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

[G-Ram]

3 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

I'm sure you know this but the "Cabot" group is building a course in Revelstoke, a lot closer than than the Cabot Trail for you... I should be able to take a look at the Revelstoke property as I am heading to Revelstoke for the BC seniors in July...

Oh cool! Yup, I've known about the Cabot Revy course for a few years. They're building on the same mountain that a customer of mine is on (Revelstoke Mountain Resort). I'm just down the road in Kamloops, so get there a few times a year!

Enjoy the Revy tourney. I'm at the BC Games seniors in Sept the two Salmon Arm courses!

[Jim Shaw]

2 minutes ago, G-Ram said:

Oh cool! Yup, I've known about the Cabot Revy course for a few years. They're building on the same mountain that a customer of mine is on (Revelstoke Mountain Resort). I'm just down the road in Kamloops, so get there a few times a year!

Enjoy the Revy tourney. I'm at the BC Games seniors in Sept the two Salmon Arm courses!

good luck at Salmon Arm, I played in the 1st. BC summer games in Penticton, I think 1977 or 78. They are really fun events...

[G-Ram]

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to it. Should have 10-15 rounds with the new putter in beforehand, so hopefully she's a performer!

[Cfhandyman]

18 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

So this is a great question.

Since I've received my DF3, it is the only putter I've used on course. At least right now, I also don't intend to use either the Edel or the Evnroll for a round of golf this year, unless something starts going really sidewise with the L.A.B.

Here are two ways I can answer this question. The first is an Arccos stat comparison. I've lamented before, and here I lament again, that Arccos doesn't have a "compare this date range to that date range" feature. The best I can do is compare my most recent 10 rounds (all with the DF3) to my most recent 50 rounds (which would include the DF3, but then 40 rounds without it). It's dirty data, but it's the best data I've got.

OK, this chart is a little disorienting: for my rounds with the DF3 (on the left), it's "missing" the final bar because I've not lost strokes from 40+'. The chart on the right (the "before" side) is "missing" a bar because I apparently was even SG inside 2'.

So in the ten rounds I've had the L.A.B., I've missed a couple of really short putts, and that is showing up here. But if you group some categories, it would show that from 0–9', I was losing a cumulative 2.1 strokes per round, and so far with the DF3, I'm losing 1.5 in that range.

The make-rate chart tells a similar story. You can see that I've missed one or two shorties. But that jump in make rate from 3–5' is not trivial. Hopefully, that weird hole (zero makes from 10–14') will get patched soon.

So yes, on the whole, I think the on-course data shows that the L.A.B. has cost me nothing from medium to long range, and has given me a noticeable, though not world-altering, boost on my short putting so far.

My next goal, now that (hopefully) we have a week ahead without rain, is to get my on course Stack putting sessions done. Again, my intention there is to do three sessions with each of the three putters and compare the SG numbers that are generated by each.

@GolfSpy MPR, very nice overview and comparison.  I'm assuming strokes gained information is in comparison to a 0 handicap?  What jumped out for me is the significant increase you saw in the 3-5 foot putts as well as 6-9 foot range putts.  Those 10 to 14 footers will start dropping soon.  Well done.

[Cfhandyman]

MGS Moderator Extraordinaire of the Week – Matt Swanson  Profile

In this weeks, MyGolfSpy Tester of the week for the L.A.B. DF3, we are changing things up.  We have highlighted all of the official testers.   So we would like to recognize our moderator for the testing.  He is not an official tester per say, however, he has significant experience with both the L.A.B. DF2.1 as an official tester and the L.A.B. DF3 which he purchased.  As a result he has been a great source of knowledge, insight, encouragement and help to all the testers.  So, this week, we are switching it up and highlighting our moderator for the testing, none other than the esteemed and distinguished, @GolfSpy SAM

Where he’s from:  Hailing from Santa Clarita, California about 40 minutes north of Los Angeles, he is the most westerly of all of us.

Who he is:  Our resident witty, charming and talkative 40ish moderator.  An experienced tester and moderator, he possess both the L.A.B. DF2.1 and the L.A.B. DF3, so he can provide direct similarities and contrasts to both as well as his previous testing experience with the DF2.1.  By his own acknowledgment, he is a guy who can quote Anchorman and Dumb & Dumber, but also discuss the finer points of fine art and musical theater. When not trying to film silly videos with his wife and two kids, Matt's likely to be on the course, convincing himself he's worth of his single-digit handicap.

