You may have assumed that we had seen the last of the new putters this week. Fortunately, that is not the case. As the lights dim at the annual PGA show in Orlando, the spotlight shifts to L.A.B. Golf’s new DF3i putter.
The release may be at the end of this momentous week but it still sits front and center in terms of importance.
When L.A.B. Golf released the DF3 in early 2024, it was a really big deal. For years, golfers were requesting that L.A.B. make a smaller version of their “husky” Directed Force model. The L.A.B. DF2.1 had all of L.A.B. Golf’s amazing Lie Angle Balance technology but its large size kept some golfers from putting one in the bag.
Then came the DF3. It had all of the L.A.B. Golf tech but in a much smaller size. The DF3 quickly became one of L.A.B. Golf’s most popular models with touring pros and amateurs. Rickie Fowler put one in play so as did Phil Mickelson.
The crowning achievement for the DF3 came last year when J.J. Spaun sank a 64-foot bomb on the final hole to win the U.S. Open.
Though L.A.B. Golf has always valued performance over appearance, they hit the sweet spot between the two with the DF3. The DF3 was the model that made “ugly” putters acceptable, motivating many golfers to be more open to discovering what L.A.B. Golf was all about.
These days, you will see lots of L.A.B. Golf putters on the PGA Tour and at your course. While the Mezz and the OZ models have a respectable presence, most of the putters out there are DF3s.
That’s why L.A.B. Golf releasing this new DF3i version is so significant.
The “i” in DF3i is for “insert”
As with the OZ.1i, the DF3i has a stainless-steel insert in the face. This milled insert changes its feel and performance. The new milled stainless-steel insert feels firmer than the milled aluminum face of the original DF3 model.
The firmer-than-aluminum stainless steel also adds a bit more pop to the face of the DF3i. This material change should result in your putts rolling out more than they did with the original DF3.
For more traditional putter heads, you can increase putt pace by decreasing the loft of the face. The problem with this is that you also change the way the ball launches off of the face. Depending upon the turf conditions, less face loft could end up slowing down the ball.
(Shaggy greens + low loft = excessive dragging on the grass)
The beauty of the DF3i insert is that it allows you to add a little speed without changing the specs of the putter.
Get fitted for any putter but especially a L.A.B. Golf putter
By the way, don’t buy any L.A.B. Golf putter blindly off the rack. Lie Angle Balance really works only when the lie angle of the putter matches the lie angle required by the player. Those two lie angles need to match so all of the weights on the bottom of the putter can work correctly.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy a used L.A.B. putter. Far from it. I’m just saying you need to buy a putter, used or new, that matches your specifications.
Send L.A.B. a video of your swing with your current putter and they can tell you what your lie angle should be. Having gone through L.A.B Golf’s remote video fitting as well as an in-person fitting at L.A.B. HQ, I can attest to the accuracy of the video fitting.
Will the DF3i’s stainless-steel face bring smiles?
This new face allows you to add “face composition” to your putter fitting recipe. With custom loft, length and lie, each golfer will have a specific face that performs better for them.
If your current DF3 is delivering the distances you need, you probably don’t need the stainless-steel face. As one who tends to miss online but short, I am super excited for a bit more pop. That extra firmness and roll could turn my short misses into makes.
Head-to-head battles between this new DF3i and my gamer DF3 have begun. Preliminary rolls indicate the DF3 may be in trouble.
By the way, L.A.B. did a great job of hiding the insert at address. Unlike the OZ.1i where you can see the stainless steel face, it’s completely hidden when you look down at the DF3i.
I’ve rolled a staggering amount of putters this release season. More than one of them has threatened my DF3’s bag position but the DF3i is the most serious contender.
If the new DF3i performs like my DF3 but has extra, repeatable pop, my beloved purple DF3 may get dusty in the garage this season. If that happens, keep an eye out for an article about the new L.A.B. Golf Custom DF3i interface very soon. (Don’t forget that purple is now a standard custom color.)
Find out more and order your L.A.B. Golf DF3i today at labgolf.com.
If your specs somehow do match an off-the-rack DF3i,
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