L.A.B. GOLF LINK.1 X GRAPHITE SHAFT REPLACEMENT

[lebeau007]

Good morning and Happy 4th to all of the Americans out there. I am new here and I recently caught myself in a golf gear dilemma. Hopefully, someone out there can shed some light on this topic.

 

I recently purchased a L.A.B. GOLF LINK.1 putter from my local pro shop. The stock shaft when I purchased the putter was a STEEL shaft. For those who do not know about L.A.B. GOLF's tech here is a video demonstration: L.A.B. GOLF TECH VIDEO.

 

I want to replace the current steel shaft with a graphite shaft (I am looking at either LAGOLF or KBS).

 

Here are my issues:

1. What TIP diameter is the LINK.1 compatible with?
2. If I replace the stock steel shaft with a graphite shaft, will this mess with the original balance of the putter?

 

Here is what I have found: 

I have done some digging on tip diameter and I think the LINK.1 is 0.370". The reason I think the tip diameter is 0.370" is because L.A.B. GOLF has its own graphite shaft option (ACCRA X L.A.B.) and its tip diameter is 0.370". I want to be 100% sure I am correct before I purchase a new shaft.

 

After going through some research on balance it looks like L.A.B. GOLF says: "We cannot guarantee your putter will remain perfectly balanced if repair work is done outside the L.A.B. GOLF factory". I understand they need to say these sorts of things to cover their own guarantees, but how much can removing an old shaft and reinstalling a new shaft actually mess with the original balance? **If I wanted to send this directly to L.A.B. GOLF this would cost almost $200 for them to reshaft and regrip (not to mention I'll be out of a putter for a week or so.

 

I have emailed L.A.B. GOLF directly and asked them these questions, but they seem to be backlogged with emails at the moment. I am asking these questions here to see what the Golf Community thinks of this.

 

I will update this forum with any findings I have in the future and hopefully, this will help someone else in a similar situation in the future.

 

I have included some pictures of my LINK.1 in its current state. I absolutely love this putter and would highly recommend anyone to give it a try if you have not tested it. The feel is incredible and the swing weight is like butter. 

 

Grant///

 

 

 

 

[NWS Alpine]

If you keep the grip, shaft weight/balance, and length similar it should be fine to re-shaft yourself. If it changes too much they need to balance it again and that will cost you. They also sell the ACCRA shaft separately which seems like an easy swap https://labgolf.com/product-category/shafts/ 

[NerdyGolfer]

On 7/4/2023 at 1:40 PM, lebeau007 said:

Good morning and Happy 4th to all of the Americans out there. I am new here and I recently caught myself in a golf gear dilemma. Hopefully, someone out there can shed some light on this topic.

 

I recently purchased a L.A.B. GOLF LINK.1 putter from my local pro shop. The stock shaft when I purchased the putter was a STEEL shaft. For those who do not know about L.A.B. GOLF's tech here is a video demonstration: L.A.B. GOLF TECH VIDEO.

 

I want to replace the current steel shaft with a graphite shaft (I am looking at either LAGOLF or KBS).

 

Here are my issues:

1. What TIP diameter is the LINK.1 compatible with?
2. If I replace the stock steel shaft with a graphite shaft, will this mess with the original balance of the putter?

 

Here is what I have found: 

I have done some digging on tip diameter and I think the LINK.1 is 0.370". The reason I think the tip diameter is 0.370" is because L.A.B. GOLF has its own graphite shaft option (ACCRA X L.A.B.) and its tip diameter is 0.370". I want to be 100% sure I am correct before I purchase a new shaft.

 

After going through some research on balance it looks like L.A.B. GOLF says: "We cannot guarantee your putter will remain perfectly balanced if repair work is done outside the L.A.B. GOLF factory". I understand they need to say these sorts of things to cover their own guarantees, but how much can removing an old shaft and reinstalling a new shaft actually mess with the original balance? **If I wanted to send this directly to L.A.B. GOLF this would cost almost $200 for them to reshaft and regrip (not to mention I'll be out of a putter for a week or so.

 

I have emailed L.A.B. GOLF directly and asked them these questions, but they seem to be backlogged with emails at the moment. I am asking these questions here to see what the Golf Community thinks of this.

