L.A.B. Putters - 2023 Forum Review

[TSauer]

26 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Finally getting into the L.A.B. tests and absolutely well done, @TSauer! Amazing to see the practically immediate improvement you had with it. 

Thanks for the kind words, brotha! It was a fun test, didn't think I'd be replacing my ER2 or Scotty so quickly. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

25 minutes ago, TSauer said:

Thanks for the kind words, brotha! It was a fun test, didn't think I'd be replacing my ER2 or Scotty so quickly. 

 @TSauer’s putter rack looking like….

[TSauer]

29 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

 @TSauer’s putter rack looking like….

Yeah... I have an issue... 

I built that putter rack two years ago and it ended up having 10 slots and I still had a few empty ones, so I had to fill it. Right...? Right...? 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

16 minutes ago, TSauer said:

Yeah... I have an issue... 

I built that putter rack two years ago and it ended up having 10 slots and I still had a few empty ones, so I had to fill it. Right...? Right...? 

I mean, you can’t just leave empty spots. It’s gotta look complete!

[Josh Ross]

I haven't checked in on this thread much recently but it's been fun to follow along. Absolutely loving my Link still!

[McGolf]

2 more weeks in the books for the Mezz Max Only one 3 putt for both rounds. I’ve got to say there is something to the tech in putter. I went to a different course to prevent the course familiarity from playing a part of a positive response so a few days an ago went to the Jaycees in chillcothe were my 3 putt occurred. Still the flat stick has gone from well I wonder if I’m three putting to I wonder if I can walk out of here with a one putt.

[Syks7]

Review is up.  Sorry for the delay.  If anyone wants a closer look at the charts or has any questions let me know.

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by Syks7

[TSauer]

4 hours ago, Syks7 said:

Review is up.  Sorry for the delay.  If anyone wants a closer look at the charts or has any questions let me know.

That is some serious data, you did a hell of a job on the review!

[Splatt]

Hey guys,

I've just posted my final review.

You can read it here:

 

[Syks7]

34 minutes ago, TSauer said:

That is some serious data, you did a hell of a job on the review!

Thank you.  I was merrily collecting it all without thinking about how much time it would take to sort through it.  Let's just say I learned a lot about excel in the last week.    

[Torden Golf]

Joined the party now as well. Rolling a few indoors and the ball is tracking pretty much dead on target. It is an adjustment aligning longer putts, given the center and recessed shaft, all my established alignment queues need to be relearned. Can’t wait to get it on course this weekend.

[bens197]

As a LAB fan, I can only echo the comments made by testers and their positive experiences.

This is some of the most credible technology I’ve ever played.  Over one year later and I still have not regressed or seen the traditional falling-out that we experience with putters.  

 

Anyone here going to purchase the new white pistol grip?

[Syks7]

12 hours ago, Torden Golf said:

It is an adjustment aligning longer putts, given the center and recessed shaft, all my established alignment queues need to be relearned. Can’t wait to get it on course this weekend.

This is probably something I should have covered a little more.  I too had to rework my pre-putt routine and alignment procedure.  I spent a lot of time using a putting mirror in a non traditional way to get it done.  -- I propped it up at 45 degrees in front of and behind the ball so I could see the putter & ball.  It basically helped me see if I was setting the putter down flat & square to my target line.  It's shockingly important when you have a putter that sends the ball where you aim it.  

[RoverRick]

Well, I just finished a long week Orlando. Originally, we had several rounds of golf planned, and I expected to post pictures of 3 LAB DF2.1 being played, but because it would have been in the afternoon and the heat, the golf was canceled. 
 
And then it wasn’t canceled.  We did get to play the Grand Cypress Resort on Thursday, but sadly we played with rental Ping G series clubs and putter. 2 Three man teams playing with rental clubs on a course they had never seen with no range finders. We opted to play 3-man scramble and ended up tied at -1. 

The biggest issue was that 1/2 of us are used to LAB putters. 2 of us were on my team, and we had 4 three-putt bogies. While I don’t have the pictures of 3 LAB putters together, I came away even more convinced they are superior. 

