L.A.B golf putters

Backsticks

Assistant Pro
Banned
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
3,852
Visit site
Certainly shows how Average Golfer is indeed like the average golfer, and gullible for any non scientific nonsense packaged as science that passes his way.
Its partly funy, partly scandalous that they can get away with such outrageous claims.
Why arent the pros using it he asks ? Because it isnt better than any other putter !
 
Last edited:

nickjdavis

Head Pro
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
3,871
Visit site
Certainly shows how Average Golfer is indeed like the average golfer, and gullible for any non scientific nonsense packaged as science that passes his way.
Its partly funy, partly scandalous that they can get away with such outrageous claims.
Why arent the pros using it he asks ? Because it isnt better than any other putter !

What non scientific nonsense was packaged as science?
What outrageous claims are being made by LAB?
 

Mandofred

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2020
Messages
2,880
Location
Harrogate
Visit site
I'd love to give it a try......if I didn't have to pay for it. But then again.....I'd love to have a chance to use a whole bunch of different putters for a week at a time. I keep several different putters from the past that work at times for me. Odyssey 7 (fang), Ping Fetch, Odyssey Ten, and now the Evnroll ER2. I've never tried a centre shafted putter for more than a couple smacks in the pro shop, I've wondered how I would get on with a week long try in the bag.

It's a putter, I'm sure it is a good putter......there are lots of good putters out there. Look at how many different putter styles are being used by the pro's these days....not to mention different kinds/sizes of grips and ways of holding the putter. It wasn't that long ago that you wouldn't have seen these things. Change is good.....
 

tugglesf239

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Aug 12, 2012
Messages
2,840
Location
Wigan
Visit site
Mates got one.

Think it’s called the Mezz or something.

I think it is utterly fugly personally. The shaft enters the grip diagonally to force you to have a forward lean at address.

I’ve had a few rolls with it. It feels lovely if the face tbh. Very soft and smooth. The grip material is also very pleasant.

I don’t like the angles looking down on it personally.

that said. he loves it and i Genuinely think he is putting a lot better than before.
 

Neilds

Assistant Pro
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
4,367
Location
Wiltshire
Visit site
Why arent the pros using it he asks ? Because it isnt better than any other putter !

Might be that they aren't sponsored by LAB so cannot use it? It's not like they can disguise it as another make as it is so freaky looking :LOL:
Also, they may not need the extra 'help' that this putter gives as they are better than us at putting?
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
27,398
Location
Watford
Visit site
I'm not sure I see the worth of that swinging device showing the putter head moving around, unless you can somehow putt without holding the putter at all. Of course a toe-hang putter isn't going to flop open like that when you're holding it. I'm sure the LAB putter is probably pretty good, but that doesn't mean all other putters are no good, despite that guy's efforts. He's trying to make the point that their putters stay square, where as a toe-hang putter doesn't - but the whole point of a toe-hang is to allow for a stroke that isn't a straight line. So it seems to me if you have an arc in your stroke, and you buy one of these putters, you'd have to change how you putt. :unsure:
 

nickjdavis

Head Pro
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
3,871
Visit site
I'm not sure I see the worth of that swinging device showing the putter head moving around, unless you can somehow putt without holding the putter at all. Of course a toe-hang putter isn't going to flop open like that when you're holding it. I'm sure the LAB putter is probably pretty good, but that doesn't mean all other putters are no good, despite that guy's efforts. He's trying to make the point that their putters stay square, where as a toe-hang putter doesn't - but the whole point of a toe-hang is to allow for a stroke that isn't a straight line. So it seems to me if you have an arc in your stroke, and you buy one of these putters, you'd have to change how you putt. :unsure:

The device is just a demonstrator to show what the putter does naturally during the swing. All it is doing is showing that "other" putters swing wildly during the stroke around the axis of the shaft....even toe hang putters dont rotate in a consistent manner....they dont open gently on the backswing and then naturally close again during the downswing as most folks believe. What LAB are trying to demonstrate is that other putters are working against the golfer because the golfer has to exert some control over the club to prevent the wild rotations...whereas their putter maintains its "square to path" face angle throughout the stroke requiring less manipulation.

