The new MEZZ1 MAX, right, is 20% larger than its predecessor (left), and the best-selling putter in ... [+]
When L.A.B. Golf introduced its MEZZ.1 putter — its first putter that “didn’t look crazy,” CEO Sam Hahn acknowledges — it became the upstart company’s best-seller overnight. But a recurring plea from golfers was that the putter’s head, a relatively compact mallet, should be bigger.
The result: The supersized MEZZ.1 MAX.
The newest custom putter from L.A.B. Golf, an acronym that stands for “Lie Angle Balancing,” is about 20% larger than its predecessor. It also starts at $559, a price tag that rivals many of the top new drivers on the market and is about 30% more than the latest Scotty Cameron putter release.
The promised differentiator in L.A.B. Golf’s technology, and that Lie Angle Balancing, is that torque, or twisting of the club head, is eliminated from the design of the company’s putters. This means that golfers are able to have a more consistently repeatable putting stroke, with the center-shafted putters staying square by themselves throughout the arc of the swing.
Stability, forgiveness and consistency are music to golfers’ ears when it comes to the oft-ephemeral solid putting stroke. Which is why the putter market, in general, has been particularly hot in recent years; golfers are forever seeking improvement. And L.A.B. Golf has been able to carve out a niche, even counting pros such as Adam Scott and Charl Schwartzel among its adopters, since its launch in 2018.
“The goal of everything we do at L.A.B Golf is to make putting easier and more fun,” said Hahn. “Our customers write to us all the time saying how they used to hate putting, and now they’re enjoying it.”
The midsection of the MEZZ.1 MAX is crafted from stainless steel while the wing-shaped putter body is made from 6061 aircraft aluminum, providing a sweet spot across the face that negates the impact of mishits. And all of L.A.B.’s putters are individually hand-balanced and weighted at the company’s facility in Eugene, Oregon, a process that can take up to 45 minutes per club.
Golfers are able to choose from six different colors and 11 different alignment markings, with a variety of upgraded shaft and grip options. L.A.B. golf putters are available at PGA Tour Superstore and Club Champion, as well as other leading golf retailers and select green grass facilities.
The company even has a remote fitting option on its website, unquestionably a must with the premium putter pricing. In debating the lofty price tag, the question golfers have to ask themselves is: “Is this finally the putter that solves my putting woes?” And, if so, “Is that then worth the price?”