[MattWillGolf]

On 5/2/2023 at 1:14 AM, Splatt said:

G’day guys, I’m Splatt, or Sean Platt if you want to get official about it (see if you can put together where my nickname came from).
Firstly, I’d like to thanks MyGolfSpy and LAB golf for the opportunity to test this amazing putter.

About me

I’ve had an interest in golf for a long time starting back in the days of the PlayStation 1 and the early Tiger Woods video games.
However, I didn’t start playing golf until relatively recently.
My work held a corporate golf day and I was tasked with leading a 4-man ambrose team. Finally, I would get the chance to find out if the years of Tiger video games translated into real life, spoiler alert: They don’t!
I don’t think I actually hit the ball until the 3rd hole, I lost the 2 sleeves of the company-branded golf balls I was allocated by the 7th, and I accidentally let go of the driver on the 13th, but by the end of the day golf well and truly had its hooks into me. By the next weekend, I had a set of old clubs I had borrowed from a friend and I was back playing a full 18 at my now-local club; I shot 139 and I still have the scorecard. I’m going to frame it one day so I can see how far I’ve come.

My game

I’ve come a long way since the days of shooting a casual 139.
I’m currently a 21 handicap. I get regular lessons and my swing has improved a lot, most obviously in the last 12 months my swing with the driver has resulted in a lot more fairways.
However, a glaringly obvious shortfall in my game for a long time has been putting.

3-putts have been as common in my game as water-balls, chunked chip shots, and swear words. In fact, it’s a running joke amongst my friends that whatever ball I’m using is the 3-putt variety:
“What you got there? A Titleist? Must be the new Titleist 3-putt”
“Using Bridgstones now? I didn’t know they did a 3-putt model” etc etc

This is why when I saw MGS had a chance to test a LAB putter I jumped at the chance.
Over the last 12 months my putting has improved a lot, I switched to a mallet and moved to a straighter putting arc.
From all of the promos and advertising the LAB seems perfectly suited to me and what I want to get from a putter.

My plans and what I need from the putter

Prior to the LAB arriving, I’m going to get as much putting data from my existing putter as possible. I’ve already recorded the number of putts per round for the last few years, but I’m going to be going for some more in-depth data.
Once I have the LAB in my hands, I’m sure there’ll be a bit of a teething period where I get used to it, but from there I’ll try and get some data so I can see the differences straight from the get-go.
Moving forward from there, I plan on being quite regimented in testing the putting: multiple putts from varying set distances, plenty of time on my home putting matt, and as many real-life rounds as I can squeeze in.
And of course, as much data as I can get.
To stay in the bag after the testing period I’d want to see some improvement (putts per round dropping, less 3-putts, leaving longer putts closer ect), but more importantly I’m going to need to trust it.

Arrival and unboxing

The day finally arrived and my new LAB putter was delivered.
I happened to have the day off and I'm pretty sure I scared the crap out of the delivery man. He got about half a knock in before I ripped open the front door.


Some care instructions to follow.
I hadn't thought about oiling it. Might be a once a year job after the winter season:

 

The head cover game is strong.
It feels high quality and the fit is nice and tight.

For the putter I went with the Mezz.1 Max in a blue finish with a white shaft. 
I opted for 4 arrows for the alignment rather than the standard single line.
The money shots:

 

Previously I used an Odyssey Stroke Lab Mallet.
I was surprised at the size comparison between the 2. I assumed the Mezz.1 Max was going to be substantially larger than my Odyssey, but it's only slightly wider.
Some comparisons:

 

I love the colour and it only gets better outdoors and on a putting green:

 

I'll be back in a few days with my initial thoughts.

 

Initial thoughts

WOW!
Ok, that's my initial thoughts done....

More detailed initial thoughts

I was stunned by how the putter looked and felt when I first took it out of the box.
Let me tell you, the pictures I have above and the official promo ones from LAB don't do it justice. In real life, this is a seriously stunning looking putter.
The blue has the perfect metallic shade to it that pops without being obnoxious and paired with the white Accra shaft is just *chef's kiss*.