Current Testing:

 

 DF2.1 and younger sibling DF3  

@GolfSpy SAM Holy smokes.  Took the Green Lantern out for its inaugural run today.  28 total putts, no three-putts, and 8 1-putts (including 2 birdies).  Seriously, this thing just flat-out performed for me today.  15-footer for par on 8 was a highlight, as was the 10' birdie putt (after, legit, the best shot of my life to get it onto the green from a BRUTAL position - more on that in the VCT thread) on 11.  Finished with a snaky 6-footer for birdie on 18 after sticking my approach from 100 yards.  My distance control and lag putting was EXCELLENT - had putts from 22, 25 and 50' that all were less than 12" from the hole when they stopped.  Anyway, thrilled to have had it out with me today.  There's definitely a SLIGHTLY different feel than the DF2.1, but that's not a bad thing - it's just different.  It feels slightly more solid at impact, and there's definitely less of a 'ting' if struck out of the toe

@GolfSpy SAM Fun update: 28 putts on Friday, including 9 1-putts.  One 3-putt, which was honestly just a case of me being greedy on a par 5 where'd I'd hit the stick chipping up to the back pin, and tried to ram in the birdie putt from 8 feet, and then missed a 6-foot slider coming back.  My playing partner commented multiple times on how fun it was to watch the end-over-end roll of the ball off the DF3.  "You must really like that putter" he said after 9 holes. I do indeed

[jbern]

20 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Indoor putting data collection is complete!

For those who hadn't seen earlier posts, my process has been:

• Collect data for three putters: the L.A.B. DF3 counterbalance (37"), the Evnroll Midlock ER11v (40"), and the Edel EAS 4.0 (34").
• Attach Blast Motion sensor to the putter; strap the HackMotion wrist sensor to my lead wrist. Set up the ExPutt for random putts from 5–50'.
• Roll 10–12 putts with the putter as a warmup, without collecting any data, giving each putter a fair shot with feel, etc., and also being used to putting with the HackMotion/Blast.
• Turn on HackMotion/Blast data collection, and set the ExPutt on "Analysis." This creates a sequence of 18 straight putts of random distances (10–50').
• When the 18 putts are done, save the session data for Blast and HackMotion, and take screen shots of the ExPutt distance, face angle, and path summary screens.
• Input all that data in a spreadsheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Fam_m2w-Fq-EX6nDLa82TnbgRot1X5Qs2ZJOdzdTfag/edit?usp=sharing)
• Complete 8 of these sessions with each of the 3 putters, randomizing the order.

432 putts of data collection later, here are the final standings:

Pretty early on, and consistently throughout the test, this became a two-horse race between the Evnroll and the L.A.B. Despite the Edel being my primary gamer since I tested it for the Forum back in 2021, it was just not keeping up with the others. And that's even true when excluding the HackMotion from the numbers: the Edel was last by a decent gap in every category.

Meanwhile, although the top 2 putters were very close, the Evnroll Midlock was the clear winner in every category. It should surprise no one that an armlock putter does really well with wrist stability measurements. But it also does well in the putter measurements and in the putting outcomes.

I decided to create another summary chart. This one includes only ExPutt data, and actually excludes the path number. When ExPutt itself summaries the Analysis session, it does so in categories of short, medium, and long putts. Because the Analysis features random putts from 10–50', none are truly short in the way we'd normally think. But I think there's still some relative value in the breakdown.

So this chart combines the distance control and face angle scores, but by distance:

This, I think, is enlightening. While the Evnroll still has the highest total score (an average of 73.6), the DF3 is only factionally behind (73.4). More importantly for me, though: the gap on short putts between the Evnroll and the L.A.B. is quite large.

Overall, the numbers being what they are, I have to declare the Evnroll the objective winner of this portion of my testing. But if I look at that last chart, especially, I think there's a good case there for me to do what I plan to do: keep using my DF3. This data would indicate that I'll be nearly as good from medium and long-ranges with the L.A.B. as I would be with the Evnoll, but then as I get closer to the hole, I would expect to make more putts with the DF3.

