L.A.B. DF3 Putters - 2024 Forum Review

[CFreddie]

Good question @GolfSpy MPR - as far as stock headcover offering, its probably the best I've seen.  Super thick and plush, with strong magnets to hold it closed.  However, I agree that the color choice is a bit strange - I wish they would have matched to the headcover. 

I did a bit of intel myself, and DM'ed both LAB and Seamus (who made my Sheep Ranch headcover) and asked when LAB-specific headcovers are coming out (both are Oregon-based companies...needed to happen sooner or later right?) and Seamus replied "working on it".  

[Rearviewmirror]

1 hour ago, jbern said:

Long lag putting has always been my nemesis. I would consistently leave putts 8+ ft short or 10 ft long. Has it been something that you've always struggled with or only struggled since the Mezz?

Since getting the DF3, my lag putting has improved dramatically. What I can tell is that with my old putter, I would get jerky on the downstroke. Since getting the DF3, I have really focused on keeping things smooth to let the technology do it's job and it seems to make distance putting more consistent. I've only had one round on the course so far (my lag putting was superb during that round), so my data is mostly coming from Exputt.

Honestly putting has been the most inconsistent part of my game since returning (after a 13yr layoff) last summer. I'll go through periods with 1-3 three putts (what I would consider "good" for me) and then have rounds with 4-6 three putts or occasionally as high as 8 (!). Often this will be in rounds where I would otherwise have broken 80 or I'm bleeding putts on GIRs to lose out on easy pars.

I've done a lot of ExPutt work, but I've struggled to take it to the course when the pace either changes a lot from my home course (probably 8/9 stimp) or there are a lot of pace variations between greens. I will have some rounds where it clicks and tempo focus will unlock everything dying to 1ft, then other rounds where getting it to the hole feels virtually impossible. I've worked a lot on not decelerating and keeping a 1, 2 tempo, but even then I will have rounds where all lag putting skill abandons me.

I am wondering if the slightly hotter DF3 face would help me get closer to the hole

[Cfhandyman]

21 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Fellow testers (or other DF3 owners):

What are your guys thoughts on the headcover? I think at least a couple of you mentioned in your in first impressions post. As for quality and functionality, I have zero complaints. It's thick and plush, feels incredibly well-built, and the magnets are well-placed and strong enough.

But it seems weird to me that a putter that comes with so many awesome choices of colors for the head has only a single stock headcover, and that with an accent color (turquoise/teal) that not only doesn't match any of the head color options, but positively clashes with many of them.

Have you guys been looking at any aftermarket options?

I know that several of us have joined the L.A.B. fan group on Facebook. It looks like, somewhere in the wild, there is a version of the headcover with black stitching. I can see why L.A.B. switched to the teal: the logo disappears entirely:

One guy posted last night his own custom work, and it's glorious:

As for me: I just ordered a red and a black leather sheet from Amazon. I'm thinking about working up my own Shazam lightning bolt cover.

I like the L.A.B. headcover.  It's a very high quality, well made and built cover.  Would I prefer, a different option.  Yes.  My favourite is the one they are sold out of (see below).  Personally I would prefer, a headcover with the Lab rat on it.  If they make one, I will definitely order it.  Now the old baseball glove as a headcover.  That's really cool and unique.

[TSauer]

13 minutes ago, Cfhandyman said:

I like the L.A.B. headcover.  It's a very high quality, well made and built cover.  Would I prefer, a different option.  Yes.  My favourite is the one they are sold out of (see below).  Personally I would prefer, a headcover with the Lab rat on it.  If they make one, I will definitely order it.  Now the old baseball glove as a headcover.  That's really cool and unique.

Carter from L.A.B. mentioned they are supposed to be restocking these, so keep an eye out! I have one on my Link and it's just as good of quality as the standard one.

[Rearviewmirror]

FYI the blacked out head cover was just somebody who took a black Sharpie to the normal headcover. Someone did the same with a yellow sharpie to create a green version. 

[Steve F]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Fellow testers (or other DF3 owners):

What are your guys thoughts on the headcover? I think at least a couple of you mentioned in your in first impressions post. As for quality and functionality, I have zero complaints. It's thick and plush, feels incredibly well-built, and the magnets are well-placed and strong enough.

But it seems weird to me that a putter that comes with so many awesome choices of colors for the head has only a single stock headcover, and that with an accent color (turquoise/teal) that not only doesn't match any of the head color options, but positively clashes with many of them.

Have you guys been looking at any aftermarket options?

