MEMBER REVIEWS: L.A.B. Golf MEZZ.1 Putter (Early Access) Member Testing! See What Members Are Saying!

[SwingBlues]

18 minutes ago, xandersingh said:

Quick update after my second round with the Mezz. I spent a good 30 minutes on the putting green before the round and was still struggling with speed and distance control. First 9 holes were really tough. Then on the back 9 something clicked. I had realized I was so focused on doing something different with my putting to accommodate  the 'newness' of the Mezz, that I was just completely lost in my head about it. On the back 9 I decided to just go with my natural feels, and treat it like any other putter i've had. I found WAY more success. My speed improved greatly and i wasnt sacrificing any of the directional control I've gained with the Mezz. I think I'm just going to steadily and slowly improve with it until it beats out my other gamers. I have a big test with it on friday at Rustic Canyon in SOCAL. The greens there are really difficult to read and pretty quick. I always have a tough time putting there, so i'm looking forward to seeing how the Mezz performs for me!

 

 

Damn, you're real close to me. PM me, we should meet to compare notes 🤙

[driveandputtmachine]

37 minutes ago, Tupperwolf said:

From an engineering perspective, they can manufacture the main body of the Mezz to fit every lie angle and the center section where the shaft is installed is a separate piece.  That would cut costs.  They probably mass produce the center sections with different lie angles drilled as different models and assemble them.  I can see that the center, shaft section is attached to the main body with some screws from beneath.

That sounds like the most reasonable explanation.  I am guessing the two different screws in the center bottom are for attaching the center piece to the wing section of the putter.

[Red4282]

I put some time in last night rolling the mezz alongside my cobra on my carpet. Not sure when next time I will get to course because of weather. 
 

The number one thing that stood out to me in comparing was how much more forgiving the mezz is on mishits. It almost loses no speed whatsoever. The feel on mishits isnt harsh at all, but you get that slight sound difference that lets you know it was a mishit. 
 

More comparisons:

 

-Feel on centered strikes is very very similar. Mishits, cobra is firmer and less forgiving.

 

-Roll- both produce excellent roll

 

-alingment- i much prefer the cobra on alignment. Its not that the mezz is bad, i just think it could be better with longer lines, or contrasts.

 

-face control- i feel like i had a little better face control with the cobra. With the mezz, i would get some random pushes or pulls more often. I attribute this to just switching back and forth some, and also being “accustomed” to a traditional torque putter. Almost like sometimes mid stroke, i don't feel that torque and i get quick with the stroke. Just one of those things, have to put the time in.

 

 Im still committed to giving the mezz every opportunity to take the spot in the bag. Im gonna shelf the cobra for a while now that ive done adequate comparison, and game this thing and practice with it for the next couple of weeks/months. 

 

[labgolf]

5 hours ago, Red4282 said:

I put some time in last night rolling the mezz alongside my cobra on my carpet. Not sure when next time I will get to course because of weather. 
 

The number one thing that stood out to me in comparing was how much more forgiving the mezz is on mishits. It almost loses no speed whatsoever. The feel on mishits isnt harsh at all, but you get that slight sound difference that lets you know it was a mishit. 
 

More comparisons:

 

-Feel on centered strikes is very very similar. Mishits, cobra is firmer and less forgiving.

 

-Roll- both produce excellent roll

 

-alingment- i much prefer the cobra on alignment. Its not that the mezz is bad, i just think it could be better with longer lines, or contrasts.

 

-face control- i feel like i had a little better face control with the cobra. With the mezz, i would get some random pushes or pulls more often. I attribute this to just switching back and forth some, and also being “accustomed” to a traditional torque putter. Almost like sometimes mid stroke, i don't feel that torque and i get quick with the stroke. Just one of those things, have to put the time in.

 

 Im still committed to giving the mezz every opportunity to take the spot in the bag. Im gonna shelf the cobra for a while now that ive done adequate comparison, and game this thing and practice with it for the next couple of weeks/months. 

