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Grand Stranded

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Test Comments posted by Grand Stranded

    Posted

    Testing the DF2.1 was an honor I didn’t take lightly. I enjoyed the experience, especially the interactions with my fellow testers.

    I might be the only person the putter didn’t work out for, and that was mainly because I couldn’t roll it from off the green down here, and living where I do that’s very important for someone with my level of short game. I also wonder all the time if things would’ve been different had I been fit in person, but the rub to that is we were testing their online fitting method as much as the putter itself.

    I think if you’re fit properly for the putter it might be the most accurate you’ve used. Getting used to it’s size was never an issue, soling it properly without manipulating the putter awkwardly was my issue, and that goes back to the fitting. My verdict is, great putter, but get fit in person, not online.

    One last thing… my loss was my nephew’s gain. The specs of my putter were perfect for him, and he loves it. I didn’t feel like it would be right to sell this putter because of how I got it, so I gifted it to him rather than have it sit in my spare room. I’m glad it found a good home and is helping someone shoot lower scores.

     

    Posted

    I’m coming off two incredibly good rounds with this thing. Saturday was kind of amazing. I thought I was going to make everything I looked at. 

    My league championship starts tomorrow, and I’m feeling good enough about my game right now that I’m going to move back a tee in order to get a few extra strokes. 

    Posted

    19 hours ago, Samsonite said:

    How'd the tourney go?  Curious if the DW is back permanently? 

    Tourney went pretty well. I came in 5th out of 32.

    The morning of the first round I went back and forth on which putter to use. I finally decided to stick with the DF2.1 and I’m glad I did. I’ve been playing it since, and if I had taken it out I don’t know when it would’ve gone back in.

    My only issues with it is from off the green, and I’d have loved if it came with a smaller grip option for lefties.

    Posted

    The Double Wide is going back into the bag for a two day tournament tomorrow.

    I’m not having any major issues right now with the DF2.1. but I’m having enough nagging ones to not trust it under pressure in one of the bigger events I’ll play this year.
    I’m having trouble with it on putts from off the green, which is critically important down here, and as I mentioned a few times weeks ago it doesn’t sit anywhere near flat when I take my set up, and I’m tired of worrying about manipulating the head to do so.before each putt.

    The DF2.1 has been terrific from 4’ to 10’ but up and down with everything else. Longer lag speed has gotten much better, but that’s balanced off by a lack of confidence on the short ones, due to the setup issue mentioned above. I find myself worrying too much about the head position, rather than my stroke.

    I need to find out the next two days if this is a me issue, or a DF2.1 issue. The DW was working very well before this test began. If it can still check all the boxes it did before the LAB arrived, I’ll have my answer.

    Stay tuned….

    Posted

    So I remember back when we were all waiting for our putters to arrive, we talked about the names we would give them. I think @GolfSpy_CS was the first to name his?

    Well it seems mine was christened yesterday. It isn’t exactly PG, and like most nicknames I didn’t get to pick it, it was given by  my playing partners.

    Apparently when I line the DF2.1 up and I’m getting set to roll a putt I’ve been muttering under my breath “come on you mother f***er, make one”.  
    I now have a M*****F***er in my bag. No use fighting it, the boys have decided that’s the name of my DF2.1, and I have to admit, it kinda fits.

    Posted

    The ups and downs with the DF are unreal. Lights out on Saturday, yesterday I couldn’t come close to making anything over 4 feet. Every time I think I’m getting into a groove with it… I’m not. 🤷‍♂️
    I had a good front (41) that could’ve been a few better, but I just never felt comfortable over anything. My back nine was a disaster (49) so even though I can’t blame that score on a putter, I will say it hurt me a lot more than it helped.

    The lone bright spot was making a 20 foot birdie putt on 17, which ironically I didn’t even line up. At that point I was just looking to get the round over with and get out of the heat.

    Posted

    Yesterday was my best round with the DF2.1. I broke 80 and won my flight with 28 points in a quota game!

