LAB Golf OZ.1i Putter Review
50 Words or Less
The LAB Golf OZ.1i putter pairs the company’s unique lie angle balancing technology with a more traditional mallet shape. Thousands of alignment options plus unique shaft and grip choices. Great forgiveness. Stainless steel face provides crisp feedback.
Introduction
In 2024, I divorced my putter and took up with the L.A.B. Golf MEZZ.1 MAX [review HERE]. I’m not going to tell you that I made everything I looked at, but I putted really well, well enough to commit to L.A.B.’s zero torque design for the foreseeable future. Not long after making this commitment, I saw spy pics of the LAB Golf OZ.1i putter, and my eye started wandering again. Read on to learn about the latest from the hottest putter company in the world and to find out if I have a new flat stick in my bag.
Looks
LAB Golf is not known for traditional head shapes – their signature design looks like a spaceship [check it out HERE] – but the LAB Golf OZ.1i putter is as close as they get. This is a large, modern mallet, and there’s nothing about the shape that couldn’t have come from another maker. The shape defies easy description with several levels and numerous angles, but somehow I find that it sits naturally behind the ball.
With the exception of the small L.A.B. icon in the cavity and moderate branding on the sole, the OZ.1i putter has no ornamentation. This puts all the focus on the shape and the alignment aids – or lack thereof. No OEM gives you as many choices for alignment as L.A.B. Golf. When you custom order an OZ.1i, you have 31 choices for a front alignment aid and 22 options for a rear alignment aid. Add in the eight different head colors and you have a total of 5,456 possible combinations. I kept mine pretty plain – black head, perpendicular white line to highlight the face, no rear alignment aid.
Finally, for anyone looking for a comparison to the extremely popular MEZZ.1 MAX, the LAB Golf OZ.1i putter is longer from front-to-back. The face is much shorter from heel-to-toe, but the overall head is a similar width because it angles out from the face.
Sound & Feel
The LAB Golf OZ.1i putter features a stainless steel insert – a first for L.A.B. Golf. This is done to promote a firmer feel and faster ball speeds, and it definitely delivers on the former. Comparing it to the MEZZ.1 MAX, it produces a noticeably crisper feel, even on very short putts. It’s not a firm or hard feel overall, but it’s a sizable change from the MEZZ.1 MAX.
That difference is equally large when it comes to sound. Even with a premium, urethane-covered ball, the sound is a clear, distinct “tock”. It’s mid-pitched and offers modest feedback, getting a bit more muddled on mishits.
Performance
In the past, when I reviewed a zero torque putter I would need a little time to refresh myself on the proper technique. That wasn’t necessary with the LAB Golf OZ.1i putter – the transition from the MEZZ.1 MAX was seamless. As I’ve experienced previously, the biggest benefit of L.A.B. Golf’s zero torque design is that hitting your line is automatic once you stop trying to manipulate the putter.
The forgiveness in this putter is also excellent. Small misses have almost no effect on the final result. Unless you hit a truly putrid putt, your ball will start near the intended line and roll out to the expected distance.
What I was most excited about with the LAB Golf OZ.1i putter was the stainless steel face. The one consistent issue I had this past season with the MEZZ.1 MAX was leaving putts short. I putt with dying speed by nature, and the MEZZ enhanced that tendency. With the OZ.1i, the ball had just enough extra pop off the face that I didn’t have to try to get it to the hole. These are just preliminary indoor results – our greens are frozen in Illinois – but I’m excited by what I’ve seen.
Another thing that makes the LAB Golf OZ.1i putter unique from other L.A.B. offerings is the ability to order it without shaft lean. The built-in shaft lean has been a signature feature of L.A.B. putters, but the company has clearly received feedback that some players don’t want it. I ordered mine with the 2 degree shaft lean – to me, a L.A.B. putter without it is like a sundae without sprinkles.
The LAB Golf OZ.1i putter has several shaft options beyond the stock steel. For a $100 upcharge, you can get an Accra graphite shaft, and for $399 you can get one from TPT. I tested my OZ.1i with the new GEARS X L.A.B. Golf shaft, which is a $175 upcharge. GEARS is a motion capture system used by golf instructors and researchers [I took a lesson on GEARS HERE].
According to L.A.B. Golf, their GEARS shaft is filament-wound, which makes it seamless and more consistent. They also sought to create a more responsive, steel-like feel: this shaft is promoted as having the stiffest tip section in their lineup. While acknowledging that there are several variables in play, I did feel that the GEARS X L.A.B. Golf shaft was a bit stiffer than the Accra in my MEZZ.1 MAX and it produced a more crisp feel.
Finally, a word on the grips that L.A.B. Golf offers. For this review, I chose the Press Pistol 2 Degree. I like pistol grips on my normal putters, and I wanted to try something different than the Press II 1.5 that I have on my MEZZ.1 MAX.
When I first got it in hand, I was surprised by how wide the grip felt. There is a pronounced pistol shape to the butt section, but the width is what required a little getting used to. After a short time, I concluded that this grip is great fit for me: the pistol shape fills my left hand more making it easier to use the “thumbs free” technique I learned from L.A.B. founder Sam Hahn.
If you choose to have you LAB Golf OZ.1i putter built with 2 degrees of shaft lean, the other grip options are the Press II 1.5, the Press II 3, or the Press 1.3 XL. If you want to learn more about L.A.B. Golf’s Press grips, click HERE. Players who opt for no shaft lean can choose from the SuperStroke Flatso 2.0, Pistol 1.0, Tour 2.0, the Garsen Quad Tour [review HERE], “Simple Rubber” or “Simple Cord.”
Conclusion
If you’ve been curious about zero torque putters, there’s never been a better time to try one. The originator’s latest, the LAB Golf OZ.1i putter, may be their best yet thanks to its accessible shape and endless customization options. Just be sure to get fit before you order – they offer free Remote Fittings HERE – because this putter must be fit to work as intended.
Buy the LAB Golf OZ.1i Putter HERE
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