I know that several of us have joined the L.A.B. fan group on Facebook. It looks like, somewhere in the wild, there is a version of the headcover with black stitching. I can see why L.A.B. switched to the teal: the logo disappears entirely:

One guy posted last night his own custom work, and it's glorious:

As for me: I just ordered a red and a black leather sheet from Amazon. I'm thinking about working up my own Shazam lightning bolt cover.

Hold the phone! That's awesome: and I mean both! As I have said before, I'm a complete sucker for "basic black".... and that, while some may think it disappears, gives a look I really like! I may have to toy with that black Sharpie thing! 
The repurposed baseball glove is just brilliant! I love that as well! I may have to get several head covers for one club! I also agree with @Cfhandyman: I'd go with the LAB Rat and cheese cover... so I may have to have multiple covers! 

[CFreddie]

Fitting - Part 1 (note - I'll break these out into two different posts due to pictures / data)

Just got back from my fitting at Club Champion - I'll get the unfortunate part out of the way first: the Quintic machine was down so we could only get data on a SAM - not a deal breaker, but I was bit disappointed given @Cfhandyman's write-up.  Regardless, the results were VERY surprising to say the least...

As I'm lucky enough to be in a major metropolitan area, I have a couple Club Champions close by, including one about 5 minutes from my house.  If you have never been to one, its a really fun experience given the massive selection of clubs (heads, shafts, and putter options).  I met up with Sam (my fitter, not to be confused with SAM ) to discuss my objectives for the "fitting" - as I explained to him, I wasn't looking to purchase a new putter, but merely compare my gamer to Chewie.  He loved the idea and was impressed that the testers wanted to get some hard data as part of the overall DF3 test.  

As mentioned before, my Club Champion only had a SAM system in operation, but I believe it still provided some incredible data & results - here is a link to SAM in case you aren't familiar with the system: https://www.scienceandmotion.com/puttlab/

First things first, I warmed up with a couple putts with my Scotty, before he got some initial measurements - this included loft, lie angle, and length - all standard specs for the Phantom 5.5.  Then Sam setup the "base unit" on the shaft of my putter, and asked to hit 7 putts at a length of about 10'.  As luck would have it, I was 7 for 7 in makes - which increased the pressure a bit more on Chewie (its hard to beat perfection, right? ).  Here are some key takeways from my first session with the Scotty:

As @Cfhandyman pointed out with the Quintic overview, face angle at impact is VERY important - for my Scotty, I was measuring 0.8 degrees open at impact - not bad overall.  In addition my path was relatively consistent across the 7 putts, another important factor. 

Interesting enough, the SAM told me my aim was slightly closed, probably compensating for my slightly open impact - my usual miss is right so this adds up (again, compensating for my normal miss).  

As far as launch, since my normal greens are somewhere in the middle (not too fast, not too slow), Sam / SAM informed me that my launch angle was somewhere in the middle, a good sign that I'm not hitting up / down on the ball too much at impact.

Another interesting view - since my gamer is completely stock, this wasn't surprising to see my lie angle a bit off.  With the LAB, this (hopefully) should be addressed through their remote fitting process.  And while I'm not hitting it square in the center, at least I'm consistent, right?  

All-in-all, not a bad start, especially with my gamer which has definitely been in the dog house recently.  SAM assigns a "overall consistency" score at the end of the session, which aggregates all of these different metrics into an easy to understand score.  It rated me at a 68%, which is a bit below a good score of 75% (not sure how thats considered "good", but thats a different argument).  

Overall feeling:

Part 2 (with Chewie) Coming Soon!!!

 

[jbern]

7 minutes ago, CFreddie said:

Fitting - Part 1 (note - I'll break these out into two different posts due to pictures / data)

Just got back from my fitting at Club Champion - I'll get the unfortunate part out of the way first: the Quintic machine was down so we could only get data on a SAM - not a deal breaker, but I was bit disappointed given @Cfhandyman's write-up.  Regardless, the results were VERY surprising to say the least...

As I'm lucky enough to be in a major metropolitan area, I have a couple Club Champions close by, including one about 5 minutes from my house.  If you have never been to one, its a really fun experience given the massive selection of clubs (heads, shafts, and putter options).  I met up with Sam (my fitter, not to be confused with SAM ) to discuss my objectives for the "fitting" - as I explained to him, I wasn't looking to purchase a new putter, but merely compare my gamer to Chewie.  He loved the idea and was impressed that the testers wanted to get some hard data as part of the overall DF3 test.  