Now for the actual performance: this putter rocks!
Comparing it to my Odyssey Mallet is legitimately like night and day; and the Odyssey wasn't a low bar either, that putter fantastic in its own right.
From the easy set up, the feedback from the strike, to the weight of the putter, everything about the LAB is like a friendly helping hand assisting you to making the putt.

The first night it arrived I spent an hour or two on my indoor putting matt. The first half an hour or so was mainly admiring the looks and getting used to the different grip, putter weight, and setting up with the pre-built in shaft lean. After that, I was off and running hitting what felt like identical putt after putt.

The biggest thing I noticed that first night was after I few hours when I switched back to my Odyssey putter for a few putts.
I got into my putting stance and, holy crap, this putter is fighting against me!
It must be something you get used to pretty quickly and stop noticing, but when I switched back to the Odyssey it just felt like the face did not like being square to the target.
Then I went back to the LAB and the differance is outstanding, the face automatically wants to be square to the target.

When I putt I concentrate on three things: where to aim, start line, and pace. With the LAB I feel like I can forget about the starting line as the ball effortlessly rolls exactly where I'm aiming.

Speaking of the roll, the LAB not only aims exactly where I'm aiming, but the ball rolls so purely.
This may be more of an indictment of my putting skills rather than the qualities of the LAB (but probably a healthy mix of both), but I've never had a ball roll so smooth and pure. 
I use a line on a ball for alignment (seen above) and, let me tell you, that line just rolls over and over on itself without wavering, like a snake chasing its tail.

I've found a place in Perth that dials purely into putting stats called the Putt Lab, I'm going to try and get in there this week for a detailed comparison between the LAB and my old putter.

Stay tuned for that and more testing to come.


Rainy day testing

Australia is being very un-Australian right now and there's all this water falling from the sky. 
In fact, the only time it's not been raining is where I've been at work far away from my putter.

I have found a place near me that specialize in putting lessons and data. I've got some time booked there next week for an in-depth putter comparison.
Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, I decided to do some at home tests using my Putt-Out matt and Putt-Out Pressure Trainer.



The matt has 6 stations at increasing distances from the hole.
I took 10 putts with the LAB and my old Odyssey putter at each station and counted how many perfect putts I could do. A perfect putt has the perfect line and pace and will finish in the small hole in the Pressure Trainer:

 

One thing I noticed while doing the test was the LAB had a certain 'dialed in' feel to it once I managed a perfect putt and subsequently led to more putts in a row with the LAB than the Odyssey.

Results from 60 shots

• Odyssey -  19 perfect putts with an average of 3.16 per station
• LAB - 20 perfect putts with an average of 3.3 per station

Not a huge difference, but I know I'll take an extra putt per round finding the centre rather than not.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS 20/20
As you can see from the pics above, I was nervous as hell when the premium package finally arrived. I had been tracking the box like the sycophantic golf nut I am and when it finally turned up at the door I literally broke out in a sweat when I saw what a beating the box had taken.
But, LAB Golf was fully prepared and had wrapped my baby in layers upon layers of the finest bubble wrap.

 

The box took a bit of a bashing in the long journey from American to Australia:

 

I'll admit I was a little worried about the condition of the putter inside, but LAB had that covered with ample additional packaging inside the box:

Once out of the protective packaging, I was very impressed.
The leather headcover feels ultra-premium and fits snuggly over the head of the putter. The material is a soft felt on the inside and is thick enough that when I slip it onto the putter it gives me confidence that it protects the precious cargo inside like a high-end motorcycle helmet.
The magnets which hold the headcover closed are strong and close firmly around the putter.

 

After admiring it from all angles for what felt like hours I set up my putting mat and gave it the first of many putts. The schtick from LAB Golf is that it’s all about Lie Angle Balance (L.A.B, get it), which basically means that the putter is balanced so that it doesn’t try to open or close the face during the swinging motion.
This is noticeable straight away during the backswing. My old putter would feel quite heavy in the takeaway, and when comparing it to the LAB I realised that this wasn’t the weight of the head, this was the putter fighting to close the face. In contrast, the LAB actually feels quite light during the swing.
 

