LAB DF3 Order is in!

[Minarets]

16 minutes ago, KnoxvilleReb said:

Played my first round with the DF3 this weekend. Had zero 3 putts and Arccos had my putting handicap equivalent to a +1. Only missed twice all day from inside 10 feet, both due to misreads on tricky cross grain slopes. My biggest fear from hearing others experience with LAB was developing the ability to lag it, but I found consistency with it right away. Not the longest first putts in the world (17' average, 5x ~20', 2x ~35', 1x ~45'), but will still take no three-putting from there every day of the week. 

LAB putters are the best lag putters I have ever used. Where I have struggled at times were inside 7’-10’ compared to my non-LAB putters.  
 

not sure the lag success was due to the upgraded shafts, the science behind the DF2.1 or all of it.  The lags have been amazing.  
 

where I struggled with DF2.1 was “touch” on shorter putts.  I like to take break out of putts where I can and finding the starting line and i have struggles some with not smoking it through break. Worked some this weekend on smaller backstroke on shorter stuff.  Will see how it works.  

[Tommyboi95]

42 minutes ago, KnoxvilleReb said:

Played my first round with the DF3 this weekend. Had zero 3 putts and Arccos had my putting handicap equivalent to a +1. Only missed twice all day from inside 10 feet, both due to misreads on tricky cross grain slopes. My biggest fear from hearing others experience with LAB was developing the ability to lag it, but I found consistency with it right away. Not the longest first putts in the world (17' average, 5x ~20', 2x ~35', 1x ~45'), but will still take no three-putting from there every day of the week. 

What’s your build?

[mattk22]

So, I received mine on Friday.  Literally came seconds before I left for my round.  Played Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Not ideal conditions any day, raining or super wet each day.  This is my first LAB putter.  I have that Accura shaft, I was really surprised how soft it was, I really like that.  Very stable on off center strikes.  The other thing I noticed is that I wanted to play the ball very forward because of the shaft coming so far behind the putter face.  This was causing me to pull my putts.  once i figured that I needed to just move the ball back a touch I was rolling them really well.  great putter, can't wait to get out in some better conditions with it.  

[KnoxvilleReb]

15 minutes ago, Minarets said:

LAB putters are the best lag putters I have ever used. Where I have struggled at times were inside 7’-10’ compared to my non-LAB putters.  
 

not sure the lag success was due to the upgraded shafts, the science behind the DF2.1 or all of it.  The lags have been amazing.  
 

where I struggled with DF2.1 was “touch” on shorter putts.  I like to take break out of putts where I can and finding the starting line and i have struggles some with not smoking it through break. Worked some this weekend on smaller backstroke on shorter stuff.  Will see how it works.  

This isn't specific to LAB putters, but the method i've found great success using for speed is keeping your tempo the same for all putts and just letting the length of the back stroke dictate how long the putt will roll. I'll go to the practice green before a round and find a flat spot and calibrate how far the ball rolls with I bring the club face back to the inside of my back foot. Typically this is 5-6 yards/paces. I know generally if I bring it back to the middle of my back foot, it will add 2 yards to that, and the backside of my back foot will add 4 yards. Same for going with the shorter back stroke on shorter putts. 

 

So my preshot routine is to walk off each putt (typically try to find a way to do this in a way that doesn't slow down play, such as pulling the pin for the group before everyone putts, etc), think about the impact of uphill/downhill, and then on shorter putts think about how you want to approach the slope (e.g. hitting a flat 6 foot putt with 9 feet of pace if you're trying to take the break out in your example).  

 

[KnoxvilleReb]

8 minutes ago, Tommyboi95 said:

What’s your build?

40" CB, 72* upright, Accra shaft. I did a remote fitting for a standard build and they came back with 39" and 72* upright (i'm tall with a bad back). They don't make standard putters that long and I had been enjoying success with a 39" jailbird, so decided to go for the 40" CB, which is the longest length they offer in the CB.  