As mentioned before, my Club Champion only had a SAM system in operation, but I believe it still provided some incredible data & results - here is a link to SAM in case you aren't familiar with the system: https://www.scienceandmotion.com/puttlab/

First things first, I warmed up with a couple putts with my Scotty, before he got some initial measurements - this included loft, lie angle, and length - all standard specs for the Phantom 5.5.  Then Sam setup the "base unit" on the shaft of my putter, and asked to hit 7 putts at a length of about 10'.  As luck would have it, I was 7 for 7 in makes - which increased the pressure a bit more on Chewie (its hard to beat perfection, right? ).  Here are some key takeways from my first session with the Scotty:

As @Cfhandyman pointed out with the Quintic overview, face angle at impact is VERY important - for my Scotty, I was measuring 0.8 degrees open at impact - not bad overall.  In addition my path was relatively consistent across the 7 putts, another important factor. 

Interesting enough, the SAM told me my aim was slightly closed, probably compensating for my slightly open impact - my usual miss is right so this adds up (again, compensating for my normal miss).  

As far as launch, since my normal greens are somewhere in the middle (not too fast, not too slow), Sam / SAM informed me that my launch angle was somewhere in the middle, a good sign that I'm not hitting up / down on the ball too much at impact.

Another interesting view - since my gamer is completely stock, this wasn't surprising to see my lie angle a bit off.  With the LAB, this (hopefully) should be addressed through their remote fitting process.  And while I'm not hitting it square in the center, at least I'm consistent, right?  

All-in-all, not a bad start, especially with my gamer which has definitely been in the dog house recently.  SAM assigns a "overall consistency" score at the end of the session, which aggregates all of these different metrics into an easy to understand score.  It rated me at a 68%, which is a bit below a good score of 75% (not sure how thats considered "good", but thats a different argument).  

Overall feeling:

Part 2 (with Chewie) Coming Soon!!!

 

That's great that you have a Club Champion so close to you! Too bad that the Quintic was down at the time, but you were able to get nice data on the Scotty! Can't wait for Part 2! I'm very curious to see the differences, especially with a putter that's been fit to you!

[jbern]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Fellow testers (or other DF3 owners):

What are your guys thoughts on the headcover? I think at least a couple of you mentioned in your in first impressions post. As for quality and functionality, I have zero complaints. It's thick and plush, feels incredibly well-built, and the magnets are well-placed and strong enough.

But it seems weird to me that a putter that comes with so many awesome choices of colors for the head has only a single stock headcover, and that with an accent color (turquoise/teal) that not only doesn't match any of the head color options, but positively clashes with many of them.

Have you guys been looking at any aftermarket options?

I know that several of us have joined the L.A.B. fan group on Facebook. It looks like, somewhere in the wild, there is a version of the headcover with black stitching. I can see why L.A.B. switched to the teal: the logo disappears entirely:

One guy posted last night his own custom work, and it's glorious:

As for me: I just ordered a red and a black leather sheet from Amazon. I'm thinking about working up my own Shazam lightning bolt cover.

No way... that baseball glove one is blowing my mind!! Baseball was my sport in high school and I've been collecting baseball gloves of family members (if they'll donate them to me). It would be awesome to make one of my old ones into a putter cover!

Anyway... The DF3 cover... My feelings seem similar to yours. The things I don't like are the color choice of the stitching and that it seems a little snug for the size of the putter. Otherwise, everything else is great! The quality is top notch and I love the detailed lab logo pattern stamped into the leather. The magnets are a must and I can't imagine how awkward it would be to open if it were velcro. The plush fabric also is top notch and gives the feeling that the head will be adequately protected. I have found a lot of small grass particles in the plush fabric, but that happens with every putter cover. I just need to keep up with cleaning it out.

[MattWillGolf]

Today’s round with Nemo took a bit of a step backwards. I one putted the first hole but the chip to 1 foot was the win there. Them came a string of 3-putts broken up by the occasional 2-putt. 22 putts for 9 holes today. There were five 3-putts, three 2-putts and one 1-putt. The greens on the back 9 were just sprayed and I couldn’t get a feel for the speed for the life of me.

[GolfSpy MPR]

ARG.

Just finished a data collection session with the Edel.

Saved all the data from HackMotion and Blast. And then I shut down the ExPutt before taking pictures of the results screen to putt in my spreadsheet.

Looks like I'll do that one again tomorrow.

[Cfhandyman]

59 minutes ago, CFreddie said:

Fitting - Part 1 (note - I'll break these out into two different posts due to pictures / data)

Just got back from my fitting at Club Champion - I'll get the unfortunate part out of the way first: the Quintic machine was down so we could only get data on a SAM - not a deal breaker, but I was bit disappointed given @Cfhandyman's write-up.  Regardless, the results were VERY surprising to say the least...

