Odyssey's "L.A.B. DF3 Clone" proves zero-torque putters are here to stay
If the cliché is correct and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then no one in golf has been flattered more than Karsten Solheim, the founder of Ping and the man who created the Ping Anser putter in 1966. That heel-toe-weighted blade putter has been studied and copied by countless putter makers for decades, with nearly every major brand offering its version of the original.
Sam Hahn, the CEO of L.A.B. Golf, now knows what Solheim and Ping Golf have felt like for the last 59 years. Last week at the Valspar Championship, Kevin Yu used a prototype Odyssey Ai-ONE Square 2 Square Max Stripe putter, a club that has a shape that is nearly identical to the uniquelynshaped L.A.B. DF3. Another putter labeled Ai-ONE Square 2 Square Max 1 also was spotted last week.
More than any other company, L.A.B. Golf has been riding the wave of zero-torque putters with its DF2.1, Link.1, Mezz.1, Mezz.1 Max, DF3, and recently the OZ.1 putter. All of those clubs were designed with what L.A.B. calls, “Lie Angle Balance.” They make it easier for players to keep the face square to the arc of a player’s putting stroke and return it to the ball square to the target line, which should result in getting putts started on line more often.
In the golf industry, no good idea belongs to one company for too long, so it was no surprise that as L.A.B. putters gained acceptance and popularity, other brands started offering their own putters that resist twisting and face rotation. Over the past year, we have seen the release of the Bettinardi Antidote, Evnroll Zero and the Odyssey Ai ONE Square 2 Square families of putters. PXG released the Allan putter, and TaylorMade and SeeMore recently brought prototype zero-torque Spider mallet putters to PGA Tour events.
However, Yu’s Odyssey Ai-ONE Square 2 Square Max Stripe putter was the first instance of a major brand creating a putter that mimics one of L.A.B.’s signature creations. It’s ironic because brands have actively promoted that their zero-torque putters fight face rotation while looking less like L.A.B.’s unconventional putters and more like traditional clubs.
Odyssey has not released any official information on either the Ai-ONE Square 2 Square Max Stripe or Max 1, but photos of the putters appear to show weights in the front-heel and front-toe portions of the sole, along with a large sole plate that is held in position by four screws. The Ai-ONE Square 2 Square Max Stripe and Max 1 each have a center-shafted design like the zero-torque Square 2 Square putters, and they appear to have been made with Odyssey’s Ai ONE face insert, which is a version of its wildly popular White Hot insert.
Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, J.J. Spaun, Kevin Kisner and YouTube star and recent Creator Classic winner Grant Horvat have all used L.A.B. DF3 putters recently, but the takeaway from the first L.A.B. DF3 clone to be used in a PGA Tour event is this: Zero-torque putters are not a fad or a trend that is going to fizzle out any time soon, major brands have taken notice and manufacturers are not going to let L.A.B. Golf have this category – or even any putter shape – all to itself.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Odyssey zero-torque putter looks like L.A.B. DF3 putter
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