MEMBER REVIEWS: L.A.B. Golf DF3 Putter Testing | See What Members Are Saying!

[jasman29]

On 3/21/2024 at 3:44 PM, jasman29 said:

 

Update Update Update

 

Freshly back from my trip

To the Desert and a Member/Guest outing yesterday in SoCal.

Ill go through a day by day on-course review of performance and feel.

Friday’s round was our practice round and would be my first time on course with this putter and greens were running 11.5, then the tournament started on Saturday finishing on Sunday.

1.     On Course impressions/performance. On course I did a side by side with my gamer during the practice round hitting putts with both throughout the round just to get some numbers and work though my setup to the ball while lining my line on the ball to target for each putt, going through my routine as I would for a normal round.

i)       Friday Practice showed me what I need to be mindful of while switching to the DF3. I will say that my gamer, while it was close, made more putts on the front side than the DF3. I had a tendency to push putts on the front side, speed was fine but was struggling, especially with the left to right putts (my nightmare as a right hander) starting them on my intended line. The right to left putts I had little to no issues getting them to start on intended line. As I moved on to the back 9 I started to groove a bit more with the DF3, I really had to be mindful of my grip and grip pressure. For some background I have always played the SuperStroke Mid Slim 2.0 and the Press II 3 is just a bit large compared to what I am used to (more to come on this grip for me). Here are the stats EVNROLL front 9 putts total 14, DF3 Putts total 16. The back 9 was better and putts total for Gamer on back 9 was 17 which was the same for the DF3 at 17. I didn’t hit it very close to the hole and had a lot of 20+ footers. The good thing was no 3 putts. I don’t really 3 putt often and I putted everything out since when the tournament started I would need to anyway and wanted to have some confidence in doing so, especially on the little tickelers.

ii)      Saturday Tournament round- I was hoping to have some great news to report but my game and ball striking were terrible. Format was best ball front side and Champman on the back 9. I didn’t help my partner much on the front, I did make a 25+ footer for bogey  lol and the 2 holes that I did help I made about a 12 footer for birdie and a 15 footer to save par lol. During the chapman I still Struggled with my ball striking and we didn’t play to our expectations. Made about a 15 footer for birdie and that was about it. No 3 putts and never put my partner outside of gimme range when I had to putt. The feel of this putter is great. I have no issues with distance control I only had some pushes on the left to right putts which is my tendencies.  

iii)    After spending time after my Saturday round on the range to got my swing sorted out, we had a much better day 2 which was Shamble front 9 and Alternate shot back 9. We shot 5 under for the day and moved into the money for the event. I made a fair share of putts for birdie and a couple just lipped out. I had one 3 putt that power lipped out on a fast left to righter but other than that Speed control was great and on alternate shot never had my partner putt anything outside a gimme tap in. I had a couple of very fast 15-20 ft downhill putts and the DF3 just felt super stable and easy to control pace on very fast greens.

iv)    Wednesday member guest round – Played a tough course with fast undulated greens. Of course on the practice green I had some admirers of the Blue Beauty and a few jeers. One guy walked up to me as said “What is that thing” I let him roll a few and he was like “oh this thing swings nice but I don’t know if I could look at this all day”. Hey to each their own. I love mallets and I really like the looks of this putter and ultimately if you make putts and shave a couple strokes that is what it is all about. After the round my golf buddies were believers. I had a good day with 4 birdies and only 27 putts, zero 3 putts. Pace control again was very good. Had my fair share of both uphill and downhill putts on some very very fast greens. Still struggled with pushing the left to right putts and not getting them online so will need to continue to work on those and setup but I am kinda attributing it to the larger grip that I am not used to yet.

2.    Grip.  The Press II 3 is a little larger than what I am used to and I am strongly considering a change to the Press II 1.5. I played with a guy who had the Mezz Maxx with he 1.5 and it just felt so much more like what I was used to with the Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 I would normally play. Initially it felt ok but the more I played with this grip the more I felt the difference, specifically how the size change my left hand fingers position which pushed a little more on the right hand which just didn’t feel comfortable. I was able to still putt good with this, you know how we can adjust to things to make them work but long term I don’t think this is grip size for me. I love the textured feel so am thinking getting the textured Press II 1.5. The one my buddy had was the smooth on his Mezz Maxx and I prefer the textured, as does he, over the smooth.

 

I have another weekend golfing trip planned this weekend, we got 12 guys playing Saturday and Sunday so will continue to get some more on course time and see how this plays on some different and probably slower non Country Club greens.

