Toe-Up putters – Syndication Server

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Gear: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1, OZ.1i putters
Price: Starting at $599.99 each
Specs: 100% aluminum (OZ.1); aluminum body with stainless steel face insert (OZ.1i), with customizable lie angle, head weight, alignment markings, and grip options.
Available: December (OZ.1i), January (OZ.1)

Who it’s for: Golfers who want the benefits of zero torque and more consistency on the greens combined with a more traditional putter shape.

What you need to know: L.A.B. Golf teamed with Australia’s Adam Scott to create a mallet-style putter, the OZ.1, that retains the company’s Lie Angle Balance benefits while offering a more conventional shape. The OZ.1i has the same shape but features a milled face insert.

The deep dive: Zero-torque putters have become one of the hottest trends in golf equipment in 2024. While traditional blades and mallets encourage the opening and closing of the putter face during the stroke, zero-torque putters greatly reduce or eliminate face rotation. L.A.B. Golf, based in Creswell, Oregon, has been at the forefront of this trend. The company’s DF 2.1 and Mezz putters introduced golfers to Lie Angle Balance, followed by the DS3 earlier this year. Now, with input from Adam Scott, L.A.B. has released two new putters: the OZ.1 and OZ.1i.

Like L.A.B.’s previous putters, the OZ.1 and OZ.1i feature Lie Angle Balance. When the putter is in the address position, the weighting and balance are designed to keep the face square to the golfer’s stroke path. Whether your stroke is straight, arcing slightly, or features a strong arc, these putters aim to make it easier to return the face square to the ball and roll putts more consistently along your target line.

L.A.B OZ.1 putter — The OZ.1 and OZ.1i putters have on-set, so the shaft enters the putter behind the face. (L.A.B Golf)

Both the OZ.1 and OZ.1i are milled from aluminum and feature a more conventional, semi-circular mallet shape developed with input from Scott, the 2013 Masters champion and longtime L.A.B. Golf user.

Another distinctive feature of the OZ Series putters is the new zero-degree Shaft Lean option. Zero-torque putters typically require on-set shafts, where the shaft enters the head behind the hitting area rather than on the target side. This usually results in a forward press that some golfers find visually distracting. However, the shaft in the OZ Series putters is vertical, creating a cleaner look while maintaining on-set characteristics. This design is also compatible with standard grips.

For golfers who prefer a forward press, both models are available with a 2-degree Shaft Lean option and L.A.B.’s Press Grip.

Both putters use weights in the sole to achieve Lie Angle Balance, but there is a key difference between them. The OZ.1 has an aluminum face that is part of the putter’s chassis, offering a softer feel at impact. In contrast, the OZ.1i features a stainless steel face insert (“i” stands for insert), which creates a firmer feel and a higher-pitched sound at impact, a preference for many golfers.

Customization remains a hallmark of L.A.B. Golf, and the OZ Series putters are no exception. Through the company’s website, golfers can tailor nearly every aspect of the putter, from lie angle to grip type, ensuring a fit that matches their unique putting style.

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Gear: PXG Allan putter
Price: $449.99
Specs: 303 stainless steel chassis with injected polymer and milled 6061 aluminum crown.

Who It’s For: Golfers who want to reduce face rotation on putts and increase stability and consistency.

What You Should Know: The PXG Allan putter is designed with an S-shaped hosel that creates a toe-up balance, helping the putter’s face stay square to the arc of your stroke. This design aids golfers in making solid contact more easily.

The Deep Dive: According to the Rules of Golf, when you sole your putter and rest it flat on the ground, the shaft can’t go straight up. If it did, golfers could make a pure pendulum stroke, which golf’s governing bodies believe would reduce the challenge of putting. To ensure a challenge, the putter must have a lie angle of no less than 80 degrees, which is why every golfer’s putting stroke has some level of arc. One of the biggest challenges in putting is returning the putter face to the exact position you establish at address and preventing it from swinging into the ball with an open or closed face, which would start the ball rolling offline.

PXG’s new Allan putter, named after the brother of PXG founder Bob Parsons, is designed to eliminate this challenge by helping golfers keep the putter face square to the natural arc of their stroke while boosting stability and improving distance control.

PXG Allan putter — The hosel points directly at the center of gravity, creating toe-up or “Zero Torque” balance. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The Allan putter achieves this with a unique hosel design. Unlike many hosels that attach to the heel area and create some level of toe hang, or center-shafted putters that produce a face-balanced condition, the Allan putter has an S-shaped hosel that points the tip of the putter shaft directly over the center of gravity (CG) behind the center of the hitting area. The hosel then bends and attaches to the putter head in the heel area, creating a toe-up condition that PXG refers to as Zero Torque.

When you make a stroke with the Allan putter, the balance helps keep the face square to the arc of your stroke, reducing the chances of the face fanning open on the backswing and closing on the downswing and follow-through. According to PXG, this should allow golfers to return the putter to the ball with a square face more often and start putts rolling on their intended line more easily.

There are two other notable features of the Allan’s hosel and shaft configuration. First, when you address the ball, the backward-pointing shaft and hosel give you an unobstructed view of the ball. Second, with the shaft set so far behind the putter’s topline, the Allan putter creates a natural forward press. Typically, when a golfer intentionally presses their hands forward before making a stroke, it de-lofts the face and points it downward. To counteract this, PXG designed the Allan with five degrees of loft, which offsets the two-degree forward press and makes the putter play like a club with a more typical three degrees of loft.

The black frame of the Allan putter is made of 303 stainless steel, and the face is designed to be very thin. Behind the face, there’s a hollow chamber filled with a lightweight polymer called S COR, which PXG says absorbs excessive vibrations to enhance sound and feel.

The silver-toned top piece of the Allan is milled from 6061 aluminum, which is exceptionally light. Each Allan putter comes with a single black alignment line.

On the underside of the Allan, adjustable weights have been added to the toe and heel areas, allowing fitters to adjust the putter’s swing weight based on its length or the player’s preferences. Finally, the pocket designed into the aluminum piece enables golfers to press the Allan on top of a ball and pick it up without bending over.

Below are several close-up images of the PXG Allan putter.