Lean Lock Putters - Forum Member Review

[KC Golf]

Congrats Testers!

[OrangeCrush]

I'm interested in seeing how these reviews pan out.  I've been struggling with putting lately.  

[RjGolf4Life]

Congratulations to the testers! Exited to read the reviews. 

[Derek Lusk]

Congratulations Testers!! Enjoy the process and testing these putters.

[Glenmore5]

Well done to all the testers...

[Willie T]

Congrats to the testing crew!  Will be intrigued to see if they see a significant uptick in accuracy on the green.  

[CLenahan]

UPDATE: UnBoxing and First Impressions

So the LeanLock came in!  It was a day late due to some UPS Shenanigans, but that is not uncommon at my current residence.  The Box was undamaged, and everything was nicely packed with paper to keep things padded and safe en route.  Well done, nothing bad to say about the experience at all.

I was happy to see it arrive, unfortunately, it was right after a round of golf, and right before I went out of town for Labor Day.  The good news is this, Brian over at LeanLock wants you to really dive into the mechanics of this thing, and putting, before you get into using it.  Hence, the book:

The book came in a little bent due to the paper packing materials, but that's a minor issue.  The book lays out not just the how, but the why of LeanLock and what Brian aims to do.  Again, he is looking to address putting holistically, looking at every part of the putting stroke.  The book lays out the grip and stroke, which is good, becasue this putter is less than intuitive.  We will get into that more later.

For now, let's get back into getting this thing unpackaged.

After getting through the paper and the plastic, you are greeted with a large black grip that is fairly soft and tacky.  Some may not like that in a putter grip, but it suits me just fine.

The next is the headcover.  My inital thoughts here were that it looked great!  The white with red and black is a nice combo.  Then I removed the plastic.

To say I am less than impressed with the headcover is a mild understatement.  The material feels like a kind of coated leather.  I would guess it is either a vinyl coated split or it's a lower quality synthetic.  Unforetunately, I am in the footwear business, and this feels like a material that is not going to wear well, especially in humid or wet weather.  The second issue is the closure.  Maybe it's just me, but velcro closures are not what I expect on a premium product or a product that is in that $250+ price range.

The good news here is twofold: One, there is an excuse for a new headcover, two things improve from here!

Once you get into the actual putter, things look better.  You are greeted with a nice looking black finish, with a clean, milled face.  The milling looks well done, decently aggressive, and no burrs or obvious machinging errors (at least to my untrained eye)

From address, you have a nice line down the center, and it looks like a standard anser style blade.  This is a positive for me.  If I am focusing on an entire new putting method, a headshape I am used to and comfortable with is key to me.

The final thing to talk about is branding.  LeanLock is everywhere on this thing.  The grip, the inset on the back of the face, the shaft, the sole, and three times on the headcover.

 

It's everywhere.  I get wanting to make sure that people see what the brand is, becasue trust me, people ask when you bring this thing out, it just feels like a bit...much.  Personal opinion, at the end of the day, it doesn't effect how this performs.

Speaking of performance, since I was stuck at home with no practice facilities, I worked on one of my favorite drills: take a yardstick, put a ball on it, and roll the ball so that it stays on the yardstick.  I like to put a puttout at the end as well.  Here is my first roll with the LeanLock:

 

Is it perfect?  Oh God no.  But I can say, i kept the ball on line time after time, getting offline maybe one out of ten.  Can I get it to translate into performance on course?  We will find out soon.

SCORES:

Pre-Arrival: 10/10

Brian was great to work with, and the information you get from time of order in the form of videos is phenomanal.  Above and beyond in my opinion.

Unboxing: 9/10

No major issues, Book got bent up due to paper being shoved on top of it. 

Initial Impressions:7/10

This one is a mixed bag, while the putter itself seems to be good quality, the amount an prominence of branding was a little offputting to me.  The headcover is a disappointment.

 

Coming Soon:

After Order Support

Practice Facility performance

On Course Performance

[warrenator8]

Fitting and Unboxing

Prior to receiving the putter, I spoke with the company owner and inventor of the Lean Lock Putter, Brian Tennyson, to go over specifications and my questions about the putter. When I spoke with Brian over the phone, I could hear the excitement and passion in his voice behind the putter and the technique behind it. The fitting process for the putter was mostly based on the height of the player, but special considerations were taken in my case. I am short (around 5’7”), and normally that would necessitate a putter around 41-42 inches in length. While this probably would have been fine for me, I asked for a 43-inch putter due to my “balky” back (an old soccer injury from high school that never healed correctly). He was more than accommodating to this request and offered to send out a new putter if it proved to be too long for me. One of the best fitting sessions I have ever had.