And that's exactly what I want to do.

Great collection of data from your putting "lab" with all of your gamer putters! I do like your conclusion about having an objectively better "short" (5-15ft) putting game and being marginally worse for putts over 15ft. That sounds like a good way to lower scores, in my opinion.

[jbern]

I completed my final Exputt Analysis session and Dory, the L.A.B. DF3 showed up! Once again, I obtained my personal best with a score of 79.2! 

Below is a screenshot of the chart with all of my official Exputt Analysis sessions and you can see the trend is going up. Yes, there was a scary blip in performance (on 6/10), but things have been going very well lately!

I'll have a summary review of the Exputt data in my final review, but I am very pleased with how the DF3 has been improving in performance throughout the testing period!

[Jim Shaw]

2 hours ago, Cfhandyman said:

MGS Moderator Extraordinaire of the Week – Matt Swanson  Profile

In this weeks, MyGolfSpy Tester of the week for the L.A.B. DF3, we are changing things up.  We have highlighted all of the official testers.   So we would like to recognize our moderator for the testing.  He is not an official tester per say, however, he has significant experience with both the L.A.B. DF2.1 as an official tester and the L.A.B. DF3 which he purchased.  As a result he has been a great source of knowledge, insight, encouragement and help to all the testers.  So, this week, we are switching it up and highlighting our moderator for the testing, none other than the esteemed and distinguished, @GolfSpy SAM

 

 

Where he’s from:  Hailing from Santa Clarita, California about 40 minutes north of Los Angeles, he is the most westerly of all of us.

 

Who he is:  Our resident witty, charming and talkative 40ish moderator.  An experienced tester and moderator, he possess both the L.A.B. DF2.1 and the L.A.B. DF3, so he can provide direct similarities and contrasts to both as well as his previous testing experience with the DF2.1.  By his own acknowledgment, he is a guy who can quote Anchorman and Dumb & Dumber, but also discuss the finer points of fine art and musical theater. When not trying to film silly videos with his wife and two kids, Matt's likely to be on the course, convincing himself he's worth of his single-digit handicap.

Current Testing:

 

 DF2.1 and younger sibling DF3  

 

@GolfSpy SAM Holy smokes.  Took the Green Lantern out for its inaugural run today.  28 total putts, no three-putts, and 8 1-putts (including 2 birdies).  Seriously, this thing just flat-out performed for me today.  15-footer for par on 8 was a highlight, as was the 10' birdie putt (after, legit, the best shot of my life to get it onto the green from a BRUTAL position - more on that in the VCT thread) on 11.  Finished with a snaky 6-footer for birdie on 18 after sticking my approach from 100 yards.  My distance control and lag putting was EXCELLENT - had putts from 22, 25 and 50' that all were less than 12" from the hole when they stopped.  Anyway, thrilled to have had it out with me today.  There's definitely a SLIGHTLY different feel than the DF2.1, but that's not a bad thing - it's just different.  It feels slightly more solid at impact, and there's definitely less of a 'ting' if struck out of the toe

@GolfSpy SAM Fun update: 28 putts on Friday, including 9 1-putts.  One 3-putt, which was honestly just a case of me being greedy on a par 5 where'd I'd hit the stick chipping up to the back pin, and tried to ram in the birdie putt from 8 feet, and then missed a 6-foot slider coming back.  My playing partner commented multiple times on how fun it was to watch the end-over-end roll of the ball off the DF3.  "You must really like that putter" he said after 9 holes. I do indeed

fun to get to know matt a bit better, he is one of the MOD's for the Takomo Long Game testing and has been an invaluable and calm resource for me, thanks @Cfhandymanfor his profile... 

[MattWillGolf]

Nemo and I hit course this morning. It was a pretty good day of it. We played nine holes. I carded 17 putts in total. It consisted of two 3-putts, four 2-putts and three 1-putts. One of the 1-putts was a 25-footer. I was definitely pleased. Nemo is continuing to perform well as a "Texas wedge". I am going this route more now that the temps have been higher, and the course is a bit drier. One of the 3-putts was me putting myself in a bad position with a too aggressively struck chip with my 8-iron that that left me with a tricky downhill putt of around 40 feet. I misread the putt and went over the high point of the green with too much speed and was left with a 15-footer back to the hole.  

