Gimmick or Physics?

I’ve worked as a fitter since 2015. Every year starts the same way, with each companies new breakthrough technology. Whether it was TaylorMade’s “Twist Face” or Callaway’s “Jailbreak”, we as fitters and consumers have heard it all. The new hot topic is you hear about are “Zero Torque” Putters. For the average person, you probably have no idea what that means, but maybe you’ve had a buddy with a L.A.B. putter who seems to make everything now a days, and you’ve been buying a lot more of the beers at the 19th hole. The most universal product I had fit for in my 10 years was the Ping G30 Driver, that was until now.

What is Torque?

Torque, when we are talking about golf clubs, is a measurement of how much a golf shaft twists when force is applied during the swing, or the shaft’s resistance to twisting. A higher torque shaft will have a higher rate of twisting or rotation, while a lower torque shaft will have a higher resistance to twisting. 

What do I mean by Stability?

For the sake of this article I want you to equate the word “Stability” with the ability to control the face angle of the putter face, both during the stroke and through impact. 

Traditional Heel Shafted Putters and Who They are Good For?

Toe Hang: Shaft axis is inside or extremely heel side of the horizontal center of gravity of the putter head. Traditionally best of “Strong Arc” or high face rotation players who have a tendency to pull putts. Think Phil Mickelson with his Odyssey number 9 back in the day.

Mid Toe Hang: A traditional example would be your Anser Putter neck blade, the shaft axis still falls inside the horizontal center of gravity of the putter head but more towards the middle. These putters were considered best for “Slight Arcs”, putters with moderate amount of face rotation, or players that typically hit their starting line accurately.

Face Balanced: Any Double or Single Bend necks where the shaft axis is in line with the horizontal center of gravity of the putter head. When you balance the shaft on your finger the toe will remain up at the ceiling or the sky. These putters where traditionally considered best for “Straight Back, Straight Through” strokes, people who have little or no face rotation in their stroke, or who have the tendency to push their putts.

Zero Torque/Lie Angle Balanced

People often use “Zero Torque” and “Lie Angle Balanced” as interchangeable terms, but this isn’t quite the case. It’s true both styles of putter look to have the shaft axis intersect the true center of gravity of the club head (aka the vertical and horizontal COG) in order to eliminate a putter’s desire to either open or shut the club face. The benefit of this is the player no longer has to apply a force to counteract the clubs desire to open or close in order to deliver a square club face at impact. Simply put, the putter face points where you point it therefore it is easier to keep the face square to your club path and intended starting line. Examples coming out in 2025 of Zero Torque putters would be Odyssey’s Square to Square series, Bettinardi’s Antidote series or Evnroll’s Zero putters. 

Notice I did not include L.A.B. putters in this category. LAB stands for “Lie Angle Balanced”. Where LAB takes it a step further is by using specific weight ports in their putters based on the lie angle of the putter to add further stability or resistance to twisting. 

Why Would I put a Low Torque Shaft in My Putter?

We don’t really think about there being an impact with a putter, at least not one like we do with driver, but there is still a strike of the golf ball when it comes to the putting stroke. Both Zero Torque or Lie Angle Balance help to achieve stability though the stroke, but stability shafts like TPT from LAB or BGT shaft will help to maintain stability through impact. Think about the toe hook with a driver. You hit the ball out on the toe, the ball starts right and violently hooks back to the left. This same idea can happen with putters at a smaller scale. If you are not hitting the center of the face, the face will either open or shut depending on the strike point making it more difficult to hit our intended starting line. These low torque shafts will give the putter a higher resistance to twisting, allowing you hit a more accurate putt, even on your less than perfect strokes.

Who should try Zero Torque or LAB putters?

Like I said in the intro, I’ve never had a product that was universally better for everyone. The closest I’ve seen was when the Ping G30 dominated back in 2015. LAB putters for our shop has surpassed that in my eyes. I would venture to say that 8 of 10 people that have tried LAB putters in our shop during a fitting get their best results with them. Not quite universal but pretty damn close. If you are someone who feels like they don’t hit their line as frequently as you want, maybe its time to embrace the future of zero (torque).