L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i HS Putter Review: A small step or a giant leap for zero torque?
GolfMagic tests the heel-shafted variant of L.A.B's popular zero torque mallet to see if it lives up to the hype.
- Makes delivering the ball with a true roll effortless
- Heel-shafted design provides a much more comforting look at address
- Range of customisation options is enormous
With most golfers having only just wrapped their head around the concept of zero torque putters, many brands are now busy figuring out the best ways in which to get zero torque putters into the hands of more golfers.
While zero torque technology has undoubtedly changed the game for players of all levels, the fact remains that until recently, adopting a zero torque design meant getting used to a club that looked unfamiliar and often uncomfortable at address, with most defined by a centre-shafted design and lots of forward lean in the shaft.
As such, many of the major players in the space, including both Odyssey and upstart zero torque revolutionaries L.A.B. Golf, have spent the last couple of years meant tweaking their offerings to deliver all the stability and forgiveness of a zero torque design, along with a more conventional look at address that average players would feel more comfortable with.
Odyssey's answer to this conundrum arrived late last year in the form of the S2S Tri-Hot range, which maintained the centre shafted design synonymou with ZT putters but pushed the entry point forward to eliminate excess forward press.
In the case of the latter, the putter you see before you is the result. A spin on the OZ.1 mallet model co-designed with Adam Scott, the L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i HS might be the brand's most intriguing putter yet, taking the design that won J.J. Spaun a US Open this year and, thanks to its heel-shafted design, making it more approachable for more players.
But does it deliver all the magic of the original? We took it out on course, alongside an equivalent Odyssey putter, to find out.
Check out our video review and scroll on to read our detailed thoughts. Let us know what you think of the new range in the comments below.
| Brand | L.A.B. Golf |
| Year launched | 2025 |
| RRP | £499 (£599 for the custom option) |
| Key Features |
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Looks and features
Those familiar with the original L.A.B. OZ.1i won't find much amiss with this tweaked update, and there's no doubt that it remains one of the best looking putters released in the last few years.
The obvious difference between the HS and the standard model is its heel-positioned shaft, which L.A.B. have been able to achieve thanks to the use of a proprietary aluminium riser that, despite L.A.B allowing you to choose from 10 different lie angles, allows the putter to achieve L.A.B.'s namesake Lie Angle Balance without the shaft having to enter the centre of the club head.
Outside of this, the OZ.1i HS remains effectively the same putter as the original. It has the same CNC-milled aluminium body and the same 303 stainless steel insert (which delivers a firmer feel compared L.A.B's fully milled aluminium faces), which means that in theory it should feel and perform exactly the same as the original.
True to L.A.B.'s philosophy, a major drawcard of the OZ.1i HS lies in its customisability. Beyond the colour, alignment aid and adjustable weight options, just about every component on the putter can be tweaked to suit your game and tastes. You can choose from having a small two degrees of shaft lean or none at all, pick a heavier or a lighter head weight to suit your tastes, and dial in the lie angle to suit your exact swing.
Performance
The key question that hung over the OZ.1i HS for us was whether or not it could maintain its famed forgiveness despite adopting a design that, in principle, should rob it of its stability. We're pleased to report that the answer is a resounding yes.
The OZ.1i HS performed amazingly in all of our tests, providing a true roll and a straight start with basically every stroke of the putter. It's fantastically stable and forgiving, and does its job admirably in eliminating all the other variables that come with presenting an inconsistent putter face at impact, meaning you can swing safely knowing the only thing stopping your ball from going in the hole is your own choice of line and length.
The stainless steel insert that comes equipped as standard with the OZ.1i HS is firmer and hotter than what you'll find on most aluminium milled putters, as well as that of an insert putter like the Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot. Whether or not this will suit you comes entirely down to personal preference, but we found this helped the L.A.B. provide a reassuring level of consistency when dialling in longer putts, ensuring we got the feedback we needed to lag putt to the best of our abilities.
Should you buy the L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i HS putter?
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If you're curious about switching to a zero torque putter but have traditionally been put off by their unconventional look at address, the OZ.1i HS will provide a welcome starting point. The OZ.1i HS in its stock option is pretty expensive with an RRP of £499, however that's a fairly run-of-the-mill price for a zero torque design in 2026, and Odyssey's S2S Tri-Hot retails for roughly the same price.
L.A.B.'s suite of customisation options will leave you assured in the knowledge you're paying for a product attuned perfectly to your tastes, however it's worth mentioning that you'll likely have to fork out another £100 if you want to change aspects like lie angle or colour.
There are, of course, certain characteristics of the OZ.1i HS that might rule it out for some players. As we've Steel insert is exceptionally firm and hot, which some tastes may not align with – however if you enjoy a classic crisp, solid feel at impact on the longer putts, this will suit your needs nicely.
Regardless, the L.A.B. OZ.1i HS truly delivers on the marketing, delivering all the benefits and forgiveness of a zero torque design while providing a look and feel that'll feel natural to a far wider range of golfers. As such, we expect this will prove to be an exceptionally popular model for the brand.
Georgina was appointed GolfMagic Equipment Editor in November 2025.