I’ve recently become a “L.A.B.” rat. No, I don’t mean I bought a white coat and a chemistry set. I mean I’ve gone all in on L.A.B. Golf putters and their Lie Angle Balanced technology (L.A.B. Get it?). I’d tried a couple models but I wasn’t a huge fan of the feel and didn’t have that putting epiphany some of my friends had. So I shelved them in favor of less weird-looking flatsticks. Then came the OZ.1i and I was intrigued, to say the least. One remote fitting and a dent to the wallet and I was the proud owner of a TPT-shafted charcoal OZ.1i.

It took a little bit of getting used to, I grant you. L.A.B. calls it a “torque hangover” and, believe me, some hangovers are worse than others. I’d been on a decade-long torque bender and it took some effort via a lot of thumbless drills to get clean. That hard work is behind me and I’m seeing quite a few more putts go in this year than last.

The dilemma

There’s just one problem in this burgeoning love story. Like most golf equipment junkies, I’ve got a bit of a wandering eye. What I don’t have is an unlimited budget. Having sunk considerable cheddar into the OZ purchase, I was now insatiably curious about the rest of the L.A.B. lineup (even the weird-looking ones). I had a dilemma. 

A little bit about me: I putt “heads up,” meaning I’m looking at the target, not the ball, when I make my stroke. If you’re at all curious about that, fire up Google and search “Sasho MacKenzie” and “heads up putting.” You’ll find plenty of material from perhaps the smartest man in golf extolling the virtues of this method. The point is that it seems to me that if I’m not going look at the ball when I putt, I should probably emphasize forgiveness in my choice of putters.

Peruse the L.A.B. lineup and you’ll find the OZ is plenty forgiving, but not the most forgiving. That honor goes to the flagship DF 2.1.  You know, the one that looks like a branding iron.

I’m not quite ready to embrace the looks of that one but a very close second is the less crazy-looking DF 3. Now, how to buy one on the cheap? Or cheaper at least. Enter the L.A.B. Golf Outlet.

What is the L.A.B. Golf Outlet?

As you might have guessed, L.A.B. Golf Outlet is directly affiliated with L.A.B. Golf and sells “factory-second putters.” What’s a factory-second putter? Per the outlet’s Frequently Asked Questions, factory-second putters use “blemish parts and returned putters from our main website. The blemishes on these putters are all visual and do not affect our patented technology. The blemishes may be found on the putter head or shaft, but do not affect performance.” That’s L.A.B.’s bold font, not mine. I think they are saying that the putters available at the outlet are there for purely cosmetic reasons that won’t affect performance. Just a hunch.

Bargain L.A.B. shopping

All the L.A.B. models are here. Do they have your exact specs in your preferred color and with the shaft and grip you want? Maybe. Going the outlet route requires luck and/or lots of patience. Being an outlet shopper means you’re not buying one custom built for you. Use the site’s filter features to sort by model, length, lie angle, etc., and see if the outlet shelves have something for you that day.

In my case, I had luck mixed with a little bit of a willingness to compromise. I’ve got some unique putter specs. On my first search, I managed to locate a platinum DF3 in my specs with an Accra shaft and the same Press Pistol 1.5-degree grip that’s on my OZ. Close enough.

When it was still there a week later, I knew it was meant to be. Brand new from L.A.B., the putter would have cost me $659. L.A.B. Golf Outlet: $545.  Still not cheap, I grant you, but that’s a pretty substantial savings if you ask me.

An outlet putter?

I admit I was nervous about this one. We’ve established my willingness to compromise (I’d have preferred a black Accra to the white) but if the blemishes the website mentioned were too obvious it was going to be an issue.  Turns out, my concerns were not warranted.

Having already purchased an OZ from the main L.A.B. site, I can tell you the shipping and packaging from the outlet is identical, right down to the box telling me to “untorque” myself. Immediately after unboxing, I did exactly what you would do: I examined the putter top to bottom looking for the defect. I’ve had it for three weeks now and I still haven’t found a flaw.

What’s more, my factory-second DF3 has actually kicked my OZ.1i out of the bag. I really like the OZ but I find the insert face to be a little too hot compared to the aluminum DF3 face. Pairing that aluminum face with the Accra shaft produces an incredibly soft feel that I’ve become enthralled with and after running a few comparison tests with Stack Putting, the DF3 is the clear winner.  So now I have a rather expensive backup in the OZ which is a new kind of dilemma, I suppose.

Outlet shopping tips

The putters on L.A.B. Golf Outlet are clearly the real deal. Time to head over there and pick one out, right? Not so fast. Remember, the flagship technology here is Lie Angle Balanced. That means you need to buy a putter at the appropriate lie angle for you or it won’t be torque-free and fitted for you. 

And that’s rule No. 1: Outlet or not, you still need to get fitted. Fortunately, L.A.B.’s remote fitting remains free and easily accessible. In fact, there’s a link to it on the outlet site, too. Once you get your fitting results back, you can buy with confidence knowing you’re set up for the full torque-free experience.

But therein lies rule No. 2: You may need to have some patience. The main difference between the outlet and the main L.A.B. Golf buying experience is that you are no longer buying a putter custom-built for you. Instead, you’re hoping to find one that’s already been built to your specs. If your fitting comes back recommending a 69-degree lie angle, you’re in luck. You’ll have a ton of options to choose from on the outlet site. In my case, I rock a pretty upright 75-degree lie angle and got lucky to find a putter to match on the outlet site. If your specs are a little more outside the norm like mine, have the patience to wait for a putter that matches your needs to become available.

Final thoughts

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed L.A.B. Golf putters are all the rage.  Look no farther than the rise in zero-torque offerings from other manufactures as evidence. The putters are really, really good. Putters from L.A.B. Golf Outlet are just as good because they’re the same damn thing minus a (sometimes imperceptible, even invisible) blemish. You can buy with full confidence knowing you’re getting the same Lie Angle Balanced technology that has changed the putter game.

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