As I'm lucky enough to be in a major metropolitan area, I have a couple Club Champions close by, including one about 5 minutes from my house.  If you have never been to one, its a really fun experience given the massive selection of clubs (heads, shafts, and putter options).  I met up with Sam (my fitter, not to be confused with SAM ) to discuss my objectives for the "fitting" - as I explained to him, I wasn't looking to purchase a new putter, but merely compare my gamer to Chewie.  He loved the idea and was impressed that the testers wanted to get some hard data as part of the overall DF3 test.  

As mentioned before, my Club Champion only had a SAM system in operation, but I believe it still provided some incredible data & results - here is a link to SAM in case you aren't familiar with the system: https://www.scienceandmotion.com/puttlab/

First things first, I warmed up with a couple putts with my Scotty, before he got some initial measurements - this included loft, lie angle, and length - all standard specs for the Phantom 5.5.  Then Sam setup the "base unit" on the shaft of my putter, and asked to hit 7 putts at a length of about 10'.  As luck would have it, I was 7 for 7 in makes - which increased the pressure a bit more on Chewie (its hard to beat perfection, right? ).  Here are some key takeways from my first session with the Scotty:

As @Cfhandyman pointed out with the Quintic overview, face angle at impact is VERY important - for my Scotty, I was measuring 0.8 degrees open at impact - not bad overall.  In addition my path was relatively consistent across the 7 putts, another important factor. 

Interesting enough, the SAM told me my aim was slightly closed, probably compensating for my slightly open impact - my usual miss is right so this adds up (again, compensating for my normal miss).  

As far as launch, since my normal greens are somewhere in the middle (not too fast, not too slow), Sam / SAM informed me that my launch angle was somewhere in the middle, a good sign that I'm not hitting up / down on the ball too much at impact.

Another interesting view - since my gamer is completely stock, this wasn't surprising to see my lie angle a bit off.  With the LAB, this (hopefully) should be addressed through their remote fitting process.  And while I'm not hitting it square in the center, at least I'm consistent, right?  

All-in-all, not a bad start, especially with my gamer which has definitely been in the dog house recently.  SAM assigns a "overall consistency" score at the end of the session, which aggregates all of these different metrics into an easy to understand score.  It rated me at a 68%, which is a bit below a good score of 75% (not sure how thats considered "good", but thats a different argument).  

Overall feeling:

Part 2 (with Chewie) Coming Soon!!!

 

Chris, @CFreddie, outstanding review and it provided you with some useful information. It will be interesting to see how Chewie does and if it correlates to what you are actually seeing on the golf course both for your gamer and the esteemed Chewie. 

[Steve F]

So, I had the opportunity to play twice this past weekend, and I feel like @MattWillGolf a bit. Setback a bit from how I was feeling last week. Avg putts way up from a week ago, scores way up from a week ago... 

I just felt like EVERYTHING was out of kilter: but I suppose that's our fickle game at my level. There was a silver lining,

... if that's possible. My misses are smaller than previously with the Spider, and the comment was made with the group I played with on the 26th, which also included my son who was in from NJ... "You're getting robbed." There were at least 5 lip outs, and they weren't from speed: they were slight misses, and all of them were to the right. So while the numbers look ugly, I feel like I'm getting the Mamba under better control with judging speed. The face on the DF3 feels "faster"? to me than the Spider. The ball seems to jump off the face crisper, if I am to put it in my own words. 

I am setting my first appointment at my local Club Champion for this week to get numbers on my swing with both the Spider and the Mamba. League play tomorrow night so some more putting numbers to follow. 

[CFreddie]

Fitting - Part 2

Picking up after hitting 7/7 with my Scotty, I (and probably Chewie) felt the temperature in the room increase quite a bit - this should be a slam dunk, right?  My face angle is definitely 0 degrees, right? I should EASILY hit 75%+ on consistency score, right?  Boy, what I was wrong... 

I'll cut to the chase, Chewie did not perform well...at all.  After leaving my first putt WELL short of the hole, I only holed 3 more.  Below is a summary of my stats:

Face angle open almost a full degree more - not ideal:

Some good - my path is relatively consistent!

As with my gamer, my aim is still a bit closed and my launch falls in the middle of "ideal" - I think this is 100% attributed to setup, which should change over more time with DF3.

This visual was a bit concerning - my lie is showing a bit upright but this could be based on my shaky setup (see above - def something to monitor).