    I tend to be overly critical of my game, and expect a lot from my putter. For example, I wasn’t overly impressed with my putting yesterday. However when we were back in the clubhouse waiting for the results, my buddy came over and told me two of the guys in my foursome told him “it’s time to stop making fun of John’s putter. He was lights out with it today.”

    I think it says a lot about me and how well this thing is performing when I’m not impressed with my performance, but a 4 and a 7 handicap are. 🤷‍♂️ I’ve got to look at the big picture, and learn to enjoy the good days, rather than look back and try to over analyze any miscues.

    Posted

    On 7/16/2022 at 5:40 PM, bens197 said:

    Thanks Bucky. Aside from Club Champion locations I am not aware of how their demo process works. 
     

    It’s a good question. I’m watching Adam Scott play well this week with his MEZZ.1 broomstick which inevitably could stir up curiosity. Its possible that more exposure could create further growth. 

    Didn’t Charls Schwarzel win the first LIV event with the exact same putter?

    btw how is the grip change working out for you? I’m going to give LAB a call and see if it’s feasible with my DF2.1. I’d love to put a RoseMark on this baby! 😉

    Posted

    Okay, so I’ll admit to the comparison to an iron fitting being a poor one, but I’m going to stick with my view on the communication they’ve had with me.

    Maybe they’ve contacted most of you, and you have contacted them since we’ve received our putters. Neither has happened with me. I understand that I could have called, but at this point I don’t see any reason why I should have, or what I would have asked once our orders were placed.

    Another thing I may be way off base with, but I’m still very curious about is the lack of involvement with anyone from LAB within these threads. As I said there is a history of them doing so in another online test. 
    Whatever though, it seems I’m a voice in the wilderness, and everyone else is very happy with their putters and their fitting, so I don’t want to come off as “that guy”. There’s no need for me to talk about it any more. I’ve given my opinion and I’ll leave it here. 
    As for the putter itself, I’ll be the first to say it is a very high quality product, the build is fantastic. I’d love nothing more than to get comfortable with it in my bag. I believe in their technology, the idea of the head remaining square is something I think should help everyone very much. I also think there should be a ton of forgiveness with the DF2.1 head. Why I’m not jibing with it yet is frustrating me to no end, and I apologize if I’ve gone too far with recounting that frustration.

    Posted

    1 hour ago, cnosil said:

    And in theory it should be.  Posture and setup dictates lie angle.  I believe the assumption being made is that people take the same setup all the time so if you have a photo or video of setup, you get the correct lie angle.   this means that no matter what putter you use, you sole it the same way whether the toe or heel is off the ground.  The falls apart if the person does some manipulation based on the putter.  People setup the way they do for a variety of reasons…comfort and vision are the two primary ones.    Some putters also have design tricks to force you to change your setup…a high toe putter is designed to visually encourage you to lift the heel.  
     

    the question becomes what do you think would be different if you did an in person fitting and you tried various lie angles?  How would it make it better other than satisfying your curiosity?   Reading your posts you have your setup and default to that setup so based on that setup you have your lie angle.  Why would you have picked 72 other than it matched your other putter; maybe that one is wrong?  
     

     

    I think you might have answered your own question in your first paragraph when you talk about design tricks certain putters have that might change a person’s setup.  
    Maybe I’m crazy but if I were the company asking to have my online fitting system and premium line putters reviewed, I would make sure I, or someone in my company was involved from the day the testers were selected. Take @B_R_A_D_Y and myself for example, both of us have mentioned how much flatter the lie angles are in our new putters as opposed to our old. Why wouldn’t a fitter explain to me why he was putting me in the same length putter, but with a 6* flatter lie angle? Why wouldn’t they ask something about the type head and grip I have on my old putter, and whether I’m comfortable with it or not?

