.
Would I Use Them?
Yes, they're both beautiful looking and feeling putters.
Who Should Use Them?
You’ll see these black luxurious putters on your television screens this year when watching the PGA Tour.
Toulon is seen as the Tour preferred range due to the feel and it wouldn’t surprise me if Sean himself makes a custom made putter for the likes of Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele.
Also, it's worth bearing in mind that the tour players are given these putters so the £379 price tag isn’t an issue for them. Callaway loyalists will like these, but I can see Scotty fans will staying well clear. You're either one or the other in my opinion.
They are high-end putters but can be used by any ability as there are so many heads to choose from, however I'd always recommend a bigger head for worse putters as the MOI is higher.
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