“You’re a better golfer than you think you are.” This is L.A.B.’s motto and, with the promise of fewer putts and a revised shape, the L.A.B. DF3 was submitted to the MGS Forum for testing. This Forum member review summarizes the experiences of multiple testers, providing an insightful guide to help you decide if this innovative (and expensive) putter should earn your consideration and maybe even a place in your bag.
The Testing Opportunity
Six MyGolfSpy Forum members were given the opportunity to test the L.A.B. DF3, the newest putter from the company shaking up the golfing world with its unconventional design and bold claims. The DF2.1, while being one of the most stable putters in existence (see previous Forum tests in 2022 and 2023), was also, cosmetically at least, the kind of putter only a mother could love. The new DF3 aims to take all that’s great about the 2.1 and fit it into a much smaller, better-looking design while maintaining all the advantages of its bigger brother. This testing aimed to provide a thorough, real-world evaluation of the club’s performance, drawing from the on-course and launch monitor performance our testers experienced.
Brief Summary
This Forum member review of the L.A.B. DF3 highlighted several key aspects appreciated by testers. Universally, the testers praised the build quality of the putters, the attention to detail in getting all of the custom elements correct and the fitting/customer service experience while ordering their putters.
While it wasn’t always smooth sailing along the testing process, I won’t spoil the final grades (see below) here but it’s safe to say the testers were thoroughly impressed with the results.
To view all their final grades and further insights continue reading below.
First Impressions
Upon unboxing the L.A.B. DF3, the initial reaction was a mix of excitement and drooling. The build quality was praised repeatedly, with Cfhandyman stating, “Overall, this putter is stunning and gorgeous” and later calling it “unique and intoxicating.” Steve F says, “it’s clear that a lot of thought went into the discovery, design and implementation of … this putter.”
Tester GolfSpy MPR, while noting that the “fit and finish is mostly what you’d expect of a very high-end putter,” also admits that “compared to just about anything else, the DF3 is an unusual-looking putter.” He adds, though, that he “never had a moment in which [he] found the look of the putter to be distracting.” Will the unconventional looks be a stumbling block for him? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.
Multiple testers also heaped praise on the headcovers, with phrases such as “it’s astonishingly nice” and “It’s super premium and I love the dual magnets.”
Aesthetic Appeal
The biggest complaint that L.A.B. received from people gaming/trying the DF 2.1 was that it was … just … so … big. (One previous tester called it “a frying pan on a stick that feels impossible to miss with.”) So one of the main things L.A.B. wanted was to keep the tech essentially the same but pare it down into a much more palatable package for most golfers. Based on the feedback our testers provided, it seems like they’ve hit this one out of the park. “Stunning and gorgeous,” “This thing looks [fire emoji]!!!”, “looks fantastic!”, and “The looks, feel, design and build quality are all top notch (so is the ball picker upper)!”
Several testers did acknowledge that while the looks may be unconventional, it never got in the way of them using the putter for what it was designed for—making putts.
Let’s see how it did in that regard.
Performance and Testing
Adjusting to the DF3
One of the challenges several of the testers experienced was transitioning from their gamer putter to the DF3 because of the ‘zero torque’ built into the DF3. L.A.B. claims that their putters, because of their lack of torque (and therefore you not needing to “fight” the putter face opening/closing in your stroke), make “putting as easy as picking the right line, the right speed, and making your natural stroke.” For several testers, there was a break-in period where they had to adjust their grip or their stroke as they were conditioned to fight the torque in their gamer.
MattWillGolf: “ It took some time to adjust to this idea but once I became more comfortable with this style of putting and embraced it I could see the results on the course.”
Jbern: “For me, coming from an arm-lock putter, EVERYTHING about my putting stroke has had to change. The setup (ball forward, tighter stance, arm position), grip (arm-lock claw to weak traditional), tempo, and follow-through all had to change.”
While this was the case for a few testers, one of our testers said that, right from the get-go, “inside 5’ felt almost automatic.”
Multiple testers remarked that, though it took a bit to adjust to the idea of “un-torquing yourself”, once they got used to the idea of “letting the putter do its thing,” their experiences changed drastically. MattF said, “I have found that lightening the grip with this club is proving helpful.” CFreddie similarly notes “upon lightening the grip and ‘letting the gravity do its thing,’ I immediately saw a transition to a true roll from any distance.”
On-Course Experience
Real-world performance of the L.A.B. DF3 was exceptional and the numbers back it up. I would STRONGLY urge you to check out the individual reviews if you’re looking for data galore but here’s a quick summary of what the testers found, in their own words.
CFreddie: “In recent rounds, I’ve gained strokes (compared to my current handicap) and played multiple rounds with ZERO 3-putts (which has never happened to me).”
Cfhandyman: “To date, it is the best putter I have ever owned and my putting Strokes Gained increased by 0.8 strokes over 20 rounds over an excellent gamer.”