    To me, this was the equivalent of being selected to test the complete new lineup of PING, PXG or Titleist irons that nobody has seen yet. Then being told send us a 5 second video of your swing, we will show you three different types of club heads. Just pick whichever head, shaft and grips you like. We’ll take care of the length and lie.
    I’m going to be really excited about getting a very expensive set of clubs, but is that really a fitting? Now imagine you weren’t a tester, but we’re looking to buy. Would you pay a premium price sight unseen based off that? Some people would, I guess. 🤷‍♂️

    Posted

    1 hour ago, B_R_A_D_Y said:

    Soooo, did u send in ur fitting video using ur Odyssey? That difference is huge. If u look at my pic of my clubs side by side, that slight difference is 2° up ... they gave you 6° flatter than what u had. I think ur the perfect candidate to write about how LAB responds to a poor fitting. Call the owner. He told me to feel free to call hime with any questions. Reenact ur fitting video with the DF, and ask him if u can send it to him. 

    Yes, I used the Odyssey. I always felt something was off with my fitting, as everyone had their results before me. I got concerned about that and called their CS.

    As I mentioned in our testers thread they told me Sam wanted to do my fitting himself, that’s why it was taking a bit longer than the others. Naturally I was really excited to hear that, but… the next day was a Friday, and I got an email late that afternoon by a fitter saying Sam wasn’t able to get to it that day so he did my fitting instead.

    I asked him about grips, but it took him about 5 business days (said he never saw the email until then) to get a reply and he just said the 3.0 is what he used and it worked well. I placed my order right after that but again asked in the comment box if he thought another grip might be better for me. I have never gotten a reply, or a phone call since, from either the fitter or Sam. At this point, I really wouldn’t want one.
    This review is supposed to be about their online fitting process as much or more as it is about the putter. To be honest I’m astounded they just looked at a 5 second video and sent me a $900 putter, then never looked at this thread and followed up with me on the issues I’m raising since I received mine.

    I’ve read a very long LAB putter review on another site where Sam was heavily involved in the thread for weeks. I don’t understand why that isn’t the case here?

    Posted

    1 hour ago, B_R_A_D_Y said:

    So how much different is the DF from your current putter. Did they give you the lie angle they saw in the fitting video you sent? I have always played my ball forward so I had no issues swapping in the LAB. I will say that I was disappointed that my LAB was not as upright as I thought I was getting. The word "fitting" bothers me because it's not quite accurate. We weren't fit as clubs are today. We were "measured" ... which should have given you a similar putter to your favorite unless you wanted a drastic change. I'm including a pic. My fitter said I was too far from the ball and increasing the lie angle would get me closer. I wish I had access to a loft and lie machine so I could see what they sent, but we don't have any club repair shops anywhere near here.

    This is before and after ... doesn't look like it worked to me work. Maybe it's my muscle memory causing me to revert to what's comfortable. I swear I'm over the ball but obviously I'm not. So I accept it because the alternative is similar to yours ... learning to putt all over again. Seems to be working for tho. I'm anxious to hear more about ur issue.

    image.jpeg.db43a707f4fde5e8fa1739858a27a514.jpeg

    So, as crazy as it sounds, I’d never thought to compare the lie angles on my Odyssey Double wide and the DF2.1.
    I just looked up the specs and my old putter is 70*, my DF2.1 is 64*.  Both are 34”.
    I know 6* is a huge difference with irons, I’m assuming it must be with a putter also? I’m not sure though because maybe the center shaft build on the LAB affects the way they measure lie?

    Posted

    @B_R_A_D_Y you’re killing it here with your review! 👏🏻 
     

    I’m trying my best to give my DF2.1 every chance I can as this test winds down to it’s final few days so I took it out to the practice green again this morning.

    I decided I’m just going to take my normal setup and not worry about whether it looks like it’s soled  flat on the ground to my eye. I like to feel like my elbows are connected to my rib side at address, but with the DF2.1 I’ve been extending them forward in order to make it look like it’s sitting properly.