 

I am really liking the feel of this putter and how stable it is, I feel I am very consistent on my setup routine but we all have that occasional off center strike, I didn’t have any flyers nor did I have any that I struggled to get to the hole thus far. The course we are going to this weekend I am not super familiar with so that will be a good test to see how how I can adjust with this putter to greens that I am unfamiliar with.

 

More to come, stay tuned…..

New Updates

 

So the weather sucked a bit in SoCal. We got rain Saturday so only got 9 holes in and Sunday we just beat the hail and rain and got 18 holes in. Here is an update with those rounds in the books and some practice this week.

 

1.     First things first, the grip and Saturday round 9 holes.

i)       Had been having some feel struggles with the size of the grip (came with the Press II 3 Textured) so I reached out top Calvin to discuss see what affect if any that moving to the Press II 1.5 would have on the balance of the putter. He reached out to the production manager and the response was that it would have a few points affect on swingweight but that would be the extent since the grips are built the same for all intents and purposes. I was overjoyed to hear that as I have been not really comfortable with the feel in my hands of the grip size. I ordered a Press II 1.5 from LAB and PGASS as I didn’t know how long either would take and I don’t mind have a backup grip for when the time comes. I was able to change the grip before my weekend rounds, pulled the old grip and and installed the new. I checked on my swingweight scale and it went up by 2 ½ SW points which for me was negligible as I play a heavier putter and still my other two in the hole gamers still fell heavier from a swingweight standpoint in my hands compared to the DF3. So quickly I got to the practice putting green for some 1:1 time with the new grip and it felt so much better in my hands compared to how the size of the Press II 3 felt. I didn’t notice much difference from address compared between the 3 degrees vs the 1.5.  I was still playing the ball somewhat forward in my stance like I normally would with my other gamers so not much changed in that aspect of my setup.

ii)      The one thing I did notice was that I was putting a little forward press like I would do with my non L.A.B. putters and noticed, especially on left to right putts, that I had a tendency to push the putt to the right.  The slight press was my trigger when putting with my other putters, I didn’t do it so much or at least feel like I was doing it with the larger grip but kinda reverted with the smaller 1.5 grip. It showed in the short 9 hole round on sat where I missed a couple of short touchy left to right ones that missed and 3 putted twice. After the rain stopped on some since we were staying right next to the course, a few of us went to putt for some $$$ before dinner and I really tried to focus on not forward pressing, we play a little game of $5/$2 with call out long ones for $20. After about an hour of this game, walked away with $87 and dinner tasted so much better lol. The thing I noticed during out little game was that without lining the line on my ball I was still able to have good start lines from what I was reading in the putts. I have slight issues lining up putts without the line, even on short one I have to do it during a round, and during our little game I felt it was much easier to square the putter to my intended target line. I feel like this is due to the sightline I choose which for me squares the face much better. One of the things I was told in the past using Quintec and SAM for putter fitting was that I had a tendency to aim right and was suggested to have sight lines that were longer or orientated so that I would much more easily square the club to my intended line. The longer perpendicular line really helps me do that.

iii)    2.      Day 2 Sunday round. Today was decent day of putting, first hole I had about a 30+ footer for birdie and proceeded to drain it center cut!! That was the highlight of day as far as putts made. I was struggling this day really getting square to my target line and had to back off a few short ones to readjust cause when I stood over them I felt very offline. I had 3 birdies on the front, 2 par 5’s, one was a long 2 putt and and the other was an up and down for bird but backed off that putt twice cause I couldn’t get square. I missed a couple of makable ones due to the same thing that day. Distance control was fine, I am an aggressive putter typically so going by the hole a couple of feet is normal for me as I don’t fear the comebacker. I missed a couple of comebackers hahahahaha. I had 29 putts this day and didn’t get up and down as much on the back as I would normally do but that is another story of bad ball striking on the back 9. Still a decent round at 79 on a course they used to play a Korn Ferry event in Soboba where the rough is a little stickier and thick than most courses in SoCal more so with all the rain we have had.

iv)    All in all, I love the look of my putter (Dodger Blue!!!) and I am really liking the feel of the putter and spent some more time this week on the practice green. To me it feels about the same as my GoLo and EVNROLL, these are deep milled putter sounds and feel is the same to me on the DF3.

v)     Distance control: I have always been good at distance control with any gamer I have had and this one is the same. I haven’t had any “hot” ones come off the face and the ones I have miss hit might roll a bit shorter but nothing making it difficult to 2 putt, well so far 😊 played some games with my son this week on the practice green as I try to get as much time with this putter for it to feel as comfortable as my other gamers and kept getting that rye smile from him as he likes to pick long holes putts as challenges for us and was rolling them all to tap in range. Even though I whooped him on the greens I still bought him an ice cream after hahahahaha.