                    

Once the fitting was completed, I received the putter three days later (the fitting discussion was on the weekend). When I received the putter, I took it out of the box and checked for any damage from shipping. The putter was wrapped in packing paper mostly, with some plastic around the putter head and headcover. To my delight, the putter was not damaged, bent, or scratched up; but I did notice a couple of cosmetic issues I would like to bring up. The only issues I noticed were some excess glue/epoxy on the neck of the putter as well as some paper that was able to make its way into the grip. Neither are major issues, but I would be remiss not to mention it.

                   

9.5/10

First Impressions

Prior to the putter’s arrival, I spent time watching the free videos on the LeanLock website in order to familiarize myself with the technique required for the putter and to learn as much about it as I could. There are fifteen videos in all, all of which are for trying to ensure correct fundamentals with the putter. I have watched them multiple times, both prior to receiving the putter and after working with it on the course.

Once I received the putter, I went straight away to test it using a putting mat I have at home. After the first few putts, I began to notice that some were not reacting well to the strike, not staying online (usually pull side). After watching more of the free videos and taking a closer look at the book that came with the putter, I realized the error I was having and worked to correct it (mostly needing to open myself up more and stand taller and closer to the ball). When I went through the entire routine each putt, my putts were usually more online and had better speed. As someone who likes to play quickly, this will take getting used to. The sound of the putter seems to be similar to other blades I have used and tried, a sort of “click” sound. Speed control was an issue for me the first few times I putted; but, after making adjustments, it was better on actual greens. As I have the mid-mallet version of the putter, the putter is pretty forgiving, as I have purposely hit straight putts on my mat at home with all parts of the face of the putter and they have gone straight with decent speed.

           

 

8.5/10 (Mostly due to trying to get used to the new style of putting and speed control issues)

Grade: 18/20

 

If you missed my introduction, you can find it at the following link: 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2023 by warrenator8

[EasyPutter]

New update, unboxing and first impressions.

 

[CLenahan]

Finished practice session for tonight. Did a PuttOut trainer “gauntlet”. The idea is to make a perfect putt where the ball stays in the pop out target on the PuttOut ramp. Anything that hits the hole and returns is a “made putt” but not perfect, anything that ramps off a side or misses the target is a “miss”.

The gauntlet is to make a perfect putt at each 1ft increment from 1ft to 6ft. I did this to both get some practice in and to compare the LeanLock to my current Strokelabs One putter.

The results were 63 total putts with the LeanLock to complete the gauntlet with a total make percentage of 85.71% vs 43 total putts with the Strokelabs One with a make percentage of 93.03%. Total stats in the picture below (sorry for the horrible handwriting, I like to take handwritten notes during practice sessions).



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[BallsLeon]

13 minutes ago, CLenahan said:

Finished practice session for tonight. Did a PuttOut trainer “gauntlet”. The idea is to make a perfect putt where the ball stays in the pop out target on the PuttOut ramp. Anything that hits the hole and returns is a “made putt” but not perfect, anything that ramps off a side or misses the target is a “miss”.

The gauntlet is to make a perfect putt at each 1ft increment from 1ft to 6ft. I did this to both get some practice in and to compare the LeanLock to my current Strokelabs One putter.

The results were 63 total putts with the LeanLock to complete the gauntlet with a total make percentage of 85.71% vs 43 total putts with the Strokelabs One with a make percentage of 93.03%. Total stats in the picture below (sorry for the horrible handwriting, I like to take handwritten notes during practice sessions).



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How easy are you finding the new mechanics to pick up? 

[CLenahan]

How easy are you finding the new mechanics to pick up? 

I actually found the basics a lot easier to pick up than I initially thought I would. The owner, Brian, gives you a lot of information in the videos online, emailed to you, and the book he sends with the putter.

I have been using the book as a reference guide as I practice to troubleshoot and get guidance as I tweak things here and there. I am also going to be sending some video to Brian to get some questions answered, a service he says he doesn’t advertise but is happy to do as long as he has time.

I definitely still have work to do, you can see there is a gap in this vs my current putter I am more comfortable with, but TLDR I would say going better than I expected.


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[ole gray]

Congrats and great intros!

[Girldad18]

Putter arrived last Wednesday.  The box was noticeably damaged.  When I unboxed it, the shaft had a slight bend in it.  Brian was quick to fix it and shipped me out another one the next day and I received it Friday.

