Testing the L.A.B. Golf DF3 Putter | GolfWRX Three Swing Challenge

[GolfWRX_Official]

We heard your requests for the L.A.B. Golf DF3 putter and here we are. @knudson81puts it to the test for this week's Three Swing Challenge!

Let us know what you want to see next.
 

 

[golfinbrad]

Great video @knudson81  Thanks for sharing.  Just curious what is your current gamer?  Ever play center shaft putters?   I have never rolled a LAB and don't know anyone at my course that has one.  Hope to go to 2nd Swing for Father's Day to try one. 

[knudson81]

2 hours ago, golfinbrad said:

Great video @knudson81  Thanks for sharing.  Just curious what is your current gamer?  Ever play center shaft putters?   I have never rolled a LAB and don't know anyone at my course that has one.  Hope to go to 2nd Swing for Father's Day to try one. 

 

My gamer right now is probably the TaylorMade Spider X Proto (milled face). I really like the DF3, but might prefer the straighter lines of my Mezz.1 Max at the moment. 

 

The LAB putters are really good and what they are doing definitely isn't snake oil. Everyone who has rolled my DF3 or Mezz.1 Max has been impressed by it and said nothing but good things.

[ChrisATL]

Great video @knudson81 - agreed on the LAB technology.  Even with a "stock" putter in a PGASS, the roll incredibly true.  Curious, have you tested out the "forgiveness" of the DF3, in comparison your gamer and the Max (i.e. intentionally hit the ball of the heel or toe)?

[knudson81]

22 minutes ago, ChrisATL said:

Great video @knudson81 - agreed on the LAB technology.  Even with a "stock" putter in a PGASS, the roll incredibly true.  Curious, have you tested out the "forgiveness" of the DF3, in comparison your gamer and the Max (i.e. intentionally hit the ball of the heel or toe)?

 

Thank you! I did that when I first got the putter and it is pretty stable, much more so than the DF 2.1. I don't know if it is as stable as a traditional high MOI mallet, but it stays online pretty well

[ChrisATL]

2 minutes ago, knudson81 said:

 

Thank you! I did that when I first got the putter and it is pretty stable, much more so than the DF 2.1. I don't know if it is as stable as a traditional high MOI mallet, but it stays online pretty well

Heard - thanks @knudson81!  Sounds like you are sticking with the Spider for now - I really need to try it out as I was never a fan of the inserted version.

[flubberlange]

Every time I listen to your podcast or watch one of your videos I smile because I know there’s someone like me out there - a golfing fiend. Love it!

 

It’s my understanding that the LAB putters stay square to the swing path not the actual target. 

[MichaelJames]

My brother just got a DF3 and he is a rabid frothing at the mouth fanboy.  And he's draining more putts than he ever has.  And he hasn't three putted in 4 rounds.

 

I'm left handed and trying to find a used one to try.  I'm still loving my Makefield VS putter which has it's own face balanced technology.  I can't wait to get a DF3 to compare to the Makefield.

 

My biggest issue is I stopped playing golf in the late 90s and only got back to golf in 2017.   My issue is that the combination of my Ping B-60 from the 80s plus a soft cover Tour Balata has a feel that so far I can't replicate with all these new balls of the 2000s.  I still have Tour balatas and my B-60 and every time I play scramble I have that combination in my bag to only putt with the B-60 and a tour balata.  I literally make or burn the edge of cups all day because I hit thousands of putts with that combo in high school, college and beyond until I stopped playing in '98.

 

My brother claims the DF3 plus the Accra shaft has the softest feel he's felt.  I'm hoping that combo plus a Pro V1 has the feel I'm looking for.

[cardoustie]

I have buddies that have gone df3 and mezz and they’re all putting incredibly, transformation has been incredible

 

I rolled a mezz long the other day and it took all my will power not to pull the trigger

[StoutKing]

Today was my first round on really fast greens and either my fourth or fifth round overall.  The DF3 felt very natural on greens this fast.  I made all my four footers and only missed one putt inside eight feet.  Had one bonehead 50 footer than I got halfway there.  Now if I could only ball strike I'd be in business.  I will reiterate what I said before.  This putter is a nice leap forward.  It should sell as many copies as when the Anser, Rossie 2 and Spider came out.  Bravo LAB

[gator022]

13 hours ago, cardoustie said:

I have buddies that have gone df3 and mezz and they’re all putting incredibly, transformation has been incredible

 

I rolled a mezz long the other day and it took all my will power not to pull the trigger

I didn’t think this sort of willpower existed for you!