[MattWillGolf]

I had another session today on the practice green with the DF3. Today Nemo took on a blast from the past. A bronze Ping Anser with a sound slot. This is a putter that just strikes an aesthetic note with me. I wanted to see how modern concepts compare to old school which at the time was a modern concept. The practice green was still in less than stellar condition since the aeration a few weeks ago. But both putters had to contend with the same conditions. I must say that I have gotten so used to a heavier putter and the Anser felt so light. There is a definite difference between the performance of the two putters. I am definitely a mallet putter. The Ping Anser will always have a place in my heart but not in my bag.

(Testing note: Pink Floyd is my go-to listen during testing. For today's session it was Animals)

 

Edited June 26 by MattWillGolf
My PC went crazy

[ole gray]

On 6/24/2024 at 3:25 PM, Rearviewmirror said:

I really wish Arccos allowed user generated reports for this exact reason! 

Your experience is very similar to mine. I'm not making many putts outside of 13ft with the DF3, but I feel like everything inside 13ft has a chance, and most putts from 20-25 are kick ins. The stress reduction and the ability to jar almost everything inside 6ft is well worth the lack of bombs dropping!

Next up, armlock DF3?

 

I ordered a DF3 Armlock recently and looking forward to it splitting bag time with my Mezz Max broom!  I had some some good moments with the standard DF3 however I found for me, distance control works better with my broom and hopefully the armlock can do the same. 

[Cfhandyman]

16 hours ago, MattWillGolf said:

I had another session today on the practice green with the DF3. Today Nemo took on a blast from the past. A bronze Ping Anser with a sound slot. This is a putter that just strikes an aesthetic note with me. I wanted to see how modern concepts compare to old school which at the time was a modern concept. The practice green was still in less than stellar condition since the aeration a few weeks ago. But both putters had to contend with the same conditions. I must say that I have gotten so used to a heavier putter and the Anser felt so light. There is a definite difference between the performance of the two putters. I am definitely a mallet putter. The Ping Anser will always have a place in my heart but not in my bag.

(Testing note: Pink Floyd is my go-to listen during testing. For today's session it was Animals)

 

Very nice results and great choice of music as well.

[Cfhandyman]

1 hour ago, ole gray said:

 

I ordered a DF3 Armlock recently and looking forward to it splitting bag time with my Mezz Max broom!  I had some some good moments with the standard DF3 however I found for me, distance control works better with my broom and hopefully the armlock can do the same. 

You will have to let us know how the Armlock and the Broom compare to each other.  Many people will be interested in this.

[Cfhandyman]

Does the L.A.B. DF3 represent good value?

     

We are in the final stretch of testing with the final reviews coming within the week.  The results so far have been very encouraging, yet people will want to know, does the L.A.B. DF3 represent good value for the money?  Well, how do you define value in a putter.  With respect to the price, I look at quality, brand/design, alignment, feel, weight, balance, stability, forgiveness, smoothness of stroke, face angle control as well as overall performance. The definition of value will also differ for people.

So is it Good Value?  Short answer: Yes, most definitely.  Now let me explain why.   When people ask what putter is that I’m using, I tell them it’s a L.A.B. The first comment I usually hear, Oh they’re expensive. And they are, but then so again is a Scotty, a TM Spider, Evnroll, Bettinardi, Odyssey, etc. So how does L.A.B. stack up and what is the cost of the top putters.

 

 DF2.1  Mezz and Mezz Max

 Link.1  DF3

Comparable Putters

 

(Prices from PGA superstore, Golf Galaxy and Dicks)  The vast majority of the high end premium putters sit in the $350 to $400 to $450 area.  So, if anything, the L.A.B. putters are competitively priced

The L.A.B. is a very clever design, all designed to minimize twisting/torque and return the putter face to square at impact.  With its center shaft design, the center of gravity is located directly beneath the shaft, keeping the club face square to the target line throughout the stroke.  The data (Quintic) shows that 83 to 90% of the starting direction of a putt is directly influenced by the direction of the putter.  What we do know from L.A.B, that Lie Angle Balance Technology simplifies putting by promoting a square putter face at impact, leading to more accurate putts. 

