L.A.B. Golf received a reported $200 million investment from L Catterton, a global consumer-focused … More private equity firm, to help the putter brand grow its business worldwide.
L.A.B. Golf
When word came down that L.A.B. Golf had been bought by a private equity firm, the immediate reaction in some corners of the golf community was predictable. For a community of golfers who developed almost a familial bond with the innovative Oregon-based putter company that sparked the industry’s “zero-torque movement,” just the mention of private equity was enough to conjure mental images of corporate raiders dismantling all the things that made the brand special.
But L.A.B. Golf founder and co-CEO Sam Hahn is doing everything he can to assuage fears and assure the company’s loyal legion that’s not the case. Especially because he shared many of the same concerns when he first started pursuing outside investment two years ago to facilitate the company’s global growth.
After turning away a host interested investors he was concerned might kill the culture, make a quick profit and exit, Hahn is convinced L.A.B. Golf landed the right consumer-focused partner in L Catterton, a market-leading investment firm that manages approximately $37 billion of equity capital and has helped build premium brands such as Peloton, Equinox, and Birkenstock.
More than just financial support, Hahn and the L.A.B. Golf team were looking for “some real input and know-how from folks that have taken badass brands global.”
“When the conversations first started happening, I was vehemently opposed to doing anything with private equity, and the first handful of PE firms that we met with confirmed every one of my concerns,” Hahn explained in an interview. “There was literally not a single group that came into the building that didn’t mention the flip and their exit within the first 20 minutes of being there. And it was just like, ‘Sorry, that’s not why we’re doing this.’”
While L.A.B. Golf has experienced explosive growth in recent years, that success also exposed the … More limitations of its existing operation.
L.A.B. Golf
Track Record and Philosophy
For L.A.B. Golf what made L Catterton different was their track record and philosophy. The firm has built a reputation on nurturing consumer brands rather than stripping them for parts, with a portfolio of lifestyle brands that have managed to retain their identity while scaling globally.
The approach aligns with Hahn’s vision for L.A.B. Golf’s future. “Dope AF,” is how Hahn, in his inimitable way, described his new partners in an initial Facebook post acknowledging the transaction.
J.J. Spaun’s U.S. Open victory, clinched with his L.A.B. Golf putter, was a magic moment for the … More company. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
PGA TOUR
L.A.B. Golf has experienced explosive growth in recent years, including added momentum from J.J. Spaun’s win at the U.S. Open, but that success also exposed the limitations of remaining a smaller, undermanned operation.
“You can’t do what we’ve done without it being a ragtag group of folks that are running the business entirely on passion,” Hahn acknowledged. “And L Catterton is very clear that passion needs to be continued, to be cultivated, and it needs to be combined with a level of professionalization that’s simply necessary at this moment.”
Majority Investment
The $200 million valuation reported by the Wall Street Journal reflects what Hahn confirms is a “significant majority” investment in L.A.B. Golf by L Catterton.
Adam Scott has been one of the most successful adopters of the L.A.B. Golf putters on the PGA Tour. … More (Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
PGA TOUR
“With our deep consumer insights, our experiences growing product companies and brands, and our hands-on operational resources, we’re excited to help L.A.B. Golf grow its business, broaden and improve its already exceptional product assortment, and reach more golfers around the world,” said Matt Nugent, Partner at L Catterton.
“What immediately stood out about L.A.B. Golf is the strength of the product, the passion of its community, and the success it has had creating significant innovations that are benefiting golfers.”
It’s that passion – a unique level of emotional investment by golfers — that has made the acquisition particularly sensitive for many in the L.A.B. Golf customer base. The company, recognized in 2025 as one of the Top 100 businesses in golf, has cultivated a community of sorts.
“Our customers have a level of buy-in you typically don’t see with a relationship with a golf company,” Hahn said. “Everybody’s felt a little sense of ownership of L.A.B., and so they’ve been patient and rooting for us and coming along with all of our growing pains, the long lead times, occasional quality screw-ups, policy changes and all the other stuff.”
Future Focus
So, what’s next?
For Hahn, the short-term priorities are clear, and customer focused.
“The first thing that you’re going to see is just proper infrastructure to get our customers served with a higher quality product faster,” he said. “So that’ll be entirely about recruiting — getting the right talent in the building to help us execute. Our team is extremely small, and this deal took a long time.”
The timing of the acquisition, with a back-and-forth that started in January, created its own challenges. L.A.B. Golf had been “frozen in time” during the lengthy due diligence process, performing “way above projections all year” but unable to make the significant operational investments needed to keep pace with demand.
L.A.B. Golf founder Sam Hahn said he initially had concerns upon first pursuing outside investment … More two years ago to facilitate the company’s growth.
L.A.B. Golf
Beyond addressing immediate operational needs, Hahn sees the partnership enabling L.A.B. to stay true to its core principle: product innovation over marketing gimmicks.
“My favorite thing about L Catterton is that they do seem to, in spades, understand that as soon as you let the marketing team start dictating the (research & development) agenda, you’re f***ed,” Hahn said with characteristic bluntness. “We are very much going in the opposite direction. We plan to invest heavily in R&D and product development. If the product is good, one of the beauties of having technology that actually works is you don’t have to spend nearly as much on marketing, because the product does the marketing for you.”
Hahn to Remain With L.A.B.
Looking ahead, Hahn envisions L.A.B. Golf exploring new territory (and possibly expanding into other equipment categories) while staying grounded in its engineering-first approach. “We’re certainly exploring all of the budding technologies around AI and 3D printing and any number of other technologies that are fairly underutilized in the space,” Hahn says, while emphasizing there are currently no specific plans relative to other product categories.
The zero-torque putters from L.A.B. Golf have developed a passionate following despite their … More unconventional design.
L.A.B. Golf
For Hahn personally, the investment represents an opportunity to continue doing what he loves while having the resources to do it properly. This move wasn’t about “cashing out,” despite some speculation about his motivations. He’s definitely not going elsewhere.
“The saddest thing in some of the social media commentary is people suggesting that this was just a money play for me,” he said. “I’m not allergic to money, but it’s not a motivating factor for me. I just love all of this. I love being around the game. I adore everyone that I work with.”
A Better Putter
Hahn insists the company’s founding philosophy wasn’t just to build a brand, it was to build a better putter. That mission has resonated with passionate golfers frustrated by traditional options, and Hahn says he’s thrilled to find a partner who shares the same vision and values.
“These people are not operators. This is not their M.O.,” Hahn notes. “It doesn’t take much research to look into their portfolio and see they have a ridiculously strong track record of doing what we need, which is to take an extraordinary brand built on deeply rooted principles and values and take it global and professionalize the business.”
A detailed view of the L.A.B Golf putter of Adam Scott of Australia prior to the 2025 Hero Dubai … More Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club in January, when L.A.B. first began talks with L Catterton. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Getty Images
The ultimate measure of the partnership likely won’t come down to financial projections or growth metrics, but whether L.A.B. Golf can maintain the innovative spirit and customer-first approach that created its passionate following in the first place.
For a company that built its reputation on eliminating the dreaded torque that throws putting strokes off-line, perhaps it is only fitting the future focus is keeping their own trajectory on the right path.