    It was only a 15 minute or so session, and after the fiasco I went through yesterday anything would be an improvement, but my results were a lot better as far as line, and consistency of stroke. The problem with that consistency of stroke thing though is I was now blowing putts past the hole. This putter, as big as it is feels very light to me, and I’ve got to somehow get a feel for how that’s affecting my distance control. It might be the oversized grip causing that, I don’t know… as you can tell I’m befuddled by this putter. 🙄

    I’ve never put this much effort into trying to make a putter “work for me” before. I even scheduled a just for fun round for tomorrow with my neighbors just to put this in play again, as there is no way I’m gaming it on Tuesday in league play. I’ll fill you guys in on that adventure tomorrow evening after we’re done playing.

     

    Posted

    I feel like Debbie Downer in here, 🙄.

    i played in my Saturday money game today and if I’ve had a worse day putting, I honestly can’t remember it.

    It might be the fact that I’m coming off a long layoff, because the rest of my game is rusty also, but let’s just say after watching me putt today none of my 3 playing partners will be looking to buy a DF2.1 anytime soon. These guys know me, we’ve all played together many times over the past 12 years and they couldn’t believe what they were watching. It was a disaster.

    There very well might be magic somewhere in this club, but if I’m going to find it, it will be on the practice green, not when I’m playing for $$$. I just can’t get comfortable at setup with this thing. I’ve mentioned it before, but my grip is messed up, and  I feel like my arms need to extend out from my body to set it flat to the ground. I feel like I’m learning to putt all over again, and what was the strength of my game is now a weakness.
    As soon as I came back home I grabbed my White Hot OG and went back to our putting green. Everything felt back to normal again, and it’s back in my bag. 

    I’m happy to see everyone else seems to love their new putter, I really am. There’s a part of me that’s wondering why I don’t feel the same way, but it is what it is. I have my theory as to why, and I touched on it a couple times in this thread. I could be wrong though. I need to go have someone I trust has the knowledge to tell me if I am or not.

    Posted

    I’ve played two rounds the past two days and right now I’m torn with what to say about the DF2.1. I don’t want to come off as critical, but on the other hand I’ve yet to feel there’s anything magical about it, and there’s the rub.

    If I’m going to buy a new putter, I’ve got to feel that magic right away. I’m so appreciative of the opportunity that Lab and MGS have given me, I want to keep plugging away with this and I really want it to work out. I have to be honest though and repeat what I said after my first few practice sessions. If this were a normal situation, and I was testing this against other models in a store, I would’ve put it back on the shelf, and tried something else.

    The size is awkward,  there’s no getting around that. Another thing is I’m not sold on the results of my fitting. I feel like I have to manipulate it to sit flat. When I take my normal setup the heel is above the ground slightly and to correct that I’m moving my arms out more from my body than I feel I should.

    In fairness the results have been pretty good, not great. I’m not fully dialed in with it, nor do I feel as confident with it as I want to, and I think that should have happened by now? I want to keep this review focused on the DF2.1, and don’t want to get into comparisons with my own putter, so I’ll leave it here for today.

     

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Samsonite said:

    Curious how the round went yesterday - I haven't really played with it (yet) off the green, though to be fair, that's not usually something I do anyway currently.  I've actually been toying with the idea of putting a chipper (I know, I know) in the bag, as my technique with bump-and-runs is ... inconsistent, to be nice to myself 😉  And after watching Crossfield put it in his bag, I feel like that's all the justification I need, lol.  Would you ever consider doing something like that?  I know chippers have been maligned since they arrived on the scene, but if you've got room, it might simplify those shots to the point of not needing to worry about it.  (If you're horrified at this question, please just skip it and move on 🙂 ).

     

    Not only would I consider it, but a few years ago I bought a Square Stryke chipper. Here’s the problem though… I’ve seen guys who are lights out with a chipper, but I screwed up as many shots with mine as I did with my other clubs. They claim it’s chunk proof, but I debunked that theory very quickly, not to mention I bladed more than my share across the green. That said, look at my sig, I’ve become a big believer in playing the most forgiving club I can. If a chipper works for you, why wouldn’t you play it, or at least give one a try?