 

I will update this forum with any findings I have in the future and hopefully, this will help someone else in a similar situation in the future.

 

I have included some pictures of my LINK.1 in its current state. I absolutely love this putter and would highly recommend anyone to give it a try if you have not tested it. The feel is incredible and the swing weight is like butter. 

 

Grant///

 

 

 

 

What did you find out about the hosel diameter on your lab putter? Is it .370?

[TT2017]

.

Edited December 18, 2023 by TT2017

[wings02]

You are only affecting the balance point of the putter by switching out the shaft. 

[tezzlacoil]

On 7/8/2023 at 1:41 AM, NWS Alpine said:

If you keep the grip, shaft weight/balance, and length similar it should be fine to re-shaft yourself. If it changes too much they need to balance it again and that will cost you. They also sell the ACCRA shaft separately which seems like an easy swap https://labgolf.com/product-category/shafts/ 

 

I'm looking at doing something similar. Just wondering if you can do it yourself. Its just epoxied into the hosel so should be pretty straight forward?

[EddieEdwards]

I changed the shaft and grip on mine, and added lead powder down the shaft. It still feels like it's balanced.  The hosel is .370.  Mine is really tight.  

[Southside Seminole]

On 10/10/2023 at 1:25 AM, EddieEdwards said:

I changed the shaft and grip on mine, and added lead powder down the shaft. It still feels like it's balanced.  The hosel is .370.  Mine is really tight.  

Can you share some more info this? I’m looking into the Link & will probably swap a new grip/shaft into it. My plan would be to buy a stock 1 @ the golf store & purchase an aftermarket graphite shaft for it. 
 

I do all my own club work so I’m not worried about that part, I’m worried about the balance of the putter. 
 

What process did you follow? I can’t find any information other than not to attempt it lol

[tilasan]

1 hour ago, Southside Seminole said:

Can you share some more info this? I’m looking into the Link & will probably swap a new grip/shaft into it. My plan would be to buy a stock 1 @ the golf store & purchase an aftermarket graphite shaft for it. 
 

I do all my own club work so I’m not worried about that part, I’m worried about the balance of the putter. 
 

What process did you follow? I can’t find any information other than not to attempt it lol

This is one of the best posts I have seen regarding reshafting.

[mstuewe]

So how do we get our hands on the revealer to test this?

[EddieEdwards]

13 hours ago, Southside Seminole said:

 

 

What process did you follow? I can’t find any information other than not to attempt it lol

I didn't do anything to balance it.  I figure I could send it back to be rebalanced if need be.  You could send them the shaft and grip, but you would have to pay custom pricing.

[jomatty]

I’ve always been really nervous about making alterations to my LAB putters.  I feel the same way about switching to a different grip on the LINK.1.  LAB told me that changing to a different grip, even if it the same weight, could effect balance due to the weight distribution of different grips.  I would think that it would be the same with shafts.  They did tell me that if I changed the grip I would still have a putter “better balanced than anything else I could buy”.  However, if I am going to buy into the technology I want it to be perfectly balanced.  I’ve seen others post that they reshafted themselves and the putter felt great, and I’m sure that it will feel fine if you do it.  Personally though, if I decide to change the shaft on mine I’ll spend the $100 to get it rebalanced, if only so it isn’t in the back of my mind nagging me.  Less crazy people may not need to quiet the voices in their head and could save the $100 if the putter feels good…

[5hort5tuff]

If you change the grip - not balanced, if you reshaft - not balanced, if you cut off an inch - not balanced. Want to add weight, lead tape - not balanced.  Fine. Fine, but there is only so much I will consider in terms of balance.... the putter not being balanced because of a crooked shaft was about as far as i can go lol

Edited January 22, 2024 by 5hort5tuff

[lebeau007]

UPDATE:

 

July 5, 2023:

I spoke with Angie at LAB Golf via email. Here's what she said - 

"Reshafting is something that has to be done in-house to maintain the balancing of the putter. Unfortunately, due to liability and warranty issues, you would not be able to send a shaft into us for installation. Having this work performed anywhere else will significantly throw off the balancing of the putter". Tip Size for the hosel is 0.370 and fits the LA Golf P-series 135. 

