MEMBER REVIEWS: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1 and OZ.1i Putter Member Testing | See What Members Are Saying

[gator022]

8 hours ago, dam276 said:

Exactly this. I’ve kept a stroke or so off my index since I switched, but the confidence is way up. I just don’t dread the green the way I have for 20 years.
 

Also need a referral code for @labgolf - I’ve had 4 new converts in buddies who have watched me putt like a chimp on meth for the last couple decades 😆

like you, I’ve had more people talk and ask about @labgolf putters since I started testing. 
 

it’s funny, people will drop $750 on a new driver you can use 14 times max but then when you explain these putters and the fitting process for a club they use 50% of their strokes, they start to balk. Spend the $700-1000 it’s worth it!

[JimmyD]

Have now played only 4 rounds so far with my Lab Oz1.i after a gruelling 10 week wait but so far loving it.  Certainly have put a much better swing on the stroke and confidence is way up.  Now just have to read greens better 😜.

[Rbsiedsc]

Another round today. I thought my putting was decent but SG says otherwise. I had some unfortunate lipouts (16', followup 2' was in and out, and a couple 5'). I did have 2 bad pushes from 5' on putts i thought had a right to left break.

 

So I am worse overall from my DF2.1 from 2025 ~1.5 strokes. I think some of this is overall I am hitting a slightly larger percentage of GIR than last year. As well I am using the Oz more from fridge and rough off the green and maybe that is contributing. I am still going to stick with the Oz but also will hold onto the DF incase after a full season the Oz hasn't improved. I am tempted to take the DF out for a round just to see how I would putt with it.

 

I don't think this delta is on the putter. I think my green reading is a big work in progress. Its getting there, just hasn't fully clicked. 

 

2 months in here are my stats with the OZ.1i

 

vs 2024 and my DF2.1

 

Edited June 3 by Rbsiedsc

[dam276]

9 hours ago, JimmyD said:

Have now played only 4 rounds so far with my Lab Oz1.i after a gruelling 10 week wait but so far loving it.  Certainly have put a much better swing on the stroke and confidence is way up.  Now just have to read greens better 😜.

Haha, it was definitely humbling to not be able to blame the putter and face my green reading (in)ability the last couple of months.

[Rory4Pres]

Ok, decision made...I'm going to switch out the GEARS shaft and try a KBS CT tour shaft.  The KBS CT tour has been my gamer shaft for the past several years so I'm very familiar with it and think it'll be the perfect way to try and give this OZ a legit chance of making the bag.

 

Will likely be about 3-4 weeks before it's received and installed.

[Eren]

1 hour ago, Rory4Pres said:

Ok, decision made...I'm going to switch out the GEARS shaft and try a KBS CT tour shaft.  The KBS CT tour has been my gamer shaft for the past several years so I'm very familiar with it and think it'll be the perfect way to try and give this OZ a legit chance of making the bag.

 

Will likely be about 3-4 weeks before it's received and installed.

Are you saying LAB will install/re balance with a shaft they don’t offer?? 

[Rory4Pres]

15 minutes ago, Eren said:

Are you saying LAB will install/re balance with a shaft they don’t offer?? 

 

No, I'm going to have a local professional install it.

 

And don't tell me it can't be done...this is WRX, land of the guinea pigs.

Edited June 4 by Rory4Pres

[Eren]

2 hours ago, Rory4Pres said:

 

No, I'm going to have a local professional install it.

 

And don't tell me it can't be done...this is WRX, land of the guinea pigs.

Dang, I got a little excited for a second.

 

Oh, I am not one of the guys who will say it can't be done.....plus being a golf guinea pig is fun. Please do share results!

[LBattaglia93]

My apologies for the delay getting back here to post an update. Its been a crazy few weeks capped off by a week long trip to Sand Valley to put the Oz.1i through its paces. Overall, I'm VERY happy with the putter. It's already been stated in this thread, but you can tell the Oz head doesn't have the same level of confidence inspiring stability as the DF3. Its not that the Oz isn't stable; the DF3 is so good it feels impossible to it offline. That said, the Oz.1i shines for me on speed control with fast-ish greens. Our final round of the trip was a sunny hot lap on Sand Valley where the greens were ripping. It was my best putting round of the trip with a few bombs and some devlish lag putting. It was the kind of round that immediately has you wanting another crack. 

 

Its taken me a while to get used to the counterbalance setup and I think I've found my groove. The combination of the Oz.1i + TPT shaft + SuperStroke CB grip provides feedback on par with any Scotty or Bettinardi I've ever rolled...all while having ample tech to help you hit your putts online. 

 

I think the Oz.1i is a homerun for folks who prefer the feel of traditional milled putters. It has me thinking about the possibility of a DF3i option for people who want stability with a milled feel/sound. I'm not sure if that could work from a design perspective, but I'll be taking a close look at whatever L.A.B. rolls out next. 

 

 

[StoutKing]

Finally sold my OZ.1i w TPT.  Loved everything about the putter but the weight.  I just do better with lighter putters.  Hanging on to the DF3.