[Wardonation]

1 minute ago, KnoxvilleReb said:

40" CB, 72* upright, Accra shaft. I did a remote fitting for a standard build and they came back with 39" and 72* upright (i'm tall with a bad back). They don't make standard putters that long and I had been enjoying success with a 39" jailbird, so decided to go for the 40" CB, which is the longest length they offer in the CB.  

Do you happen to know the head weight by chance?

[KnoxvilleReb]

2 minutes ago, Wardonation said:

Do you happen to know the head weight by chance?

I went with the standard option, but not sure beyond that. 

[Tommyboi95]

4 minutes ago, Wardonation said:

Do you happen to know the head weight by chance?

Curious to see how heavy the 36” heavy my CB will be..

[Minarets]

54 minutes ago, KnoxvilleReb said:

40" CB, 72* upright, Accra shaft. I did a remote fitting for a standard build and they came back with 39" and 72* upright (i'm tall with a bad back). They don't make standard putters that long and I had been enjoying success with a 39" jailbird, so decided to go for the 40" CB, which is the longest length they offer in the CB.  

Would love to know your thoughts compared to jailbird. 

[KnoxvilleReb]

36 minutes ago, Minarets said:

Would love to know your thoughts compared to jailbird. 

This is just my opinion, and I haven't hit them side by side or anything (I did use the jailbird all winter before subbing it for the DF3), so take any answers with a grain of salt. The Jailbird feels a little heavier imo. My miss with the jailbird is to let the clubhead release, which hasn't been the case with the DF3 (could be user component here as I know the DF3 will stay square if I don't mess it up). The biggest things i've noticed are (1) The difference in perceived weight, which I think is due to the zero torque in the DF3, and (2) that the DF3 is more forgiving out of the toe, which is my common miss. I really like the jailbird and have had some great rounds with it, but like the DF3 a little more and will be committing to it as my gamer. 

 

Also, it took a little bit of practice to get used to, but I find that I put a better roll on the DF3 due to having it setup inside my lead foot. At first I was trying to add shaft lean like I usually do, but once I kind of realized the shaft lean was already built it and I could just make a normal stroke I found it easier to get the DF3 rolling end over end, and quicker, than the Jailbird. This suits me though as I've always had an easier time aligning the ball when it's a little more forward in my stance than traditional, but had a harder time hitting my start like with that alignment with a putter with a traditional hosel. Not something I thought about when I ordered the DF3, but an unintended benefit for sure. Really I don't have a bad thing to say about the DF3. It's a really good putter i'm very excited about. 

[Gamble Gamble]

On 3/2/2024 at 8:37 PM, Minarets said:

I do think the DF3 feels better than my DF2.1. More solid feeling and less tingy.  

 

On 3/2/2024 at 9:16 PM, OspreyCI said:

100% agree. BIG improvement on feel over the 2.1.

 

On 3/2/2024 at 9:55 PM, Negncic said:

I third that thought. Much more solid and a better sound. 

 

Are you guys comparing the DF2.1 with a metal shaft to a DF3?  

 

I have the BGT Tour in my DF2.1 and the BGT One in the DF3.1 and when i put with them round robin, they feel and sound identical.  The DF2.1 seems like it is a little "hotter" off the face but i do not have a way to quantify that just yet.  Give me a week or two 

 

[Minarets]

2 hours ago, Gamble Gamble said:

 

 

 

Are you guys comparing the DF2.1 with a metal shaft to a DF3?  

 

I have the BGT Tour in my DF2.1 and the BGT One in the DF3.1 and when i put with them round robin, they feel and sound identical.  The DF2.1 seems like it is a little "hotter" off the face but i do not have a way to quantify that just yet.  Give me a week or two 

 

No sir.  I had the BGT but now have a KBS GPS shaft in my DF2.1.   Comparing that to a stock DF3 which does have the steel shaft in them. 

