The folks at L.A.B. Golf Putters have something to tell you. It may or may not come as a surprise but, since you’re reading a #datacratic website, the numbers tell an undeniable story:
If your putter has success on the PGA TOUR, it doesn’t matter what it looks like.
And for that, you can thank Lucas Glover and his trusty L.A.B. Mezz with the broomstick shaft.
“It’s been nuts,” says L.A.B. Putters owner and CEO Sam Hahn. “Anybody who kind of half-heard about us now all of a sudden is really paying attention.”
But whether this little company that makes funny-bordering-on-ridiculous-looking putters is here to stay or whether it’s just another fad remains an open and fascinating question.
L.A.B. Golf Putters: How Did We Get Here?
We’ve detailed L.A.B.’s back story before, so we won’t belabor the details. The short version is that it all started with Bill Presse’s original Directed Force putter, aka The Putter Formerly Known as Prince. As a product, the Directed Force wasn’t just outside the box. It had never even been formally introduced to the box. It was different, huge and, to most golfers, hideous.
“We’re not the first company in history to have done something like this,” says Hahn. “The OG putter innovator Karsten Solheim had virtually the exact same experience. When the Anser first came out, people laughed at him.”
We all know how that turned out.
But Glover’s remarkable run, plus seeing L.A.B. Golf putters in the hands of Adam Scott, Michael Kim and Grayson Murray is bringing L.A.B. – dare I say it – into the putting mainstream.
Why Tour Validation Matters
Golfers tend to fall loosely into two categories. There are those who admit that Tour usage matters to them and those who don’t. That doesn’t mean golfers will only buy Tour-validated equipment. But the fact that companies that dominate Tour play also dominate equipment sales suggests it can’t hurt.
And that’s why Glover’s run led to some Holy S**t! moments at L.A.B.
“We were as prepared as we could have been,” Hahn says. “Obviously, you can’t hire enough staff to accommodate 20,000 orders while you’ve only been doing 5,000. You just have to grab hold and do your best.”
“We knew this was going to happen eventually,” Hahn says. “Because golfers are, while relatively closed-minded, stubborn and unchanging, as soon as they see something happen on TV, they want the next best thing.”
“It also helped that it happened in August and not in June,” Hahn adds. “The season was kind of winding down and there was some relief.”
The Evolution of “What’s Acceptable”
Even Hahn will admit the Directed Force 2.1 is a goofy-looking putter. The Mezz and Link putters are considerably more conventional-looking but they are, uhhh, distinct. Is L.A.B. Golf Putters’ sudden leap into the mainstream a sign that golfers are starting to broaden their horizons as to what’s acceptable looking?
“The psychology remains the same but the scenario is different,” he says. “It used to be if I got that putter in front of 10 people, two would give it a shot. The other eight are going to prioritize vanity or familiarity.
“Now it’s 2,000 out of 10,000 or 20,000 out of 100,000. And now your buddy is seeing you make putts and, all of a sudden, it’s not so different. Picking up a Directed Force now isn’t an act of open-mindedness. It’s a calculated decision based on what you’re seeing with your own eyes.”
“We knew it was going to be like this,” says Hahn. “We knew we had an uphill battle and we knew we needed to catch a couple of lucky breaks.
There’s Mold Breaking and Then There’s L.A.B. Golf Putters Mold Breaking
Golfers have been looking for the magic putter ever since Scottish shepherds started rolling rocks into rabbit holes. We’ve evolved from the 8802 to the Anser to the 2-Ball to the Spider. And in each evolution, all it took was holing a couple of 30-footers to go from “I’ll never put that ugly-ass putter in my bag” to “You’ll have to pry this out of my cold, dead hands.”
We golfers are an interesting bunch.
“It’s very difficult for a golfer to recognize progress on the greens,” says Hahn. “The Anser, the 2-Ball, those universally produced good enough results that they were noticeable. And everybody and their mother went out and bought one.”
“The results are different enough that you can notice it,” Hahn explains. “You’re noticing that ‘Holy shit, I made two 30-footers today’ or ‘I didn’t miss inside six feet.’ Those are quantifiable.”
Facts, as John Adams once said, are stubborn things.
L.A.B. Golf Putters: Preparing for the Next Big Wave
A little over a year ago, L.A.B. Golf Putters was a cozy little 26-person company. With the recent growth, the company expects to have more than 80 employees by the end of the year as Hahn prepares for L.A.B.’s next big leap.
“There are still a ton of people who have absolutely no idea who we are,” Hahn says. “Ou of every 100 golfers, you might see a Directed Force or Mess here or there but you’ll see an Odyssey everywhere.
“We’re still a secret to the golfing civilian, if you will.”
Which is why you have to be prepared.
“One of the things that helps us is people know we custom build everything by hand,” says Hahn. “Even when demand is low, it’s a three- to four-week lead time. Customers tend to be a little more patient with us than they’d be with a major OEM.”
“We’re planning for the inevitability of more Tour wins and more validation,” he says. “There will be more validation and there will be more demand. As much as anybody can be ready, we’re ready.”
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