 

The feeling of the LAB putter "disappearing" is common at first. As you noted, it has a lot to do with missing the feeling of the putter torquing throughout the stroke. Just focus on consistent grip pressure and let the putter do its thing!

[xandersingh]

33 minutes ago, labgolf said:

The feeling of the LAB putter "disappearing" is common at first. As you noted, it has a lot to do with missing the feeling of the putter torquing throughout the stroke. Just focus on consistent grip pressure and let the putter do its thing!

consistent grip pressure is something i should work on. what is a grip pressure that you recommend? tight or loose?

[labgolf]

2 minutes ago, xandersingh said:

consistent grip pressure is something i should work on. what is a grip pressure that you recommend? tight or loose?

Ideally on the softer side. Most people have success with our stuff being passive with the hands though that can be over done. but the level of pressure is less important than it being consistent.

[HackinNut]

1 hour ago, labgolf said:

The feeling of the LAB putter "disappearing" is common at first. As you noted, it has a lot to do with missing the feeling of the putter torquing throughout the stroke. Just focus on consistent grip pressure and let the putter do its thing!

 

This is what I've liked about this putter so far.  The larger grip than I'm used to playing maybe to blame as well.  It helps me loosen my grip, so my hands are just barely on there just to help guide the club head ... a simple shoulder rocking motion & let the putter do it's thing.  I have the utmost confidence with this thing already.  🙂  

[SwingBlues]

36 minutes ago, labgolf said:

Ideally on the softer side. Most people have success with our stuff being passive with the hands though that can be over done. but the level of pressure is less important than it being consistent.

 

Yep. IMO, grip style also dictates how much pressure. Years ago, I went from a traditional 2 thumbs regular grip to a Pistol(claw style) grip and makes a world of difference. To me, the putter swings much more freely than when I was using conventional grip and the longer the putt, the more evident that is.

 

 

Also, thank you Sam (CEO LABS Golf) for reaching out this morning, it was a great conversation. Your team has a winner here with the Mezz.1 where form finally meets & exceed function 👍

 

ps now my DF is gonna get mad...😂

[HackinNut]

6 minutes ago, SwingBlues said:

 

Yep. IMO, grip style also dictates how much pressure. Years ago, I went from a traditional 2 thumbs regular grip to a Pistol(claw style) grip and makes a world of difference. To me, the putter swings much more freely than when I was using conventional grip and the longer the putt, the more evident that is.

 

 

Also, thank you Sam (CEO LABS Golf) for reaching out this morning, it was a great conversation. Your team has a winner here with the Mezz.1 where form finally meets & exceed function 👍

 

ps now my DF is gonna get mad...😂

 

Damn .... I was in a meeting when he called me.  I will have to touch base with him again just to let him know what a quality product they have & how much I believe in the technology 

[labgolf]

6 minutes ago, HackinNut said:

 

Damn .... I was in a meeting when he called me.  I will have to touch base with him again just to let him know what a quality product they have & how much I believe in the technology 

Call me anytime

[HackinNut]

I know it's still a putting mat in the Man Cave ... but I still like this grouping from 15 feet 🙂 

 

 

I like to use an arrow marked on the ball for added alignment aid as well.  Maybe because I've never gamed a center shafted putter, but I find this putter very easy to align on my intended starting line.  

 

[SwingBlues]

...by the way, if anyone figures out how to pick a ball up with the Mezz, let me know

 

ps message from my DF "I can do that, Mezz can't. Come back"

 

😂

[Red4282]

10 minutes ago, SwingBlues said:

...by the way, if anyone figures out how to pick a ball up with the Mezz, let me know

 

ps message from my DF "I can do that, Mezz can't. Come back"

 

😂

Haha yea i meant to say this as a “negative” in my review… when you have been scoopin balls up so long it just feels weird to have to bend over lol.

[CasualLie]

OK, I must still be in that phase of the putter "disappearing".  2nd round today, 30 putts, so 1 better than last time, and can't really say the different putter cost me more than 1 or 2 putts, maybe none.  Made all the putts 4 feet or under.  Still, it's too stressful relative to my old putter to be grinding on every putt for alignment and feel.