[Tommyboi95]

1 minute ago, Minarets said:

No sir.  I had the BGT but now have a KBS GPS shaft in my DF2.1.   Comparing that to a stock DF3 which does have the steel shaft in them. 

Thoughts on the KB

[Minarets]

1 minute ago, Tommyboi95 said:

Thoughts on the KB

Hard to find somebody that will re-shaft it but I like it a lot. I loved the BGT. The KBS feels similar to me. The color options are cool, but that doesn’t really matter to me. The DF two point one with a graphite shaft has just been the best lag putter I’ve ever used.

[vreek]

Has anyone fit into a standard length putter at a very upright lie? I did a fitting at club champion for a DF3 and fit into 33" (my current putter length) but at 77°. I'm second guessing it since it is so upright, especially compared to standard and everyone else's orders. Basically the toe was slightly off the ground but the fitter noted my initial unconscious beginning move in my putting stroke was to flatten the putter head slightly. I was rolling it well but just seems to be such an outlier from a lie angle perspective. For reference, I'm just an average 5' 9" guy and don't feel like I have a real goofy putting stance other than being slightly open at address.

[VanTheMan0519]

I had a Mezz Max but felt like I didn’t give it a solid chance. Rolled the DF3 in store and still had that same thought of inconsistency. However the roll was pure. Ah decisions decisions lol. 

[rooski]

9 hours ago, Wardonation said:

Do you happen to know the head weight by chance?

 

I got picked to do the DF3 testing for WRX and when I was spec'ing mine out I was asking about this because I currently use a counterbalance putter and wanted to continue.

 

The guy doing my fitting with me said the standard head weight for the CB setup was 375-380g. I imagine the range accounts for the small discrepancies they run into when balancing

Edited March 5 by rooski

[moadhia]

1 hour ago, vreek said:

Has anyone fit into a standard length putter at a very upright lie? I did a fitting at club champion for a DF3 and fit into 33" (my current putter length) but at 77°. I'm second guessing it since it is so upright, especially compared to standard and everyone else's orders. Basically the toe was slightly off the ground but the fitter noted my initial unconscious beginning move in my putting stroke was to flatten the putter head slightly. I was rolling it well but just seems to be such an outlier from a lie angle perspective. For reference, I'm just an average 5' 9" guy and don't feel like I have a real goofy putting stance other than being slightly open at address.

my specs are 34 /78 . I don’t have the df3 in hand yet but I have a 35/79.5 mezz max on me. It feels really good to me. I can knock in 10-15 10 footers in a row on my birdie ball putting mat. I put like Steve stricker ( on a standard lie putters) if that gives you an idea of the setup and stroke.

I don’t understand how people put with 69/70 lie putters 😛 

 

[Minarets]

I too don’t understand 69 lie angles but I use 75 and thought that was crazy.  

[sun]

How are orders shipping for others? I ordered on February 12th. Custom build, but nothing special. Heavier head, platinum finish and steel shaft. It went into production on February 20th. It's been 13 days, but it sounds as though folks were getting theirs shipped after 8-9 days of production. 

[txbadger]

15 minutes ago, sun said:

How are orders shipping for others? I ordered on February 12th. Custom build, but nothing special. Heavier head, platinum finish and steel shaft. It went into production on February 20th. It's been 13 days, but it sounds as though folks were getting theirs shipped after 8-9 days of production. 

I ordered the day after you.   Not sure exactly when mine went into production as I never saw an email but once I registered for on the LAB site and had them connect my order to my account it showed up as in production.   Mine shipped today so maybe yours will be soon.   I had heavier head, black finish, accra shaft, pistol grip. 

[ck800]

1 hour ago, sun said:

How are orders shipping for others? I ordered on February 12th. Custom build, but nothing special. Heavier head, platinum finish and steel shaft. It went into production on February 20th. It's been 13 days, but it sounds as though folks were getting theirs shipped after 8-9 days of production. 