 

 

I did a little video so you can hear the sound difference with the 2 different balls I currently play. 

 

 

This is a bad weekend with rain planned in SoCal as well as it being Easter and spending some family time in the snow. Will get more time with this beauty in the coming week or two with some club events planned and provide more feedback.

 

Happy Good Friday and Easter to all!! Enjoy with family.

 

More to come, stay tuned…..

Edited March 29 by jasman29

[ajlacombe]

I have had my DF3 for quite a bit of time now. A bit of background on my latest experiment.  I went from all of the LAB regular length putters to two brooms - DF2.1 and a MEZZ.1 Max. Loved the brooms, but also wanted to stay up to speed with my regular length putters.  The brooms caused me to be ultra sensitive to the extra arc to my stroke with my normal 68º/34" specs. Bright idea - go to 79.5º lie angle and should be 32-34 inches.  So I ordered a DF3 at 34" with a 1.L grip - I choke all the way down with a double interlock left hand low grip.

 

Right off the get go this showed a lot of promise and the DF2.1 broom was out of the bag. Everything was fantastic except making longer putts. My shorter putts are deadly, but from distance I keep rolling the ball either short in the heart, or running them past the lip. Speed control is awesome. I am sold on this combo - I like to die the ball in teh hole but right now I need 3-4" more of pace to make a lot more putts.  It is hard aiming more into the break and relying on the read but this putter warrants that.

 

The more upright lie angle creates a less arcing stroke and IMO a more accurate stroke - that is why the brooms are so helpful, again IMO.

 

The DF3 is a fabulous putter - lining it up is easy and accurate - well done @labgolf

 

[JAM01]

Great thread and superb reviews as I expect from golfwrx. I put several putters through paces all winter. AI One versions, Taylormade, the new Phantom. My putting has been decent for about a decade. Still get too many 3 putts though. Threw the DF3 in the mix recently and loved the consistency. Grabbed a stock black, T shaped alignment, 2 degree white press grip. Plan to just stick with it, no putter churn this year. 

[andresbatis]

Great reviews! This is making me wanna splurge on one with a TPT shaft. I bought a Betti a couple of months ago but you know, FOMO is kicking in lol

[craz-e]

3 hours ago, andresbatis said:

Great reviews! This is making me wanna splurge on one with a TPT shaft. I bought a Betti a couple of months ago but you know, FOMO is kicking in lol

I have recently converted to LAB from a Scotty buttonback that I thought I’d never leave. I have never felt more at ease whilst putting than I do with the DF3

[itw419]

Great job on the reviews ever. I’ve started looking into LAB putters. Trying to decide if I go the more conventional route or if I give a broomstick a try……

[molecularman]

11 hours ago, andresbatis said:

Great reviews! This is making me wanna splurge on one with a TPT shaft. I bought a Betti a couple of months ago but you know, FOMO is kicking in lol

[Rearviewmirror]

15 hours ago, andresbatis said:

Great reviews! This is making me wanna splurge on one with a TPT shaft. I bought a Betti a couple of months ago but you know, FOMO is kicking in lol

If you're going non-broomstick/CB length, the consensus is there is very little difference between the Accra and TPT.

[Smok3y]

Decided to follow up with my first day on the course in this thread as it is more about reviews… I am finding many of the same things as others.

 

I have the 1.5 grip and 3 parallel lines for aiming. I had started working with left hand low right before I received this and I think the shaft lean really lends itself well to that. I have been putting 7 footers in the house a lot this week before heading out to play for real today. 
 

I don’t read greens well, and historically have a rough time judging pace. I chose the course today, because I knew the greens were fairly flat and they don’t have huge breaks to help me with the first time out.
 

It took me a few greens to get the speed of the greens down, but I didn’t have any issues with the putter and distance control. 33 putts really sucked, but it wasn’t the putter’s fault. I couldn’t get close at all today and misread too many makeable putts. Had a lot of 1st putts over 15 ft. One thing that helped today that others have mentioned is actually using the line on the ball. I historically haven’t done that, but it has helped me a lot with this putter on short putts. I started putts online more today than I ever have. I think I only had one really bad stroke today and I can’t usually say that. I finished up the round by making a 20ft birdie on 17 as the best putt of the day.