[golfnerd91]

Was invited to my friends Country Club the other day and I saw a lot of the members playing a lab in one fashion or another. Which I would have chalked up to people with a lot of money to blow. But I couldn't say that because the greens at the course were some of the most difficult in the are and many of those utilizing the Lab Putter (which I was told a lot of them weren't great putters) were holing or nearly holing 15-20 foot putts effortlessly. Obviously the putter can't automatically fix bad putting but it may reduce how much error the user has when putting the ball. I'd be interested to try one out.

[Orchardist]

23 hours ago, MichaelJames said:

My brother just got a DF3 and he is a rabid frothing at the mouth fanboy.  And he's draining more putts than he ever has.  And he hasn't three putted in 4 rounds.

 

I'm left handed and trying to find a used one to try.  I'm still loving my Makefield VS putter which has it's own face balanced technology.  I can't wait to get a DF3 to compare to the Makefield.

 

My biggest issue is I stopped playing golf in the late 90s and only got back to golf in 2017.   My issue is that the combination of my Ping B-60 from the 80s plus a soft cover Tour Balata has a feel that so far I can't replicate with all these new balls of the 2000s.  I still have Tour balatas and my B-60 and every time I play scramble I have that combination in my bag to only putt with the B-60 and a tour balata.  I literally make or burn the edge of cups all day because I hit thousands of putts with that combo in high school, college and beyond until I stopped playing in '98.

 

My brother claims the DF3 plus the Accra shaft has the softest feel he's felt.  I'm hoping that combo plus a Pro V1 has the feel I'm looking for.

The 3 with an Accra shaft rolling a pro v is the softest feel I’ve ever experienced since the wound ball era.  And not all wound/putter combos felt this soft.  Used mine again today, day 3 of use.   Superb performance when the greens get crispy and slick in the afternoon. Exceeds my expectations in every way. A new putter can sometimes be nothing more than a mistress wish. The DF3 is no affair.  The wedding is on.

[MichaelJames]

Orcharidist.  Thanks for the input. That pretty much seals the deal for me.

 

My Brother is 8 years younger than me so he didn't spend time in the Tour Balata realm given he was still learning the game and playing more durable surlyn cover balls then.  He got good years later and started playing Titliest Pro V1 and they felt really soft to him vs Surlyn.  He doesn't get my obsession with the feel of the wound ball / balata era.  It's not that I liked replacing balls every few holes because the covers were so thin and soft, it was the way I could take a slightly longer stroke and "Feel" speed putts.   When I got back to the game in 2017, a LOT had changed.

 

The one thing I really appreciated when I got back to the game in 2017 is the Driver technology.  It's like cheating.  I immediately was driving further and straighter than I did at any point in my life in my 20's.  I missed two decades of incremental driver and golf ball changes.  I went right from a 1993 Big Bertha to a used 2014 Taylor Made Jet Speed and was immediately driving it consistently 300+ yards at age 48.  I'm 55 now and still amazed at the distances I can hit that thing.  I probably should upgrade my Driver too, but I'm so comfortable with it I haven't bothered to try anything new.

[Orchardist]

3 hours ago, MichaelJames said:

Orcharidist.  Thanks for the input. That pretty much seals the deal for me.

 

My Brother is 8 years younger than me so he didn't spend time in the Tour Balata realm given he was still learning the game and playing more durable surlyn cover balls then.  He got good years later and started playing Titliest Pro V1 and they felt really soft to him vs Surlyn.  He doesn't get my obsession with the feel of the wound ball / balata era.  It's not that I liked replacing balls every few holes because the covers were so thin and soft, it was the way I could take a slightly longer stroke and "Feel" speed putts.   When I got back to the game in 2017, a LOT had changed.

 

The one thing I really appreciated when I got back to the game in 2017 is the Driver technology.  It's like cheating.  I immediately was driving further and straighter than I did at any point in my life in my 20's.  I missed two decades of incremental driver and golf ball changes.  I went right from a 1993 Big Bertha to a used 2014 Taylor Made Jet Speed and was immediately driving it consistently 300+ yards at age 48.  I'm 55 now and still amazed at the distances I can hit that thing.  I probably should upgrade my Driver too, but I'm so comfortable with it I haven't bothered to try anything new.

 

Time stood still with a wound balata ball on the club face.  It felt like it hung on to the face forever... iron, putter or driver. That perspective, while long gone is still special.  

