In mid-July, I was playing in Final Qualifying for the U.S. Amateur. I made my way to Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell, Oregon, just outside Eugene, where L.A.B. Golf’s headquarters are located right on the property.
Talking to my friend Jamie, he connected me with the team at L.A.B. to take a quick visit to headquarters and to get fit for a L.A.B. putter. Putter fitting right before a qualifier? Yes, that’s the level of sickness I have when it comes to tinkering. But it was more than that. Knowing the technology they have at L.A.B., this was a chance to back up my putting stroke with some data.
I met with Calvin Green and Cade Stubbs, who are great players in their own right and have fit thousands of L.A.B. putters. Walking into their fitting studio was a kid in a candy store feeling.
When it came to the fitting, I based the look of the putter on what I have traditionally used: a mallet putter with a single line and alignment aids on the back half. That fit the style of the new VZN.1. I tried a few different shafts with steel, Gears, Diamana, and TPT. I like a firmer feel and an audible click off the putter face, and the VZN.1 with TPT shaft delivered that for me.
Using the Quintic putting analysis, I found that no forward-press style grip was needed for my step, and zero shaft lean was the way for me. It was really informative to see my stroke tempo and the cameras showing how the ball rolls. My putter spec’d out at 71 degrees for lie angle.
Calvin and Cade had me hit putts from 30 feet, 15-footers, and then getting to the 4-foot sliders and things you see on the course. It was good to see how the putter and I reacted in each scenario. I also went with the heavier weight for the putter, which is similar to the putter I have used for years.
Speaking with Brian Parks, VP of Engineering at L.A.B., he said that the brain measures torque as weight. That’s why when someone who just gets an L.A.B. putter in their hands says it feels light, it’s the absence of torque while the putter actually has more weight than traditional putters.
When the putter arrived, I went to the practice green to give this VZN.1 with a TPT shaft a go. With the newer balanced feel, I hit the longest putts I could find for 20 minutes. It took some discipline to keep going as I stretched the field for hitting 40-footers plus. A highlight in the process was holing a putt from 37 paces. The sound and feel matched up with my liking, and I had a firm, stable feel with the TPT shaft.
From there, I hit traditional-length putts from 15 to 25 feet to get speed control in that range. Followed by getting out the string and putting 8 feet and in. It felt good! So, time for the course.
A few days later, I brought out the putter for its inaugural round. The new putter felt good; the sun shone brighter, and the air was more crisp on those days with a new club in the bag. I rolled the putter great. One thing I have noticed with the VZN for me is that the ball rolls end over end all the way through the putt. The ball looks the same at the end of the roll as when I picked up my ball mark.
First few rounds I made more mid-range putts, very good on the short putts. If anything, I would roll the ball a few feet by just out of gimme range in a friendly game as the ball was rolling so well. With this putter, the ball appears to lose speed but still rolls near the hole because it is so end-over-end.
I have been using the putter for three weeks now and am really enjoying it. Speed control and line have been great. Knowing the ball is rolling so true, I have to look in the mirror for my green reading skills. Another piece of advice I learned from the L.A.B Golf team was to have lighter thumb pressure during the stroke. This allows the putter to swing freely and lets the putter put its technology to use. Thumb pressure during the stroke is associated with putter head torque, with more of an arc-type style. This is a good reminder to me from the bag, as grip pressure affects all clubs.
So far, so good on the greens, and I learned a few things from the fitting that I can bring to the course. The road to optimization is always under construction!