 

It isn’t a magic putter, as you still have to do the work. I missed plenty of makeable putts from 8, 3, 10, 8, 4, 7, 10 feet. Only really regretted 3 of those. 

 

I went to the putting green to putt a while as well. I was amazed at well I controlled pace and held lines. At one point, I hit 4 straight putts of about 20ft, and that has never happened. The one before those lipped out. Another thing I noticed today was how straight putts that are off center go. They definitely don’t go the same distance, but they are online. 

 

Very confidence inspiring today. I am very happy with the first day out. Looking forward to receiving my 15ft putting mat, because it appears I am going to have a lot of those this year. 

[craz-e]

8 hours ago, itw419 said:

Great job on the reviews ever. I’ve started looking into LAB putters. Trying to decide if I go the more conventional route or if I give a broomstick a try……

why not do both?

[Golfcrzy]

Any updates from DF2.1 users who have made the move to v3? I haven’t found the 3 to be a performance improvement on carpet at the store…curious what folks who already play the best putter think of this “upgrade.” I do like the new footprint, and the versa pattern is curious to me, but the 2.1 is the club I’ll be buried with as of now. 

[bd59]

8 hours ago, Golfcrzy said:

Any updates from DF2.1 users who have made the move to v3? I haven’t found the 3 to be a performance improvement on carpet at the store…curious what folks who already play the best putter think of this “upgrade.” I do like the new footprint, and the versa pattern is curious to me, but the 2.1 is the club I’ll be buried with as of now. 

From what I’ve read, I don’t think you’ll find anything performance wise better with the DF3. The 2.1 is the most stable putter they have, obviously due to size. I think the 3 is close but it’s pulling the other people in that hated the look of the OG. IMO nothing will be as easy to swing as the OG 2.1 .

[Golfcrzy]

1 hour ago, bd59 said:

From what I’ve read, I don’t think you’ll find anything performance wise better with the DF3. The 2.1 is the most stable putter they have, obviously due to size. I think the 3 is close but it’s pulling the other people in that hated the look of the OG. IMO nothing will be as easy to swing as the OG 2.1 .

That’s my impression. It’s a gateway for more people to get into LAB that were turned off by the size/look. Which is great bc it truly is the best putter in town. I have a Link.1 as well I keep for my Exputt, which I like, but it is very different. The 2.1 is the gamer of gamers. 

[coreyhr]

Had the first true bluebird day of the year yesterday and took advantage by playing 27 holes. Was a fun, competitive game that was a great test of nervy putts to see how the DF 3 could handle it. 
 

First 18 holes: On paper, the stats were nothing to write home about with 30 putts. But I hit 14 greens and made a couple of really nice 15 foot birdie putts. Had my first 3 putt with the DF 3 on a tricky green and a lengthy lag putt. Chipping was poor on the greens that I missed or total putts would have been better. Overall, I felt extremely confident over the ball even though the stats didn’t necessarily correlate. 
 

Bonus 9 holes: This is where that confidence really started paying dividends. I finished this 9 holes with 12 putts and was 5 under through 6 holes. I dropped a couple strokes on the last couple holes thanks to poor approach shots but I was having a blast on the greens. Playing partners all day were commenting how well I was rolling the putter. Overall, another very promising day with the DF 3.

[Drrussell]

On 3/22/2024 at 2:56 PM, Drrussell said:

I have to admit, we have been spending a lot of time together recently. I really wanted to dislike her because I was dating this sexy orange headed beauty, I am afraid that the relationship is advancing beyond my original intent. Yes. She’s a little shorter. Yes. she doesn’t have as much to hold on to with that silly wrist lock grip. However, when I see every putt rolling end-over-end…she really gets me going.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update:

Today, I took out the Mezz 1 Max and my friend used the DF3. I have to tell you, this is shocking. At the beginning, I would have told you that I am sure I will end up with either the Mezz 1 Max or the DF2.1 as my primary putter because they are setup to spec for Armlock versus the DF3 being used as wrist lock. At this point in testing, I am really leaning toward the wrist lock DF3 being in the bag to start the year. 

 

I still putted pretty well with the Mezz 1 Max and if I wasn’t comparing the two, I wouldn’t hesitate to make that my new putter. However, from testing at home I prefer the feel of the DF2.1 and the DF3 more than the Mezz. 

 

Also, I ordered the Capto putter analysis tool yesterday. It looks like it will be shipped tomorrow. Once that arrives, I will get video and detailed test results for all three putters that I will share with you. 

 

More to come. 

Edited April 1 by Drrussell

[goose1894]

Question for those with CB DF3s.

