If you haven’t heard of lie angle balance putters, you are very likely to in 2025. The newest trend in putters isn’t a fad and is here to stay, considering all of the options that have been produced in the past six months.
They might be called zero rotation, zero torque or lie angle balance, but no matter the name, they are all geared towards the same thing: Keeping the putter face on line and square to the target while limiting unnecessary rotation.
L.A.B. Golf has played a large role in this new category, and CEO Sam Hahn says the best analogy for what a lie angle balance putter is and does, is based on a car’s steering.
Hahn says it’s easiest to picture a car with misaligned steering that wants to pull to the left or right. We have the strength within our hands and arms to control the car even though it’s pulling left and the same goes with putters. The L.A.B. Golf technology is essentially the straight steering alignment of putting.
“Every other putter out there effectively has a bias in one direction or another. That’s why you hear great putters talk about releasing the putter, hitting little baby draws, all the different ways that we’ve talked about getting the toe to pass the heel because from a torque perspective, it doesn’t want to,” Hahn said. “With L.A.B., you get to let the putter face stay square, versus trying to keep it square, which is now in line with every other stroke sport out there. When you’re throwing a dart, you know that if you release the dart at your target it’s going to stay at your target.
“There isn’t this issue of having to mitigate a wonky dart.”
A large part of the L.A.B. Golf putter design and function is the forward-press grip and forward lean in the shaft. L.A.B. Golf believes that success comes from leaning the shaft forward at impact to reduce loft and contacting the ball with an upward path to get the truest roll possible.
The press grips and forward shaft lean help to accomplish that, however, it is unique and other options have come to market with a vertical shaft.
Evnroll’s Zero line of putters has a reverse plumber’s neck hosel to help keep the shaft vertical. That was part of the design for Guerin Rife, Evnroll CEO and Chief Designer, who was looking to create a zero-torque putter with the Evnroll touch.
“I created the new Zero line to eliminate the awkward forward shaft lean of the no-torque craze of late,” Rife said. “By moving the center of mass forward and incorporating a reverse plumber-neck hosel, ‘Face Forward Technology’ has been born. The shaft is now vertical, but delivers zero face rotation.”
Evnroll has three models within its Zero line that features two mallets and a blade based on the Face Forward Technology. The shaft is aligned with the putter head’s center of mass, helping to keep the putter face aligned with the target line throughout the entire stroke.
Evnroll says that a putter face angle that’s off by even one degree at impact can cause a 10-foot putt to miss the hole. That goes to just 0.5 degrees on a 20-foot putt, so keeping the face square is an essential part of the putting stroke.
L.A.B. expands on those numbers and says that their recent research shows that 83 percent of a putt’s starting direction is influenced by the direction of the putter face at impact. The other 17 percent is influenced by the path of the putter head.
Odyssey has gotten on board with the no rotation putters, as well, with Square 2 Square, which features a center shafted design to make the putters stroke balanced. The center shaft positioning allows the putter to rest with the toe up in a reverse torque position, which is opposite of a traditional putter with toe hang.
The Odyssey putter also has a forward press at 3.3 degrees, which the company says is to eliminate the face opening when a golfer has a forward press on their own.
These aren’t the only models available, and they surely won’t be the last as other companies jump on board with zero rotation putters and the current brands continue to innovate. L.A.B. Golf has already announced its latest iteration, called OZ.1 that has a TOUR inspired design with all the technology of its previous putters.
What used to be viewed as somewhat of a gimmick or a fad is now being adopted by more and more golfers and even professionals at the highest level. Whether you believe in the technology or not, the proof is in the results on the putting green and ultimately how easy it is to make more putts.
Manufacturers believe they have unlocked a new way for golfers to find and easier way to lower their scores on the green through lie angle balance and zero rotation.
“We make it so that, in theory, the golfer can be more athletic,” Hahn said. “Less focused on steadying the putter face and more focused on following through to a target.”
