Strange things are happening in Carlsbad, California, these days. At least at Toulon Golf HQ where some strange, dare I say alien, activities are taking place.
Not only are they releasing a new wildly shaped zero-torque meter, but they are also launching their new Concept 59 sub-brand.
Normally, just one of those things happening would be newsworthy. Having both at the same time is a lot to process on a cold December day.
Let’s take a first look at the brand new Concept 59 and then explore the new device.
What is the Toulon 59 concept about?
The short answer is that Concept 59 is about Sean Toulon and his contributions to the golf industry. In addition to producing three well-bred sons employed in the golf industry, Sean Toulon has had his hand in iconic golf equipment designs for four decades.
When it comes to golf equipment resumes, few have as many pages of accomplishments as Toulon.
He was involved with the development of movable weights in drivers, adjustable shaft technologies in drivers and, of course, the creation of the high MOI spider hammer design.
With The Spider, Sean Toulon pulled off the impossible by making it cool to play a jackhammer.
The Concept 59 sub-brand honors Sean Toulon’s legacy and, as he continues to work, will also serve as a platform for his new creations. Toulon and his boys still have some new designs in mind and they will release them under the name Concept 59.
And the part “59”? Well, 1959 was the year Sean Toulon came to Earth.
Made the weird shooter you have
Toulon and his boys have created something nice there for the first release of the Concept 59. Since it’s a zero-torque meter, we expect it to look a little different, but maybe not that different.
At address, the Toulon Concept 59 looks like a Toulon Indianapolis with shower bars.
(Perhaps that’s where the retired double Toulon got his inspiration.)
Team Toulon realizes that pretty young Roswell has a foreign look and they embrace him. So much so that the brand and name are foreign themed. You’ll find their alien head logo on the machine, handle and head cover.
(I’m calling the alien Maximus Decimus Meridius since it looks like he’s wearing the helmet from Gladiator.)
While not actually shaped like the flying saucer that crashed in Roswell, NM, the Toulon Roswell looks like a spaceship. It has a heavy USS Constitution class cruiser vibe.
(High five to my fellow sci-fi geeks out there!)
By the way, the Roswell crash happened, supposedly, in 1947, so Sean Toulon was not involved in that event.
It looks strange, but completely functional
Although alien in appearance, Roswell is all about ground performance.
Like their previous Zero Torque release, Toulon Formula 90the toe points straight at rest. This should translate to Roswell not opening or closing during the deployment stroke.
Ideally, this means the face will return to the ball at the same angle it left and your ball will roll down the target line.
We have become a more accepting golf society
Can you imagine this publisher released a decade ago? I’m sure the internet would be filled with disparaging comments. “Potato Masher” is what immediately came to mind.
Thankfully, we’ve moved past this shallow point. Modern golfers embrace out-of-the-box golf club designs because they understand that these designs help them hit putter shots.
This is the ultimate goal of Toulon’s Roswell. Every aspect of Roswell, alien or not, is meant to help you make your paws.
The square design increases MOI and stability, but also provides an open alignment tool to square the pusher on your target line. More subtly, the square shape subliminally encourages a direct drive away and return to the ball.
Rotating the rectangle while hitting just seems like the wrong thing to do.
Non-Alien Aspects of the Toulon 59 Roswell Concept
When you ignore the unusual aspects of the Toulon Roswell, you will discover the fundamental concepts of modern tire design.
Roswell is constructed of stainless steel and aluminum. This multi-material design plan allows Toulon to distribute weight as needed to increase MOI. The Roswell features the same front-positioned sole weights found on the the most traditional models of Toulon.
The position of the weights moves the center of gravity forward and their adjustable nature allows for customer customization.
On a side note, notice how the sole of the putter rotates and sticks to the top at the top edge of the face. Such an artistic way to put the different components together.
The diamond pattern on the face serves the dual purpose of promoting spin when it interacts with the surface of the golf ball and also softens the feel of the shot.
The soft feel was one of the surprising things about Roswell. The face is not too thick which, in some models, will lead to a strong feel at impact.
The tone on impact is pleasant. I think the Toulon will likely go through several prototypes to achieve the desired sound. Roswell has a number of regions that could potentially produce unwanted frequencies.
Some of those extra bumps and angles on the inside of the gauge are probably there to tune the device properly.
The bottom line of the design is that it’s an unusual looking barrel that has a classic sound and feel.
What’s next for the Toulon Concept 59 brand?
Roswell sets a high bar for what’s to come with the brand’s Toulon Concept 59. This putter not only capitalizes on the hottest zero-spin golf trend, but does so in a way that’s out of the safe zone.
I hope we’ll see more risque and experimental designs under the Concept 59 moniker. While Sean Toulon’s boys are still in the “play nice” stages of their careers, Sean is entering his venerable stage of freedom, where he can say and do what he wants without worrying about the backlash and consequences.
My biggest hope is that the freedom of the Concept 59 line encourages Sean Toulon to become a combination of Hephaestus, Yoda and Dr. Emmett Brown.
If that happens, those we see will be truly otherworldly.
You can grab the Toulon Concept 59 Roswell today for $700 at ToulonGolf.com.
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