[Young Money]

Another update! Changing the grip to the superstroke 1.0 and adjusting my grip slightly has done WONDERS for my relationship with the OZ. I'm making way more 1 putts, short putts feel pretty automatic and medium putts are going in more often. I feel really comfortable with the distance control as well. As of now this is for sure my gamer, recently tried a couple putters on the putting green just to remember what something else felt like and it was immediately like no, this is worse. Last 9 hole round I was pretty inconsistent tee to green (shot 40) but only 14 putts and a bunch of key up and downs that kept it from getting off the rails. 

[Rbsiedsc]

Had another round today. First time out in 2 weeks.

 

Some exepected not so great day although had some moments with the Oz. Nearly holed a 36' putt from the edge rough (some pine bows actually got in the way and slowed it down, 3" tap in).  Had a 47' putt from the fringe to 4'. A 13' putt that was 2 rolls away from falling. A 27' putt fthat was a tap in 2nd. A 60' putt I lagged to 4'.

 

Then some moments of frustration. 3 lipouts in a row, including a 9' that went all the way around the hole. Some pulls came in late in the round, and also had some pushes today and a weird feeling strike on 18 where I just flat out put a poor swing and hit the toe. Was very odd. 

 

Overall the pluses were very good. I just need to learn to be a better green reader and work more on my short to mid range putts and I think I will be fine.

[ANimz]

On 6/3/2025 at 12:48 PM, Rbsiedsc said:

Another round today. I thought my putting was decent but SG says otherwise. I had some unfortunate lipouts (16', followup 2' was in and out, and a couple 5'). I did have 2 bad pushes from 5' on putts i thought had a right to left break.

 

So I am worse overall from my DF2.1 from 2025 ~1.5 strokes. I think some of this is overall I am hitting a slightly larger percentage of GIR than last year. As well I am using the Oz more from fridge and rough off the green and maybe that is contributing. I am still going to stick with the Oz but also will hold onto the DF incase after a full season the Oz hasn't improved. I am tempted to take the DF out for a round just to see how I would putt with it.

 

I don't think this delta is on the putter. I think my green reading is a big work in progress. Its getting there, just hasn't fully clicked. 

 

2 months in here are my stats with the OZ.1i

 

vs 2024 and my DF2.1

 

Statistically, are you adding the fringe and rough putts to your statistics as putts?

[Rbsiedsc]

Just now, ANimz said:

Statistically, are you adding the fringe and rough putts to your statistics as putts?

They are in there as my putter using them but no. I believe SS has them show up as short game shots if I am not on the green. I will also say that with the DF2.1, I would never attempt some of these putt off the green as the club head is way to big and would get caught. That is where the OZ is helpful.

[Rbsiedsc]

Went out to practice putting today. Did mostly heads up with the Oz and my df2.1. The df I can confirm was a right bias to me. The Oz was neutral to the left pulls because as stated before I really need to focus on my stroke to not close the face. Distance control wise mostly went to the Oz and it was the only putter I made anything from a long lag distance. Gonna keep grinding and hope it sticks. 

[Rory4Pres]

My replacement putter shaft finally showed up on Friday.  It's gorgeous, excited to try it out.  Taking it in to get installed this week, hope to have it back within the next 1-2 weeks.

[DTorres]

Been really enjoying everyone’s feedback on the OZ1! I recently picked up the Original 2013 Oz1 (Just kidding, it’s a Ghost Manta CS Broomstick with LAB grips) and have non stop been asked how I like my LAB putter. I just laugh and forward them to this thread.

 

[Rbsiedsc]

I think it may be time to bench the Oz for a tiny bit. I may or may not have the yips from 4' and in. ugh. Lots of lip outs from short range

[ad_l1b]

On 6/10/2025 at 6:28 PM, LBattaglia93 said:

My apologies for the delay getting back here to post an update. Its been a crazy few weeks capped off by a week long trip to Sand Valley to put the Oz.1i through its paces. Overall, I'm VERY happy with the putter. It's already been stated in this thread, but you can tell the Oz head doesn't have the same level of confidence inspiring stability as the DF3. Its not that the Oz isn't stable; the DF3 is so good it feels impossible to it offline. That said, the Oz.1i shines for me on speed control with fast-ish greens. Our final round of the trip was a sunny hot lap on Sand Valley where the greens were ripping. It was my best putting round of the trip with a few bombs and some devlish lag putting. It was the kind of round that immediately has you wanting another crack. 

 

Its taken me a while to get used to the counterbalance setup and I think I've found my groove. The combination of the Oz.1i + TPT shaft + SuperStroke CB grip provides feedback on par with any Scotty or Bettinardi I've ever rolled...all while having ample tech to help you hit your putts online. 

