SAN DIEGO _ Callaway Golf said it's buying Toulon Design, a premium putter maker owned by former TaylorMade club guru Sean Toulon.
The move brings Toulon, who has more than 80 patents, to Callaway as a senior vice president and general manager of its Odyssey putter brand.
"Sean is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable leaders in the golf equipment industry, and we are excited to have him come aboard to help us continue to lead the putter category with great designs and the highest performing innovations," said Callaway Chief Executive Chip Brewer in a statement on Monday.
Callaway is the market leader in putters with its Odyssey brand. Last year, Odyssey putter sales rose 6 percent to $86.3 million, despite slugging demand for golf equipment.
Terms of the Toulon Design deal were not disclosed. Callaway said in a filing with federal securities regulators that the sale is expected to have minimal impact on the company's financial results in 2016.
Toulon worked at TaylorMade-Adidas Golf for more than 16 years, leading a product design group that helped catapult the company to $1.7 billion in sales four years ago.
While at TaylorMade, Toulon's teams developed the Rocketballz club line, Rossa putters and the R9 driver, among myriad other products.
But TaylorMade has struggled recently, with sales falling seven of the past eight quarters. In May, parent company Adidas announced that it was seeking buyers for its TaylorMade, Ashworth and Adams golf brands. There isn't an obvious suitor.
Meanwhile, Callaway Golf has rebounded under Brewer, steadily gaining market share over rivals in most golf product categories.
"The brand that really has momentum in the marketplace is Callaway," said Toulon in an interview. "So to have this opportunity is a dream come true."
Toulon left TaylorMade just over a year ago. He started Toulon Design with his three sons. All of the Toulon team will move over to Callaway. The Toulon brand also will remain. Both Callaway and Toulon are based in the San Diego area.
"We bring an opportunity in the segment of the market that has been difficult for Odyssey to reach, and that's the high-end premium segment," said Toulon. "The super-premium side is really a sizable chunk of the putter category. And it only has a couple of players."