Finally, not only did I meet / exceed my score, I got MUCH worse:

Overall, I'm not freaking out - I need a lot more time on a putting green with Chewie (unfortunately, I've had a bit of travel recently) so I was coming in pretty cold.  Regardless, I'm super happy to go through the process - definitely a eye-opening set of results (both good and bad).  Sharing some other pictures from my fitting - if you have any questions...ask away!

Random call-out: you may see the "Vice" putter in the background.  My CC just got it in this week - pretty neat design!  

[Rearviewmirror]

1 hour ago, CFreddie said:

Fitting - Part 2

Picking up after hitting 7/7 with my Scotty, I (and probably Chewie) felt the temperature in the room increase quite a bit - this should be a slam dunk, right?  My face angle is definitely 0 degrees, right? I should EASILY hit 75%+ on consistency score, right?  Boy, what I was wrong... 

I'll cut to the chase, Chewie did not perform well...at all.  After leaving my first putt WELL short of the hole, I only holed 3 more.  Below is a summary of my stats:

Face angle open almost a full degree more - not ideal:

Some good - my path is relatively consistent!

As with my gamer, my aim is still a bit closed and my launch falls in the middle of "ideal" - I think this is 100% attributed to setup, which should change over more time with DF3.

This visual was a bit concerning - my lie is showing a bit upright but this could be based on my shaky setup (see above - def something to monitor).

Finally, not only did I meet / exceed my score, I got MUCH worse:

Overall, I'm not freaking out - I need a lot more time on a putting green with Chewie (unfortunately, I've had a bit of travel recently) so I was coming in pretty cold.  Regardless, I'm super happy to go through the process - definitely a eye-opening set of results (both good and bad).  Sharing some other pictures from my fitting - if you have any questions...ask away!

Random call-out: you may see the "Vice" putter in the background.  My CC just got it in this week - pretty neat design!  

Interesting write up. Consensus back when I looked into this was that attaching the SAM unit might throw off the lie angle balance. It’s a bummer you couldn’t use Quintic to verify that finding. 

[CFreddie]

6 minutes ago, Rearviewmirror said:

Interesting write up. Consensus back when I looked into this was that attaching the SAM unit might throw off the lie angle balance. It’s a bummer you couldn’t use Quintic to verify that finding. 

Not a bad thought - I feel like there should be a do-over (with much more practice), so I’ll be sure to try out on a Quintic. 

[Cfhandyman]

9 hours ago, CFreddie said:

Fitting - Part 2

Picking up after hitting 7/7 with my Scotty, I (and probably Chewie) felt the temperature in the room increase quite a bit - this should be a slam dunk, right?  My face angle is definitely 0 degrees, right? I should EASILY hit 75%+ on consistency score, right?  Boy, what I was wrong... 

I'll cut to the chase, Chewie did not perform well...at all.  After leaving my first putt WELL short of the hole, I only holed 3 more.  Below is a summary of my stats:

Face angle open almost a full degree more - not ideal:

Some good - my path is relatively consistent!

As with my gamer, my aim is still a bit closed and my launch falls in the middle of "ideal" - I think this is 100% attributed to setup, which should change over more time with DF3.

This visual was a bit concerning - my lie is showing a bit upright but this could be based on my shaky setup (see above - def something to monitor).

Finally, not only did I meet / exceed my score, I got MUCH worse:

Overall, I'm not freaking out - I need a lot more time on a putting green with Chewie (unfortunately, I've had a bit of travel recently) so I was coming in pretty cold.  Regardless, I'm super happy to go through the process - definitely a eye-opening set of results (both good and bad).  Sharing some other pictures from my fitting - if you have any questions...ask away!

Random call-out: you may see the "Vice" putter in the background.  My CC just got it in this week - pretty neat design!  

Interesting results to say the least. If memory serves me correct, Club Champion in the US uses SAM as their putting launch monitor, while in Canada they use Quintic.  Are you seeing the same results on course, or is this more of an anomaly and more practice/learning time with Chewie is needed?  Thanks for sharing. 

[CFreddie]

Good call @Cfhandyman - maybe my fitter was mistaken (he said they have used a Quintic in the past, maybe that was somewhere else ). Regardless, I have a couple other fitting options nearby I can explore for a second session later in testing. 
 

I def think it was an abnormality - I rolled a couple putts after the session with Chewie and proceeded to make 10 in a row . Def not throwing in the towel at the moment - just a bad session altogether and I’ll move on.  

[Braehead]

I really don't like the way putters feel when you add the big sensor contraption that SAM requires.   

Good luck with the DF3, I hope you have better results with it than I've had.  

