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

[FallenSaber]

Congratulations testers! Excited to see how this test goes! I've read a lot of great things about L.A.B. I hope they're offered again next year. I did not put in for this one but I'd love to test one out.

[Josh Ross]

What a great group of testers! Happy for all of you, especially @CFreddie since I know you've been eyeing these for a while! My blue one just got here Monday so I'm putting mine into play soon, y'all have fun with this one. Especially those of you new to L.A.B. technology!

[FromRightToLeft]

Congrats guys! 

[ShimmyCocoBop]

Not to prejudice you lucky %$#&*@ Testers (), but if I had it to do over, I would have gotten a smaller DF head in a broomstick instead of the MEZZ head. I'm not sure what's possible in a DF model due to the higher weight of the putter head needed for a broom.

I'll admit it - I do not like using a putter cover, especially the MEZZ cover, because it's a nice heavy-duty magnetic cover that's hard to put on/off with one hand. 

The many edges of the MEZZ head are super sharp.  I have already sliced the head cover of my driver with the wings of the MEZZ. It is also easy to cut or wound yourself with the edges. On Florida grainy greens, it's super-easy to snag the leading edge or the wings of the MEZZ.  I played with a guy last week who actually used a sander to bevel the leading edge of his MEZZ.  I'd like to bevel the wings too.  There is no need for the edges of the MEZZ to be so sharp, but I'm sure that beveling them adds time/cost to the product.

Also, I am somewhat disinterested in bending over to pick up my ball, and the MEZZ wings are too far apart to do so.  I'd like to know if the DF models can be used to pick up a ball.

I love the technical aspects of the MEZZ, but being picky,  I'd rather have soft, rounded edges than sharp ones.

[Niall O C]

Have been looking at these for awhile but there is no places that stock/fit these near me. So have been waiting for the MyGolfSpy review on this to see how they go!

[tdroma98]

Congratulations TESTERS!! What a great group! 

Still have reservations about the LAB Putters, really looking forward to reading your testing results! Have fun!! 

[ShimmyCocoBop]

I just looked at the LAB website - DF3 not available in a broom.....

However, the newest DF model (#3?) does pick up a golf ball sort of like the PING Fetch putter does.  

Edited April 17 by ShimmyCocoBop

[gavinski91]

Great group of testers here - excited to see how the DF3 works for you all!

[sirchunksalot]

@Cfhandyman @jbern I just want to say I enjoyed the introductory posts and you both nailed them. To me, this is the most intriguing test of the year and I'm looking forward to seeing what y'all think. 

[BreakfastBall15]

Congrats testers! Really looking forward to this one!

[BreakfastBall15]

On 4/15/2024 at 6:04 AM, jbern said:

Introduction

Thank you to L.A.B. Golf and the MGS Forum for this unbelievable opportunity to test the new L.A.B. DF3 putter!

As a husband and father of 3 young children (Ages are 6, 4 and 1.5 years old) my main job is reading children’s books in funny voices and expertly applying superglue and packaging tape to broken toys! I have a side gig in building creative (and mostly safe) obstacle courses for the kids to jump around on. As a family, we also like going on hikes and bike rides. The photo below is from a local hike that has a viewing/learning area about farms and crops and their various growth stages (my wife and I decided not to put our kids on any social media, so you’ll just get the backs of their heads )

We live in an area of Southern Michigan that is known for having a lot of lakes, so we try to spend a lot of time in and around the water (in the summertime) in this beautiful area. It's also a great area for golf and there are at least 12 golf courses within 20 minutes.

My day job is working as an electrical protection engineer for generating facilities throughout the state of Michigan, protecting the people and equipment within the facilities. It’s an incredibly interesting job and I’ve enjoyed it for the last 10 years!

As far as golfing goes, I started golf when I was 14 and played on the H.S. golf team. My peak handicap was 5 during that time. After high school I almost never golfed, playing 7 times over 15 years. I got hooked again in the fall of 2021 and haven’t looked back. I got my first ever fitting in the fall of ’22. I’m a proud member of the pushcart mafia and walk every chance I get (check out the Clicgear 4.0 review thread; in ‘23, I had lower scores when walking)!