 

[Outlawx88]

On 6/8/2024 at 6:46 PM, MichaelJames said:

My brother just got a DF3 and he is a rabid frothing at the mouth fanboy.  And he's draining more putts than he ever has.  And he hasn't three putted in 4 rounds.

 

I'm left handed and trying to find a used one to try.  I'm still loving my Makefield VS putter which has it's own face balanced technology.  I can't wait to get a DF3 to compare to the Makefield.

 

My biggest issue is I stopped playing golf in the late 90s and only got back to golf in 2017.   My issue is that the combination of my Ping B-60 from the 80s plus a soft cover Tour Balata has a feel that so far I can't replicate with all these new balls of the 2000s.  I still have Tour balatas and my B-60 and every time I play scramble I have that combination in my bag to only putt with the B-60 and a tour balata.  I literally make or burn the edge of cups all day because I hit thousands of putts with that combo in high school, college and beyond until I stopped playing in '98.

 

My brother claims the DF3 plus the Accra shaft has the softest feel he's felt.  I'm hoping that combo plus a Pro V1 has the feel I'm looking for.

Did you get a chance to try out the combo yet?

[MichaelJames]

I'm having trouble finding a Left Handed DF3 with an Accra shaft and I need 73 or 74 degree lie angle + I need at least standard weight to heavy.  That's a needle in a haystack.  I'm not thrilled about waiting 5-6 weeks to order a custom one for insane money only to find out the "Feel" is not what I'm looking for off the clubface.   I'm watching eBay, 2nd hand stores, etc, but there are so few lefty versions.

 

I'm perfectly happy currently with the face balanced Makefield putter I have, but the combo of it along with a Pro V1 is not even close to the feel of a B-60 and balata (which I have both to compare to).

 

I literally use the B-60 plus a tour balata 100 only on the greens when I play scramble with family or friends.  I'm deadly with that combo because I can "Feel" speed and I can take a longer stroke because the ball comes off marshmallow soft.

 

My brother is so annoyed hearing me complain about not being able to find a suitable current day combo like this, but when we play scramble I make so many putts 20-40 feet out with the B-60/balata combo he just shakes his head.

 

Once I get a DF3 with Accra shaft in my hands I'll report back my findings.

[gg38]

Has anyone gone from the Mezz Max into the DF3? I play Armlock Odyssey 2Ball traditionally and recently ordered a Mezz Max Armlock and I just can't line it up the same, dropping my strokes gained. Wondering if I would have more success with DF3 (heavier head) and adding some additional alignment lines. The alternative is I just stick with the 2Ball but LAB be shiny and new. 

[Wonderboy]

On 6/7/2024 at 12:56 PM, knudson81 said:

 

My gamer right now is probably the TaylorMade Spider X Proto (milled face). I really like the DF3, but might prefer the straighter lines of my Mezz.1 Max at the moment. 

 

The LAB putters are really good and what they are doing definitely isn't snake oil. Everyone who has rolled my DF3 or Mezz.1 Max has been impressed by it and said nothing but good things.

I like the DF3 but I too found the straight lines of my Mezz Max to suit my alignment better.  I think the "C" alignment aid on the DF3 would be beneficial for me since it is the full T. 

[knudson81]

18 hours ago, Wonderboy said:

I like the DF3 but I too found the straight lines of my Mezz Max to suit my alignment better.  I think the "C" alignment aid on the DF3 would be beneficial for me since it is the full T. 

 

I just had the Mezz.1 out last night in my league and there is just a comfort in looking down at it. I really want to try the DF3 with the full length alignment line (Option G) to see if that would work better for my eye.

[xGameOver]

31 minutes ago, knudson81 said:

 

I just had the Mezz.1 out last night in my league and there is just a comfort in looking down at it. I really want to try the DF3 with the full length alignment line (Option G) to see if that would work better for my eye.

 

 

I agree that I think some type of alignment extending to the opposite end would be beneficial in helping with lining up the putts. Without it, it just feels empty and lopsided to the left where all the alignment is. 

 

I was messing around trying to find an alignment that would work for me and I found this set up suits me. Wonder if I can send this to LABGolf and have them make it for me lol

 

[Wonderboy]

1 hour ago, knudson81 said:

 

I just had the Mezz.1 out last night in my league and there is just a comfort in looking down at it. I really want to try the DF3 with the full length alignment line (Option G) to see if that would work better for my eye.

I had a DF3 with the "G" alignment but it did not suit my eye.  The lines behind the shaft were definitely not working in my favor.