   

My results: My testing on Quintic confirmed this with excellent face angle control and this matches what I see on course.  The L.A.B. DF3 also beat out my Evnroll, Scotty Cameron and Odyssey comparators in direct head to head testing on Quintic with respect to face angle control which accounts for 83-90% on start line direction of the ball.   Taken as a whole, this represents very good value in my mind.

 Quintic sample result with L.A.B. DF3, face angle 0.17  

On course results: L.A.B. DF3 versus Evnroll after 4, 9 and 15 rounds using 0 handicap as a comparator (Arccos data)

  

 Caveat: The customized DF3 putter I have, has the TPT shaft with pistol grip, so the total cost is $958 plus shipping.

 When we look at the current Club Champion data, three of the L.A.B. putters are in the top 5 in terms of sales, for Q1/Q2, 2024 along with the Odyssey A1 #7 and TM Spider Tour. 

Which L.A.B. should I get?

The most obvious choice is to get fit or at least try the models before purchasing.  I had the opportunity to test all of them at TXG (Club Champion Canada).  I personally liked the DF3 the best with respect to weight, balance, feel and ball roll as I kept coming back to this one after trying the other models.  The DF2.1 is very similar in performance to its sibling, but it’s a huge putter and its looks are not for everyone, but it does perform well.  I also liked the Mezz and Mezz Max and then finally the Link.1  For more information MGS testing reviews were done with the DF2.1 as well as Mezz/Mezz Max/Link.1 (see the links at the bottom for more information)

Pro tip: Get fit for your putter, at the very least do the online fitting video with L.A.B. to get your correct measurements.  If the stock lengths of 34 and 35” with a lie angle of 69 degrees work for you and you like black, the standard model offers very good value for the money.  For the more budget conscious, consider either the L.A.B. DF2.1 ($50 cheaper) or go to their outlet store ( https://labgolfoutlet.com )   There are several discount codes available (Use WELCOME10, or COGORNO or BUSTAJACK10 to take 10% off your putter order, but only orders through L.A.B.).  Customization takes the price to $559, but allows you to really get the right length and lie putter with a choice of 4 shafts , 7 grip options and head weights (heavier, standard and lighter).  You can select from a choice of 8 colours and over 45 different alignment aids.  You can even combine alignment aid options for the ultimate in customization so for the extra $110 you’re getting a lot.

Summary:  In my mind and hands, the L.A.B. DF3 is an exceptional putter. Its high quality with a very smooth feel, weight and balance.  It provides excellent face control keeping the putts on line.  It performs exceedingly well on the golf course and this was backed up by test results on Quintic, the gold standard for putter testing/fitting.  As a result, for me, the L.A.B. DF3 represents very good value for the money and is definitely highly recommended.

Links to previous MGS L.A.B. Putter testing

L.A.B. Mezz, Mezz Max, Link.1 MGS testing  L.A.B. Putters - 2023 Forum Review - Forum Testing Reviews - MyGolfSpy Forum

 L.A.B. DF2.1 MGS testing  L.A.B. DF2.1 Putter - MyGolfSpy Forum

 

[ole gray]

2 hours ago, Cfhandyman said:

You will have to let us know how the Armlock and the Broom compare to each other.  Many people will be interested in this.

I will do so ! 

[Bucky CC]

1 hour ago, Cfhandyman said:

Caveat: The customized DF3 putter I have, has the TPT shaft with pistol grip, so the total cost is $958 plus shipping.

$958 for an increase of 0.6 in strokes gained putting.  I know everyone is different when it comes to money but this is a tough sell for me.  It would be really interesting to see is how a similar skill level golfer would do with almost $1k in lessons.  I would bet they would see a much greater improvement in their game.

That's not meant to be a knock on the DF3 at all.  I think in general people would be much better off spending money on lessons over the latest and greatest club.

[MattWillGolf]

Got on the home course for 9 holes this morning. Putting with Nemo went rather well. No 3-putts! Which is always nice. I carded 16 putts in total. I had seven 2-putts and two 1-putts. Two of the 2-putts just missed on the edge of the hole. One of the 1-putts was a 20-footer. So, I was most pleased overall. 

[GolfSpy SAM]

36 minutes ago, Bucky CC said:

$958 for an increase of 0.6 in strokes gained putting.  I know everyone is different when it comes to money but this is a tough sell for me.  It would be really interesting to see is how a similar skill level golfer would do with almost $1k in lessons.  I would bet they would see a much greater improvement in their game.

That's not meant to be a knock on the DF3 at all.  I think in general people would be much better off spending money on lessons over the latest and greatest club.

While your point is valid and understood, I think the idea that 90% of golfers would be wise enough to spend 1k in lessons vs. buying a new club, we just know for a fact that's not happening.  If this WAS true, there would be almost no market for new clubs at all, lol, considering an embarrassingly high percentage of 'us' (lumping myself in here, even though lessons are what changed my game two years ago) buy new equipment hoping for 'the fix.'

I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that putting a L.A.B. into my bag legitimately changed my game (this is after the lessons, mind you ).  Having confidence that I'm hitting my line, every time, allowed me to focus more on reading putts (I genuinely hated putting - I never knew why I was missing (pull? push? bad read? All three?).  Gaining confidence in my putting then allowed me to focus more on my chipping, because I knew if I could put it within 8-ish feet I'd have a REALLY good chance at a one-putt.  Gaining confidence in my chipping has freed up my longer irons, knowing if I can just get it up near the green, I've got a really good chance at putting it close (and, again, therefore a chance at 1-putt).  

It's snowballed, and all because of one club.  

So while I don't disagree that .6 SG per round doesn't sound all that impressive (even though it genuinely is, statistically), it's the confidence the putter has brought to my game that has made me better - and I 100% think 1k (in this case, for me, mind you - others are obviously different) would be worth it.

Just figured I'd offer the flip-side to your argument (which, again, I agree with, lol - but I'm (genuinely, this is a thing) known as The Justifier!, because I love to argue both sides of a thing and justify any standpoint.  That being said - I genuinely see both sides of this argument, and were it not for my experience with the LABs (the DF3 has so far been ridiculous - I have four rounds with 28-or-less putts), I'd be fully on the "get lessons" side of the argument - even though I know people would rather spend money on a club than on doing the work.

But that's a whole other argument for another time (and thread)

[MattWillGolf]

With the test winding down, I decided to get one last test session in. I went back to testing Nemo against my Evnroll ER7 as that putter seems to offer the stiffest competition. I chose a different practice green for this session as my home course green was just sanded and wanted a better surface to test on. The practice green today was in great condition but definitely rolled a bit slower than my home course's practice green. Today's session was a draw. Today's session was supplemented by a nitro cold brew from Starbucks. Music provided by the Grateful Dead.

The DF3 was better from 5ft. The ER7 was better from 10ft. At 20ft it was a draw.

 

 

 

[Cfhandyman]

2 hours ago, Bucky CC said:

$958 for an increase of 0.6 in strokes gained putting.  I know everyone is different when it comes to money but this is a tough sell for me.  It would be really interesting to see is how a similar skill level golfer would do with almost $1k in lessons.  I would bet they would see a much greater improvement in their game.

That's not meant to be a knock on the DF3 at all.  I think in general people would be much better off spending money on lessons over the latest and greatest club.

@Bucky CC you bring up a valid and very good point.  I wanted to be totally transparent and that's why I included the caveat.  Most of us if not all, would definitely benefit from lessons, especially putting and short game lessons.  I know I have.  Sadly, most have not taken lessons, let alone putting lessons.  

1K for a putter (or driver) is an absolute no go for many.  I perfectly understand that and get it.  With the L.A.B. putter I have and tested, L.A.B. very graciously allowed the testers to customize and for that I'm very thankful and grateful.  This is an exceptional putter.  Having played with an upgraded putter shaft (BGT Stability) for many years, I know the difference it can make.  So I was rather intrigued by the TPT shaft.  It is, as described, an exceptionally good shaft, responsive with great feel and feedback.  The cost of the TPT shaft alone is $399, almost the cost of the stock putter.  It's, analogous to putting in the Autoflex shaft into your driver. i.e. very expensive.  Is it worth it? That depends.  For many no, in that they will not be able to readily discern the difference or see little difference.  But for some, they will see and feel a big difference.  The one thing the L.A.B. DF3 has given me is tremendous confidence in that I can make those short putts routinely.  i.e. if I miss the green, I can chip it to 5 or 6 feet, make the putt and still walk away with par.  The other is that if I get the line and speed right, I can make putts from long distance (>20 feet).  The putts really hold there line and this is attributable to the excellent face control of the L.A.B.   What this test has done is to allow me to really focus and work on my putting. 

Going into this test, I did not expect to see much of a difference between my Evnroll and the L.A.B.  I was wrong. Half of stroke is a significant gain, however you are correct 1K is a lot of money, especially for a putter.  But let me ask you a question.  If you are in the market for a putter and if you saw the same improvement with the stock shaft and the cost was $459 and you had a 10% off coupon code, would you be interested?   For some that's still a no go, but if I'm looking at a Scotty or Evnroll or other high end putter, the L.A.B. should be considered in the discussion.  When I originally tried the L.A.B. it was a stock 34" model, 69* lie and it rolled the ball beautifully.  I was impressed.  The point I wanted to make is that the L.A.B. is a really good putter.  I hope that. helps, but I totally understand and get your point.

[MattWillGolf]

In going through the paperwork that delivered with the DF3 Putter, I stumbled upon care instructions for the putter. The last item caught my attention. And thought,  "Who wouldn't want to be wiped down with a dab of oil from time to time?" 

 

[Jim Shaw]

11 hours ago, Cfhandyman said:

@Bucky CC you bring up a valid and very good point.  I wanted to be totally transparent and that's why I included the caveat.  Most of us if not all, would definitely benefit from lessons, especially putting and short game lessons.  I know I have.  Sadly, most have not taken lessons, let alone putting lessons.  

1K for a putter (or driver) is an absolute no go for many.  I perfectly understand that and get it.  With the L.A.B. putter I have and tested, L.A.B. very graciously allowed the testers to customize and for that I'm very thankful and grateful.  This is an exceptional putter.  Having played with an upgraded putter shaft (BGT Stability) for many years, I know the difference it can make.  So I was rather intrigued by the TPT shaft.  It is, as described, an exceptionally good shaft, responsive with great feel and feedback.  The cost of the TPT shaft alone is $399, almost the cost of the stock putter.  It's, analogous to putting in the Autoflex shaft into your driver. i.e. very expensive.  Is it worth it? That depends.  For many no, in that they will not be able to readily discern the difference or see little difference.  But for some, they will see and feel a big difference.  The one thing the L.A.B. DF3 has given me is tremendous confidence in that I can make those short putts routinely.  i.e. if I miss the green, I can chip it to 5 or 6 feet, make the putt and still walk away with par.  The other is that if I get the line and speed right, I can make putts from long distance (>20 feet).  The putts really hold there line and this is attributable to the excellent face control of the L.A.B.   What this test has done is to allow me to really focus and work on my putting. 

Going into this test, I did not expect to see much of a difference between my Evnroll and the L.A.B.  I was wrong. Half of stroke is a significant gain, however you are correct 1K is a lot of money, especially for a putter.  But let me ask you a question.  If you are in the market for a putter and if you saw the same improvement with the stock shaft and the cost was $459 and you had a 10% off coupon code, would you be interested?   For some that's still a no go, but if I'm looking at a Scotty or Evnroll or other high end putter, the L.A.B. should be considered in the discussion.  When I originally tried the L.A.B. it was a stock 34" model, 69* lie and it rolled the ball beautifully.  I was impressed.  The point I wanted to make is that the L.A.B. is a really good putter.  I hope that. helps, but I totally understand and get your point.

@Cfhandyman, I have been tuned into the LAB putter since your team started testing. Keeping an eye out (as you know) for competitive golfers that use it. My takeaway is, some golfers look really really comfortable using it, some look really really uncomfortable using it, so what that tells me is it isn't for the masses, and just to quantify the ones I have seen are the broomstick style, so to @Bucky CC's point and to yours, go and test drive one, if you are the one that really really feels comfortable using this style of putter it will make a difference to your game. Just my take on it...

 

[BobBC78]

Well, I made a serious mistake this morning. Having some time to kill while a grip was being changed at my local Golf Galaxy, I did what I usually do....checked out putters. Unfortunately, I tried a counter balanced DF3 and counter balanced Mezz. The DF3 was flat out the best balanced and most stable putter that I have tried and now, despite the $619.00 price tag, I want one badly . Needless to say, I'll now be following this thread closely, particularly @jbern and @GolfSpy MPR who are testing the counter balanced model!

[ZJeb67]

2 hours ago, MattWillGolf said:

In going through the paperwork that delivered with the DF3 Putter, I stumbled upon care instructions for the putter. The last item caught my attention. And thought,  "Who wouldn't want to be wiped down with a dab of oil from time to time?" 

 

I've often got advice to RTFM.

Read
The
F (fine? fantastic? fabulous? flawless? )
Manual

[Cfhandyman]

7 hours ago, MattWillGolf said:

,  "Who wouldn't want to be wiped down with a dab of oil from time to time?" 

 

That’s the line of the week.  

[yungkory]

So I uhhhh did a thing earlier this month

The Link.1 experiment was a fail and I ended up selling it to fund my journey back to a DF. Unfortunate that I won't have it in time for my round on Sunday but I'm glad the wait is over finally. DF3 SQUAD!!!

[Rearviewmirror]

@yungkory you'll be a happy man.

I continue to feel exceedingly confident that I have found my gamer putter. Sunk a nice 12 footer today too.

 

[jbern]

2 hours ago, yungkory said:

So I uhhhh did a thing earlier this month

The Link.1 experiment was a fail and I ended up selling it to fund my journey back to a DF. Unfortunate that I won't have it in time for my round on Sunday but I'm glad the wait is over finally. DF3 SQUAD!!!

Welcome to the DF3 squad! You're going to love the blue color and it seems like the testers with the press pistol 2 degree really like it also! What did you have on your LINK and what went wrong with it? I've had a few strangers who talk to me about my DF3 ask about the LINK and I'm not always sure what to tell them. I usually say something along the lines of "I don't know about the LINK, but the DF series is their most touted anti-torque model, so I would start there."

[jbern]

I've gone out for a couple of 9 hole rounds with the DF3 since my last on-course update. 

The first round was a 17 putt outing that consisted of 1 three putt, 6 two putts and 2 one putts. The three putt was a 38 ft triple breaker that was also pretty severely uphill. I left the putt 6 ft short and completely misread the 6 ft putt. Otherwise, putting was pretty solid and I felt confident over the ball for every putt! The highlight putt of the day was on hole 8. A 16ft uphill putt that rolled in the back of the cup perfectly for a par save! Detailed breakdown of putts below:

 

The 2nd 9 hole round was a day where my approach and chipping play were horrendous and the only thing keeping my score from blowing up was my driving and putting. I had 15 putts on the day; 0 three putts, 6 two putts and 3 one putts. It was a solid putting round overall with no real highlights or lowlights. I'll take 15 putts on 9 holes any day! Detailed putting breakdown below:

 

I'm looking to get one more 18 hole round in before my final review!

[yungkory]

5 hours ago, jbern said:

Welcome to the DF3 squad! You're going to love the blue color and it seems like the testers with the press pistol 2 degree really like it also! What did you have on your LINK and what went wrong with it? I've had a few strangers who talk to me about my DF3 ask about the LINK and I'm not always sure what to tell them. I usually say something along the lines of "I don't know about the LINK, but the DF series is their most touted anti-torque model, so I would start there."

I went from DF 2.1 to Link and now DF3. Link was built to my 2.1 specs with the exception of the shaft. I have a stability tour in the 2.1, the Link had their Accra. So, my DF3 is pretty much the same build as my Link was, with the exception of the grip.

I wanted something smaller than my 2.1 and felt like going Mezz would be too similar. Which sounds funny now that I've ordered a DF3, but I found in the process of the Link test that I'm just not a blade person. Maybe I'm just not good enough for a blade, even one loaded with tech. I could really feel when I didn't hit the middle, or hit it low/high in the grooves. Granted some of them went in, it just felt less automatic than the 2.1.

On the 2.1, it is just too big man. Like it works, but if you're near the collar of the green you can get affected by the sheer mass of the head. The results I've read in this test helped me pull the trigger on the DF3, that and the fact that I think I just putt better with a mallet.