Later that day I took it for a test drive on the putting green at my local driving range. I started with some shorter-range putts and then moved on to some longer-range ones.
The thing that stood out to me first was how the ball rolled off the face. Now, I stated above that I’m not the best putter of the ball, there are obviously some huge technical issues behind my technique, but when I strike a putt with the LAB the ball just seems to roll much more pure than I’m used to. Instantly the little hops and wobbles that I had become accustomed to were gone and replaced by a smooth roll towards the cup like I was hitting the putt on glass.


AESTHETICS 10/10

For the putter itself, I went with the Mezz 1 Max in a blue finish, arrow alignment aid, and a white Accra shaft. The contrast between the electric blue putter head and the white shaft really blew me away when I first took it out of the packaging.
The shaft has a texture on it which surprised me because my current putter has more of a glossy finish to it.



For me, it’s the perfect shade of blue, it’s not too bright nor too dull. It just pops against the grass and my golf ball, which has made alignment and aim direction much easier.

The sound off the face is crisp and powerful sounding on the longer hits, I’ve had putters before that have had a clicky sound which just ends up putting me off; luckily the LAB isn’t like that.
This is also the same for off-centre hits; strikes out of the toe and the heel still sound powerful, which also gives me confidence that I haven’t completely ruined the shot by not striking it in the centre.


THE NUMBERS 8/10

I took the LAB and my old Odyssey putter to a place near me called The Putt Lab to get some comparison data.
I did 30 shots with each on his tracking Capto system, this would give me the data for the comparison.
Firstly, David from The Putt Lab, took some measurements from both putters including lie angle and loft.
The LAB came back with 3.5 degree of loft and a lie angle of 69 degrees, exactly the specs as per the build, kudos to the guys over at LAB. The Odyssey, however, was a different story. The lie angle measured as 1.5 degrees, which means that at impact with a bit of shaft lean the putter is delivering zero loft, or potentially negative loft (more on that later).
This would help explain why I always struggled with longer putts and a funky, bumpy roll of the ball.

Some more data below.

 

ON-COURSE 19/20

Now we’re onto the good part, taking this bad boy onto the course.
I’m going to preface this by reminding you that I’m not a great putter, I generally average around 40 to 45 putts per round.
Terrible, I know.
My first round with the LAB was at one of the monthly games with my social club, I had told all of the boys the month prior that I had a LAB putter on the way, so when I turned up to the course with it, it was like I have turned up with a celebrity. Everyone had to get a look and a couple of practise putts.
This first round happened to be a great first test for the putter because I was having on of my famous terrible ball-striking days, so the LAB was up against it to try and salvage my round.
And, oh boy, did she save my bacon that day.
As soon as I got to the green I felt I could relax and let the LAB do the work, in fact, anything within 5 feet almost felt like cheating they were going in that easy.
My previous round before the arrival of the LAB I had recorded 43 putts, this first round with the LAB I dropped to 36 putts!

I really like the look of this putter at address, it has a certain squareness about it that gives me the confidence that the golf ball is going to roll exactly where I’m aiming. Whether I have my aim point correct is all up to me.

One of my new favourite things is when I’m paired up with random people and watching their expression on the first green when I whip out the blue, point, Mezz 1 Max. I have found it’s always a talking point and quite the ice breaker.

I’ve now had multiple rounds with the LAB and the only minor issue I have faced is pace control on medium to long range putts. The ball rolls so smoothly that it’s completely reversed my pace issue, I used to have a habit of leaving putts short (I’ve since learnt that’s because of the face loft), but now my misses are rolling way passed the hole. It’s even trickier on downhill short putts, it literally feels like a tiny tap is too much.

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE INBETWEEN 17/20

This is a great putter, there’s no question about that. Before it arrived I was concerned about the centre-placed shaft, they’re definitely not for everyone and I wasn’t sure if I would like it or if it would put me off, but, luckily, I have not even noticed it.

The remote fitting process was a massive highlight. It’s as simple as filming yourself face-on doing a putting stroke with a vertical reference point behind you like a doorframe. And that’s it, LAB will take it from there and calculate the lie angle.
Mine came back at a very nice 69 degrees.

