L.A.B. Putters - 2023 Forum Review

[pozzit]

Ugh who schedules 2 hours afternoon meeting in the office..... opps that was me. Just sitting at home waiting to be opened. 

[Syks7]

2 hours ago, pozzit said:

This is great I love the methodical approach. I'm planning something similar on a putting green, I want some variability from break grass conditions (multiple courses). I have been to the putting green twice to benchmark and have put down 132 putts so far. I'm planning to do 5', 10', & 20' Are your putts all level and straight? Are you only planning 5'?

I have an out for delivery notification so hopefully it arrives today and I can get some pics up tonight.

It's as levelish as I can find in my garage which in my 75 year old house breaks slightly from right to left toward the wall the garage and house share.

I'm debating what to do for longer distances.  I like the 5 in the controlled environment because it's repeatable.  I like 10 less because I think there might be too much variation.  Pros only make 40% of those so I'm thinking maybe going more with a strokes gained format from from a couple of longer distances.  I think out there it's more interesting to see proximity to the hole and # of putts.  

 

1 hour ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Absolutely love it - love mixing up the order, as well.  Curious if you're lining the ball up each time, or (since you have the laser level for what the line is) just hitting it down the line - one of the things I immediately loved about the DF (and still do) is that when I line the ball up on my line, and then line the putter up behind it, that ball rolls on that line every. time, end over end.  Curious if you're seeing any wobble with either of the other putters, or if you're only concerned (with this test, anyway) with make percentage.  

Awesome stuff.

Basically just hitting down the line.  I am lining up the putter (I love the face mark for the ball and the back line for 'line')  I'm also doing an abbreviated version of my pre-shot routine look at the cup like Cam, focus on ball, hit ball.  No noticeable wobble from the link except if you hit it too close to the heel.  That puts a kind of funny dead/pull spin on it.  That said out of 42 putts I did that one time.  The only other miss was because I fatted the put.  It's very consistent as far as roll goes.  The other putters not quite as much, interestingly the Yes seems to roll the most similar (C-groove?) even though I'm less accurate with it than the innovai.  I'm finding out why I occasionally struggle with the Innovai.  It's a great putter but it isn't as forgiving as you'd think for a mallet.  Big variation in speed off the face if you don't hit the center. 

[pozzit]

Just opening the box a few quick glamor shots.  

Putts coming soon.

[GolfSpy SAM]

22 minutes ago, pozzit said:

Just opening the box a few quick glamor shots.  

Putts coming soon.

 

God she's purty. I mean, sure, I've got interesting taste in looks, but...ga-holllllllllyyyy! 

[Josh Ross]

43 minutes ago, pozzit said:

Just opening the box a few quick glamor shots.  

Putts coming soon.

 

Glad you got it! Excited to hear what you think!

[TSauer]

Rolled some on the Birdie Ball this evening. I finished up what I had left of the three footers, which is pretty much a gimme it feels like when there's no break, but we did all 100 putts anyway... for science! I then took a break, ate some dinner, and rolled 100 five footers. As of right now I am 100%, the Link feels solid! That is bound to change when I move back to eight footers tomorrow and then finish off with ten footers. I'll then go back and do the same tests with the Newport and Evnroll. I've even considered getting some mallet numbers, at least for the indoor portion, just to get some extra numbers and see how it stacks up.

[McGolf]

in my best girlie voice— It being shipped!!!!

or for those that are a bit older- the Wells Fargo wagon is Comin down the street oh please let it be for me!

[GolfSpy SAM]

19 minutes ago, McGolf said:

in my best girlie voice— It being shipped!!!!

or for those that are a bit older- the Wellsth Fargo wagon iths Comin down the sthtreet oh pleasthe let it be for me!

Where'th the lithp???? - fixed it for you

[MattWillGolf]

On 5/14/2023 at 1:04 PM, TSauer said:

It is a bit longer compared to other blade style putters, so I did a few side-by-side comparisons with some of the other putters I have. The dimensions of the Link.1 are as follows: 

Toe to Heel: 4.875"

Width: 1.0625"

 

 

 

I’m looking forward to seeing it go up against the Evnroll.

[Splatt]

8 hours ago, McGolf said:

in my best girlie voice— It being shipped!!!!

or for those that are a bit older- the Wells Fargo wagon is Comin down the street oh please let it be for me!

I had my shipping notification yesterday, too.
However, I'm in Australia so I dare say you'll see your putter before I do. Maybe 2024 for me 

[Syks7]

Funny little tidbit from today.  I took my camera out to the putting green today and filmed some drills.  It was a somewhat frustrating day as I felt out of sorts with the Link.  I didn't have feel and it felt like I was fighting the putter.  Overall, the session was kind of a throwaway except for one thing -- the video.  I was watching it this evening and my setup was all kinds of out of sorts.  I was set up way flat with the toe sticking up in the air.  So I was putting with the Link out of balance for almost the whole session aside from the few times I managed to dynamically adjust. 

