LAB Putter

Can something so ugly, off putting, and different really be the missing link to helping me get to single digit handicap? I’m not sure, but let's try to find out. The LAB putter, some know it has the alien head looking thing they’ve seen at the PGA Tour Superstore. Others know it from watching tour pros like Lucas Glover and Adam Scott gaming it. LAB (Lie Angle Balance) personifies the idea that looks are not everything in a putter. All of their putters have a center shaft insert, meaning the shaft goes straight in the middle of the club head. The putters also feature an offset shaft, which promotes the player to forward press before starting the putting stroke. Even the grip being more rounded allows the player to have more surface area for their hands. Now I am not going to go into detail about the technology in the putters, mostly because I am sure I will screw something up trying to explain it. I am going to give my feedback on my time using this putter and what I think about it for my game.

I bought the putter after 5 straight rounds of have 38+ putts, which was highlighted by a score of 102, with 48 (that is not a typo) putts. I was so deflated that I wanted to go buy a Happy Gilmore hockey stick putter and try that. Then, during the PGA Tour Championship, Lucas Glover told a story about how he struggled with not just putting, but short putts specifically. He spoke about how he decided to switch to the same putter Adam Scott used, which was a MEZZ 1 MAX broomstick style. If you follow professional golf you know how the switched worked for Lucas Glover. I wasn’t ready to try a broomstick style quite yet, but reading about the putter and the technique of forward press and locking the hands just made sense to me. So I went ahead and gave the putter a try. I went with the MEZZ 1 MAX as well, with the red color head. What can I say, being a firefighter anything red appeals to my eye. It features 8 weights on the bottom to help increase forgiveness. The shaft is the black ACCRA putter shaft, I personally thought the black and red color scheme looked amazing.

There is a warning for those thinking of buying this putter. It is going to take a fair amount of practice, trial and error, and patience to get the putter working properly. I found that my normal putting grip would not work with this putter due to the offset in the shaft to the grip. I played around with several different grip styles that felt comfortable, to be honest I am still searching for something that is comfortable. Also, learning how to add the right amount of forward press is another challenge. So be prepared to experiment with this putter before putting it in the bag.

Now is it worth it? Am I draining every putt and shooting better scores? Kinda sorta, in my first four rounds with it I have had 37,36,36, and 35 putts. All those around were in the mid to high 80’s. There was a round of 93 and 40 putts in there as well. I can say that my distance control has been much better than before, and the lag putting is drastically better. The ball does In fact start on the line I intend much better, which is a major talking point with the LAB putters. Honestly though my start lines are not always perfect. I do like the solid feel off the face that i get with this putter, and I do think there is a good amount of forgiveness. I tend to miss on the toe and I don't think I am as punished compared to other putters. One thing I will mention with this putter is you cannot scoop the ball up with the back of it like you can with an Anser style or #7 style. So if you don’t like bending down to pick up your golf ball, this putter might put you off. I can’t say for sure right now if this putter is the answer to my problems on the green or not, I need more time and practice in order to really dial it in. But if you are something like me who have really bad days on the green, don’t be afraid to give this unusual putter a chance. Because the score doesn’t know what type of putter you use, only what you score.