I've also been in production since the 20th. Sad times

[wcbjr]

I custom ordered on the 13th.  Nothing out of the ordinary and I am still in processing.  Maybe it's because of the platinum color instead of black...

[moadhia]

Ordered a blue head on 2/18 and it’s still in processing. I have a feeling non-black colors are slower to go to production 

Edited March 5 by moadhia

[SwingMan]

I ordered, sent in the remote fitting a week later, and Max and I discussed heavy head versus standard, swing weight, and length via email. So it came out to this...

 

As to lie angle, my wrists are arched but not too much and my feet are not too close to the ball at address- about 2 putter head lengths away so eyes are just inside and just behind ball. So remote fitting lie angle is flat. I took my recent gamer with lie angle of 70 and arched my wrists more to flatten the sole and had better results on the putting green - so this will work. I went with the Press II 3 deg because with my grip, it was more comfortable and this putter grip would prevent any unwanted wrist movement. I putt with my shoulder clavicles going back, and my chest staying in its address position (doesn't turn). I also grip down - to about 34.5 - so I wanted some room at the top.

 

Hand: Right Putting Style: Standard

Putter Color: DF3 - Blue

Shaft Selection: L.A.B. Golf x TPT Shaft

Shaft length: 35"

Lie Angle: 67

Grip Selection: Press II 3º Smooth

Alignment Marking: C

Head Weight: Standard

Edited March 5 by SwingMan

[ephmen]

Ordered 2/20, production 2/27. Still in production

[SEP1006]

15 hours ago, vreek said:

Has anyone fit into a standard length putter at a very upright lie? I did a fitting at club champion for a DF3 and fit into 33" (my current putter length) but at 77°. I'm second guessing it since it is so upright, especially compared to standard and everyone else's orders. Basically the toe was slightly off the ground but the fitter noted my initial unconscious beginning move in my putting stroke was to flatten the putter head slightly. I was rolling it well but just seems to be such an outlier from a lie angle perspective. For reference, I'm just an average 5' 9" guy and don't feel like I have a real goofy putting stance other than being slightly open at address.

 

12 hours ago, Minarets said:

I too don’t understand 69 lie angles but I use 75 and thought that was crazy.  

 

I have a DF 3 at 35" with a 75* lie and Accra Shaft. I putt with a very upright stance and typically always have. Keep in mind this is the first time I've putted with a standard LAB putter.

 

I was lucky enough to be selected as well for the review. AFTER I placed my order for the one above I found out that one of the starters at my club was a LAB Rep.  

 

We spent about 30 minutes on the putting green and for whatever reason I putted best with a 71* lie at 35". So that's what I have coming. Got an email from Calvin last week stating they they are hoping to get the "contest winners" putters out late this week.

 

 

 

 

 

[JWilfred]

I ordered 2/10, went into production 2/20 and still in production

[ck800]

To make matters worse, I rolled a stock DF3 for about 30 minutes today and it was just absolutely amazing. The wait continues

[Gamble Gamble]

17 hours ago, vreek said:

Has anyone fit into a standard length putter at a very upright lie? I did a fitting at club champion for a DF3 and fit into 33" (my current putter length) but at 77°. I'm second guessing it since it is so upright, especially compared to standard and everyone else's orders. Basically the toe was slightly off the ground but the fitter noted my initial unconscious beginning move in my putting stroke was to flatten the putter head slightly. I was rolling it well but just seems to be such an outlier from a lie angle perspective. For reference, I'm just an average 5' 9" guy and don't feel like I have a real goofy putting stance other than being slightly open at address.

 

 

My specs are 33" 74* lie angle.  I prefer to putt with the most ulnar deviation possible while still being comfortable which led to my lie angle being 74.  I feel like it gives me the most naturally repeatable stroke i can do.   

 

I also saw a break down of Cam Smiths putting style and he does this as well.  I figure if it is good for him, it is good enough for me.