I’ve put in quite a bit of practice to get my HCP from 17 in ’21 to my current HCP of 7.4. Putting has improved, but my golf game has traditionally gone as my driver goes and putting has always been my biggest weakness. Being a weak putter, L.A.B. golf putters have been of obvious interest to me, and there seems to be excitement around these putters in everyone from professionals to weekend warriors.  I love that they're using technology and engineering to try to make putting easier. I’ve had about 100 different combinations of L.A.B. putters in my cart over the past year or so! That being said, I have never rolled a single putt with a L.A.B. putter… yet!

I did a putter fitting in '22 and it was based on my static measurements and my putting stroke style. My putting stroke is straight-back straight-through so they recommended a mallet, face-balanced putter that is 33.25" long putter with a lie angle of 69*. We'll see what LAB recommends via their online fitting!

My current gamer putter is a Sub70 AL-6 armlock putter that is 39.5" long with a lie angle of 72*. I did an unofficial review last year of the putter and switching to armlock. You can see the review here. I had significant improvement switching to armlock!

VS.

Over the course of this test, I plan on putting the LAB DF3 through it’s paces in 3 main ways:

1. The key testing method is going to be on the course. Before switching to the AL-6 armlock, my average putts per round was 38.7 putts. With the armlock putter over the last 9 months my average putts per round is 34.1. Will the LAB DF3 improve my putts per round? I’m going to keep more detailed records on my putting than ever before (e.g. length of putt, make/miss, long/short, left/right, confidence over putt).
2. Tempo has been something that I’ve struggled with, so it’s what I practice most at home and so far that has consisted of rolling putts in my living room using a ruler to gauge my takeaway length and a mirror to keep setup consistent. This setup is easy, has worked and I’d like to see how quickly I establish a good tempo with the DF3.
   
3. I will also be using the EXputt putting simulator, which should be arriving any day now, to compare my armlock putter stroke to the DF3 and get data on face, path, and speed control.
   1. As a side test, I’m hoping to go to a true putter fitting experience and get their thoughts on the DF3 vs. my gamer armlock AL-6 putter.

I also want to answer the following questions:

• How long does it take to get used to the L.A.B. style of putting?
• Is going from armlock style to L.A.B. style more difficult than my transition from normal to armlock?
• Do I like the looks/feel/sound of the putter?
• How was the fitting and ordering process?

Thanks again to the MGS Forum staff and L.A.B. Golf! Let us know if you have any questions that you’d like answered throughout this test!

Putting is my biggest weakness as well. I've considered going to the armlock (built a DIY one but need to add some weight to the head) and have been looking at LAB as well. I'm super excited to read about your testing process and how the DF3 does for you!

[GolfSpy MPR]

This is very subject to change after my I hear back from L.A.B., but right now, my plan is to go counterbalanced at 37", with the heavy headweight. I currently use (and enjoy) the Garsen Quad grip on my Edel, so I'm planning use the 17" Garsen Quad Tour option on the DF3. My clubs and bag setup tends to be black and red, so I'm going with the red head and black shaft; leaning towards the TPT version.

My Edel was fitted with the two alignment lines on the base of the putter (clean top line); L.A.B. doesn't offer anything exactly parallel to that. I'm likely either to go with two on the top line (as pictured here), or the version with three lines through the first two sections and a single line on the very back.

 

[MichaelJW]

1 hour ago, ShimmyCocoBop said:

I just looked at the LAB website - DF3 not available in a broom.....

I remember when the Mezz came out there was no broomstick either. Not until they came out with the larger MAX version.  I guess they needed the extra mass and size to do their work balancing it.  There would be no point to do a larger DF3, as that would just be a DF2.1.  

[TJ Hall]

4 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

This is very subject to change after my I hear back from L.A.B., but right now, my plan is to go counterbalanced at 37", with the heavy headweight. I currently use (and enjoy) the Garsen Quad grip on my Edel, so I'm planning use the 17" Garsen Quad Tour option on the DF3. My clubs and bag setup tends to be black and red, so I'm going with the red head and black shaft; leaning towards the TPT version.

My Edel was fitted with the two alignment lines on the base of the putter (clean top line); L.A.B. doesn't offer anything exactly parallel to that. I'm likely either to go with two on the top line (as pictured here), or the version with three lines through the first two sections and a single line on the very back.

 

That’s a sharp looking putter…can’t wait to see it in the bag!

