Toulon Garage lets the mind wander
The beauty of Legos is that if you can imagine a design, then it can likely be constructed.
So when the email from Odyssey Golf showed up in the inbox with the subject line “Design Your Putter In Toulon Garage,” there was no turning back.
Odyssey Golf allows a golfer to design a customized Toulon putter essentially from start to finish. The concept is not new, but it’s always neat to dream a little.
Once the sticker shock of starting at $499.99 passed, the fun began. For me, the simplicity of a blade putter — The Azalea — was an easy choice. Then came the hosel choice. The H1 (L-Neck) was a nice selection, for an additional $75.
The next steps were all about customization. First was there was the Black Pearl finish ($100), followed by a top line alignment aid ($30). The paint fill selections were a mix of red, charcoal and white — a personal tribute to Ohio State University. There are three Odyssey shaft options, but the Toulon Design Black was a nice choice, along with a 7-gram sole plate weight.
There is certainly no shortage of grip options, no fewer than 90 options. For $10, the Toulon Design — Lamkin Deep Etch in red was the quick choice. The thinking is a grip can easily by replaced. Personal spec preferences for length, loft and lie finish off the process.
When complete, the price tag added up to $764.99.
That would buy a lot of Legos, maybe enough to build my own putter.
The nine mallet Phantom X line originates from one of five basic head shapes that are inspired by race cars. [Photo: Titleist]
FINDING INSPIRATION
Legendary Titleist putter designer Scotty Cameron certainly will not be found designing putters using the Toulon Garage, but he apparently did find inspiration in a garage.
For the Phantom X line, Cameron turned to motor sports.
“I wanted different,” Cameron said. “I wanted what’s next. A lot of it came from the sports car that looks like it’s going 200 miles an hour standing still.”
The line features nine mallets based on five head shapes.
NAMES AND NOTES
◼ Two tournaments is a small sample size, and there could be any number of reasons for his recent success, but Patrick Cantlay has finished tied for ninth at the Masters and third at the RBC Heritage since switching to the new Pro V1x.
◼ Scott Piercy has the new Titleist TS4 driver in his bag. According to Titleist tour representative Jim Curran, Piercy “loved the speed and spin reduction he was getting … He stayed in the 8.5* loft, but moved to a B2 SureFit setting that provided the preferred face angle and spin rate he was seeking.”
◼ Sports Co. has made its reputation creating some really cool carry bags. But Jones also does gear pretty well. The 8 oz. Birdie Flask($50) fits into that category. Plus, what is not to like about a quick sip from a flask?
AND FINALLY …
Grandpa Jamie is back in a new Cleveland Golf video, and this time he has brought Uncle Jake with him.
Grandpa Jamie (two-time World Long Drive champion Jamie Sadlowski) wows unsuspecting golfers with his nimbleness in launching 350-plus-yard drives, while Uncle Jake (nine-time PGA Tour winner Peter Jacobsen), well, he provides his usual wit.
And, despite how many of these prank videos are made, this one is really good — thanks to Jake.