 

How is your experience without the forward press grip? Positives and negatives?

[coreyhr]

45 minutes ago, goose1894 said:

Question for those with CB DF3s.

 

How is your experience without the forward press grip? Positives and negatives?

For me, not having the forward press grip has created a seamless transition from my Jailbird 380 to the DF 3. Being someone who's never really had much of a natural forward press, the lack of forward press in the CB DF 3 is something I really like. Overall, the head sets up really well behind the ball without too much manipulation required. My grip seems to be installed with the face just a hair open, so I have to adjust it just a tiny bit when I set it down. But I'm very particular about grip orientation on a putter. If I had it to do all over again, I would request that the grip be left uninstalled so that I could install it myself. But I'm not sure if that is part of the lie angle balancing fine tuning at the factory or not, that request may not be possible. 

[molecularman]

Well,  MN decided on a cruel April Fool's joke this year.  


While I haven't gotten any on course time with the DF3,  I feel so confident in it that I've gotten rid of my main putter.  It's gonna be me and the DF3 as far as I can see.



 

[rooski]

3 hours ago, goose1894 said:

Question for those with CB DF3s.

 

How is your experience without the forward press grip? Positives and negatives?

 

I honestly haven't really thought about it much at all. The shaft installed into the DF3 comes out at a bit of an angle, so where your hands end up sitting seems to be the perfect spot even without the auto forward press grip

[dmeeksDC]

On 3/29/2024 at 3:08 PM, JAM01 said:

Great thread and superb reviews as I expect from golfwrx. I put several putters through paces all winter. AI One versions, Taylormade, the new Phantom. My putting has been decent for about a decade. Still get too many 3 putts though. Threw the DF3 in the mix recently and loved the consistency. Grabbed a stock black, T shaped alignment, 2 degree white press grip. Plan to just stick with it, no putter churn this year. 

Seems crazy that a stock setup would fit so well but I have been rolling the same stock putter you bought and it’s like it was made for me. I would not go for the T alignment if I went custom but that’s about all I’d change. And even that is not a must, just a preference. I was draining putts with the T alignment. Pistol 2 degree grip is a winner. I had them fit me for lie angle and it came up 69 degrees. That is stock spec. 
 

I also rolled DF3s with the steel shaft and the Accra shaft to compare and I just like the balance of the steel more. Makes the putter feel more substantial. Also rolled the DF3 and then the Mezz1 and Mezz Max and the Link and then the DF3 again. I used to own a Mezz1 and didn’t last with it. I like the Mezz Max considerably more than the Mezz 1 but it could not surpass the DF3, which is so smooth it seems like it wants to make putts if I’ll just not get in the way. 

[Golfcrzy]

@labgolf used to respond to their emails - seems like that’s stopped. I’ve emailed for weeks and no reply. Didn’t have this problem when I was fitted for DF2.1. 
 

Shame. 

[UnderPar18]

3 hours ago, Golfcrzy said:

@labgolf used to respond to their emails - seems like that’s stopped. I’ve emailed for weeks and no reply. Didn’t have this problem when I was fitted for DF2.1. 
 

Shame. 

They simply can't keep up with demand. 6 weeks right now to get a "custom putter". I think they were anticipating success, but it's evident it's overwhelming. Hopefully they hire more staff to help out on all fronts

[Drrussell]

On 3/30/2024 at 9:59 PM, Golfcrzy said:

Any updates from DF2.1 users who have made the move to v3? I haven’t found the 3 to be a performance improvement on carpet at the store…curious what folks who already play the best putter think of this “upgrade.” I do like the new footprint, and the versa pattern is curious to me, but the 2.1 is the club I’ll be buried with as of now. 

I am testing all three putters: DF 2.1, Mezz 1 Max, and DF3. 

 

I think right now, I could play any of them and it would be a big improvement over past putters. That being said, I am really struggling to decide which putter I want to put in the bag to start the season DF2.1 or DF3. As of right now, I would say both of them are edging ahead of the Mezz 1 Max.

 

I just ordered the Capto putt analyzer system. I am going to use all three of them and most likely, I will let the numbers determine what goes in the bag. It’s really close. 

 

For feel, I like the DF2.1, DF3, and Mezz in that order. I am seeing that in my putting stroke, I do have a tendency to take the club away on the inside and close the face as I come into impact. I am really working on making the putter stroke much more straight back and through (meaning that the shaft stays on plane). 