    I’ve watched the same Crossfield chipper video you talked about. Check out the ones he has done with the Cleveland hybrid style irons the last few years. The combination of his recommendations and a guy (7 hcap) winning the net portion of our club championship last year with an older version convinced me to give them a try. Crossfield also talks about how great they are around the greens, and that’s what sold me. I’ve been using the 8 iron or DW around the greens and I couldn’t agree more, they’ve been a godsend for my short game.

    I sold my PXGs and can’t imagine ever going back to a traditional iron set. When I bought them I had gone up from a 12 to a 16. I’m now back down to 11.8 after posting my score from today.

    Posted

    12 hours ago, cnosil said:

    Golf is interesting.   I was conducting my forum test for the Shot Scope and had the DF2.1 in the bag.   I thought it was an up and down kind of putting day but nothing really special and continued to feel like I wasn't getting the ball to the hole.   After my round I reviewed the strokes gained numbers from my putting and based on the data I gained half a stroke on a scratch handcap golfer.   I guess it may be more in my head than actual performance;  definitely something to keep an eye on. 

    image.png.b901d73aca57e5baf182721b59e449e4.png

    What does it say on the box your LAB came in? “You’re a better putter than you think you are!”

    Posted

    Every once in a while you have one of those days when the game feels easy. That was me today.

    My club held a Fourth of July event today and I was 3 over after 12 holes. Then in a Caddyshack like moment, the skies opened up, and rain came down in buckets. Unlike the Pastor in that movie, I got while the getting was good, and headed back to the clubhouse for a couple of drinks with the guys.

    The DF2.1 was great today, but in what is a very rare occurrence, my approach shots were spot on all day, so I never really put a lot of pressure on it. Two birdies, one triple on a par 5 when I drove OB by two feet, (and I killed the sucker too)🙄 and a few bogeys I won’t complain about.

    Back out there again tomorrow with our Tuesday Members league. We’ll be playing a net Stableford, where net bogeys are zero points, par is 2 birdies 4 and eagles 8, so I’m going to be aggressive on the greens. Big test for this putter coming up!

    Posted

    Happy Fourth of July everyone!

    Two rounds in with the DF2.1 and so far so good. If I’m going to quibble about anything, it would be the sound/feel off the face compared to my White Hot OG DW. While the OG has that soft feel the white hot insert is known for, the DF2.1 has a bit of a tinny sound imo.
    Am I holing more putts though? Honestly, I felt like I made about the same as I normally would, but the big thing for me is I have ingrained in my head their mantra of setting up, aligning properly and trusting the tech to do the rest. That seems to have relieved any paralysis by analysis over anything from 10’ and in, and I’ve been happy with the outcomes. I give this putter a big, big plus for that.

    One issue I’ve noticed so far is it doesn’t seem to work as well for me off the green as my old putter. It’s early days, but this could become a big concern on the courses I play, as the fairways and areas around the green are almost always very tightly shaven. If your short game technique isn’t perfect you pay a price so it’s not uncommon to see even better players putt from much further off than you normally would on most courses.
    To be fair, I think this might be an issue with any change of putters, especially one to this extreme. It is something that needs to improve quickly however. Like most every player I know, I can’t afford to have a strength in my game become a weakness when the remedy is sitting in my backup bag.

    We’ll see what happens today. I have another tee time this morning, and I’m going to make a point of trying to work on this issue beforehand.

    To be continued…

    Posted

    So I finally got back on a golf course Wednesday after 6 weeks and got to play a round with the DF2.1

    First things first. I’ve been making a lot of comments about the Press 3.0 grip during practice sessions. I apparently get into a different zone while putting in a round of golf as opposed to just testing, because it wasn’t an issue at all while playing.