 

July 15, 2023:

I ended up purchasing an LA GOLF P Series-105 shaft on eBay and had my local golf shop remove the existing steel shaft and replace it with the LA GOLF Shaft. They were hesitant to complete the job because I purchased the shaft elsewhere and they did not want to be held liable. I told them I didn't mind and they completed the work.

 

The moral of the story:

Purchase your LAB putter with the correct shaft from the beginning if you want to ensure the putter is balanced to LAB Golf standards. This entire process took about a month to complete and I cannot assure the putter is balanced. It feels the same (balance-wise) as before. If it doesn't bother you and you can still roll the rock I would go for it. Could save you some money in the end!

 

 

[5yddraw]

I’m considering sending my stock Link.1 to BGT to get the Stability Carbon shaft installed.  Their pricing is great with the shaft costing $99 which includes them installing it and shipping it back to me.  I just need to cover shipping the putter to them and the grip I want installed.

 

Obviously they can’t guarantee it’ll remain balanced to Lab standards but he said they’ve reshafted a lot of Lab putters and they have a revealer and they haven’t had any issues.

 

Thoughts?  Anyone sent them a putter?  I’m thinking it’s worth the risk at $99 and even if I had to send it to Lab to get balanced it would cost less than having Lab reshaft it for me.

[JayLefty]

I reshafted my Link with a UST All In and it is great! No issues. No balance issues. I am happy I made the change. 

[mogc60]

What if you play golf in the rain with these? Does the water 💦 make it off balance? Jk but reading these threads makes me paranoid lol

[EBLefty17]

Older thread but wanted to hop in here for anyone else curious. Recent bought a stock Link on here from a fellow WRXer. Have graphite in my other putters so wanted to do the same without paying the custom price for new online. Had a local fitter and builder put in a KBS GPS and added an inch in length to the stock putter. Changed grips on it, as well. Came out balanced the exact same way as with the stock steel. Balance through the stroke is the same and now the feel is even better with the GPS. 
 

The fitter/builder here has nothing but great things to say about the product and nothing but bad things to say about the folks at the company. A bit of fear mongering to ensure people are scared into paying the wild prices for shaft and grip changes to make sure it is “balanced” when any reputable builder can swap the shafts and the product still performs great. 

[ChipNChill]

On 1/17/2025 at 7:30 PM, JayLefty said:

I reshafted my Link with a UST All In and it is great! No issues. No balance issues. I am happy I made the change. 

Ooo, this is exactly what I want to do with a DF3. Did the shaft come out just like any other shaft, or did you have to ream it out?

Or anyone in this thread that's been able to remove the shaft, was it normal epoxy or a nightmare?

[kmcb]

12 hours ago, EBLefty17 said:

Older thread but wanted to hop in here for anyone else curious. Recent bought a stock Link on here from a fellow WRXer. Have graphite in my other putters so wanted to do the same without paying the custom price for new online. Had a local fitter and builder put in a KBS GPS and added an inch in length to the stock putter. Changed grips on it, as well. Came out balanced the exact same way as with the stock steel. Balance through the stroke is the same and now the feel is even better with the GPS. 
 

The fitter/builder here has nothing but great things to say about the product and nothing but bad things to say about the folks at the company. A bit of fear mongering to ensure people are scared into paying the wild prices for shaft and grip changes to make sure it is “balanced” when any reputable builder can swap the shafts and the product still performs great. 

 

Did you put a similar weighted grip on? 

[JayLefty]

5 hours ago, ChipNChill said:

Ooo, this is exactly what I want to do with a DF3. Did the shaft come out just like any other shaft, or did you have to ream it out?

Or anyone in this thread that's been able to remove the shaft, was it normal epoxy or a nightmare?

The link is an anser style putter. Easy shaft removal. 

[EBLefty17]

On 7/24/2025 at 8:20 AM, kmcb said:

 

Did you put a similar weighted grip on? 

Previous owner had a super stroke on it, which I can assume was a change from the stock rubber grip. I put a deep etched cord grip on it with the shaft change.