L.A.B. Putters By Year: From Struggling Startup to Industry Giant
Here's every putter L.A.B. Golf released as it grew from struggling startup to industry giant
From an outside perspective, L.A.B. golf is on a fairytale ride. Arguably the hottest golf equipment brand in the world at the moment, L.A.B. has not only gone from struggling startup to feisty underdog to putter giant, but it’s done all that in roughly a decade. Essentially the blink of an eye compared to competitors like Odyssey and Scotty Cameron.
But are Odyssey and Scotty Cameron even L.A.B.’s true competitors? Sure, they all sell putters, but L.A.B. has always been on a mission to do something different, which explains how it went from garage project to industry disruptor in record time.
Truth is, L.A.B. has driven more meaningful change in the putter category than anything we’ve seen in half a century. And the brands still pretending otherwise? They’re in danger of being left behind.
L.A.B. Golf History
Bille Presse IV started what you know today as L.A.B. Golf when he decided to build himself a putter that could pay off his ball-striking efforts. Presse, then a teaching pro, club builder, and mini-tour player, realized there was something to removing the torque from a putter (specifically, removing it from one specific axis).
If you’ve ever seen a video of a L.A.B. putter or a putter from another company in a revealer, that revealer was actually Presse’s invention, and it helped lead to the first Directed Force putter, not the other way around, as many players assume.
I’ve alluded to it enough, but what is now L.A.B. Golf was originally called Directed Force, and the putter now known as the L.A.B. Directed Force (DF) 2.1 was originally called the Reno. That explains why the first putter in L.A.B.’s history is the Directed Force Reno, even though it’s – aside from what’s engraved on the bottom – more or less indistinguishable from today’s DF 2.1.
Presse had some traction with Directed Force putters but lacked the resources needed to grow. Or, as it turned out, blow up.
That’s when, in 2017, Sam Hahn pulled together some cash to buy a stake in Directed Force and partner with Presse to grow the brand. By 2018, the deal was done, and Directed Force was rebranded as L.A.B. Golf.
With tech it believed in and designs that needed some persuasion, L.A.B. and Hahn relentlessly marketed the putters. Golfers curiously tuned in to social media demonstrations, which helped L.A.B. build some momentum. But when Lucas Glover won back-to-back PGA Tour events using a L.A.B. putter, consumers busted down L.A.B.’s doors.
In just a couple of short years, L.A.B. grew to nearly 300 employees, and its biggest problem shifted from selling golfers on the performance to keeping up with the demand.
In 2025, private equity firm L. Catterton acquired a majority stake in L.A.B. Golf, freeing up the company to not only scale to meet consumer demand but also fund the research and development needed to continue to expand L.A.B.’s offerings.
And that’s how you go from struggling startup to industry giant in a little over a decade. A giant that maintains an underdog mentality, perhaps. But a giant nonetheless.
Zero Torque Putters: Game-Changing Tech With One Big Catch
L.A.B. Putters By Year
Including the Directed Force Reno, L.A.B. Golf has released nine putters through 2025. Here’s a look at every L.A.B. Golf putter by year.
2015: Directed Force Reno
Presse’s Directed Force Reno putter marked the beginning of today’s L.A.B. Golf. The putter is still a huge part of the brand. Not only is it the logo, but the rebranded version of the putter, the DF 2.1 is arguably L.A.B.’s most iconic design.
2020: Directed Force 2.1
Not much changed with L.A.B’s first launch as L.A.B. Golf. The DF 2.1 is a rebranded version of the Directed Force Reno putter.
Complete List of Zero Torque Putters
2021: B.2
L.A.B. covered both ends of the putter design spectrum with just two designs when it dropped the B.2 putter in 2021.
The only design to be discontinued to date, the L.A.B. B.2 putter was essentially a brick on a stick. Weight screws went into the walls of the putter, rather than the sole (where every other L.A.B. putter houses weights), and the slim head offered “traditionalists” a more aesthetically pleasing, blade-style-if-you-squint option. Although there’s really nothing traditional about the B.2 putter.
2022: Mezz.1
Even though L.A.B.’s narrative continued to acknowledge the unorthodox designs the brand was known for, its journey towards normalcy forged ahead with the Mezz.1 putter, which dropped in 2022.
The Mezz.1 has hints of a modern winged-mallet style putter, but with unmistakable L.A.B. DNA.
2022: Mezz.1 MAX
Not long after the Mezz.1 launched, L.A.B. followed it up with the Mezz.1 MAX. Can you guess the difference?
The max is bigger.
With a 20% larger head, the Mezz.1 MAX delivers more forgiveness and stability than the OG Mezz. That means strikes that stray from the center aren’t punished as severely.
2022: Link.1
L.A.B. capped a banner 2022 year with its blade-style Link.1 putter. The first small batch of Link.1 putters hit the streets in late 2022 while the full release followed in early 2023.
Link.1 gave golfers an almost Anser-style head with, but with unmistakable L.A.B. DNA, appeasing zero-torque-curious blade-lovers.
2023: DF3
If the DF 2.1 went on Biggest Loser, it would be the DF3. Same tech, same forgiveness, slimmer profile.
L.A.B. simply couldn’t ignore customer demand for a chiseled version of the DF 2.1 that didn’t sacrifice the point-and-shoot accuracy and toe-to-heel forgiveness.
2024: OZ.1 & OZ.1i
Following two releases that played off existing models – the Mezz.1 MAX and DF3 – L.A.B. gave consumers some brand-new tech with the launch of the OZ.1 & OZ.1i putters in late 2024.
This new half-moon mallet design, which came with help from Adam Scott, arguably marked L.A.B.’s most traditional shape to date.
The OZ was also the first L.A.B. putter to offer golfers the option of a stainless steel insert – which adds a little ball speed and provides a firmer feel – and the first to give the option of a straight or press grip.
Stats Don't Lie: Here's How Much LAB OZ.1 Helped My Putting
2025: OZ.1i HS
Until 2025, every L.A.B. putter was a center-shafted design. That changed in August of 2025 when the L.A.B. OZ.1i HS dropped. HS, which stands for heel-shafted, is possible through a hosel mechanism L.A.B. developed called a riser. The riser makes it possible to accommodate a wide spectrum of lie angles without compromising L.A.B.’s signature lie angle balance technology.
And, by pairing the pretty traditional-looking head of the OZ with a heel-shafted design, L.A.B. has fully married its signature technology with conventional design.
L.A.B. OZ.1i HS Life-Tested Review: L.A.B.'s Biggest Leap Yet
Complete List of L.A.B. Putters by Year
| Year | Putter | Shop |
| 2025 | OZ.1i HS | L.A.B. GOLF | GOLF GALAXY |
| 2024 | OZ.1 / OZ.1i | L.A.B. GOLF | GOLF GALAXY |
| 2024 | DF3 | L.A.B. GOLF | 2ND SWING |
| 2022 | Link.1 | GOLF GALAXY | 2ND SWING |
| 2022 | Mezz.1 Max | GOLF GALAXY | 2ND SWING |
| 2022 | Mezz.1 | GOLF GALAXY | 2ND SWING |
| 2021 | B.2 | 2ND SWING |
| 2020 | DF 2.1 | 2ND SWING |
| 2015 |
Directed Force Reno |
2ND SWING |