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TaylorMade enlists putter builder Logan Olson
TaylorMade has officially brought boutique putter maker Logan Olson into their putter design team. TaylorMade views the 27 year-old Olson as a “generational talent” and they are excited to add him to their Product Creation team.
This announcement is not super-surprising. TM staffer Scottie Scheffler spent some time testing out Logan Olson putters in late 2023. After their collaborative testing and tweaking, Scheffler rolled an Olson putter to victory at the Hero World Challenge.
With that kind of success, it’s a wonder that this partnership took so long to become official.
The next generation of putter builders
Unlike the other clubs in your bag, putters frequently have the designer’s name on them. This is not a new phenomenon. Half a century ago, putters bore names like Karsten Solheim, John Reuter, Jr. and TP Mills. Run it forward a few decades and the names became Kia Ma, Robert J. Bettinardi, Sean Toulon and, of course, Scotty Cameron.
The big putter companies are facing a bit of a dilemma. As good as those above-mentitoned putter guys are, most of them are closer to the end of their building careers than the beginning.
Thankfully, there are some excellent young craftsmen ready to take up the milling torch. Guys like Tyson Lamb, Cody James and Logan Olson all make amazing putters in their shops. Their shops may be small but their fans are legion. Even the pickiest of putter connoisseurs recognizes the mastery of milled metal demonstrated by Olson and the others.
What does this announcement mean for the golf consumer?
The main thing that TaylorMade drafting Olson means for the consumer is that we should expect to see TaylorMade’s milled putter game improve. The introduction of the milled TP Reserve putter line last year demonstrated their renewed commitment to producing quality milled putters. This partnership with Olson takes TaylorMade’s plan to the next level.
More to the point: Will you be able to buy TaylorMade/Logan Olson putters at your local shop? Unfortunately, no … or perhaps not yet.
Initially, TaylorMade will use Olson’s talents to develop a Tour Matrix line of putters. These will be used by TaylorMade’s Tour Representatives to more efficiently fit their pros.
Could we see versions of these Tour Matrix putters at retail? Hopefully. But, for now, these Olson-designed blades and mallets will be for TaylorMade’s Tour players only.
You will still be able to buy Olson’s Craft Batch putters on his website. Although Olson will now have an association with TaylorMade, he will retain his independence. According to his website, the Logan Olson Craft Batch #3 putter will be available on Dec. 5.
Final thoughts on Logan Olson joining the TaylorMade team
Logan Olson is the first of the modern-era boutique putter makers to get tapped by a big company. My thought is that he will be the first of many. Bob Bettinardi has his son Sam to take over the design duties but allcthe other companies with aging design teams will need to tap into the younger pool of designers to stay competitive.
While the TaylorMade/Olson collaboration is primarily Tour-focused at this point, I fully expect it to expand to the retail market. Using the input of Tour players, Olson will craft the designs that TaylorMade can then mass produce for the rest of us.
Those down-the-road putters may not be hand-crafted by Olson but they will be expressions of how he thinks putters should be made. Since Olson makes amazing putters, this is something to celebrate.
Currently, it’s mostly putter aficionados who know the Logan Olson name. I expect his level of name recognition will expand exponentially very soon.
See Logan Olson’s mastery of metal at loganolsonputters.com
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