I have two criticisms.

The first is a very minor one about the putter itself. Along one edge of the putter grip it has written down it in bold white lettering ‘L.A.B GOLF Press No II 1.5’ and it’s just makes it look a little busy for my tastes. I would much prefer it didn’t have this and just had the tasteful centre line and LAB Golf logo on the front.
Is it make or break? Definitely not. I almost forget it’s there. Almost.

My second criticism is mainly because of how much I love this putter that I find it frustrating there are not more of them around in Australia. None of the golf stores here stock them, it’s an online-only item. For most people who would be interested in switching to a LAB it’s a pretty big leap of faith to just order without having a test putt, and I think that’s a real shame. Hopefully LAB can work on getting them into more Aussie stores.

PLAY IT OR TRADE IT 20/20

I honestly cannot imagine another putter coming along that would knock the LAB outta my bag. I think every other club in my bag is going to get upgraded and/or swapped out and the LAB putter will still be going strong.

It has reinvigorated my love for putting and I have noticed myself practising putting more just because I want to be using it all of the time. When I used to get to the green I use to take a deep breath and whisper a prayer that the worst is only a 3-putt, now I breathe a sigh of relief when it’s time to get the putter out of the bag.

I don’t think the putter is for everyone, I’ve had a couple of people hit some putts with it and can’t get past the uniqueness and the centre-mounted shaft, but I do honestly believe that most golfers would see a benefit from using a LAB putter.

 

TL/DR

The LAB Mezz 1 MAX is a unique beautiful putter that does what it says in the marketing hype.
Give it a go.

Final Score 94/100

 

 

Wonderful write up. The arrow alignment marker looks even better than how it appears on the LAB Golf website. While I love my Evnroll ER7 I am very intrigued by the MEZZ 1 Max.

[RoverRick]

For those of you keeping track at home. A broomstick LAB MEZZ1 Max in the hands of Lucas Glover won on the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship today. That’s a pretty good review. 

[TSauer]

25 minutes ago, RoverRick said:

For those of you keeping track at home. A broomstick LAB MEZZ1 Max in the hands of Lucas Glover won on the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship today. That’s a pretty good review. 

And you can't forget about Byeong Hun An in 2nd and Adam Scott in 7th, also both using LAB putters! Pretty awesome stuff. I'd say they're going to see an uptick in sales this week, for sure.

[RoverRick]

7 minutes ago, TSauer said:

And you can't forget about Byeong Hun An in 2nd and Adam Scott in 7th, also both using LAB putters! Pretty awesome stuff. I'd say they're going to see an uptick in sales this week, for sure.

I only caught part of it after my round and came home to watch it, got distracted by Bryson’s 58, I didn’t shoot 58, well, I did but still had 5-6 holes left. By the time I watched that they were in a rain delay, and then the wife came home and had other plans. 

[feralhog]

Reading these reviews has only made it more likely my next putter will be a LAB.  Results definitely seem to have lived up to the hype.  Glad to see one of the reviewers had a good experience with the Dallas Golf fitting experience as that's where I've been planning to go for the fitting as well.

[Golf2Much]

I purchased a LAB DF 2.1 putter about eight months ago and will not go back to the "robust" selection of putters collecting in my shed.  It's the best putter I've ever used.   From my Shot Scope H4 data, my strokes gained by putting is up over 1 and has been as high as 2 plus since adding to my bag.  I liked it so much, I had to buy a second with the exact same specifications so I could leave my bag at the club and have one at home to practice with!

[Syks7]

The birdie streak comes continues.  15 ft hard break downhill right to lefter this morning.   There might have been   I've not had a round without a birdie since the first week of June.  In the last two months I've had more birdies (13) and multiple birdie rounds(3)  than I had birdies all of last year.  I was mulling jumping head first into the tech with a DF, (Sam referred to Link as a gateway drug) but as long as it stays hot there's no need.  If my review didn't make it clear I'm completely sold and I'm surprised Link hasn't gotten more traction with the PGA like the Mezz. 

[TG8]

Big shoutout to @TSauer for an amazing review and getting me to believe in the lab putters.  Has helped my putting tremendously. 