GolfSpy MPR: “In terms of total number of putts, I’m thrilled. The big takeaway here is three-putt avoidance. I’ve never in my life felt so confident that I’m going to get my first putt close.”
Key Highlights From Testers
Learning Curve
Because of its lack of torque, especially compared to a “standard putter”, there can be a learning curve to putting the DF3 in play. Most of our testers found that, with some focused practice (and watching the L.A.B.-produced videos they post on their social media accounts), adjusting to the putter and putting style was relatively painless. As with any new club, practice makes it better.
Build Quality
Again and again, the testers praised the DF3 (and L.A.B.) for the craftsmanship and delivering on what they promised: a top-of-the-line product that helped justify the cost.
Naming their Putters
Each of the testers decided to name their DF3’s, ascribing them names that captured their essence. MattWillGolf’s orange DF3 was nicknamed “Nemo” (like the clown-fish from the movie), CFreddie went with “Chewie” for his cappuccino-tinted DF3, jbern dubbed his “Dory” (also from “Finding Nemo”) “because she’s blue, has short term memory loss (necessary attribute for putting), and always finds a way to get things accomplished!” Cfhandyman went with “Lab Rat” for his, inspired by L.A.B.’s mascot, and GolfSpy MPR went with “Shazam” for his red DF3. Finally, Steve F decided on “Black Mamba”—“a striker with deadly accuracy!” You may not subscribe to this, but we’re big believers in naming your putter. You need to be able to sing their praises and/or curse them by name.
Three-Putt Avoidance
Nearly every tester remarked that, by the end of the testing period (right about six weeks), they were all seeing fewer three-putts per round, with multiple instances of zero three-putts in rounds.
Shaft Choices
All of our testers were given the option of choosing any of the shafts L.A.B. offers, Most went with the TPT shaft which is typically a $300 upcharge. Every tester praised this shaft as exceptional. jbern said, “the TPT shaft could be an unsung hero for the DF3 putting performance. I’m not an expert on putter shafts, but during the testing period I rented a set of clubs and the putter that was part of the rental set was an unnamed premium putter with a stock steel shaft. It seriously felt like I was trying to hit a nail with a spaghetti noodle instead of a hammer. I could feel the shaft flexing and torquing, especially on the long putts!”
Is the cost justified?
Our testers were very cognizant of the fact that this isa very expensive putter, especially with the custom configurations offered to the testers by L.A.B. It is not something that the average golfer would buy without weighing the pros and cons. Tester GolfSpy MPR sums this up beautifully: “If you have the means to purchase this putter, and you want your equipment to give you every possible edge on the course, you are going to want to test and get fitted (in person or remotely) for a L.A.B. But perhaps you’ve stumbled upon this thread a few years after it was first published. Maybe you’ve seen a secondhand L.A.B. for sale on eBay, and you’re wondering if you should take the leap. My advice: untorque yourself.”
Final Grades.
So after all the testing was complete and the thousands of putts and all the correlating data compiled, how did our testers ultimately grade the DF3?
The grades were 89, 99, 90, 98, 93, and 95. By all accounts, our testers were wowed by the DF3 and how it affected their games.
GolfSpy MPR once again provides an accurate summary: “Here’s the bottom line: the L.A.B. technology 1) does what it says and 2) is not the same as every other putter. You do not have to have the hands of Ben Crenshaw to feel what the Revealer reveals: the DF3 does not want to twist. The performance differences claimed of this putter are real; I don’t see how that can be disputed.”
Keep It or Trade It?
100%! Every single one of our testers has decided to keep the DF3 in their bag for the foreseeable future.
Jbern: “Facts: Putter per 18 holes went from 34.1 to 31.54. One-putts per 18 holes went from 4.26 to 6.34. Three-putts per 18 holes went down from 2.28 to 1.89. My overall handicap decreased from 7.4 to 6.9. Confidence is up. Swagger is up (well hopefully, there’s not real data around that one! 
CFreddie: “This was an incredibly easy decision (even during some of the low points of this test) – Chewie is FIRMLY in the bag. Sorry, Scotty, you never really had a chance 
GolfSpy MPR: “My L.A.B. now owns the putter slot in my bag.”
MattWillGolf: “The DF3 checks all the boxes for me.”
Conclusion
For all of our testers, the L.A.B. DF3 proved to be the better putter. Admittedly, for several of them, there was a learning curve (or an “unlearning curve” if you will) but once past that, each of the testers saw more putts made and fewer putts missed (especially noteworthy is the number of the testers that mentioned three-putt avoidance showing a huge gain).
Please take a few minutes and head over to the full reviews to see the astonishing amount of data captured by our testers. They are truly a shining example of why the MyGolfSpy Forum really does the best reviews (especially by REAL golfers) on the internet.
To read our testers’ full reviews and results go here:
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