 

I think the Oz.1i is a homerun for folks who prefer the feel of traditional milled putters. It has me thinking about the possibility of a DF3i option for people who want stability with a milled feel/sound. I'm not sure if that could work from a design perspective, but I'll be taking a close look at whatever L.A.B. rolls out next. 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with all of this. I just got mine last week and took it out to play nine with my buddies on Friday. Immediately one my friend commented on how much more the like the sound off the face. Sunk some nice long putts, but took some getting used to as the ball gets off the face a bit quicker than the DF3. I wasn't blowing them by the hole or anything just took a hole or two to get the speed control in check. I agree that the OZ1 isn't as stable as my DF3, but in the CB setup its plenty stable for me, in a normal length putter I still prefer the DF3. I hope they come out with a DF3i, I just hope it can be retrofitted on to our existing putters. I have the same build as you and love the feedback off the face, feels really good. I have been rolling a lot of putts in my office into my Puttout perfect putt training aid, so far the Oz1i has been crushing the DF3 (I'm sure its psychological new toy syndrome or something).

[gator022]

On 6/24/2025 at 1:08 PM, Rbsiedsc said:

I think it may be time to bench the Oz for a tiny bit. I may or may not have the yips from 4' and in. ugh. Lots of lip outs from short range

 

Curious - on all these that are missing, are they hitting your intended target line?

[Rbsiedsc]

Just now, gator022 said:

 

Curious - on all these that are missing, are they hitting your intended target line?

some yes. If I go heads up, I sometimes get the pulls coming in.

[gator022]

43 minutes ago, Rbsiedsc said:

some yes. If I go heads up, I sometimes get the pulls coming in.

 

Gotcha.  In my experience, I'm still missing a lot of putts just like every tour pro does.  It's not going to magically make more putts for me.  However, I do think the tech & science behind it helps me get it on my intended start line WAY more than before.  Then I have to deal with speed and if I even got the line right.  So many variables.  I think the LAB can probably grab most am's 1 putt a round.  Maybe more depending on how they putted before.

[Rbsiedsc]

2 minutes ago, gator022 said:

 

Gotcha.  In my experience, I'm still missing a lot of putts just like every tour pro does.  It's not going to magically make more putts for me.  However, I do think the tech & science behind it helps me get it on my intended start line WAY more than before.  Then I have to deal with speed and if I even got the line right.  So many variables.  I think the LAB can probably grab most am's 1 putt a round.  Maybe more depending on how they putted before.

Very true. I do hit my start line way more with my LAB putters than traditional putters.

[Rbsiedsc]

Had another round yesterday. Had some disappointing very short range putts, those were on me. From long range though I was consistently getting the ball within two feet of the hole if I picked the right line. Finally feeling super comfortable with this set up and just need to get over the mental hurdle with the short putts. 

[ilikegolf26]

On 6/3/2025 at 6:47 AM, gator022 said:

like you, I’ve had more people talk and ask about @labgolf putters since I started testing. 
 

it’s funny, people will drop $750 on a new driver you can use 14 times max but then when you explain these putters and the fitting process for a club they use 50% of their strokes, they start to balk. Spend the $700-1000 it’s worth it!

Meh, I can tell you for sure I’d lose more shots a round playing a $90 driver versus playing a $90 putter. 

[gator022]

2 hours ago, ilikegolf26 said:

Meh, I can tell you for sure I’d lose more shots a round playing a $90 driver versus playing a $90 putter. 

I agree. That’s why I said $750-1000.  🙂

[DKgolfAZ]

On 6/24/2025 at 10:08 AM, Rbsiedsc said:

I think it may be time to bench the Oz for a tiny bit. I may or may not have the yips from 4' and in. ugh. Lots of lip outs from short range

this was my experience but like 5’ and in. Pure distance control and the line I saw, having a 4’ putt and a 5’ come back after lipping the high side from pace changing line or the inverse a pull with the right speed was a tough spot to be in. 
 

I will say I miss the 6-12’ putts I made more consistently with the lab… but my confidence on the greens is back and I’m not doing the same thing 5’ and in anymore. 

[Rbsiedsc]

3 minutes ago, DKgolfAZ said:

this was my experience but like 5’ and in. Pure distance control and the line I saw, having a 4’ putt and a 5’ come back after lipping the high side from pace changing line or the inverse a pull with the right speed was a tough spot to be in. 
 

I will say I miss the 6-12’ putts I made more consistently with the lab… but my confidence on the greens is back and I’m not doing the same thing 5’ and in anymore. 

good to hear. I think I am going to gut it out and see what is going on. I think its all in my head. I have been doing more drills from 4' and 8' to remedy this and I hope it pays off over time.

[DKgolfAZ]

On 7/7/2025 at 9:18 AM, Rbsiedsc said:

good to hear. I think I am going to gut it out and see what is going on. I think it’s all in my head. I have been doing more drills from 4' and 8' to remedy this and I hope it pays off over time.

Good call, definitely staying tuned in to see how everyone else fairs with the putter.

 

It’s still the best feeling mallet I’ve ever touched.

[Rory4Pres]

My Lab is currently getting a makeover as I previously mentioned.  Should be able to post pictures of it in the next couple of weeks.  I think it'll look pretty stunning.  I hunted down a really fun, yet kinda hard to find, shaft for it.