The Unique Putter Lucas Glover And Multiple Pros Use On Tour
Glover infamously struggled, long-term, with the yips, but a move to a certain putter has put the American back in the winner's circle
Lucas Glover's professional career is littered with incredible ups and incredible downs. In his PGA Tour rookie season, he lost his card and gained it back, before securing his first win in 2005. Just four years later, he picked up the 2009 US Open, before a win at the 2011 Wells Fargo Championship sent him on a 10-year period of no PGA Tour victories.
During that time, the American suffered with the dreaded yips, a symptom which manifests in a number of ways such as freezing, an involuntary movement that you can’t control or a jerk. Such was the severity of his yips, Glover even considered "putting left-handed" at one point.
However, in 2021, he secured his first PGA Tour title in 10 years and, in 2023, is enjoying a season which has yielded back-to-back PGA Tour titles at the Wyndham Championship and FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Moving into the Ryder Cup picture, it has been the putter that has been one of the key and crucial changes to Glover's game, with the American taking advice from one of the game’s finest ever putters, Brad Faxon. Recommending that Glover try a long putter, Glover got the same flatstick as Adam Scott, who was also known to struggle when on the greens with the putter.
L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max Putter | Now available at PGA TOUR Superstore
As used by Tour winners, the L.A.B Mezz.1 Max putter has helped the games of multiple players on the professional circuit.
The putter in question is the L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max, which is designed to offer maximum forgiveness and stability. L.A.B Golf make a number of other models, as well as offering their putters in standard length, armLock, and broomstick, which Glover uses on his putter.
Previously, the 43-year-old has used an Odyssey #7, a Scotty Cameron Select Squareback 2 and even a custom Arthur putter made by Argolf, a company based in America that builds a wide range of putters made from aeronautical materials. Now though, in 2023, he has been using the Mezz.1 Max to much success.
As mentioned, Adam Scott uses a L.A.B. putter, with the Aussie changing to the flatstick at the tail-end of 2021. His putter features in a unique blue finish and has his 'AS' logo, as well as a kangaroo stamped on it.
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Along with Scott, Richard Bland also uses a L.A.B. putter, but his features in standard length, with Byeong Hun An using a L.A.B putter similar to Glover's throughout the 2022-23 PGA Tour season. One last big name to yield the flatstick is former Major winner, Sergio Garcia, who was pictured using one at the 2023 Masters.
Speaking at the 2023 John Deere Classic, Glover stated: "I needed a whole new idea. A whole new brain function. The other one obviously wasn’t working. I’ve been struggling with short putts for so long. