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

[GolfSpy MPR]

11 hours ago, StrokerAce said:

have you used CB putters in the past? is this something you were interested in trying or is there a specific reason you went w/the CB version?

I have owned/used one counterbalanced putter in the past: it was a Nike Method Converge Counterflex putter at 38" or so. At that time, I don't believe I was stat-tracking, so I can't tell you that I putted lights out with it.

My main reason for choosing that is that it seemed a nice blend of my current two most favorite putters: my 34" Edel and my 40" Evnroll Midlock. My hope is that, at 37", I will retain much of the stability of the Midlock with the touch and feel of the standard length Edel.

[Steve F]

I just got the same: May 7th by the end of the day. I feel a golf cough coming for Tuesday. 

And don't worry about the driver @Cfhandyman: as long as he/she has the goods, they're safe! lol!!

[GolfSpy SAM]

I'm currently showing Thursday as D-(elivery) Day, which is flat out crazy. I may even get it out to play on Friday, assuming I can finagle a tee time after a breakfast date with the wife (she's randomly off this Friday). 

Asking for a friend: can you pull video from your doorbell in high enough quality to edit into a love-note ode to a Green Putter? 

Oh!!

I've also settled on a name for my putter. 

Hal Jordan, aka, The Green Lantern. 

[GolfSpy SAM]

3 hours ago, Steve F said:

.... this is the next thing I'm stoked to see coming down the driveway! Heck, if they'd tell me the date, I'd send you all a video of the truck making it's way down!!! 

Now I'm going to follow every FedEx truck that makes it's way into the neighborhood! lol!

[Cfhandyman]

6 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

I'm currently showing Thursday as D-(elivery) Day, which is flat out crazy. I may even get it out to play on Friday, assuming I can finagle a tee time after a breakfast date with the wife (she's randomly off this Friday). 

Asking for a friend: can you pull video from your doorbell in high enough quality to edit into a love-note ode to a Green Putter? 

Oh!!

I've also settled on a name for my putter. 

Hal Jordan, aka, The Green Lantern. 

I'm loving the green lantern.  What an inspired choice.

[GolfSpy SAM]

1 minute ago, Cfhandyman said:

I'm loving the green lantern.  What an inspired choice.

It hit me today and I nearly fell over. Not sure how it took me this long to come up with it

[MattWillGolf]

18 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

I'm currently showing Thursday as D-(elivery) Day, which is flat out crazy. I may even get it out to play on Friday, assuming I can finagle a tee time after a breakfast date with the wife (she's randomly off this Friday). 

Asking for a friend: can you pull video from your doorbell in high enough quality to edit into a love-note ode to a Green Putter? 

Oh!!

I've also settled on a name for my putter. 

Hal Jordan, aka, The Green Lantern. 

You do realize that you will no longer be able to play yellow balls now.

Edited May 1 by MattWillGolf

[Michael.Sandoval33]

30 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

I'm currently showing Thursday as D-(elivery) Day, which is flat out crazy. I may even get it out to play on Friday, assuming I can finagle a tee time after a breakfast date with the wife (she's randomly off this Friday). 

Asking for a friend: can you pull video from your doorbell in high enough quality to edit into a love-note ode to a Green Putter? 

Oh!!

I've also settled on a name for my putter. 

Hal Jordan, aka, The Green Lantern. 

I'm more of a John Stewart guy myself but just not Guy Gardner please 

[Steve F]

9 hours ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

I'm currently showing Thursday as D-(elivery) Day, which is flat out crazy. I may even get it out to play on Friday, assuming I can finagle a tee time after a breakfast date with the wife (she's randomly off this Friday). 

Asking for a friend: can you pull video from your doorbell in high enough quality to edit into a love-note ode to a Green Putter? 

Oh!!

I've also settled on a name for my putter. 

Hal Jordan, aka, The Green Lantern. 

... love it! 

[CFreddie]

Things are looking up gents! 
 

 

[GolfSpy MPR]

FedEx is predicting Friday here: 

We've never had a problem with porch pirates here, partly because my wife stays home with our kids during the days, but I do wonder if L.A.B. allows shipping upgrades to signature-required. I could see plenty of circumstances where a guy might be nervous about his $1,000 putter sitting unattended during the day. So I note this, not because it's an issue for me, but could be for someone else considering buying a DF3.

[Steve F]

26 minutes ago, CFreddie said:

Things are looking up gents! 
 

 

... UPDATED.... hmmmm. Time to check the email....

 

[ole gray]

10 hours ago, Cfhandyman said:

I too have received the exciting news that my blue LAB Rat is on the way.  Yipee and show me the way little buddy.

 ++   = Happy happy tester

 

But the dilemma here, is that its showing I get it this Thursday and poor @CFreddie is scheduled to get his next Tuesday in Atlanta and I live in Canada.  The only thing I can think of is mine got on the FedEx plane from Oregon to Toronto, whereas Chris' is going by truck.  To receive this within a week from order is to me shocking, but simply outstanding.   Mind you it still has to go through Canada customs, but this is where FedEx is usually very good.   So who gets their putter first?  Will it be @GolfSpy SAM who lives the closest, will it be the Michigan boys of @jbern or @GolfSpy MPR up in the U.P. (upper peninsula).  Or will it the other northern boys of @MattWillGolf in NY or @Steve F in Maryland?  Will the southern boy @CFreddie grease the skids and fool us all or will it be the TXG guy @Cfhandyman, in Canada outfoxing them all.  Who hugs the FedEX driver first?

Warning, we will have an epic battle on our hands.  I changed the grip on my Evnroll tour back to the Evnroll gravity grip.  The putter already has the BGT stability shaft installed.  Oh my, what a transformational change.  The putter has been on fire ever since.  Arccos data from yesterdays round compared to a 0 handicap.  30 putts, 2 long birdies, 6 one putts, 12 two putts and no three putts.  It was the epic F bomb to moi.  How dare I try and change the putter in my bag.  I'll show you.

Oh this is going to be so much fun. 

 

 

LOVE the BLUE and your alignment choice! 

[GolfSpy MPR]

Still haven't finalized the name for my red DF3. How about Shazam?

[Fongle]

11 hours ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

I'm currently showing Thursday as D-(elivery) Day, which is flat out crazy. I may even get it out to play on Friday, assuming I can finagle a tee time after a breakfast date with the wife (she's randomly off this Friday). 

Asking for a friend: can you pull video from your doorbell in high enough quality to edit into a love-note ode to a Green Putter? 

Oh!!

I've also settled on a name for my putter. 

Hal Jordan, aka, The Green Lantern. 

So it'll work great in full sun and while playing night golf?

In brightest day, in blackest night...

[Jim Shaw]

One of my opponents had a LAB broom putter yesterday and let me swing it, immediately the "feel" and "feedback" was unique to me... I didn't hit the putts well but if some work was put into it I think it would work just fine.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

I am absolutely loving the direction this test is going! Nicknames for the putters are genius! I work at a hospital but am not a doctor, however, I am sure I could find some letterhead to send a "doctor's note" to everyone's employer once putters arrive 

[Steve F]

13 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

I am absolutely loving the direction this test is going! Nicknames for the putters are genius! I work at a hospital but am not a doctor, however, I am sure I could find some letterhead to send a "doctor's note" to everyone's employer once putters arrive 

.... @GolfSpy_KFT, my mailing address is .........

[TJ Hall]

16 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

I am absolutely loving the direction this test is going! Nicknames for the putters are genius! I work at a hospital but am not a doctor, however, I am sure I could find some letterhead to send a "doctor's note" to everyone's employer once putters arrive 

I‘m not part of the test, but I will take one of the letters also!

[sman3115]

On 4/18/2024 at 1:54 PM, GolfSpy MPR said:

Interesting timing for us testers on this MGS blog article: https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/first-look/should-you-switch-to-a-counterbalanced-putter/

I know that, unless the fitter at L.A.B. actively disuades me, my intention right now is to go counterbalanced. The Edel I'm using is, I suspect, at the extreme of weighting. I do not have (unfortunately) have a swing weight scale, but just compare these numbers of two of my putters, both 34":

• Edel EAS 4.0, Garsen Quad Tour grip: about 585g, balance point at least a foot up from the putter head
• Stock Odyssey 2-Ball Ten, Stroke Lab, Odyssey oversized grip: about 540g, balance point about 7" from the putter head

The Edel, compared to a lot of off-the-rack putters, feels like a sledgehammer. I don't know exactly the spec, but it has a large weight in the butt end of the shaft. For my part, I like it a lot.

I have spent time using an Enroll Midlock ER11v, which I also have liked a great deal. But my hope is that, if I end up with a counterbalanced L.A.B. (at 37"), it will combine the best of both my Edel and the Evnroll Midlock.

I went to the PGATSS on Monday specifically to test LAB putters and I did really like the DF3 even if the price tag is a little offputting.  The stock offerings were standard length with the Press 2 or Press 1.5 grip and I liked the hands forward press with the DF3, but I have been using a counterbalanced Oddysey for a long time.  I just don't know how to even consider how to proceed without being able to test each build out especially when the price tag is closer to what I paid for my last set of irons than what I paid for my current putter.

How can anyone make up their mind?  Who has advice? Has anyone compare the benefites of the press vice a counterbalanced setup with the same head?

Also why is the Accura shaft a $100 upcharge for a standard build, but that't the stock shaft for a counterbalanced build at only a $70 upcharge?  Seems backwards to m. Or they should be equal because its the same shaft just cut shorter?  

[cnosil]

Here’s a couple of questions for the testers:

LABs big marketing position is that torque is bad.  They continually show putters in the revealer that rotate as it moves through the stroke. this also  shows that putters stay square to the path.   Why do you think torque is bad?  Do you think torque could actually be good? The revealer puts almost zero pressure on the grip; how much grip pressure do you think is necessary to stop the non torque balanced putters from rotating during the swing?   From what I have learned almost every path has a left or right bias.   @GolfSpy MPR I know you have reduced yours, but it still isn’t close to zeroed out.   If the putter stays square to the path, doesn’t that mean you will launch the ball right or left based on path?  

[jbern]

In all the excitement around these putters getting ordered and on their way, I forgot to post, in this thread, that an important piece of my putter testing puzzle arrived on Monday! 

I’m really looking forward to getting this thing set up and getting some reps in before the DF3 arrives!

[jbern]

3 hours ago, cnosil said:

Here’s a couple of questions for the testers:

LABs big marketing position is that torque is bad.  They continually show putters in the revealer that rotate as it moves through the stroke. this also  shows that putters stay square to the path.   Why do you think torque is bad?  Do you think torque could actually be good? The revealer puts almost zero pressure on the grip; how much grip pressure do you think is necessary to stop the non torque balanced putters from rotating during the swing?   From what I have learned almost every path has a left or right bias.   @GolfSpy MPR I know you have reduced yours, but it still isn’t close to zeroed out.   If the putter stays square to the path, doesn’t that mean you will launch the ball right or left based on path?  

I decided to answer your questions before the putter arrives. After the putter arrives and I start testing, the answers may change. These would all be solid questions for guys at LAB golf (I think there's a Q&A with Sam, the owner, coming up soon)!

Why do you think torque is bad? Do you think toque could actually be good? In my opinion, the torque LAB is referencing is not good or bad. What matters is what you practice with and are confident with. That being said, I believe that no torque is EASIER to get a face pointed at the intended target. I believe I've quoted you on the forum before saying something along the lines of "all that matters in putting is where the face is pointed at impact." If the putter starts on the correct line and by doing no manipulation the putter will stay on the correct line, I think for most golfers, it will be easier to consistently hit the intended line.

The revealer puts almost zero pressure on the grip; how much grip pressure do you think is necessary to stop the non torque balanced putters from rotating during the swing? I do not have any data to back this up, but I do not think it would take much grip pressure to stop the non LAB putters from rotating. I don't know what "much" means, but I think that's the point of the technology. Not only do you need some grip pressure to counteract the rotation, you need to time the pressure to have the face return to the proper position at impact.

If the putter stays square to the path, doesn’t that mean you will launch the ball right or left based on path? I don't think the technology is that the face strictly follows path. My interpretation of the technology is that the face stays square to the initial target no matter what the path is, unless getting to that path manipulates the rotation (torque) of the putter face. If you think about the revealer, if you move the putter to the toe or the heal after the head is picked up off the ground, the putter will still be facing the target.