A book on LeanLock putting came with the putter.  Masterclass videos are also sent daily from LeanLock that cover the LeanLock putting system.  Hand in hand they help you understand putting in a better manner and specifically the LeanLock system.  The putter looks awesome, nice leather head cover, good quality thick grip, sharp head design.  

I actually got my book on the first shipment, so I started reading.  Nice short chapters so it is not cumbersome to do.  Videos are great support too for visuals.  However, this is not a grab the putter off the shelf and use it right away type deal.  A learning curve is to be had.  I'll try to get some videos uploaded here so you can follow along.  Stay tuned....

 

[Girldad18]

4 minutes ago, Girldad18 said:

Putter arrived last Wednesday.  The box was noticeably damaged.  When I unboxed it, the shaft had a slight bend in it.  Brian was quick to fix it and shipped me out another one the next day and I received it Friday.

 

A book on LeanLock putting came with the putter.  Masterclass videos are also sent daily from LeanLock that cover the LeanLock putting system.  Hand in hand they help you understand putting in a better manner and specifically the LeanLock system.  The putter looks awesome, nice leather head cover, good quality thick grip, sharp head design.  

I actually got my book on the first shipment, so I started reading.  Nice short chapters so it is not cumbersome to do.  Videos are great support too for visuals.  However, this is not a grab the putter off the shelf and use it right away type deal.  A learning curve is to be had.  I'll try to get some videos uploaded here so you can follow along.  Stay tuned....

 

 

 

These are videos of the first day on the course with it. Brian at LeanLock wanted to see how it was going and give his help with it. I cannot review it properly if I am not doing it correctly, it just would t be fair. 
 

Brian told me that my arms were to be more bent and closer to my body. I remembered that I was to be feeling like Jack Nicklaus. 
 

I’ve worked on it some and am currently here.

 

 

 

 

I feel my stroke might not be fluid enough yet. Still working on it. stay tuned…

[Girldad18]

Update. Practiced some more. Sent the videos from my last update to Brian at LeanLock to get some more feedback. I noticed my eyes were still too far away from the ball. Brian also told me some of the adjustments I made were for the worse. Also I am not channeling my inner Jack Nicklaus enough. Too much weight on my front foot. Left arm wasn’t tucked/bent enough. Also I noticed my fingers on my right hand had a tendency to roll the head over or open. 
 

Fixed my setup and arms. Worked on my grip more towards my palm with my right hand. Trying to feel like I’m standing closer to the ball to help my eyes. Also feel more weight on my back foot. 
 

Will need to keep practicing. I’m planning to play Sunday so need to get reps in before then. Stay tuned…

[CLenahan]

I am back from Covid! Kinda, at least.  I will admit I am getting winded just hitting a few putts.  That being said, I have been working a lot with the LeanLock, reading and re reading the book, and watching the video lessons.

I will get into the distance dispersion testing I did this afternoon, but I wanted to mention that simply going through this process has been a net positive for my overall putting in general.  I am finding better results both with the LeanLock and my regular gamer.

Into the Testing today!

I still own every putter I have used since my father in law invited me to play 10 years ago and gave me a hand me down set.  Included in that set was my first "real" putter, and Odyssey White hot Rossi.  I followed that up with a Cleveland Smart Square, my Odyssey Strokelabs One, and now the LeanLock.  So it is time for a head to head, comparing the distance and dispersion I can hit with all of these putters.  I am performing this test on a Wellputt Start 2.0 mat, 5 putts each at 3, 5, and 8ft.  I am marking each shot with a penny (I don't own 15 ballmarkers...yet).  I will be comparing both distance and side to side dispersion, measured from the most outside markers (not the target line).

To Start, my original, the White Hot Rossi"

I found the rossi easy to align, and remember I was good at 3 ft, but it really started to break down for me after that.

Results:

3ft- 8in. distance, 1-1.5 Side

5ft-12 in distance, ~1in Side

8ft-23 3/4", ~2.5 side to side, 2 bad zone putts

Next up, my Cleveland Smart Square

This was my gamer for a long time, but I had issues with feel, especially at long distances on fast greens.  Which also amplifies my right side miss.

Results:

3ft-7" distance, <1.5" side

5ft- 20 5/8" Distance, 3 side to side, 3 bad zone putts

8ft- 21 1/8" Distance, ~4" Side, 2 bad zone putts

This brings us to the true competitors today.

Odyssey Strokelabs One

I feel good aboput this putter.  I've gotten very comfortable with it over the last year I have had it.  The only real issue I had today was the short one at 8ft.  As Thorny from Super troopers would say, "don't worry about that one".