You can actually putt using the "revealer" as it is known (not in a real game as it would be classed as unusual equipment)....it s a bit disconcerting doing so but equally disconcerting to see the ball heading off where your stroke was sending it without deviation when you havent got a hold of the club!!!!
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
27,398
Location
Watford
Visit site
The device is just a demonstrator to show what the putter does naturally during the swing. All it is doing is showing that "other" putters swing wildly during the stroke around the axis of the shaft....even toe hang putters dont rotate in a consistent manner....they dont open gently on the backswing and then naturally close again during the downswing as most folks believe. What LAB are trying to demonstrate is that other putters are working against the golfer because the golfer has to exert some control over the club to prevent the wild rotations...whereas their putter maintains its "square to path" face angle throughout the stroke requiring less manipulation.

You can actually putt using the "revealer" as it is known (not in a real game as it would be classed as unusual equipment)....it s a bit disconcerting doing so but equally disconcerting to see the ball heading off where your stroke was sending it without deviation when you havent got a hold of the club!!!!
What I mean is, I thought that was the whole point. A toe-hang putter forces you do those things because otherwise, what you're doing would be wrong. If you do have an arc in your stroke (as I do) and are used to toe-hang putters - if you bought one of these would you be forced to change your stroke to a straighter one? i.e. other putters work with the player, but with LAB the player has to work with the putter?
 

nickjdavis

Head Pro
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
3,871
Visit site
What I mean is, I thought that was the whole point. A toe-hang putter forces you do those things because otherwise, what you're doing would be wrong. If you do have an arc in your stroke (as I do) and are used to toe-hang putters - if you bought one of these would you be forced to change your stroke to a straighter one? i.e. other putters work with the player, but with LAB the player has to work with the putter?

no I dont believe you would....I'm not sure that LAB make any claims about their putters being suitable for only a straight back straight through style of stroke....they work with arced strokes as well....all they claim is that the face will remain square to the swing path without any manipulation....and that is their "point of difference" over most other manufacturers.

Interestingly(?) on their website they do also highlight some other putters that do their best to reduce torque during the swing and show videos of them....the Odyssey Stroke Lab Seven performs particularly well as do products from Edel and Axis.
 

Backsticks

Assistant Pro
Banned
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
3,852
Visit site
Folks, think about the forces and torque involved here. The putter is not being held by a frictionless pivot. It is held in your hands ! The forces provoking the 'alarming' spinning of the club head in the video are nothing : how you align, your judge of the borrow, how you swing, the pace you judge and with which you hit the ball are everything. The club is not twisting in you hand due to its centre of gravity or balance. Its a complete red herring.
Its the putting equivalent of worrying about friction coefficients of tee material to maximise ball speed.
Or sock thickness and its effect on the stability of your stance.
Or boxers elastic tightness and its consequences for hip turn speed.
 

r0wly86

Head Pro
Joined
Aug 2, 2017
Messages
1,331
Visit site
The device is just a demonstrator to show what the putter does naturally during the swing. All it is doing is showing that "other" putters swing wildly during the stroke around the axis of the shaft....even toe hang putters dont rotate in a consistent manner....they dont open gently on the backswing and then naturally close again during the downswing as most folks believe. What LAB are trying to demonstrate is that other putters are working against the golfer because the golfer has to exert some control over the club to prevent the wild rotations...whereas their putter maintains its "square to path" face angle throughout the stroke requiring less manipulation.

You can actually putt using the "revealer" as it is known (not in a real game as it would be classed as unusual equipment)....it s a bit disconcerting doing so but equally disconcerting to see the ball heading off where your stroke was sending it without deviation when you havent got a hold of the club!!!!

The forces produced by a putter as seen in the "revealer" would be so weak, they can be seen when you put it in a device where there is very little friction or resistance. When gripping a putter even incredibly lightly the simple connection to the body would easily negate any force the putter is trying to exert by itself
 

nickjdavis

Head Pro
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
3,871
Visit site
The forces produced by a putter as seen in the "revealer" would be so weak, they can be seen when you put it in a device where there is very little friction or resistance. When gripping a putter even incredibly lightly the simple connection to the body would easily negate any force the putter is trying to exert by itself

i don't disagree....was just clarifying what LAB are using the "revealer" to do.....whether this is a real issue in practice may be debateable.
 

