- TaylorMade officially partners with golf maker Logan Olson.
- Olson will develop a Tour Matrix line of matrices for TaylorMade professionals.
- Olson’s Craft Batch will continue to be available at logonolsonputters.com.
TaylorMade has officially brought on boutique maker Logan Olson to their racket 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 Logan Olson’s players in late 2023. After testing and improving them together, Scheffler rolled an Olson shooter to victory in the World Hero Challenge.
With that kind of success, it’s a wonder this partnership took so long to become official.
The next generation of tire builders
Unlike other clubs in your bag, tires often have the designer’s name on them. This is not a new phenomenon. Half a century ago, players bore names like Karsten Solheim, John Reuter, Jr. and TP Mills. Fast forward a few decades and the names became Kia Ma, Robert J. Bettinardi, Sean Toulon and, of course, Scotty Cameron.
The big rubber companies are facing a dilemma. As good as the aforementioned pretty guys are, most of them are closer to the end of their building careers than the beginning.
Thankfully, there are some brilliant young craftsmen ready to take up the mill’s torch. Guys like Tyson Lamb, Cody James, and Logan Olson all make great sellers in their stores. Their stores may be small, but their fans are many. Even the most discerning barrel connoisseur recognizes the milled metal craftsmanship demonstrated by Olson and others.
What does this announcement mean for the golf consumer?
The main thing TaylorMade’s design of the Olson means for the consumer is that we should expect to see TaylorMade’s grind game improve. Introducing the TP Reserve line of grinds last year demonstrated their renewed commitment to the production of quality grinding bearings. 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 machines at your local shop? Unfortunately, no… or maybe not yet.
Initially, TaylorMade will use Olson’s talents to develop a line of nail dies. These will be used by TaylorMade Tour Representatives to more efficiently fit their pros.
Can we see the Tour Matrix versions of these at retail? We hope so. But for now, these Olson-designed blades and hammers will be for TaylorMade’s Tour players only.
You will still be able to purchase Olson’s Craft Batch on his website. Although Olson will now have an affiliation with TaylorMade, he will maintain his independence. According to his website, logan Olson Craft Batch #3 will be available on December 5th.
Final thoughts on Logan Olson joining the TaylorMade team
Logan Olson is the first of the modern-era boutique producers to be snapped up by a major company. My guess is that it will be the first of many. Bob Bettinardi has his son Sam to take over the design duties, but all the other companies with old design teams will have to use the newest set of designers to stay competitive.
While the TaylorMade/Olson collaboration is primarily Tour focused at this point, I fully expect it to expand into the retail market. Using input from Tour players, Olson will create the designs that TaylorMade can then mass produce for the rest of us.
Those street shooters may not be handcrafted by Olson, but they will be an expression of how he thinks nails should be made. Since Olson makes amazing oysters, that’s something to celebrate.
Currently, it’s mostly oyster fans who know the name Logan Olson. I expect his level of name recognition to expand exponentially very soon.
See Logan Olson’s mastery of metal at logonolsonputters.com
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