Results:

3ft- 7: distance, ~1" Side

5ft- 4 1/2" Distance, ~3.5 Side 1 "kinda" short (I think it got stopped by the penny it hit)

8ft- 20 3/8" Distance, ~4" Side

And finally, the one I was the most curious about, the LeanLock:

I have been practicing a lot with the LeanLock.  It is a total shift in putting methodology, but this should show you that it is starting to work.  I am finding that a pure strike with this thing is hot, it comes off the face effortlessly with a dull click.  If you hit it off center, it has firm feedback, and you will know where you hit it, which surprised me given it's locked outside your arm.  While I had some issues controlling distance, it starts on line and stays on line, easily with the best dispersion of the group.  I think for most putters, being able to keep it on line easily frees up some bandwidth to work on the other things though.

Results:

3ft- 13 5/16" distance, <1" side to side

5ft- 19 3/4" distance, ~1-1.5" side to side, 2 bad, both short

8ft- 17" distance, <1" side to side, 1 bad, short

All said and done, putting in the work to learn the leanlock method is yielding results.

0

Edited September 15, 2023 by CLenahan
removing pictures

[CLenahan]

Getting in a little gate practice this afternoon

Just trying to not knock over the coins on either side of the putter head, and make it through the balls about a foot and a half out cleanly and on line.

 

 

[warrenator8]

Hello all,

A little update in regards as to how the testing is going. I played my first true round with the Lean Lock putter on Saturday, September 9; and it went a lot better than my practice round did the previous weekend. I cut down on my putts by over half, going from 6 to 2 – a marked improvement. The biggest difference was on short putts, as I felt much more confident over them after having made my adjustments in terms of stance and how close I stood to the ball. I did have a frustrating three-putt (inside of thirty feet to start with with a second putt that I pulled); but the other was not as bad: it came from nearly 70 feet out (the wind picked up as I hit my tee shot on a par three). Speed control on longer putts still remains an issue, as many first putts went further than I meant on my first attempt. All in all, I am seeing improvement and some of the claims from Lean Lock bearing out; but it is still a work in progress getting used to the putter. Below are the scorecards (Older round shown first):

              

I will be sending some videos to Brian (owner of Lean Lock) to get his advice this weekend. Here’s hoping that he can diagnose the issues I have with speed control and pulling the ball at times.

[JackAttack59]

Gents - Has anyone completed testing the Lean Lock? Really excited to hear results. Just got back from my buddies trip—rounds of 88, 81, & 78. Putts 41, 40, & 39. Do you feel my pain! I have a tremor I. My right hand and the tips just take over. Hoping this might be the cure

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 hour ago, JackAttack59 said:

Gents - Has anyone completed testing the Lean Lock? Really excited to hear results. Just got back from my buddies trip—rounds of 88, 81, & 78. Putts 41, 40, & 39. Do you feel my pain! I have a tremor I. My right hand and the tips just take over. Hoping this might be the cure

Check out the first few posts in this thread and they will have some intros and first impressions as to how things are going! So far there seems to be a pretty good learning curve, however it has worked or shown signs of life for several of the testers. 

[Girldad18]

7 hours ago, JackAttack59 said:

Gents - Has anyone completed testing the Lean Lock? Really excited to hear results. Just got back from my buddies trip—rounds of 88, 81, & 78. Putts 41, 40, & 39. Do you feel my pain! I have a tremor I. My right hand and the tips just take over. Hoping this might be the cure

@JackAttack59 the LeanLock is not just a putter but a method of putting. The amount of time and studying and trial and error to get it right has so far been significant and results are starting to show. This is not a pull it off the shelf and go to the course type putter. This is a method of putting that, in my opinion, would benefit someone who may suffer from the yips or has a problem with breaking their wrists during their stroke and cannot fix it. It is unique, but worth it, if you put the time in to learn the method. 

[Girldad18]

9/17/23 Update

I have been working on the adjustments Brian suggested to me and everything seems better. The key for me is the transition from back stroke to follow through, there is almost a pause. If I don’t do this, the stroke doesn’t feel good. Also my setup, most of my weight was on my lead foot and I had to adjust that to more on my back foot.
 

On my putting mat at home, about a 10’ putt, I am able to line it up with the putter head pretty consistent without having to go through my routine and make it consistently. I worked on this the last few evenings because I knew I was playing today and the last time out, I was quite frustrated with my results. 
 