 

I went through putting on my indoor green and from 4, 6, 8 ft. The numbers were incredibly similar. When I used the “Why Golf” tool with gates for the putter and the ball, again, I saw almost exactly the same numbers. I did notice that with the DF3, my tendency is to start the ball right. Whereas with the DF3 and 2.1, the tendency was to start left. I don’t think I can attribute that to the putter, but my DF2.1 and Mezz Max have a 79 degree lie angle. The DF3 is armlock and it’s 75 degree lie angle. I suspect that is the cause of the start line difference. 

 

It’s going to be really interesting when I get the putter data from Capto. 

[labgolf]

SOOOO much to unpack in this thread. First of all, thanks SO much to all the testers. You guy have been so amazingly thorough. I've only got a minute so I will do my best to answer all the tech questions in a bit but I wanted to address the customer service issues. WE ARE SO SORRY!! We hate hearing how frustrated people are about the response time. We are hiring as fast as we can to meet the demand. For perspective, this time last year, the customer service and sales team was about 5. Its close to 20 now and we are still falling behind. Our CS folks need a lot of training before they can be fully functional so catching up has been a grind. We have prided ourselves on providing the best service in the industry for a long time and this is the first period in which nobody on the team is pleased with the lack of timeliness. I promise they are more frustrated than you and we are doing our best to figure out a way to provide the service you deserve for such an expensive putter. I just wanted you all to know that we feel its unacceptable and this is NOT us just not caring or being too big for our britches. Just major growing pains but we will get it sorted out ASAP. Thanks so much for your patience.

Edited April 3 by labgolf

[kobes31]

I have still been following this thread closely and found a way to try at least SOME LAB putters yesterday.  Stopped at Golf Galaxy and they had the 2.1 and Mezz.1.  I already use an abnormally shaped mallet so the 2.1 wasn't out of the question for me although a little on the large side.  It was equipped with the 3 degree grip and the Mezz.1 with the 1.5.  It was pretty amazing how the 2.1 just sat and swung straight!  It was point and shoot!  Fine tuning alignment I think would be brief.  The Mezz.1 was not my favorite but I did like the 1.5 grip better than the 3.  To my disappointment they were sold out of all DF3's. I believe I am a pretty good putter so I am not sure I can justify the price tag...yet.  I love that LAB participated in a giveaway here and are following the thread in between builds! 

Edited April 3 by kobes31

[meh]

On 3/30/2024 at 7:30 AM, jasman29 said:

New Updates

 

So the weather sucked a bit in SoCal. We got rain Saturday so only got 9 holes in and Sunday we just beat the hail and rain and got 18 holes in. Here is an update with those rounds in the books and some practice this week.

 

1.     First things first, the grip and Saturday round 9 holes.

i)       Had been having some feel struggles with the size of the grip (came with the Press II 3 Textured) so I reached out top Calvin to discuss see what affect if any that moving to the Press II 1.5 would have on the balance of the putter. He reached out to the production manager and the response was that it would have a few points affect on swingweight but that would be the extent since the grips are built the same for all intents and purposes. I was overjoyed to hear that as I have been not really comfortable with the feel in my hands of the grip size. I ordered a Press II 1.5 from LAB and PGASS as I didn’t know how long either would take and I don’t mind have a backup grip for when the time comes. I was able to change the grip before my weekend rounds, pulled the old grip and and installed the new. I checked on my swingweight scale and it went up by 2 ½ SW points which for me was negligible as I play a heavier putter and still my other two in the hole gamers still fell heavier from a swingweight standpoint in my hands compared to the DF3. So quickly I got to the practice putting green for some 1:1 time with the new grip and it felt so much better in my hands compared to how the size of the Press II 3 felt. I didn’t notice much difference from address compared between the 3 degrees vs the 1.5.  I was still playing the ball somewhat forward in my stance like I normally would with my other gamers so not much changed in that aspect of my setup.

ii)      The one thing I did notice was that I was putting a little forward press like I would do with my non L.A.B. putters and noticed, especially on left to right putts, that I had a tendency to push the putt to the right.  The slight press was my trigger when putting with my other putters, I didn’t do it so much or at least feel like I was doing it with the larger grip but kinda reverted with the smaller 1.5 grip. It showed in the short 9 hole round on sat where I missed a couple of short touchy left to right ones that missed and 3 putted twice. After the rain stopped on some since we were staying right next to the course, a few of us went to putt for some $$$ before dinner and I really tried to focus on not forward pressing, we play a little game of $5/$2 with call out long ones for $20. After about an hour of this game, walked away with $87 and dinner tasted so much better lol. The thing I noticed during out little game was that without lining the line on my ball I was still able to have good start lines from what I was reading in the putts. I have slight issues lining up putts without the line, even on short one I have to do it during a round, and during our little game I felt it was much easier to square the putter to my intended target line. I feel like this is due to the sightline I choose which for me squares the face much better. One of the things I was told in the past using Quintec and SAM for putter fitting was that I had a tendency to aim right and was suggested to have sight lines that were longer or orientated so that I would much more easily square the club to my intended line. The longer perpendicular line really helps me do that.