[CFreddie]

7 minutes ago, Braehead said:

I really don't like the way putters feel when you add the big sensor contraption that SAM requires.   

Good luck with the DF3, I hope you have better results with it than I've had.  

Yep - totally fair @Braehead. As I’ve said, I just chalk it up to a bad session - my on course performance has been markedly better with the DF3. Will def plan to do another session in a couple weeks. 

[Cfhandyman]

2 hours ago, CFreddie said:

Yep - totally fair @Braehead. As I’ve said, I just chalk it up to a bad session - my on course performance has been markedly better with the DF3. Will def plan to do another session in a couple weeks. 

@CFreddie if there is a True Spec or something of that caliber in your area, they will most likely have the Quintic system.

[Cfhandyman]

The L.A.B. DF3  -  Is there a learning curve to using it?

When the original DF 2 was introduced it created a sensation.  The downside, it was rather large and a bit strange looking, even weird some would say.  But it worked well.  It was designed to eliminate torque and produce a repeatable swing.  Putts hit on the toe or heal, roll like those hit off the centre of the face. Mishits don’t matter.  But is there a learning curve in learning how to use it well or have we gotten so use to manipulating face angle with our hands with our other putters?

The DF3 is the smaller sleeker version of the original directed force 2.1.  It was designed on the principle of lie angle balance and stays square all by itself.  For one thing, it is balanced by hand.  Comparing the two head to head, the DF3 is noticeably sleeker and smaller and you grow to love its unique looks.  The DF3 is still a large putter, whereas the DF2.1 is gargantuan in size.  Rolling putts side by side, the feel and balance are quite similar to each other, however the DF 2 just felt much bigger.   

The Science behind Lie Angle Balance Putters – More consistent results ( https://www.labgolf.com )

Primarily, Lie Angle Balancing addresses stability during the entire putting stroke, not just impact. It prevents twisting during both the backswing and downstroke.  The goal is to keep the putter head square to the lie angle it’s built for, ensuring a stable and repeatable swing.

How Lie Angle Balance Works:  Unlike traditional putters (which can be toe-hang or face-balanced), L.A.B. Golf putters balance with the toe up. This unique design aligns the putter face square to the shaft’s angle at address.  By eliminating torsional resistance, golfers don’t need to manipulate the face angle during their stroke.  The putter head intentionally seeks to stay square, allowing for a natural swing path without excessive hand adjustments.  According to L.A.B., Lie Angle Balance Technology simplifies putting by promoting a square putter face at impact, leading to more accurate putts. 

  

 

Great putters consistently return the putter face to square at impact (perpendicular to the target line). Data (Quintic) shows that 83% of a putts starting direction is directly influenced by the putter face at impact.  The remaining 17% is due to path of the putter head.

Press Grip: Success comes from leaning the shaft forward at impact to reduce loft, while at the same time contacting the ball with an upward putter path to encourage the truest possible roll. That’s because Press Grips are created with our built-in Forward Press Technology. It allows golfers to keep their hands vertical at address, allowing the angle of the grip to pre-sets the ideal shaft lean.  So, pick your line, deliver the correct speed and make your natural stroke.

Is there a learning curve – Yes -> See short 1-2 minute videos below to help you

L.A.B. recommendations: Grip your putter lighter and use gravity to manage rather than acceleration. Use gravity, with a smooth long stroke, doesn’t matter where you hit it in the face.  Let the putter do its thing

Putt with one hand, get use to the weight of the putter head.  

One ball drill – normal stance.,, place ball in hole and practice tempo, control face angle 

Thumbs off drill  – with no torque, take thumbs off the putter, can’t use your hands, more in tune with shoulders, putter stays square by itself

Grips generally done to stabilize the putter face, work your hands underneath, weaker left hand, stronger right hand to utilize the technology 

Tips: Play the ball slightly more forward as the putter face is ahead of the shaft.  Most putters have face behind the shaft, so scoot the ball forward, put the tip of shaft in middle of your stance or a little forward,  This will encourage low to high stroke to give you most optimal roll.

[Rob Person]

19 minutes ago, Cfhandyman said:

The L.A.B. DF3  -  Is there a learning curve to using it?

When the original DF 2 was introduced it created a sensation.  The downside, it was rather large and a bit strange looking, even weird some would say.  But it worked well.  It was designed to eliminate torque and produce a repeatable swing.  Putts hit on the toe or heal, roll like those hit off the centre of the face. Mishits don’t matter.  But is there a learning curve in learning how to use it well or have we gotten so use to manipulating face angle with our hands with our other putters?

