Toulon Golf is doubling their Small Batch operation in the Midwest. Rather than following their typical one-at-at-time Small Batch release pattern, they’ve decided to release two milled-metal offerings.
This time around, the Toulon Golf Small Batch Midwest release includes two putters named after cities in the Midwest: Chicago and Milwaukee.
As per usual, both are variations on classic designs, each maintaining aspects of the original but with enough tweaks and twists to make them limited-edition worthy interpretations.
They are produced in very limited quantities and both quite expensive.
But, hey, since there are two of them, you have twice the odds of snagging one.
(You could even skip a mortgage payment or two and grab both.)
Even if these are well out of your price range, I think you’ll appreciate the craftsmanship and creativity that Toulon Golf has built into the Chicago and Milwaukee.
Let’s head to the Midwest!
Toulon’s Midwestern wanderings
Last month, Toulon’s Coastal California Series release took us on a road trip up the California coast. This time, Toulon turned the car dead east, traveling a few thousand miles to Illinois and Wisconsin.
Chicago and Milwaukee are world-famous Midwestern cities. Though geographically similar, each city has a very distinct personality and both are interesting enough to warrant the Toulon Golf Small Batch treatment.
Chicago is a world-class city, second only in the United States to New York City, many would say. Very few other US cities can rival Chicago in terms of professional sports, musical history, architecture or food culture.
Although not quite at Chicago’s level, Milwaukee is no slouch of a city. In addition to being annoying to spell, Milwaukee is the birthplace of Harley-Davidson, hosts numerous music festivals such as the massive Summerfest event and, of course, produces oceans of beer.
If you were taking a two-city Midwestern vacation, you could definitely do worse than visiting Chicago and Milwaukee. Good times are almost guaranteed.
Let’s see how Toulon Golf has captured the essences of these cities in their Small Batch putters.
Toulon Small Batch Chicago
The Toulon Golf Small Batch Chicago makes me miss the days when Toulon Golf was under the Odyssey Golf umbrella. The fully milled 2020 Odyssey/Toulon Chicago was a great complement to Odyssey’s lines of putters with face inserts.
When Sean Toulon retired from Odyssey, their milled putter offerings, including the Chicago, disappeared.
For the new Small Batch Chicago, Toulon Golf built a black-tie putter without losing the putting part of the story. The basic wide-body shape is similar to the Odyssey/Toulon Chicago model. It is a little shorter heel to toe than a traditional blade putter and a little wider face to flange.
It may look like the previous Chicago but this model is much fancier. The Small Batch Chicago is constructed from 904L stainless steel. Yes, that’s the “Rolex” steel. The face of the Chicago features Ultra Double Fly Cut milling. This milling looks sharp as a pressed collar while delivering soft-feeling rolls.
A brilliant black PVD finish and white sight dot gives the Chicago a simplified and dignified appearance at address. Behind the ball, the Chicago has a very clean look and is all business.
The double-bend shaft is a first for a Toulon Small Batch putter. That all-black shaft gives the Chicago about 10 degrees of toe hang, making it ideal for those with minimal stroke arc.
Chicago style
When you flip the putter over, you see the Chicago flavoring. Just like Chicago Blues legend Buddy Guy’s famous Fender, the bottom of the Chicago is covered in polka dots.
There are 34 polka dots on the bottom of the Toulon Golf Small Batch Chicago. Football fans will know “34” was the jersey number of Walter Payton, one of the greatest athletes to ever play in Chicago.
Toulon Small Batch Milwaukee
The Toulon Golf Small Batch Milwaukee is a little more playful than the Chicago. Though also covered in black PVD, the brick pattern face milling and large Cream City logo add a bit of whimsy and local history to the Milwaukee.
I had to ask around to learn what “Cream City” was all about. My friend Chad Gypt told me this.
“Cream City” is an old nickname for Milwaukee, and it comes from the distinctive cream-colored bricks that were widely made and used there in the 19th Century.
Milwaukee-area clay has a high lime and sulfur content. When fired, it produces a light yellow or cream-colored brick instead of the more typical red brick. Those Cream City bricks became common in Milwaukee houses, warehouses, churches, breweries, and commercial buildings, especially from roughly the 1840s through the late 1800s.
Because so much of the city was built with that pale brick, Milwaukee became known as the “Cream City.”
(Here’s a bit more cream city brick history if you are interested.)
Pinning down the pintail
The Small Batch Milwaukee is a pintail putter design. Pintails are characterized by the sloping heel region, often featuring toe-hang enhancing slant necks.
The neck of the Milwaukee delivers about 60 degrees of toe hang, fitting a swing with a significant arc. In terms of design and hang, a pintail could be the lovechild of an Anser and an 8802.
Toulon Golf has a thing for the pintails and I’m here for it. Multiple Small Batch designs have been spins on the pintail shape. Each time, they figure out a way to incorporate something new into the classic head shape.
If you have a moment, check out the Toulon Small Batch Portrush and Toulon Small Batch Dogwood. Exploring those two pintails will help you understand just how much newness Toulon has added to the Milwaukee.
Neither one of those previous Small Batch putters features a cavity like the Milwaukee. This not-so-subtle change dramatically changes the looks, feel, sound and MOI of the pintail shape.
The Toulon Golf Small Batch Midwest Milwaukee has the uniqueness that collectors look for in a limited-edition shape. If it had just a bit less toe hang, I’d toss those creamy bricks into my bag.
Toulon Golf is coming after your putter cabbage
The target consumer base for Toulon Golf Small Batch Midwest putters is not expansive. The production runs are very limited and the putters are quite expensive. I didn’t even ask about the pricing but assume they are somewhere in the usual $1,800-$2,000 range.
Find out more about the Toulon Golf Small Batch Midwest release at ToulonGolf.com.
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