    I expected some wtf moments on the greens after not playing for such a long time but that never happened. My distance control was really good, and I can’t think of any time the ball wasn’t going where I didn’t want. I was so successful with it that it’s hard for me to give the type review I wanted to, simply because I had only longish to very short putts today. 
    I’m not a guy who will hit a lot of irons and even wedges within 10 feet of the hole. I’m happy hitting a green. I did that pretty well today, and because the DF2.1 was so good with long putts, I had very few within a 5-12 foot range, which I think is a critical one for determining how well a putter performs for a golfer. We know we’re not going to make them all, but we should make some, and come close enough on the rest to be a bit ticked for missing them.

    I hole putt out on every hole whether I’m in a money or friendly game, so I can say is not only was the DF money on long putts, but the shorties from 4’ and in were point and shoot.

    Saturday I’ll be playing in my money game. We play a different format every week, but usually have a few hundred available in a skin pool. You can make some nice coin if you win a hole (or two), but as most of you know, in a skins game your putter needs to perform. You need to make birdies, pars and bogeys won’t get it done. The best thing I can say about the DF2.1 is if i didn’t think I could make money with it, I wouldn’t put it in play on Saturday, the MGS testing review would be put off for another day.
    It’s going in the bag.

    Posted

    15 hours ago, cnosil said:

    I continue to try the 2.1 and wish I had the great success that most on here seem to be having.  I can’t say there isn’t anything wrong with the putter and it rolls the ball well. I’ve done the one and two ball drills and can do those successfully.  before my league match yesterday I did a lot of practice with thumbs off and even followed that approach during the round which seemed to give me a little better control of the line as I tried to keep my hands completely out of the stroke.  The issue is still the mid length distance control with Mid length being 5-15 feet.  Inside of that distance I have a good make percentage and outside of that distance I am getting the ball around the hole for easy 2 putts.  That mid range putt is the one you really think you should be making but I am struggling to make a long enough stroke to get the ball to the hole.  

    The difficulty is figuring out if the “problem” is the putter or me.  While the answer is definitely me, the caveat is would my prior putter have gotten the ball,to the hole with the same stroke.  I’m trying to make a bigger stroke but am I having a mental lapse and can’t make myself make that big of a stroke for the particular length putt?   Unfortunately, there really is no way to compare side by side with another putter as there are no do overs in a round.   I can hit the putt again with the same or different putter but because I have more knowledge it really isn’t the same.  I can’t hit putts side by side on a practice green for the exact same reason; which is why we are told to practice putting with only one ball.  

    I’ll relay a comment/story I saw from Sean Toulon (Taylormade, Toulon and Callaway/Odyssey) that kind of sums up my thoughts at the moment.  Sean was on the practice green at a tour event and got Tiger to try one of the putters.   Tiger hit a couple of putts and said nice but it rolls the ball too far. The moral of the story was that players build feels into their game and when you make a stroke of X length the expectation is that the ball will go a certain distance.

    For me this putter doesn’t roll the ball far enough based on my experiences and feels.  As a result, to be successful with this putter I am going to have to build a stroke to fit the putter.  This is kind of the opposite of what I think you do in a fitting where you fit the putter to your stroke.  Granted both approaches can work; there just needs to be a time investment in the former and one would need to assess the benefits if going down that road. 

    You’ve given me a lot of good advice here the last couple of years, I’m going to try to return the favor now…

     What you’re describing reminds me of when I bought an Evenroll putter a few years back. They had glowing reviews, and I bought one, only because I was bored playing a Yes! Tracy for 10+ years. 🙄

    Right away it felt off to me. I was making my normal stroke, yet almost every time my putt would come up short. Naturally I tried to hit them harder. That started a downward spiral of blowing them by the hole or pulling them. Then I got caught in between and started decelling.I was overthinking or trying to over correct something with every putt I looked at, and losing any sense of confidence I had of holing out. Once you lose that confidence with a putter, and the gremlins get in your head, you’re done. 

    It wasn’t very long before I realized it didn’t matter if it was me or the putter. It was a bad marriage, and there was no sense trying to make it work. Sometimes you’ve just got to know when it’s time to let go, my friend. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.

     


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