 

On the fence, will still give it a few more rounds.  Biggest like so far, smooth roll.  Biggest dislike, feel at setup...mostly not comfortable with the large grip.

[Red4282]

So i put another 30 minutes in today with it before work, and i stumbled on the “ticket”. Just tweaked ball position a bit and just started groovin the stroke. Interesting it wasnt front/middle adjustment but rather, i got closer to the ball, maybe 3/4 to 1 inch or so, raised the hands and shaft a bit and it made alllll the difference in the world. Why? Have no clue. Just felt like I wasnt fighting the club/face anymore. Alignment suddenly looked a ton better as well. Maybe @labgolf could offer some insight. If perhaps i was putting “toe up”, would this throw off the balance a bit?

 

Now Im excited to take it to the course. Expecting really great results.

 

Edit, just realized Sam from LAB called me to help me! Missed the call. Appreciate it, Ill give you a call back if I have anymore issues, but I think I got it figured out!

Edited January 5, 2022 by Red4282

[My2Dogs]

9 hours ago, labgolf said:

Call me anytime

Sam called me as well today but I was in meetings all day and could call him back.  I’m feeling so confident in the putter that I’m using it tomorrow in a tourney.  That will be the real test under some pressure.  
 

im def calling him back just to thank him as I thought it was very cool of him to reach out.  Also to really let him know how good this putter- all his putters are.  

[My2Dogs]

BTW- I looked up some stats about putting and the testers who remarked about 31 putts and it’s not as bad as it sounds.  31 putts per round is good.  My 30 putts the other day is good.  Here are some averages for putting by handicap.

 

[HackinNut]

18 hours ago, Red4282 said:

Haha yea i meant to say this as a “negative” in my review… when you have been scoopin balls up so long it just feels weird to have to bend over lol.

 

18 hours ago, SwingBlues said:

...by the way, if anyone figures out how to pick a ball up with the Mezz, let me know

 

ps message from my DF "I can do that, Mezz can't. Come back"

 

😂

 

You guys need one of these .... problem solved.  🙂 

 

[HackinNut]

17 hours ago, Red4282 said:

So i put another 30 minutes in today with it before work, and i stumbled on the “ticket”. Just tweaked ball position a bit and just started groovin the stroke. Interesting it wasnt front/middle adjustment but rather, i got closer to the ball, maybe 3/4 to 1 inch or so, raised the hands and shaft a bit and it made alllll the difference in the world. Why? Have no clue. Just felt like I wasnt fighting the club/face anymore. Alignment suddenly looked a ton better as well. Maybe @labgolf could offer some insight. If perhaps i was putting “toe up”, would this throw off the balance a bit?

 

Now Im excited to take it to the course. Expecting really great results.

 

Edit, just realized Sam from LAB called me to help me! Missed the call. Appreciate it, Ill give you a call back if I have anymore issues, but I think I got it figured out!

 

This one of the things I liked about the MEZZ .... it sits perfectly every time behind the ball.  It doesn't allow the toe to get up in the air.  This was one of the problems I had with the Scotty without having to remember to manipulate my hands up every time.  

Now I just need to get the damn weather to cooperate 😉 

[labgolf]

20 hours ago, CasualLie said:

OK, I must still be in that phase of the putter "disappearing".  2nd round today, 30 putts, so 1 better than last time, and can't really say the different putter cost me more than 1 or 2 putts, maybe none.  Made all the putts 4 feet or under.  Still, it's too stressful relative to my old putter to be grinding on every putt for alignment and feel.

 

On the fence, will still give it a few more rounds.  Biggest like so far, smooth roll.  Biggest dislike, feel at setup...mostly not comfortable with the large grip.

Do you have the 1.5° or 3° grip?