The DF3 is the smaller sleeker version of the original directed force 2.1.  It was designed on the principle of lie angle balance and stays square all by itself.  For one thing, it is balanced by hand.  Comparing the two head to head, the DF3 is noticeably sleeker and smaller and you grow to love its unique looks.  The DF3 is still a large putter, whereas the DF2.1 is gargantuan in size.  Rolling putts side by side, the feel and balance are quite similar to each other, however the DF 2 just felt much bigger.   

The Science behind Lie Angle Balance Putters – More consistent results ( https://www.labgolf.com )

Primarily, Lie Angle Balancing addresses stability during the entire putting stroke, not just impact. It prevents twisting during both the backswing and downstroke.  The goal is to keep the putter head square to the lie angle it’s built for, ensuring a stable and repeatable swing.

How Lie Angle Balance Works:  Unlike traditional putters (which can be toe-hang or face-balanced), L.A.B. Golf putters balance with the toe up. This unique design aligns the putter face square to the shaft’s angle at address.  By eliminating torsional resistance, golfers don’t need to manipulate the face angle during their stroke.  The putter head intentionally seeks to stay square, allowing for a natural swing path without excessive hand adjustments.  According to L.A.B., Lie Angle Balance Technology simplifies putting by promoting a square putter face at impact, leading to more accurate putts. 

  

 

Great putters consistently return the putter face to square at impact (perpendicular to the target line). Data (Quintic) shows that 83% of a putts starting direction is directly influenced by the putter face at impact.  The remaining 17% is due to path of the putter head.

Press Grip: Success comes from leaning the shaft forward at impact to reduce loft, while at the same time contacting the ball with an upward putter path to encourage the truest possible roll. That’s because Press Grips are created with our built-in Forward Press Technology. It allows golfers to keep their hands vertical at address, allowing the angle of the grip to pre-sets the ideal shaft lean.  So, pick your line, deliver the correct speed and make your natural stroke.

Is there a learning curve – Yes -> See short 1-2 minute videos below to help you

L.A.B. recommendations: Grip your putter lighter and use gravity to manage rather than acceleration. Use gravity, with a smooth long stroke, doesn’t matter where you hit it in the face.  Let the putter do its thing

Putt with one hand, get use to the weight of the putter head.  

One ball drill – normal stance.,, place ball in hole and practice tempo, control face angle 

Thumbs off drill  – with no torque, take thumbs off the putter, can’t use your hands, more in tune with shoulders, putter stays square by itself

Grips generally done to stabilize the putter face, work your hands underneath, weaker left hand, stronger right hand to utilize the technology 

Tips: Play the ball slightly more forward as the putter face is ahead of the shaft.  Most putters have face behind the shaft, so scoot the ball forward, put the tip of shaft in middle of your stance or a little forward,  This will encourage low to high stroke to give you most optimal roll.

 

Great overview!  So is it safe to say that with LAB putter you will have to adapt to the putter and adjust your preferred putting tendencies to use it successfully?

[jbern]

13 hours ago, CFreddie said:

Fitting - Part 2

Picking up after hitting 7/7 with my Scotty, I (and probably Chewie) felt the temperature in the room increase quite a bit - this should be a slam dunk, right?  My face angle is definitely 0 degrees, right? I should EASILY hit 75%+ on consistency score, right?  Boy, what I was wrong... 

I'll cut to the chase, Chewie did not perform well...at all.  After leaving my first putt WELL short of the hole, I only holed 3 more.  Below is a summary of my stats:

Face angle open almost a full degree more - not ideal:

Some good - my path is relatively consistent!

As with my gamer, my aim is still a bit closed and my launch falls in the middle of "ideal" - I think this is 100% attributed to setup, which should change over more time with DF3.

This visual was a bit concerning - my lie is showing a bit upright but this could be based on my shaky setup (see above - def something to monitor).

Finally, not only did I meet / exceed my score, I got MUCH worse:

Overall, I'm not freaking out - I need a lot more time on a putting green with Chewie (unfortunately, I've had a bit of travel recently) so I was coming in pretty cold.  Regardless, I'm super happy to go through the process - definitely a eye-opening set of results (both good and bad).  Sharing some other pictures from my fitting - if you have any questions...ask away!

Random call-out: you may see the "Vice" putter in the background.  My CC just got it in this week - pretty neat design!  

It's a little unfortunate that Chewie didn't perform during that set of puts for the SAM, but hopefully the on-course performance will show different results! I can also see why putting a device on the LAB would throw things off a bit. I tried to mount my phone to the club for a video and it threw things WAY off!

