L.A.B Golf DF3 Putter Review
GolfMagic tests out the L.A.B Golf DF3 Putter.
L.A.B Golf DF3 Key Features:
- Zero torque lie angle balance technology
- 6061 aluminium construction
- Type-3 anodised finish
It’s not often that a golf club truly blows me away. From drivers to putters, given how close brands are now pushing the limits of the USGA guidelines, it is becoming difficult for them to truly separate themselves from the pack.
Enter L.A.B
L.A.B. Golf has rapidly grown in popularity over the past few years, and with the introduction of DF3, the brand has exploded. The new model is one of the best putters of 2024.
The brand grew in reputation thanks to Tour players like Adam Scott adopting the broomstick Mezz 1 Max, but with the intro of DF3, the brand has taken things to the next level.
What it offers is lie angle balance (hence the name), and what lie angle balance does is return the putter face to square at impact.
With a square face you have a better chance of hitting straight putts. These putters are so unique (although competitors are starting to catch on) because they have zero torque.
Zero torque allows the putter to remain completely square throughout the stroke, resulting in a much more stable stroke and putts that start on a better line. L.A.B. says that basically, the putter does all the work for you.
Unfortunately, this does come at a somewhat eye-watering price. Upwards of £500 for a putter will (understandably) put off many golfers, but the question is, does it work?
I've been using the DF3 for a number of months now, and here's what I've found.
Player Level
The DF3 is honestly a putting saviour. This thing could almost instantly improve the putting of golfers of all abilities. It may look a little funky, but trust us, it will make you hole more putts no matter how bad you are.
L.A.B Golf DF3 Looks and Feel
The DF3 is a direct descendent of the original D.F 2.1, which by all account wasn't going to win any beauty pageants.
L.A.B even confirmed when they went back to the drawing board for DF3, they wanted to keep the essence of D.F 2.1 but make it a little more appealing to the eye.
The resulting design is still certainly unorthodox. The high MOI mallet features a rather large and bulbous body with a big hole in it and a customisable sightline, which I decided to add on during my fitting.
While the deign itself probably wouldn't best be described as beautiful, the fact that you know it's there to serve a very particular purpose makes it very endearing.
The DF3 also comes centre shafted with an automatic forward press, which takes some getting used to, but it's all part of the process. Trust the process.
One of the great things about the DF3 is the amount of customisation on offer, and although fittings are available online, we would highly recommend having one in person at a facility like Scottsdale Golf, as length and lie angle are extremely important.
In the fitting you will have a variety of metrics measured up, but in terms of pure aesthetics you can select colour and sight line, and I went for the deep green in preparation for when I one day play Augusta National (If you're reading this Fred Ridley).
In terms of feel, what struck me first was how soft the putter face was. The putter itself does look quite robotic, so I was more expecting a hard feel off the face, similar to the Link.1.
Thanks to the wide and deep grooves across the face, the sound is also decidedly muted, which given the size of the head was quite surprising at first.
L.A.B Golf DF3 Performance and Forgiveness
Now, don’t get me wrong. This putter is weird. The first few weeks was a battle of me trying to guide the putter and the putter trying to guide me. Once this teething period was over, though, results started to show.
Putting has always been the weakest part of my game. With the L.A.B DF3, I’ve found that it’s now one of my strengths. If I ever miss a putt, it’s never due to pushing or pulling it anymore. I can take the blame of a poor read or poor speed control.
The L.A.B DF3 has improved my putting the most from 10ft and in. The large mallet profile coupled with zero torque means this putter oozes confidence down at address, and I’ve dropped a stroke off my handicap since using it.
So why is it so good? Well, firstly mishits are literally a thing of the past. From across the face, this putter manages to keep a steady roll on the ball no matter where you hit it from.
The face doesn't twist and thanks to the meaty design, speed doesn't drop either. As a result, even from my poorest putts, the ball still managed to find it's way near to the hole.
Don't get me wrong, you still need to pick the right line and the right speed, but if you can get that down, this putter almost feels automatic.
With traditional blades, if you miss the middle off the face you can be in serious trouble, and it only takes a few degrees of deviation for a putt to miss the target.
With the DF3, that is simply a problem of the past.
Should you buy the L.A.B Golf DF3?
That depends. It’s an expensive product, some could say it's too expensive. However, when you see a lot of tour players putting the DF3 in their bag without a sponsorship, you know it’s pretty special.
If you want to invest in a golf club in 2025, forget the £600 driver and grab a LAB DF3 instead.