[cnosil]

21 minutes ago, jbern said:

I decided to answer your questions before the putter arrives. After the putter arrives and I start testing, the answers may change. These would all be solid questions for guys at LAB golf (I think there's a Q&A with Sam, the owner, coming up soon)!

Why do you think torque is bad? Do you think toque could actually be good? In my opinion, the torque LAB is referencing is not good or bad. What matters is what you practice with and are confident with. That being said, I believe that no torque is EASIER to get a face pointed at the intended target. I believe I've quoted you on the forum before saying something along the lines of "all that matters in putting is where the face is pointed at impact." If the putter starts on the correct line and by doing no manipulation the putter will stay on the correct line, I think for most golfers, it will be easier to consistently hit the intended line.

The revealer puts almost zero pressure on the grip; how much grip pressure do you think is necessary to stop the non torque balanced putters from rotating during the swing? I do not have any data to back this up, but I do not think it would take much grip pressure to stop the non LAB putters from rotating. I don't know what "much" means, but I think that's the point of the technology. Not only do you need some grip pressure to counteract the rotation, you need to time the pressure to have the face return to the proper position at impact.

If the putter stays square to the path, doesn’t that mean you will launch the ball right or left based on path? I don't think the technology is that the face strictly follows path. My interpretation of the technology is that the face stays square to the initial target no matter what the path is, unless getting to that path manipulates the rotation (torque) of the putter face. If you think about the revealer, if you move the putter to the toe or the heal after the head is picked up off the ground, the putter will still be facing the target.

Thanks for your thoughts and I kind of was hoping for answers before the putter arrived.  I don’t want Sam’s thought I wanted the testers thoughts. 
 

as for square to path or target the lab site states: Lie Angle Balance (L.A.B.) Technology makes it effortless for golfers to deliver a square putter face at impact because, unlike other putters, it keeps the putter face square to the arc throughout the stroke.   Square to the arc is the putters path and not the target.  Since path has a minor influence on ball direction I’d want the face to turn to point to the target.

Edited May 1 by cnosil

[Cfhandyman]

Putter arrival update  Package is now in Indianapolis, so getting closer. It might actually make it by tomorrow as predicted. That’s crazy fast coming from the west coast. I’m still predicting @GolfSpy SAM will still get his first. 

[jbern]

27 minutes ago, Cfhandyman said:

Putter arrival update  Package is now in Indianapolis, so getting closer. It might actually make it by tomorrow as predicted. That’s crazy fast coming from the west coast. I’m still predicting @GolfSpy SAM will still get his first. 

Indy is a HUGE fedex airline hub! Great news!

Mine is still in OR, just in the northern part of the state. 

[MattWillGolf]

FedEx update. Delivery is now scheduled for May the 4th be with you!

[Rob Person]

4 hours ago, MattWillGolf said:

FedEx update. Delivery is now scheduled for May the 4th be with you!

And also with you!

[Rearviewmirror]

16 hours ago, cnosil said:

as for square to path or target the lab site states: Lie Angle Balance (L.A.B.) Technology makes it effortless for golfers to deliver a square putter face at impact because, unlike other putters, it keeps the putter face square to the arc throughout the stroke.   Square to the arc is the putters path and not the target.  Since path has a minor influence on ball direction I’d want the face to turn to point to the target.

There's a lot more to this, but my understanding is that square to the arc is effectively the same thing as path because the face is not torqueing open or closed - as you know, face angle is responsible for something like 80-85% of putt start line. If you set up square to target with a LAB putter, you can have every reasonable expectation that absent manipulation of the putter through the hands, it should return to square to target at the ball.

There's a very active Facebook group in case you want to ask your Q there - the inventor Bill Presse IV posts there with some regularity.

[JoeCool]

53 minutes ago, Rearviewmirror said:

There's a lot more to this, but my understanding is that square to the arc is effectively the same thing as path because the face is not torqueing open or closed - as you know, face angle is responsible for something like 80-85% of putt start line. If you set up square to target with a LAB putter, you can have every reasonable expectation that absent manipulation of the putter through the hands, it should return to square to target at the ball.

There's a very active Facebook group in case you want to ask your Q there - the inventor Bill Presse IV posts there with some regularity.

Good morning!

What is the name of the group?

Years ago I was part of a community like this one and my handle was rearviewmirror!