- The Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla putter honors the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., site of this year’s PGA Championship.
- The Valhalla is based on the Toulon Santa Monica design and features a new Kentucky Bourbon finish.
- Available May 15 at ToulonGolf.com with a MSRP of $1,800.
Grab your horn-adorned helm and mighty hammer for, today, we enter Valhalla.
“But, Dave, I work a desk job. My daily conquests are menial, not mighty.”
Fret not, corporate raider for, this time, ‘’tis not valor that will allow you to reach Valhalla. A few weeks’ loot from thy aforementioned desk job will suffice.
Let thy engorged Venmo strike a mighty blow!
As it turns out, today’s Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla is not actually honoring the Viking afterlife but rather the Valhalla Golf Club where this year’s PGA Championship will be played.
(While this excites the golfer in me, my role-playing self feels great sadness.)
Regardless, let’s take a look at this new Toulon release and see why they chose to commemorate an earthly golf course rather than the hall of the slain.
Raise Your Axes and Putters My Brethren
In terms of accessibility, I’m thinking we common folk have a better chance at entering the hall of the Norse gods than we do making it into the PGA Championship at Valhalla..
The Valhalla Golf Club is a spectacular track in Louisville, Ky. This Jack Nicklaus design is a fixture on every top 100 course list.
The Senior PGA Championship was played there in 2004 and 2001. Ryder Cup teams battled there in 2008 and, this year, the PGA Championship will be played there for the fourth time.
You may not know Valhalla but I bet you’ve seen the video of Tiger chasing in his putt to birdie the first playoff hole to win the 2000 PGA Championship.
As far as courses go, Valhalla seems worthy of fancy putter commemoration.
Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla is not about Vikings
As I said, I was disappointed when I saw that the putter was not actually Norse-themed. I wanted epic battle scenes featuring Thor, the Midgard Serpent, Valkyries, Mead of Suttungr, maybe more Valkyries.
Instead, I get the Greatest Hits of Louisville.
Louisville is a cool city. Maybe not Viking battle-scenes-cool but cool by any measure. You have Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. If you go, be sure to visit the Louisville Slugger bat factory and museum. Catching any college game at the University of Louisville is a solid play as well.
Naturally, you will also need to quench your thirst with a bourbon or three.
So we may not get Asgardian aesthetics with the Toulon Valhalla but we do get solid iconography representing Valhalla Louisville home.
Kentucky Derby fans and most bronies will appreciate the horse racing-inspired designs on the putter and on the leather headcover.
Specifications: Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla Putter
- Material: 904L stainless steel, 6061 aluminum sole plate
- Construction: CNC-milled
- Finish: Kentucky Bourbon PVD
- Face: Super Fine Double Fly with Big Tuna
- Neck: Elongated Plumbers
- Toe Hang: 40°
- Offset: One shaft
- Loft: 3°
- Lie: 70°
- Weight: 355 grams
- Shaft: Chrome stepless steel
- Grip: Toulon Collection Vintage Blue Pistol
- Production run: 75
- MSRP: $1,800
Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla: The Putter
The Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla is a spin on the Toulon Santa Monica design. We saw the Santa Monica as a small batch release a few months ago. The bones of the Valhalla and the Santa Monica are similar but Toulon has changed the Valhalla quite a bit.
The sole of the Valhalla is carved out, then covered with an aluminum sole plate. In doing so, Toulon changes the weight distribution in the head significantly compared to the Santa Monica.
The short story is that the removal of the central stainless steel mass allowed the overall size of the Valhalla to be larger. It is wider, longer and has a longer hosel than the Santa Monica. Doing this without removing the mass and replacing it with aluminum would have pushed the head toward being unplayably heavy.
The 904L stainless steel (yes, Rolex steel) at the edges with the aluminum in the middle design also increases the MOI of the putter. One should expect more stability through impact with the Valhalla than the standard Santa Monica.
Final Thoughts on the Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla Putter
The Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla tips its cap to the Valhalla Golf Club as well as to the city of Louisville. Yes, it does lack a Viking battle ax motif but the finish is named after bourbon, so it all balances out.
Regardless, if you are a fan of the Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville or Toulon Golf, the Small Batch Valhalla should check off a bunch of desirability boxes for you.
Ultimately, the putter gets me a little pumped for the PGA Championship. I don’t know that I’ve ever said that before as I view it as the least major of the majors.
This time around, my eyes will be glued to the action on Honest Abe, Twin Spires, Big Red and the other holes on the course. I’m really hoping to see some drives to the green on Mine That Bird.
It’s a cool putter commemorating a cool course and the tournament should be a fun one to watch.
Find out more about the Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla Putter at ToulonGolf.com
FAQ: Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla Putter
How many Small Batch Valhalla putters are being produced?
Seventy-five Valhalla putters will be available worldwide from the Toulon website.
How close was Tiger’s PGA Championship win in 2000 at Valhalla?
Bob May gave Tiger a real run for his money at Valhalla. Though Tiger’s chase-and-point putt is the famous highlight, May’s spectacular chip on 18 in the playoff was inches from dropping in the cup. It was a special thing to watch.
Is this putter about the Valhalla Golf Club or the city of Louisville?
The best answer is .. it is about both. You get some golf, some horse racing and some bourbon, all wrapped up in one putter. I’m here for it.
Is this one as cool as the Meadow Club Small Batch?
Not by a long margin, I’d say. That Toulon Meadow Club putter with its ridiculous wooden sole plate is on a whole different level. If we were translating this into NBA players, the Meadow Club would be Steph Curry and the Valhalla would be Klay Thompson. Klay is an excellent player but Steph is an elite player.
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