[ShimmyCocoBop]

It would be interesting to know what the percentage of brooms vs. regular length putters are sold by LAB?

[CFreddie]

So incredibly excited to be a part of this test - and as many of you know, I've gone through a NUMBER of mock-ups over the last few months!  

Excited to finally make a decision in the coming days, once I'm able to connect with my remote fitter, which I'll be sure to chronicle here.  

On that note, any questions this group would want to ask (I'm not a broomstick fan, but I can see if they have any updates on that front)?

[Braehead]

2 minutes ago, CFreddie said:

So incredibly excited to be a part of this test - and as many of you know, I've gone through a NUMBER of mock-ups over the last few months!  

Excited to finally make a decision in the coming days, once I'm able to connect with my remote fitter, which I'll be sure to chronicle here.  

On that note, any questions this group would want to ask (I'm not a broomstick fan, but I can see if they have any updates on that front)?

Could you ask a question about how counterbalance works and the impact of not using the press grips.  With the press grip the shaft comes in at an angle so how does it work with the counterbalanced grips? 

[Cfhandyman]

23 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

@Cfhandyman @jbern I just want to say I enjoyed the introductory posts and you both nailed them. To me, this is the most intriguing test of the year and I'm looking forward to seeing what y'all think. 

@sirchunksalot thank you for your very kind words.  The DF3 testing group is very excited for this opportunity not only to thoroughly test them, but answer any questions you may have about them and share our thoughts, insights and comments with you.  

[GolfSpy_APH]

@sirchunksalot be happy you are not in the PM channel - Its Cobra challenge bad. Especially after the surprise I dropped them today. 

[CFreddie]

4 minutes ago, Braehead said:

Could you ask a question about how counterbalance works and the impact of not using the press grips.  With the press grip the shaft comes in at an angle so how does it work with the counterbalanced grips? 

Great question - adding to my list!  I wanted to ask about CB in general - I've toyed around with the idea myself, but given I want to do a "fair" side by side with my Scotty, I think I'll go standard length for this test.

Just now, GolfSpy_APH said:

@sirchunksalot be happy you are not in the PM channel - Its Cobra challenge bad. Especially after the surprise I dropped them today. 

Haha, I take that personally Jamie!!! 

[FromRightToLeft]

In solidarity with you testers I just placed an order for my own DF3. I felt it was only right.

[sirchunksalot]

19 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

@sirchunksalot be happy you are not in the PM channel - Its Cobra challenge bad. Especially after the surprise I dropped them today. 

I could have never imagined a PM thread could come close to what the Cobra Challenge one did, I guess that's just goes to show how excited our testers are. 

Now you've got me curious as to the bomb you dropped on them. As one of my favorite authors used to say, I'll have to ROAFO. (Read on and find out).

@Cfhandyman, I'm really looking Forward to the reviews and believe y'all will knock it out of the park. 

[Hendu33]

Very curious how the LAB putters perform.

[rkj427]

@jbern and @Cfhandyman great introductions, and really looking forward to reading your thoughts on both the L.A.B. fitting process, and how they compare to those putters you currently both have been playing. 

[Glenmore5]

Well done to all...roll that pebble...

[William P]

Great intros @jbern and @Cfhandyman! Looking forward to what I know will be fun and informative reviews!

[NotScratchYet]

Congrats testers.  I'm really looking forward to this review.  May the putts start dropping!

[jbern]

3 hours ago, BreakfastBall15 said:

Putting is my biggest weakness as well. I've considered going to the armlock (built a DIY one but need to add some weight to the head) and have been looking at LAB as well. I'm super excited to read about your testing process and how the DF3 does for you!

Armlock definitely helped me (I think it removed the wrists from my putting stroke) and I also had to toy around with lead tape after I cut the shaft down to have a more comfortable posture! I put a pretty detailed thread together on my armlock journey here:

Check it out if you’re interested!

[jbern]

3 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

@Cfhandyman @jbern I just want to say I enjoyed the introductory posts and you both nailed them. To me, this is the most intriguing test of the year and I'm looking forward to seeing what y'all think. 

Thank you @sirchunksalot! 
We are very excited about this opportunity and we’ll do our best!

[jbern]

2 hours ago, William P said:

Great intros @jbern and @Cfhandyman! Looking forward to what I know will be fun and informative reviews!

Thank you @William P!