So I just ran out to the garage, took my putting mirror, set it up at 45 degrees, adjusted until I was at the proper lie angle, rolled a few putts on the birdie ball mat, and 'voila'  no more inconsistency and a lot better feel.    The next part is even better, I wanted to make sure this didn't happen again so I was looking for visual markers on the putter to help me make sure that I set up properly.  Low and behold the one thing I complained about visually (the edge of the hosel where the shaft is inserted) is in the perfect position to help me judge set up.  The top edge lines up perfectly with the alignment line and center of the ball when I'm set up properly.   So... I stand corrected about that piece, it's perfect.       Just goes to show how big  an impact tiny little things can have in this game.  

[pozzit]

Alright, Long story short I have the putter back in my hands. When I initially got the putter Sam (CEO of LAB) wanted a call to talk through some quick drills to get me on my way. In this I mentioned a few things I noticed about the putter, being Toe Up and seeing some rotation on the diy Revealer. He initially thought it was fine with what I had shown him but then decided he would rather take a look and make sure it was balanced correctly. Sam sent me a shipping label for overnighting the putter back to take a look I included my DIY revealer just to have that looked at as well. Everything with the putter was spot on and balanced appropriately. the Revealer did not have the felt around the shaft which may have caused some drag and I may have been swinging the revealer on an arch which would cause the exact issue he was concerned with. Sam also noted they are very detailed on quality control and seemed distraught this made it out of the factory before he got it double-checked. 

Lesson: They are meticulous with their quality and want every customer to have the best experience with their product. Sam and the whole team have had great Customer service. Sure I may have gotten a little VIP treatment with this review but his concerns seemed genuine and I believe they would do it for all customers. All in all I got the putter Monday shipped it back tuesday and had it back in hand Friday to do some testing. 

Ill crunch some numbers on my initial testing and add my first impressions soon.

[TSauer]

What a busy weekend it was. Played a couple competitive rounds this weekend with the Link in the bag. The putt of the weekend goes to a par saving ~30 footer from just on the fringe and boy it felt good! I felt like I was hitting my line almost every single time, however, I did seem to struggle a lot with leaving putts shorts which is not something I typically do. I am going to attribute this to testing on the Birdie Ball mat for a while, as it is pretty quick compared to the course.

I am off all this week and plan to visit the course each day to do some testing and get some data... or is it pronounced data?

[pozzit]

Initial Thoughts

Alright, now that I have this thing out of the box and have taken it to the putting green and I have some thoughts.  

Aesthetically it is a bit unusual and it’s a bit on the chunky side, but it is not offensive at all I have been playing a mallet for the last 10 years, so I’m used to some chunk. I really like the color (or lack thereof) scheme I chose with alternating Black and White. I am a fan of more alignment and have added some tape lines to previous putters. So, I got the 3 lines all the way back, it helps to get it aligned but I probably didn’t need it all the way to the back.  The DF felt on the firmer side to me, but I’m also used the White Hot insert, which is known for its softness, and had a higher pitched ping to it nothing offensive but different.

Putting Green. So, I spent a little about 20-30 minutes adapting to the putter getting an idea for sound and feel getting some speed control and understanding the LAB stroke. Once I felt comfortable, I stated hitting and measuring putts, I felt really comfortable over 5’ and direction was without a doubt point and shoot, I pulled or pushed a couple, but I knew before it rolled, I had done it. From further distances speed was my only issue and I think the more I practice the better I will get that dialed in. If I rocked my shoulders, I was spot on if I got at all wristy it was long. Overall I walked away from the green feeling like 5’ was better but the 10 & 20’ were comparable to my 2-ball.

Crunching the numbers. I tracked 75 putts from 5’ 10’ and 20’ overall and once I entered them in and compared my initial putts the DF2.1 came out swinging. My make % is higher with LAB (36made/75putts) vs 2-Ball (33/102) or Anser (5/29) nearly every metric was better with LAB.  

I’m excited to see how this continues. Was it some honeymoon period? How will this do under pressure?

[Smackey17]

"Crunching the numbers. I tracked 75 putts from 5’ 10’ and 20’ overall and once I entered them in and compared my initial putts the DF2.1 came out swinging. My make % is higher with LAB (36made/75putts) vs 2-Ball (33/102) or Anser (5/29) nearly every metric was better with LAB."

The LAB numbers look very promising. Very interested in seeing if they hold up and how the putter performs on the golf course for you. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Any of the testers have shot scope or Arccos data that they are able to share for some comparisons? 

[Syks7]

 

6 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Any of the testers have shot scope or Arccos data that they are able to share for some comparisons? 

I do not, but I do have almost every putt from last year recorded in spreadsheet form.  Number of putts and distance of each (estimated by paces).  I've started plugging those numbers into some SG calculators to get additional data.  

I'm also doing the same with the Link so there should be a solid comparison.

[Josh Ross]

4 hours ago, Syks7 said:

 

I do not, but I do have almost every putt from last year recorded in spreadsheet form.  Number of putts and distance of each (estimated by paces).  I've started plugging those numbers into some SG calculators to get additional data.  

I'm also doing the same with the Link so there should be a solid comparison.

