LAB Golf OZ.1i HS – Its First-Ever Heel-Shafted Putter

LAB Golf is officially launching the OZ.1i HS, its first-ever heel-shafted putter. The putter has been developed for the past several years, and finally combines this hosel placement with LAB’s face-squaring, zero-torque technology.

Similar to the OZ.1i, the OZ.1i HS features the same aluminum body mechanically bonded to a fly-milled stainless steel insert; the main difference between the OZ.1i and OZ.1.

LAB has stuck to center-shafted putters in the past, which has enabled a perfect complement to its technology, which keeps the face square throughout the stroke. Center-shafted putters typically allow golfers to have more awareness of their face due to the symmetrical design.

Now, it’s giving heel-shafted putters a go and it’s coupling the look with the OZ.1, one of its most popular models.

CEO Sam Hahn said:

“Lie Angle Balance is so much more than where the shaft goes into the head, and golfers are going to feel that when they try OZ.1i HS. It looks a lot like a traditional putter, but it performs like a L.A.B. This is a huge step toward our mission of helping every golfer putt better.”

My early impressions of the putter have given me the impression that this is something LAB will embrace with other models, including the OZ.1 and LINK.1. I’m not too sure if the DF3 can enable this heel-shafted placement. 

In a round when I received the putter last week, I noticed the feel was very similar to that of the OZ.1i. It differs from the OZ.1 in the sense that the feel off the face is much more in the hands. With the OZ.1, the ball tends to bounce off the face much more, mostly due to the aluminum face.

The stainless steel face of the OZ.1i and OZ.1i HS has a less “bouncy” feel off the face with putts, but still feels very solid.

Development of the OZ.1i HS offered a distinct challenge to LAB engineers. The center-shafted design, as previously mentioned, complemented LAB’s technology. That design helped the face stay square much easier than what a heel-shafted putter would, which is why the company stayed with the center-shafted design in its early models.

Brian Parks, VP of Engineering at LAB, said:

“Designing a heel-shafted putter that stays balanced to the lie angle presented us with a unique challenge. The result is our custom, proprietary aluminum riser, a key feature of the OZ.1i HS that lets us offer multiple lie angles without compromising the signature feel and balance golfers expect from every L.A.B. putter.”

The putter is available in both stock and custom options. The riser is available in angles ranging from 65 to 74 degrees. Additionally, weight, head color, riser color, alignment markings, shaft, shaft lean, and grip can all be customized.

Stock OZ.1i HS models will cost $499, with the Custom versions starting at $599.

I’ll have a full-fledged review soon, giving my unfiltered thoughts about this new offering from LAB coming soon.