The PXG Allan putter is going to make some people angry.
Golfers getting mad about new equipment is commonplace these days. Don’t like the new shape of an iron? Rage type about it! Is a company’s Ventus stock shaft not a Velocore model? That slight must be addressed! Should a club cost more than it did in 2008? Someone has some explaining to do!
Those enraging situations are just minor irritants compared with what PXG has unleashed with the Allan putter.
PXG design elements
Unsupported, this extremely thin face would feel and sound very unpleasant at impact. To address this, PXG filled the empty space in the head with their S COR polymer, thus improving the sound at impact. Subsequently, they found the addition of the polymer also improved strike uniformity across the face.
That’s a non-ringing endorsement for the PXG design plan.
PXG adds milled elements that are functionally unnecessary but aesthetically pleasing. Check out the milled ridges on the underside of the aluminum top piece. They remind me a bit of louvers cut into the hood of a hot rod. They do not need to be there but they make the putter look that much cooler.
But I’m not mad about the Allan yet …
First of all, the neck is supposed to attach there and be shaped like that. The PXG engineers didn’t get halfway through building the Allan and then, all of a sudden, feel like destroying something beautiful. The neck position and shape are atypical and built as intended. Unlike the cosmetic milling, the neck system was created not for looks but for function.
The PXG Allan is a zero-torque design
This positioning gives the putter a “toe-up” toe hang. Additionally, this design creates a putter that has zero torque during the stroke. This means the putter will not open or close relative to path during the stroke, making it easier to return the putter square to the ball and to the target line.
Something about that zero-torque design plan seems familiar.
Addressing the elephant in the L.A.B.
Is PXG is trying to tap into some of L.A.B. Golf’s success?
It would take all day to count the number of PING Anser-inspired putters out there.
I totally get how PXG releasing the Allan could be frustrating for L.A.B. Golf but I think that it should also be validating.
Maybe the PXG Allan sucks (it doesn’t)
I took the PXG Allan out on the course and made nearly every putt I looked at. If I did miss, it was caused by a speed or read error. Not once did the ball travel down an unintended line.
My previous experience with L.A.B. Golf putters undoubtedly made me feel immediately comfortable with the zero-torque Allan. I found swinging the DF3 and Allan putters to be similar experiences.
Impact feel is muted. It’s tough to know for sure if you missed the center or not. It didn’t seem to matter too much, though, since the ball seemingly always ended up heading toward the target. Though subjective, I definitely prefer the impact feel of the L.A.B Golf DF3.
Final thoughts on the PXG Allan putter
Will the PXG Allan lure customers away from L.A.B. Golf? Maybe, but I’m not totally sure that the Allan will prove harmful to L.A.B. Golf. L.A.B. Golf has carved out a very unique market space. They make putters with atypical shapes that undeniably outperform other putters in the current marketplace.
Remember, 8802-loving Phil Mickelson is using a L.A.B. Golf putter.
That’s assuming that anyone would ever want to move on from the PXG Allan. Like I said, it’s a solid flatstick.
Find out more about the PXG Allan and the other PXG putters at PXG.com.
FAQ: PXG Allan Putter
The Allan I tested had PXG’s M16 putter shaft in it. The shaft is made of graphite and steel and is 26 percent stiffer than steel. PXG says robot testing shows the M16 shaft to be 37 percent more accurate than traditional steel.
The Allan is named after Bob Parsons’ younger brother who passed after battling cancer back in 2020. If you are wondering, the Alan Parsons from the Alan Parsons Project was a different person.
I’d say that is a safe bet. The design works and is hot in the marketplace. Expect other companies to release some.
It’s possible. They do run sales here and there. Remember that they also have a PXG for Heroes program where current and past military, veterans and first responders get a discount.
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