What day are you doing your next test on the putting mat? Looking forward to this week's results!

[Syks7]

23 minutes ago, Josh Ross said:

What day are you doing your next test on the putting mat? Looking forward to this week's results!

Will be finishing it up tomorrow will post right after.

[McGolf]

It showed!!!!!!!

[GolfSpy SAM]

5 hours ago, McGolf said:

It showed!!!!!!!

That's seriously good-looking.  Can't wait to see your take on it!

[TSauer]

Since I've been off work this week I have been able to get some testing done on the course, as it's been pretty empty. A little spoiler alert, the Link is looking to take gold on proximity to the hole from 30 feet. I've been taking all three putters out; ER2, Newport, and the Link. I am actually surprised I ever took the ER2 out of the bag, it's been performing pretty well.

One thing I need to change on the Link though is the grip. I had Sam put on a Pistol 1.0, but I'm so used to the P2 Touch that I think I will end up swapping at some point.

[Torden Golf]

18 hours ago, McGolf said:

It showed!!!!!!!

Very nice! Thats a good looking putter, and a nice upgrade shaft as well.

[Syks7]

Got a little behind because of work for week 2, but here's what I've got.  Starting week 3 on Tuesday.  Rotation this week was Link, Innovai, Callie.  Next week the Callie goes first.

Bettinardi Innovai 6.0 CTR

42 Putts, 33 Makes, 78.57% Make.  A little down from last week but its only one putt.  Interestingly the block miss has become a pull.  Also, the transition from using the link back to the face balanced Innovai was jarring.  I'm not used to this putter feeling unstable, but it did after gaming the link for a couple weeks.  

YES Callie

42 Putts, 35 Makes, 83.33% Make.  The surprise of the week.  It was streaky with two misses in a row then three --  each of which was preceded by some iffy makes.  Oddly it felt much more stable than the innovai.  My guess is that the maybe the putting arc is much more similar to the Link than the Innovai

L.A.B.  Link1

42 Putts, 38 Makes, 90.47%% Make.   Still coming in first.  The four misses were minimal. All 4 were pace related.  One I was a super weak pop that died at the front of the cup and the others were slight pulls with too much pace that lipped out.  

Some recent observations.

The more I trust the Link the better it performs.  If I pick a line and trust it, the ball will end up on that line.  The only downside has been that Link has exposed that my green reading needs some adjustment. 

The other thing I've noticed is that it will expose inconsistencies in your setup.  To get the most out of it you need to be swinging the putter at the lie angle it's balanced in.  When you do it swings incredibly smooth.  When you don't the backstroke gets kind of wonky.   I've been devoting a lot of practice time to setting up exactly the same way every putt and it's starting to make a difference.

I'm enduring recently punched greens for the last month and it's been frustrating to put a good stroke on the ball and still have it wiggle.  So far my solution has been to put authoritative pace on the ball, but.im looking forward to the greens smoothing out.

Heres a solid stroke from the end of a practice session the other day. 

https://youtu.be/m4DYuUYjFPI

Edited May 28, 2023 by Syks7

[pozzit]

Got my first round in yesterday. Was a single playing on a crowded day amd people were generous to let me play through a few times so it rush and slow at the same time.  Overall the putting was acceptable 35 putts which wasn't anything spectacular but I made a 15' and twice from 20' hit the stick but jumped out and ended up within 6ins.  I also had a 60' downhill breaker that stopped 1' short.

I think I only missed 1' inside of 5' and was rushing though another group so didn't get my whole routine in. I also has another crazy 60' with a 3 ' tall mound between the cup which was a complete hit and hope. 

Overall it was definitely point and shoot. I only pulled 1 putt and I knew it immediately. The only think I need to get work on is speed control. I think I'm still adjusting to the feel of the putter and letting the putter weight determine the speed. 

[Splatt]

Unboxing is now in my comment on the first page.

Link:

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

16 minutes ago, Splatt said:

Unboxing is now in my comment on the first page.

Link:

 

So excited to see this one and exctied for the results! Should be a fun read and hopefully you'll be able to get into the data a bit to see where you are really gaining traction with the LAB putter!

[importcomps]

Ready to see the results. I have heard alot of things about them. 

[McGolf]

I have video coming soon on the putter.

However initial thoughts:

1) the design for LAB putters certainly score big points for being un conservative.  This is not necessarily a bad thing. New shapes can bring different perspectives to putting breaking stereotypes. The MEzz reminds me of the tanks from the movie Tron.

2) the look of the putter does not reflect the weight. The MEZZ max look like it could drive nails and should be heavy enough to do so. Where in fact it is lighter then my original putter.

3) the alignment of the putter is massive easy.  To the point I find myself now seeing some breaks in greens I didnt before. 

4) the ball rolls very easy off the face. The feel is very solid and distance control is something consistent. 

 

obviously more to come

Edited June 5, 2023 by McGolf

[CB Lobo 4 Life]

I can't wait to hear about the fitting process. I have heard that it is pretty cool and high-tech. The looks for sure on those LAB mallets is pretty insane haha