L.A.B. Golf Putters are all the rave, and we recently dug into whether they would be an ideal fit for your game.
Spoiler alert: They are an ideal fit for you, because they truly make putting a much easier thing than it truly is.
In a game where there are nearly limitless variables, L.A.B. putters aim to take one of the most difficult pieces of putting, face control, out of the equation with a few patents that simplify a truly difficult thing.
I had especially high expectations for this putter. I’ve seen guys like Phil Mickelson, a person who I’ve tried to listen to for any short game or putting advice before anyone else, go to a L.A.B. I’ve heard it is all the buzz and it’s the best thing to come into the world of golf in recent memory.
But is it worth the hype?
First Impressions
I love the look of this putter. I decided to go stock with a 34″ DF3, and it really is something I love to look down at. The first Odyssey White Hot I had several years back was a #7, and I spraypainted the head white and the shaft black and got a white Super Stroke. I still miss that putter and its look.
This DF3 reminded me of that, except it’s predominantly black. The head has the “Gimme Getter,” and their stock grip has a nice texture. I usually go and get a new grip put on any club I get that doesn’t have my preference, but this one is honestly something I’d consider putting on other manufacturers’ products (if that wasn’t a sin).
I was also met with several messages on the packaging and packing slip:
“THE MAGIC IS IN THESE SCREWS. DO NOT MESS WITH THE VOODOO! REMOVAL WILL VOID THE WARRANTY”
The feel of this putter is heavy at the head and truly feels like something of extreme quality. It retails at over $400, so it is definitely something that you hope feels like it’s worth it, and this putter really does.
On the Course
It’s a great putter. I talked about how mallet putters, at least for me, feel like they’re easier to lag putt within the Odyssey Jailbird review from a couple of days ago.
This continued to reassure me that mallets are, in fact, easier to putt with than blades. I love my Scotty Cameron, I’ve said that for a long time, but the forgiveness in these mallets is truly a great thing for amateurs. The DF3 is also one of the only putters that seems to truly forgive mishits. If you’re someone who hits off the toe or heel and is struggling with that, this is the putter for you.
The putter comes with an automatic forward press, which helps the face stay square and also gets things off on the right foot in terms of delofting the face. The grip is especially responsible for helping this get accomplished.
I enjoyed the feel of the ball coming off the face: very solid with a great sound. I felt like it was taking a lot of the guess work out of putting. When I pick my line, I then have to totally focus on hitting the center of the face, stopping my follow-through (which tends to result in better contact and speed for me), and getting the ball out on the right line.
I didn’t really feel like I had to do all of that myself. The DF3 was super forgiving. I made a couple really good putts playing with this: a 15-footer for par that broke steadily right to left, and a 10-footer for par that was super quick and double broke back to the middle. I also had several awesome lag putts of 30 feet or more that had a chance of going in. Tap-ins after they teased me.
Final Thoughts
Forgiveness is something that we hear about constantly with irons and drivers but not much with putters. People think any putter will do, but heads shafts, and grips all go into whether a putter is suitable for your game or not.
Why not go with the one that offers the most forgiveness? The one that takes so many variables out of the game? The one that makes putting much easier?
Do yourself a favor: buy one.