iii)    2.      Day 2 Sunday round. Today was decent day of putting, first hole I had about a 30+ footer for birdie and proceeded to drain it center cut!! That was the highlight of day as far as putts made. I was struggling this day really getting square to my target line and had to back off a few short ones to readjust cause when I stood over them I felt very offline. I had 3 birdies on the front, 2 par 5’s, one was a long 2 putt and and the other was an up and down for bird but backed off that putt twice cause I couldn’t get square. I missed a couple of makable ones due to the same thing that day. Distance control was fine, I am an aggressive putter typically so going by the hole a couple of feet is normal for me as I don’t fear the comebacker. I missed a couple of comebackers hahahahaha. I had 29 putts this day and didn’t get up and down as much on the back as I would normally do but that is another story of bad ball striking on the back 9. Still a decent round at 79 on a course they used to play a Korn Ferry event in Soboba where the rough is a little stickier and thick than most courses in SoCal more so with all the rain we have had.

iv)    All in all, I love the look of my putter (Dodger Blue!!!) and I am really liking the feel of the putter and spent some more time this week on the practice green. To me it feels about the same as my GoLo and EVNROLL, these are deep milled putter sounds and feel is the same to me on the DF3.

v)     Distance control: I have always been good at distance control with any gamer I have had and this one is the same. I haven’t had any “hot” ones come off the face and the ones I have miss hit might roll a bit shorter but nothing making it difficult to 2 putt, well so far 😊 played some games with my son this week on the practice green as I try to get as much time with this putter for it to feel as comfortable as my other gamers and kept getting that rye smile from him as he likes to pick long holes putts as challenges for us and was rolling them all to tap in range. Even though I whooped him on the greens I still bought him an ice cream after hahahahaha.

 

 

I did a little video so you can hear the sound difference with the 2 different balls I currently play. 

 

 

This is a bad weekend with rain planned in SoCal as well as it being Easter and spending some family time in the snow. Will get more time with this beauty in the coming week or two with some club events planned and provide more feedback.

 

Happy Good Friday and Easter to all!! Enjoy with family.

 

More to come, stay tuned…..

Thanks so much for posting this!! The sound (being aluminium) was one of the reasons I didn't look at one of these closely enough. It sounds really pleasing, just have to jump in the car and drive an hour 15 to get to the nearest place that has them to try one out.

 

[Hunteruu]

So I have been a hold out on the review so far because I wanted to get some decent testing in before making any initial comments. I would have liked to continue testing before making this post, but more on that in a bit. 

 

Background (more on initial post):

Long story short, I grew up playing golf and it's been a love affair for the last 30 years. Life happened, I joined the military, had a family, and now I'm a weekend warrior for the most part. Putting became the easily accessible part of golf I could practice more regularly at just about anytime, so it became my strong suit. I have tested (for my own self interest) a multitude of flat sticks in the past few years, including the DF2.1. For reference, my current putter is a Sik Flo C.

 

Remote Fitting:

This was an easy and direct stroke assessment via video analysis. I had done this once before with the DF2.1, and I feel quite confident that the fitting is true and gives and accurate number for an optimal build for length and lie angle. 

 

My LAB DF3 Specs:

Color: Cappuccino 

Alignment: "R"

Length: 33.5"

Lie: 70°

Shaft: LAB Golf x TPT 

Grip: Press 2°

Head Weight: Heavy

 

Feel and Sound:

Similar to the DF2.1, the feel is soft but responsive. I tried it with multiple different balls from Titleist ProV1 to, Vice Pro, Snell, Callaway Chromesoft, etc. Notably all had some variations, but remained that same general feeling. I personally love it, but I could see how it could be a bit softer than some may like. The sound is more muted vs the DF2.1, which is another good thing in my opinion. However, I think (for me) those those variables diluted my speed making me feel as if I needed to hit it harder than I had to. It didn't take too long to get the hang of it, but it's worth notating. 