[TSauer]

17 minutes ago, TG8 said:

Big shoutout to @TSauer for an amazing review and getting me to believe in the lab putters.  Has helped my putting tremendously. 

[JohnSmalls]

Any of you lefties get tired of making putts I know of a good home in SC for your putters. Great job fellas!  I'd say there's something going on in the L. A. B. 

[Torden Golf]

How long has it taken for people to get in sync with their new L.A.B putters? I’ve played probably the equivalent of 3 18 hole rounds now and I must say that I don’t (yet) have that feeling of total confidence knocking in a 4 foot put like I’m never going to miss.

I’m consciously trying to be very neutral within my hands to not influence the putters natural inclination to flow towards the target. Guess like all other equipment it might not be for everyone. But interested in what other owners/users might have experienced as an adjustment period.

[ZackS]

I don’t have one myself. But my suggestion before giving up on it would be find a way to confirm your alignment “instructor, video yourself”. The big think lab says about the putters is they go where you aim. To different degrees but, most golfers don’t aim properly. 

[pozzit]

How long has it taken for people to get in sync with their new L.A.B putters? I’ve played probably the equivalent of 3 18 hole rounds now and I must say that I don’t (yet) have that feeling of total confidence knocking in a 4 foot put like I’m never going to miss.
I’m consciously trying to be very neutral within my hands to not influence the putters natural inclination to flow towards the target. Guess like all other equipment it might not be for everyone. But interested in what other owners/users might have experienced as an adjustment period.

Well it's still taking me time to adjust. I may fall into the camp of doesn't work but I did find confidence in the 5 footers but having the DF2.1 which takes up half the distance to the hole (sarcasm). Which model are you using?

[TSauer]

8 hours ago, Torden Golf said:

How long has it taken for people to get in sync with their new L.A.B putters? I’ve played probably the equivalent of 3 18 hole rounds now and I must say that I don’t (yet) have that feeling of total confidence knocking in a 4 foot put like I’m never going to miss.

I’m consciously trying to be very neutral within my hands to not influence the putters natural inclination to flow towards the target. Guess like all other equipment it might not be for everyone. But interested in what other owners/users might have experienced as an adjustment period.

I would say it took me about that same amount of time to start to figure it out. That being said, I also spent a decent amount of time on the practice green outside of my normal rounds. I still had moments after the “learning” period where I struggled.

Recently, I’ve been trying to adjust my grip to be much lighter so to let the putter do the work, much like you said. That seems to be helping tremendously! 

[Torden Golf]

4 hours ago, pozzit said:

Well it's still taking me time to adjust. I may fall into the camp of doesn't work but I did find confidence in the 5 footers but having the DF2.1 which takes up half the distance to the hole (sarcasm). Which model are you using?

 

3 hours ago, TSauer said:

I would say it took me about that same amount of time to start to figure it out. That being said, I also spent a decent amount of time on the practice green outside of my normal rounds. I still had moments after the “learning” period where I struggled.

Recently, I’ve been trying to adjust my grip to be much lighter so to let the putter do the work, much like you said. That seems to be helping tremendously! 

Thanks very much for the replies. I have the MEZZ.1 model. I’ve tried the light grip pressure and sometimes that feels better, but also sometimes feels like the club is a bit wild.

one thing I was thinking last night is. I usually apply a little forward press just before the takeaway. Due to the shaft already leaning, and the Press grip I’d stopped doing that. Rolling a few inside last night reapplying the forward press felt decent. So might try that on course next time.

[TSauer]

1 hour ago, Torden Golf said:

 

Thanks very much for the replies. I have the MEZZ.1 model. I’ve tried the light grip pressure and sometimes that feels better, but also sometimes feels like the club is a bit wild.

one thing I was thinking last night is. I usually apply a little forward press just before the takeaway. Due to the shaft already leaning, and the Press grip I’d stopped doing that. Rolling a few inside last night reapplying the forward press felt decent. So might try that on course next time.

It can definitely take a little tinkering to find the right stroke and get accustomed to it. Keep at it for a little bit and let us know how it goes!