[CasualLie]

1.5*

[labgolf]

1 hour ago, CasualLie said:

1.5*

Hmmm. Keep fiddling. Post a pic of your hands on the grip here. You can also message me and we can see if we can get you dialed

[My2Dogs]

So I played in a tournament today and used the Mezz.  The greens were really quick, surprisingly quick.  I haven’t played this course in over 12+ years but even the 2 members we played with said the greens were fast.  Today was a dense fog to start the day and thinning as the day went on but overcast and a high of 50* but when we teed off it was around 44* but just felt much colder.

 

I did really well on the front side as I had 4 birdies but on the backside I didn’t have any.  Got distracted with work emails and calls flooding in.  Still shot well as I won my flight.   However I missed 6 putts within 6 feet (three of those were 4 or in).  2 of those were ones that we all thought should have broke and that’s how golf goes.  The other 4 were straight pulls left.  I was putting downhill and I tried to make a confident stroke but still gentle.  I kept missing left.  I think on really short putts I have to even play farther back in my stance.  Could be the nerves but it just felt like really small putting strokes wanted to go left.  
 

besides those few, the putter worked great.  Awesome speed control on these speedy greens.  Rolled very true and held the lines.  

[CCTxGolf]

On 1/5/2022 at 5:03 PM, CasualLie said:

OK, I must still be in that phase of the putter "disappearing".  2nd round today, 30 putts, so 1 better than last time, and can't really say the different putter cost me more than 1 or 2 putts, maybe none.  Made all the putts 4 feet or under.  Still, it's too stressful relative to my old putter to be grinding on every putt for alignment and feel.

 

On the fence, will still give it a few more rounds.  Biggest like so far, smooth roll.  Biggest dislike, feel at setup...mostly not comfortable with the large grip.

I was trying to figure out how to put this in words. I feel like at this stage I’m grinding way to hard on even the short putts.

 

I played my second round today and it did not go well at all. I just cannot aim very well on short putts. Inside 6 feet or so I’ve lost some confidence for sure. 
 

i know it’s something that more time with the putter will heal.

 

The roll that this putter puts on the ball with my stroke is magnificent. It rolls immediately with no jumping. My weight on putts has been great. 
 

just need to build confidence in aim. My knees are knocking over 2 footers with this thing right now

[Red4282]

51 minutes ago, CCTxGolf said:

I was trying to figure out how to put this in words. I feel like at this stage I’m grinding way to hard on even the short putts.

 

I played my second round today and it did not go well at all. I just cannot aim very well on short putts. Inside 6 feet or so I’ve lost some confidence for sure. 
 

i know it’s something that more time with the putter will heal.

 

The roll that this putter puts on the ball with my stroke is magnificent. It rolls immediately with no jumping. My weight on putts has been great. 
 

just need to build confidence in aim. My knees are knocking over 2 footers with this thing right now

Soft and smooth (let the putter do the work) One of the best drills i remember with the df was the two ball drill, where you putt with two balls riding on the back. If your stroke was too quick the balls would fly off. Cant do that drill with the mezz obviously, but with the no torque putters, just let it do its thing. As far as alinment, keep playing around with ball positions and stances. Just a matter of getting your eyes in the right place.

[SwingBlues]

This evening, took out the Mezz.1 and my DF to El Cariso GC in Sylmar.

 

Greens were micro punched but had decent speed. Picked a section where there was a good 4* slope on one side. There were 3 holes setup so I could go clockwise and counter clockwise to mix the putting up a fair bit including slopeage differences.

 

I had a lot of fun rolling the Mezz.1, felt the speed was pretty good even the 1st puttl. Checked my setup, eyes and head it felt nicely aligned with the putter.  Softness in the middle contacts. Not so soft is toe or heel putting.

 

Then I pulled out the DF. I said this to Sam in my call, I think my DF is hotter. It felt hotter. Thinking about it it may be 2 things -

1. DF has all the weight directly behind the middle of the face - right along the center line.

 

2. May be because it is a heavier weighted putter with the BGT Stability and the OG Press 3.0 grip.

 

As a comparison, I use the same Pistol/Claw grip on both putter. On my DF, my setup is right at the bottom of the grip, thats the best setup for me.