Which leads to today. Worked at home before going to the course on my putting mat. Very consistent in the stroke. Was going to play and had some excitement to see how it would do today. Got there early and worked on it on the practice green, mainly for speed control. On to the course I went. Made about a 20’ on the first for birdie and then another 20’ on the second for par. Next several putts went right where I aimed them but I had a bad line so didn’t make them. Made about a 15’ on 6 for birdie. Missed a short one on 7 from about 4’ but it was a bad read, the stroke was good. I also made about a 25’ and 30’ on 10 & 11. Made a good save on. 13 from about 10’. Hit several other really good putts from long distance that I thought I made but they didn’t drop. A very promising round for the LeanLock. Completely different than the first time out. 
 

My thing now is to work on some short ones with break. My confidence in those is not what it needs to be. 
 

The way it worked today though, if that keeps up, this will be my gamer. It’s exciting to stand over a putt longer than 10’-15’ and actually feel like you know you can make it. Confidence is going up. 
 

Going to be a busy week for me, lots of extracurricular stuff with the family this week so may not get back to it until the weekend. Stay tuned…

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by Girldad18
Forgot to add my link for update

[JackAttack59]

Appreciate the insight @Girldad18. Dang, if my math is right, you made around 100’ of putts today. Can’t say I remember ever doing that. I’m gonna out in the time and give it a try.

[warrenator8]

23 hours ago, JackAttack59 said:

Gents - Has anyone completed testing the Lean Lock? Really excited to hear results. Just got back from my buddies trip—rounds of 88, 81, & 78. Putts 41, 40, & 39. Do you feel my pain! I have a tremor I. My right hand and the tips just take over. Hoping this might be the cure

We are all going to be working on our reviews for the next few weeks prior to our final thoughts.

[warrenator8]

Hello All,

Another quick update in regards to how the Lean Lock test is going. After practicing a bit following the UNC football game, took the putter out for another spin on Sunday (9/17) at what is probably the closest to what I would call my home course: Garner CC. It was by far the best round I have had with the club. From inside 6 feet, I only missed one putt all day (pulled it). Other than that, speed control from long range was my main issue on some putts, especially down hill ones. I did cut my three putts in half this time, down to only one (where I missed the six footer). All in all, I am seeing some positive results and improvement using the putter. I sent some videos, which can be seen below, to Brian (the owner of Lean Lock) to ask for some advice on the speed control issues I am having. I hope to hear back soon and to be able to fix the issues quickly and easily.

  

 

[fixyurdivot]

Great intro's and first impressions testers!   I'd lost sight of this test amongst all the other testing going on this year, and am particularly interested in how folks moving to the "arm-lock" style perform using it. Hopefully you all include some type of H2H, designed test to assess these.  I put such a test together, that includes SG, for my Evnroll ER5v if you're interested.  Look forward to your progress, have fun!

[Girldad18]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:04 PM, JackAttack59 said:

Appreciate the insight @Girldad18. Dang, if my math is right, you made around 100’ of putts today. Can’t say I remember ever doing that. I’m gonna out in the time and give it a try.

@JackAttack59 sorry I didn’t respond sooner. I thought I replied but had some issues with my browser and see it never posted. Anyways, that’s about right. It was right around 100’. 

[Girldad18]

31 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Great intro's and first impressions testers!   I'd lost sight of this test amongst all the other testing going on this year, and am particularly interested in how folks moving to the "arm-lock" style perform using it. Hopefully you all include some type of H2H, designed test to assess these.  I put such a test together, that includes SG, for my Evnroll ER5v if you're interested.  Look forward to your progress, have fun!

@fixyurdivot this test has been interesting for me. Yes we are testing a putter, but for me, it is more a new method of putting. The putter is great. But the method to it is where the success lies. With that, I don’t feel a true head to head is fair as the strokes are not the same. There’s positives from this method and also some negatives. But I’m working through that. I really like the putter and the look of it. The method is odd, but with the proper technique and practice, it is working. Hope all that makes sense. I could do a head to head comparison but don’t think it’s fair with two different strokes being performed. 

[fixyurdivot]

1 minute ago, Girldad18 said:

@fixyurdivot this test has been interesting for me. Yes we are testing a putter, but for me, it is more a new method of putting. The putter is great. But the method to it is where the success lies. With that, I don’t feel a true head to head is fair as the strokes are not the same. There’s positives from this method and also some negatives. But I’m working through that. I really like the putter and the look of it. The method is odd, but with the proper technique and practice, it is working. Hope all that makes sense. I could do a head to head comparison but don’t think it’s fair with two different strokes being performed. 

Good point.  I started thinking about that after I hit the send.  Still, ultimately, this or any other putter change will be about SG, so perhaps if you or the other testers decide to switch over to this style, such a H2H could be a follow-up down the road.  I just modified the test Tony Covey and the test lab crew used some years back.