SMALL BATCH Palo Alto
In the creation of our latest Small Batch design our mission was to pay tribute to one of the game’s most accomplished players and one of its quietest innovators: Bob Rosburg.
Rosburg became a force in golf at a very young age. Born in San Francisco, he honed his skills at the famed Olympic Club. It was there that a 12-year-old Rosburg once beat the legendary — and often ornery — Ty Cobb in a match at the club, 7&6. Rosburg would go on to have an accomplished college career at Stanford — where he starred in both golf and baseball — and later was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. From there he embarked on a celebrated professional career that included six PGA Tour wins, headlined by the 1959 PGA Championship.
His acclaim in the game of golf arguably reached its highest in his post playing career when he joined ABC as a broadcaster. Affably known as ‘Rossie,’ he
spent more than three decades on air where he pioneered the role as a roving broadcaster walking the golf course with the competitors.
Today on tour, the world’s best players have access to state-of-the-art facilities on a weekly basis to work on their equipment and test combinations. In Rossie’s playing days most players had limited — if any — access to new equipment. Like many of his contemporaries, Rossie began tinkering with his own clubs, but at a level beyond most of his peers. Rosburg’s own study in equipment would lead to him eventually designing clubs for companies including MacGregor, Ram, Top Flite and others. But it was with the putter that Rosburg would really make his mark. Credited with being one of the first players on tour to consistently use a mallet style putter, he effectively normalized mallet designs and usage by the game’s best players — a trend that has reached its fever pitch in the modern game. Today, more players use mallet putters than traditional blades, a trend once considered unfathomable in Rossie’s era.
The Head
While the Palo Alto pays tribute to the original Rossie design, its name is also a nod to the region where so many innovations in fields beyond the game of golf began.
Using our favorite material for the body, 904L Stainless Steel, we knew this would have to be a multi-material design for us to accomplish our performance goals. In this case we decided to use 7075 Aluminum for the sole — saving precious grams of weight versus stainless steel and allowing us to create a compact mallet shape with maximum forgiveness. Saving the weight from the center of the sole also allowed us to design a thicker 904L face — bringing the center of gravity close to the face and improving both the acoustics of the design and enhancing the Palo Alto’s feel. The sound and feel of this putter is deep and pleasing.
With the center of gravity moved closer to the face, Palo Alto has similar toe flow to a traditional blade, attributable to our all-new H5 mini slant hosel. Looking at the face you’ll first notice the medium depth Spider Web pattern chosen for this piece. While striking in appearance, it also creates a wonderful sound and a crisp and satisfying feel. The face itself is also slightly deeper in the center, thanks to the slightly crowned shape of the top line. This allows for a more centered CG placement from top to bottom, further enhancing Palo Alto’s already wonderful feel.
A View From The Top
Close inspection of the top surfaces will reveal the Palo Alto’s magnificent milling lines. Moreaggressive lines are prominent on the curved heel and toe surfaces that yield to a more subtle pattern in the middle. With Palo Alto, the closer you look the more you see.
The Sole
The sole is adorned with four engraved redwood trees that Palo Alto and Stanford University are known for. At the base of the first two trees we’ve engraved a simple BR 1959 as a tribute to Rossie’s 1959 PGA Championship victory at Minneapolis Golf Club. The beautifully milled 7075 aircraft aluminum sole plate is then hard anodized in a Brilliant Black finish. The end result is a simple yet intricate version of a classic putter. Palo Alto is milled to perfection and ready for play.
The Finishing Touches
Palo Alto is finished with our beautiful Midnight Blue PVD over the Black Anodized aluminum sole. A simple and elegant white paint fill with a light touch of metallic Vivid Blue keeps the look clean and pure. The putter is finished with our black stepless steel shaft and our custom Toulon Midsize Pistol grip in Dark Blue.
Palo Alto: A fitting tribute to a classic putter design and a legendary putter designer.