 

However, on the Mezz.1, I have to move the whole setup up an inch - where the "O" in the new Press 1.5 grip. This makes it just a wee longer.

 

That takes care of the difference in the hotness.

 

Also, definitely softer feel with the Mezz.1 and I used the same ChromeSoft ball during the practice.

 

 

I'll be at the Golf Development Center range in Moorpark, California at around 3:30 PM tomorrow, Friday. Come by if you want to meet and greet the Mezz.1. You'll know me by the Mezz.1 putter since I will be the only there with it....😜

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by SwingBlues

[HackinNut]

I'm already sick of winter ... another 4" of snow last night.  Going to be a while before I'm actually back on the course.  😤

[My2Dogs]

So 3rd time on actual course and 2nd day in a row playing.  Played at Yocha Dehe Golf Club up in N. CA.  Each time I play, I’m getting more and more comfortable with the Mezz.  It does take some practice to get used to the feel/distance control but today I putted very well and it felt natural.  A buddy I’ve played with several times at Yocha told me that today was the best he’s seen me putt before.  We played from the golds which are 6,900 (today they had a couple up so it played like 6,700 but it was cold, rained a bit and wind).  Giving the distance to show we didn’t have short approach shots so I was usually putting from a decent distance when making the greens in reg.  If anyone is familiar with Yocha Dehe, you know they have very large and undulating greens.  
 

The greens were rolling very well, no spike marks or many digits as only a handful of guys went out today due to the weather.  The Tournament I played at yesterday had much faster greens and Yocha’s greens are not slow.  
 

First hole I had a good 50 feet over a ridge and down a slope.  Hit it to less than a foot and then birdied the next hole.  Pin placements were not easy today but the Mezz has me feeling very comfortable now, where I’m making confident solid strokes.  Only had 1 half hearted attempt and it was the last hole for me to shoot even on the backside.  Blew it, haha.  However I then tried it again and told myself to hit it like I meant it, drained it dead in the middle.  My reads are getting better as well as again I don’t have to play as much break.  I’m also finding I can play the ball out on the toe for those testy 3-4 footers and make a solid stroke without having to fear it zipping past.  As stated earlier on quick, downhill putts where you have to make a 1-2 inch putting stroke I was pulling it left or was timid.  Putting it out on the toe, let’s me make a little longer stroke but still have the distance control of a smaller stroke.  Worked really well.  Rough was thick and I made several 10 footers to save par today.  Very impressed.  I’m changing my signature to the Mezz as it’s squarely in the bag.

 

[My2Dogs]

On 1/4/2022 at 7:44 AM, CasualLie said:

@My2Dogs @SwingBlues  Thank you for the info on ball position.  I am going to back it up just a bit to see if that helps the left tendency I was also experiencing.

No problem.  If you haven’t read all my posts so far,  I was having some issues with short quick putts where you have to make a really small stroke.  I was pulling those, even at the same ball position I play for longer putts.  Remedied that by putting the ball out on the toe.  That let me hit a little longer stroke without the ball going long.  Out on the toe deadened the pace and it helped me not pull the putts left. 

[Orange Hog]

I'm digging into my putting stats from the last 10 and 20 rounds to see what trends I've noticed since I started using the LAB DF 2.1 putter.  Very interesting observations and I think (based on initial time with the Mezz) I'll only see this trend continue.

 

Average putts over the last 20 rounds: 32.2

Average putts over the last 10 rounds: 30.8

 

 

 

Average score over the last 20 rounds: 83.7

Average score over the last 10 rounds: 82.3

 

I'm shaving approx 1.4 strokes/round off my average round of golf and it appears to be directly related to the LAB putter going into the bag full-time and really getting dialed with set up and feel.  I ended 2021 at my lowest handicap ever (7.7) because of this.  All this being stated to validate that the technology works if you let it.

 

Looking forward to getting some more run time with the Mezz and hopefully some data soon to compare it against the DF 2.1.  Now if Sam and his team can somehow start making irons and drivers that will shave this many shots off my scorecard then take all my money!!