Golfing News & Blog Articles
Toulon Design Small Batch Santa Monica Putter
The latest Toulon Small Batch putter, the Santa Monica, showcases an iconic putter design but is also an example of one of professional golf’s enduring oddities.
As far as the putter goes, the Santa Monica is Toulon’s interpretation of PING’s classic Anser 2 design. It has all of the Anser 2 markings: thin topline, longer body, boxy edges and plumber’s neck. Naturally, there are tweaks that make the design uniquely Toulon-flavored.
As we all know, other companies have been interpreting the iconic Anser design in their own ways since the putter’s inception. That’s common knowledge, but not the oddity I’m referring to.
Have you noticed how golf companies are reticent to refer to actual people in their communications? Most of the time they reference players who use their gear in everything but name. How many times have you read something like the “U.S. Open champion” instead of the name of the tournament winner?
It’s akin to referring to the Super Bowl as “The Big Game.”
Why? As with most everything, it comes down to money. Week after week, golfers use gear on tour without being under contract. They likely got the club for free but they don’t get a check to go with it. Should they win with that club, the company can’t use their name since they are not paying them for endorsement.
No money, no proper name in the advertising.
Why Santa Monica?
How does that tie into the Toulon Santa Monica? Toulon crafted this putter to honor not just the design but a very specific golfer.
Riviera Country Club sits at the edge of the city of Santa Monica. It’s a very famous course. Hogan won there a number of times but, surprisingly, Nicklaus never did. Through the decades, many of golf’s historic events have happened at Riviera.
This putter references one event in particular, when a high-school golfer named Tiger Woods played in his first PGA Tour tournament there in 1992.
Key Elements of The Toulon Santa Monica Small Batch
Before you start rage-typing, I did not make a mistake when I said this was Tiger’s first tour event. Not his first event as a professional; that was in Milwaukee. He played the event at Riviera before turning pro years later.
Based upon that timeline, Tiger would have played a PING putter at Riviera. While many associate Tiger with the Scotty Cameron Newport 2, for a great portion of his amateur career he played PING putters.
Did you ever wonder why he had a PING grip on his Cameron? I sure did. I wondered if the now iconic blackout design of that PING grip was an aesthetic choice or a sponsorship compromise.
The Toulon Santa Monica has all of the historical Anser 2 trappings in a modern Tiger-flavored package. It is fully milled, not cast like the original Anser. Interestingly, its 345-gram head weight is far more retro than modern. Most modern Anser designs will start at 355 and go up.
The bumpers are blocky but relatively thin. The topline is also on the thin side, again similar to what we see in older Anser 2 putters.
The Candy Red paint and grip are nods to Tiger as well.
Matching your watch to your putter
Like the previous Toulon Small Batch putters, the Santa Monica is milled from 904L stainless steel. The metallurgical explanation is that 904L steel has a higher nickel and copper content than the usual 304 stainless steel, making it more durable and resistant to corrosion.
The other explanation for the use of 904L stainless steel is that it is used by Rolex. If you want to make a premium putter, why not use the same steel as the best-known premium Swiss watchmaker?
Specifications: Toulon Design Small Batch Santa Monica Putter
Material: 904L stainless steel Construction: CNC-milled and hand-polished Finish: Tour Satin Frost Face: Super Fine Double Fly milling Neck: H1 (plumber’s) Toe Hang: 45° Offset: oneshaft Loft: 3° Lie: 70° Weight: 345 grams Shaft: Chrome steel Grip: Toulon Special Candy Red Classic Production run: 75 MSRP: $1,800Final Thoughts on the Toulon Design Small Batch Santa Monica
The Santa Monica’s design is simple compared to some other Toulon Small Batch putters. It is made of only one material. You’ll find no aircraft aluminum or guitar wood in this one.
If you called the Santa Monica a utilitarian design, you’d get no argument from me.
“Utilitarian” fits the Tiger theme as well. The thing that made Tiger’s putters so special was the number of amazing putts that he made with them. Who didn’t feel the endorphin rush after watching Tiger roll in a bomb, pump his fist and lift his putter triumphantly toward the sky?
This putter may officially be named the Santa Monica but we all know that it should really be called The Goat.
Find out more about the Toulon Design Small Batch Santa Monica at ToulonGolf.com
FAQ: Toulon Design Small Batch Santa Monica Putter
How many Santa Monica putters are being produced?
Only 75 will be available worldwide.
Are you sure this is not supposed to be a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 interpretation?
At the Riviera tournament, amateur Tiger played a PING Anser 2. Not too many years after that, professional Tiger would win seemingly every tournament with his Cameron.
Is it worth $1,800?
Checking eBay, it does seem like the Toulon Small Batch putters hold their values. For this one, I hope someone with the means to buy it actually uses it on the course. One of the coolest things about Tiger’s putter is that it always looks hammered from usage.
Will Toulon be making any non limited-edition putters anymore?
I’ve heard there may be something in the queue but I have zero information as of today. I hope so. The putters they made under the Odyssey umbrella were solid and getting better with each release. Hopefully, we see some in 2024.
The post Toulon Design Small Batch Santa Monica Putter appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
