Next Step for Zero-Torque Putters

L.A.B. Golf advances the zero-toque revolution it started with the game’s first heel-shafted, ZT blades

By Tony Dear

It’s a tricky question that quirky brands have to ask themselves – do you keep making your original, unconventional design or do you tweak or adapt the technology/philosophy to make it a little more mainstream?

By adapting, you could open up a new wave of customers. Or you could be seen to be abandoning your principles and the product that got you noticed in the first place. Not only might you fail to gain any more customers, but you could lose those you had.

So it was for L.A.B. Golf and its maverick putters.

By now, you’ll know all about L.A.B. Golf and other manufacturers’ zero-torque putters – clubs that align the shaft axis with the head’s Center of Gravity (CG) to minimize head-twisting during the putting stroke. The dimensions, weighting, and position of the hosel in conventional putters make them want to open then close during the stroke, but the face of zero-torque models remain square to the path of your stroke.

How well you consistently return a square face to the ball with a conventional putter depends on your level of skill. Obviously, the likes of Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus, Brad Faxon, Dave Stockton, Seve Ballesteros, Bobby Locke, Billy Casper, etc. could do it pretty well.

You can do it too, occasionally, and learning to putt with a zero-torque model may feel awkward and take a little time. But the whole point of them is that you don’t need to judge how much to release your hands (or not release them) because the putter wants to keep the face square to the stroke, eliminating the guesswork.

It’s good tech and makes total sense. The problem is, L.A.B. Golf’s original model, the DF (Directional Force) Reno, later renamed the DF 2.1, was something of a monster, an unsightly tool that only its maker (and a limited number of golfers for whom performance was more important than looks) could love. The size was one thing, and the ring shape wasn’t terribly attractive. Getting used to a center-shafted putter was also a big ask.

It didn’t really matter how well the club performed in testing or how convincing the tech sounded; a lot of golfers were going to take one brief look, grimace, and reject it.

To L.A.B. Golf’s eternal credit, however, it has rectified the problem without diluting the original technology. Its new Link 2.1 and Link 2.2 blade (heel/toe-weighted) models are heel-shafted and look altogether more pleasing to the eye, and they retain the original zero-torque formula.

It seems a simple idea, but actually getting heel-shafted blade putters to perform like center-shafted zero-torque mallets was a complicated process. It required lengthening the hosel (L.A.B. calls them ‘risers’) to alter the lie of the shaft and ensure the axis of the shaft still pointed directly at the head’s CG. Sizing/shaping the head and adding the sole weights was also important.

The result is a putter that has the same zero-torque qualities as every other L.A.B. model. And because it’s made from soft, but durable, 303 Stainless Steel, there is no need for an insert, and the milled face provides a sweet feel that gets the ball rolling consistently. The black, PVD finish is a nice touch, too.

The new L.A.B. Golf Link 2.1 and Link 2.2 aren’t inexpensive, but they perform like L.A.B. mallets ‘of old’, and they’ll satisfy a lot of golfers’ need to have a club they like the look of. That combination makes the release of the Link 2.1 and Link 2.2 a very important moment in the evolution of the company and, indeed, the zero-torque movement.

$499 (stock), $599 and up (custom)
Right and left-hand
Available – now (online), April 23 (retail)
Visit L.A.B. Golf website for custom-fitting options (shaft, grip, lie angle, shaft length, head weight, alignment marking, etc.)
labgolf.com

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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