 

Shaft:

I don't want to judge this individually because I think it would take trying the other options in the DF3 to base the outcome. However, having used a number of BGT Stability shafts in other putters, I will say this feels much less harsh. It is not necessarily soft either, as it does allow for feedback on off center strikes. Overall, it does feel like a well blended composite that adds too the great feeling during the stroke. 

 

Head:

I'll address the cosmetics first. I believe I was the only one to select cappuccino as a color amongst the testers. Initially, I was not a fan of it. It wasn't well represented via the build model, so pulling it out and seeing an almost maroon/red-ish/pink-ish hues with a touch of brown in darker lighting threw me off. It is slightly growing in me, but it's not my favorite color option. Sightlines are all personal preference, so I won't say much there. I tend to like three lines, one for direct aiming, while the two outer frame the ball at address. The "R" design I chose does that well, and I like that it's a bit understated compared to some.of the other options. The shape and size are awesome. As a mallet player, this suits me and my eye very well, and is a welcome 'revision' of the DF2.1. the "gimme getter" is a clever and well designed feature. I would rather see the putts go in than to use it, but it's nice to have when I do end up missing though. Just of note, there are some marks on the head as I received it. Nothing major, but it is visible at address and seem to glance at it before most putts. 

 

Grip:

The 2° is pretty solid, but getting used to to wider grip over my skinnier but deeper P2 Aware grip was a bit of a struggle. Not unnatural, but something that took time to feel confident with. 

 

Overall Initial Performance:

After about 7 rounds and a few hours on putting mats and practice greens, my initial impressions were mostly positive. The initial roll and direction of travel were pretty spot on. It easily started on the path I presented it with, and with the aid of the face grooves, it carried end over end without any skipping or hopping. It was surprising to some extent as it did roll similar to my Sik with it's descending loft technology. My biggest draw back came from my initial takeaway though. Unlike the Df2.1, I found myself fighting to take the DF3 back smoothly. I believe it's due to my choice in going with the heavier head, but it has required me to be less than confident with it. To the point where it forces me to think back about my initial thoughts from using the DF2.1 for the first few times, where that had me literally chuckling out loud at how effortless it was to put a stroke on it... and wishing the DF3 felt like that. Perhaps it does in the standard or lightweight versions, but the heavier head seems to have taken away a bit of that "magical" or "automatic" feel. Due to this, I contacted Calvin and asked to send it back to be adjusted to the lighter standard weight variation. Hopefully that will bring this to the feeling I'm looking for and will help with some of my inconsistencies. 

 

That being said, until I get it back and retest with the light head, I'll be twiddling my thumbs waiting to post. More to follow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wcbjr]

On 4/2/2024 at 8:52 AM, Golfcrzy said:

@labgolf used to respond to their emails - seems like that’s stopped. I’ve emailed for weeks and no reply. Didn’t have this problem when I was fitted for DF2.1. 
 

Shame. 

It took a couple tries for me, but they did get my communication about my ill-fitting headcover.  They sent another one promptly which does fit better.  It does seem like they are pretty backed up at the moment.

[coreyhr]

On 3/31/2024 at 5:12 PM, Drrussell said:

Also, I ordered the Capto putter analysis tool yesterday. It looks like it will be shipped tomorrow. Once that arrives, I will get video and detailed test results for all three putters that I will share with you. 

 

More to come. 

Looking forward to the Capto comparison. Did you go with the EZ or Gen 3?

[jasman29]

14 hours ago, meh said:

Thanks so much for posting this!! The sound (being aluminium) was one of the reasons I didn't look at one of these closely enough. It sounds really pleasing, just have to jump in the car and drive an hour 15 to get to the nearest place that has them to try one out.

 

Of Course!! I am big on sound as well as it seems for me to influence strike and speed given on any particular putt of length (over 10 ft or so). I had some experience with Aluminum back in the day as I played the Scotty Cameron Kombi for a short while, I liked that you easily customize it by getting it anodized to whatever color you wanted and there was a place down south of me near San Diego that would do at a reasonable cost but the sound was much more clicky for me so I moved on from it pretty quickly. I got more into the deeper milled mallet putters Scotty offered which is why I stuck so long with the 2012 Scotty GoLo (mixed in a few other mallets ) and then recently to the EVNROLL, the DF3 has almost identical feel and sound imho to a milled Stainless Steel putter. I would attribute that to the deep grooves along with the weights but of course its my opinion, the L.A.B tech team could answer that better than me. The thing I like most about the DF3 is not only can I feel when I don't center strike it but I can really hear it which provides me better feedback. I go more off sound in my stroke and the DF3 provides great feedback in that regard.