COST: $749.99.

TESTED BY: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

MODELS PLAYED: Odyssey Toulon Atlanta and Madison.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: There is no other area where golf has the chance to blend form and function as much as putters for mine. The visual lines of a well-made flatstick combined with the head-shapes, feel and roll of the face allowing for endless possibilities. And the occasional thing of beauty.

The new Odyssey Toulon Design range fitting the bill exceptionally.

These, of course, are a premium option at a premium price and won’t be for everyone. But instantly upon laying eyes on the black finish and beautifully shaped heads to the two models tested, followed by the soft but solid feel off the face, I was a fan.

HOW THEY PERFORMED: When it comes to golf equipment, I have a long history of putter collecting, changing and admiration since my earliest days as an improving young golfer. Milled putters particularly of interest throughout my journey, even if they didn’t always deliver the best results.

Despite losing most of the collection a few years ago to a robbery and with less time on the putting green, those feelings remain deep down and the newest milled putters from Odyssey brought out some genuine excitement to head to the putting green for a few hours.

After the all-black finish stood out instantly, feel was the next performance characteristic to really impress.

Having tried previous models, that already performed well in this department, this is an area where the new models have improved and rival almost any other premium putter I have tried. The feel is a near perfect combination of soft and solid, and there is enough feedback on off-centre strikes to know when you have made a bad stroke.

The shape of the two heads tested were also outstanding to my eye, with the blade Madison possessing all the classic features of a heel-toe weighted blade, while the mid-mallet Atlanta with a slant neck might be the best-looking mallet I have ever used.

Still having a few older milled putters in my possession and numerous contraptions to test forward roll as well, giving the new face milling pattern’s performance a test was part of the assessment of the Toulon putters. Once again, the new models passing with flying colours.

The ball gets rolling end-over-end quickly post impact and both models tested were stable enough to produce a good roll even when not struck perfectly.

It has already been mentioned numerous times above, but the appearance of these models is worth revisiting.

The black finish is great to my eye, while the shaping of the heads combined with this look is magnificent. This all coupled with the unique look of the dark green and chrome Stroke Lab shaft really appealed to me and creates plenty of attention, and jealousy I might add, when hitting a few putts before heading out for a game.

Stroke Lab has now been around for a considerable time in Odyssey’s putters and again this test proved that it is certainly not a bad thing and if the consistency improvements the brand promises with its design are indeed there it is a worthy addition. Although some traditionalists might struggle with its appearance early and the slightly different weight distribution creating a minimally altered feel when used side-by-side with a steel shafted putter, it is a small performance increase that visually becomes comfortable after a short time to my mind.

At the beginning of my testing, I was certain I was going to like these new putters from Odyssey, and that was more than confirmed by the time I came to write this review.

The feel and look were of the high standard one would expect from a premium putter line from one of the biggest names in the product category, while the performance in regard to roll and forgiveness was very good.

One surprise was my assumption that the mallet headed Atlanta would be my favoured model, due to a tendency towards larger putters and slant necks in recent times, but it was the plumbers neck Madison I kept going back to.

I haven’t consistently used a blade putter for a number of years, however, I found myself putting the Madison in the bag more often than not during my testing and also practising my putting more than normal when it was laying around. A true sign that a putter is something special given the practise wasn’t for anything, rather just to look down at the shape and feel the sweet sensation of impact.

FACTS AND FIGURES

AVAILABILITY: The new range of Toulon putters features seven headshapes and will be available around the country from March 4.

SUITABILITY: With the variety of mallet and blade designs, there is a Toulon Design putter for every golfer seeking a premium look, feel and performance on the greens.

ODYSSEY SAYS: Toulon Design putters are developed with an obsessive attention to detail, exacting precision, and Tour-proven performance.

Meticulously crafted to be the best milled putters in the world, Odyssey established an extremely high standard, and are taking the performance driven designs to new heights with an outstanding 2022 line-up.

A wide range of premium enhancements have been delivered, from compelling new head shapes, featuring new deep diamond groove face milling, to a stunning Midnight Black finish, split weight forward weighting configuration, and latest generation Stroke Lab shaft.

This collection truly showcases Odyssey’s best ever Toulon Design milled line of putters.

The ’Deep Diamond Groove Mill’ pattern is designed to control sound and feel by channelling vibration. The face also features a medium depth double fly cut to enhance forward roll and feel. With this precise attention to detail, it is the most consistent and best-rolling range of Toulon Design putters ever.

Widely recognised for its premium look and construction, the new Toulon Design beautiful black finish is played on Tours worldwide and showcases the meticulous craftsmanship of these finely milled putters.

The innovative multi-material Stroke Lab shaft saves 40 grams of weight, which is redistributed to the head and grip end of the putter. Stroke Lab completely rebalances the putter for improved tempo and consistency in the stroke, and this major-winning technology continues to dominate on Tours around the world.

Every Toulon Design putter comes with a new two split-weight design that moves the weights forward, and toward the toe and heel. The positioning improves the inertia of the head, while also improving the consistency of impact ratio and forward roll. All of this leads to speed consistency and a high level of performance.

Visit www.callawaygolf.com.au to find out more.