I will say, Chewie looks fantastic! The cappuccino color with the 3 dots should be a go-to, because it's great! Especially like it against the green grass! 

 

[jbern]

33 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

Great overview!  So is it safe to say that with LAB putter you will have to adapt to the putter and adjust your preferred putting tendencies to use it successfully?

TL;DR: In my opinion, yes.

I'm going to talk about this quite a bit in my first impressions post, but I had to change everything to get comfortable with the LAB. Ball position forward, stance change (feet closer together), grip change (big time), arm hang change, trigger change and feeling during the stroke has changed also. It should also be noted that I'm going from and armlock to a counterbalance, so I expected changes, but I think that for anyone getting the putter there will be some changes that need to be made to get the most out of it.

[Steve F]

41 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

Great overview!  So is it safe to say that with LAB putter you will have to adapt to the putter and adjust your preferred putting tendencies to use it successfully?

@Rob Person, great question. From my perspective the answer is "yes." When you pick up the DF3, you can perceptibly feel ... nothing. Except the weight, which there, too, is lighter than my Spider.
There is no twist or turn of the putter once you've lifted it off the ground. My Spider, when you lift it you can feel the head turning slightly right: there is a noticeable, to me, light "tug". So, yes, it is and has taken me some getting used to. I might also add that the face of the Mamba feels "crisper" to me: the ball seems to jump off the face compared to the Spider. 

[GolfSpy MPR]

Walked a quick nine with Kirke this morning. This brings me up to five 9-hole rounds with the L.A.B., and the on-course numbers continue to show a nice bump (about two strokes per round) in my strokes gained numbers:

The greens were very dewy this morning; I believe I left three different putts in the 20–25' range a foot or two short. Still my fault, but encouraging nonetheless. I did miss two short putts this morning, one from 3' (slid low) and one from just within 5' (that I shoved right).

What I have to say right now is that my distance control is as dialed in as I can remember. As I noted earlier in the thread, it is going to be difficult for me to separate out the benefits of the DF3 vs the benefits of regular lag putting practice using the ExPutt simulator. In favor of the DF3, right now, is that I'm still shuffling among the Edel, Evnroll, and the L.A.B. in my indoor data gathering, so it's not as though I've just been grinding with the DF3 alone on my distance control.

The numbers show me that it's time for me to break out the PuttOut again, and work on getting perfect putts in the 4–10' range.

[Braehead]

1 hour ago, Steve F said:

@Rob Person, great question. From my perspective the answer is "yes." When you pick up the DF3, you can perceptibly feel ... nothing. Except the weight, which there, too, is lighter than my Spider.
There is no twist or turn of the putter once you've lifted it off the ground. My Spider, when you lift it you can feel the head turning slightly right: there is a noticeable, to me, light "tug". So, yes, it is and has taken me some getting used to. I might also add that the face of the Mamba feels "crisper" to me: the ball seems to jump off the face compared to the Spider. 

I found and watched those videos too.  I changed my grip, my stance, my ball position - but then I couldn't see my line any more and my confidence evaporated.  Standing in my putting stance, without a club and positioning the ball where I best see my line, I need it to be under my right eye (but about half a ball to a ball up my forehead, if that makes sense).  That's the total opposite of what L.A.B. recommend.  Are you fitting the club to the player or the player to the club?  

I agree the putter works better as described above - but I don't!  

Edited May 29 by Braehead
extra content

[jbern]

I did another Exputt Analysis session yesterday with the DF3. Below is my score:

I now have Exputt Analysis scores with the DF3 of 68.5, 67.7, 69.7, 70.2 and 72.8. Again, the general trend line is continuing up, which is great news!

I took @cnosil's advice and tips from his Sacks Parente putter test and also did a session on the Exputt of random distances from 5 to 50 feet and logged all the data in excel to analyze things on my own. The results and graph's from that session will be coming soon! 

[Cfhandyman]

4 hours ago, Rob Person said:

Great overview!  So is it safe to say that with LAB putter you will have to adapt to the putter and adjust your preferred putting tendencies to use it successfully?

@Rob Person in my case, not really.  I already play the ball slightly forward of center.  I did lighten the grip pressure but that also helped my gamer. The pistol grip and my Evnroll gravity grip are similarly shaped and the TPT shaft and my stability shaft are very similar, so the transition was very easy.  Only initial surprise was distance control with my first few putts coming up significantly short. However after distance/lag control practice, got it dialed in.  Based on the on course experience, the face control of the L.A.B. Is excellent. Quintic test results coming out on Friday.