Springveldt

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 5, 2018
Messages
2,150
Visit site
Folks, think about the forces and torque involved here. The putter is not being held by a frictionless pivot. It is held in your hands ! The forces provoking the 'alarming' spinning of the club head in the video are nothing : how you align, your judge of the borrow, how you swing, the pace you judge and with which you hit the ball are everything. The club is not twisting in you hand due to its centre of gravity or balance. Its a complete red herring.
Its the putting equivalent of worrying about friction coefficients of tee material to maximise ball speed.
Or sock thickness and its effect on the stability of your stance.
Or boxers elastic tightness and its consequences for hip turn speed.
Exactly. When I was watching that I was thinking "well that's a load of crap as nothing is holding the putter. Does he think I putt by holding it lightly with my teeth or something?".

I'm about to leave to go play a round. Maybe I should dig out a raggy old pair of boxers since they will let me turn my hips quicker. :unsure:
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
27,398
Location
Watford
Visit site
Exactly. When I was watching that I was thinking "well that's a load of crap as nothing is holding the putter. Does he think I putt by holding it lightly with my teeth or something?".

I'm about to leave to go play a round. Maybe I should dig out a raggy old pair of boxers since they will let me turn my hips quicker. :unsure:
That's what I was getting at. The putter might be perfectly balanced, but if you the golfer close the face on the way through that it'll miss left every time won't it? The point of toe-hang and other weighted putters it to counter that sort of thing. He's tried to paint it as thought the very thing that's designed to help the golfer is a mistake that's hindering us in some way. :LOL:
 

peld

Active member
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Messages
517
Visit site
Thought id bump this thread two years on. I had a good result in an Open and have a wad of vouchers to use, and a LAB putter is the only thing im interested in at the moment albeit id still need to add a hefty chunk of cash to the vouchers (dont need shows, clothes or anything else). Quite keen on the DF3 but think id need to be fitted.

Have more people bought them?

Obviously we have seen them used a lot more on Tour now, and unsponsored too, so there is something in it.
 
Last edited:

HomerJSimpson

Hall of Famer
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
72,963
Location
Bracknell - Berkshire
Visit site
Thought id bump this thread two years on. I had a good result in an Open and have a wad of vouchers to use, and a LAB putter is the only think im interested in at the moment (albeit id still need to add a hefty chunk of cash to the vouchers). Quite keen on the DF3.

Have more people bought them?

Obviously we have seen them used a lot more on Tour now, and unsponsored too, so there is something in it.
Personally I think there are better putters out there and if I had vouchers to use I'd go t a SAM lab and get my stroke analysed and spend the vouchers on a new putter specific to the stroke
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
27,398
Location
Watford
Visit site
Thought id bump this thread two years on. I had a good result in an Open and have a wad of vouchers to use, and a LAB putter is the only think im interested in at the moment (albeit id still need to add a hefty chunk of cash to the vouchers). Quite keen on the DF3.

Have more people bought them?

Obviously we have seen them used a lot more on Tour now, and unsponsored too, so there is something in it.
I would love to try one but they are just silly money. The DF3 does look good - a vast improvement on the earlier version given that it's only two-thirds the size - Rick Shiels did a comparison of the two on his H.I.T channel and he was impressed with the new one.

There is a LAB at my local golf shop that someone has traded in - but it's the blade/anser version (Link 1), and the idiot previous owner changed the LAB foward-lean grip for a normal one so he's ruined it really. It still felt pretty good but if you were going to get a LAB you wouldn't get that one surely - you go the whole hog and get a proper out-there one! This one has been in there for months with a £400 price-tag and no one has picked it up yet.

It's interesting seeing my views above from two years ago. It's clear I believed in toe-hang at the time, but nowadays I think it's a bit of a myth! I use a face-balanced putter currently (Odyssey) and it's been so much better for me. I decided I didn't want my putter opening and closing by itself, I'd rather it was balanced so that I'm controlling the face myself.
 

peld

Active member
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Messages
517
Visit site
There is a LAB at my local golf shop that someone has traded in - but it's the blade/anser version (Link 1), and the idiot previous owner changed the LAB foward-lean grip for a normal one so he's ruined it really. It still felt pretty good but if you were going to get a LAB you wouldn't get that one surely - you go the whole hog and get a proper out-there one! This one has been in there for months with a £400 price-tag and no one has picked it up yet.
The Link 1 doesnt have a forward lean grip! Its the only one with a straight shaft and normal grip.
 
Top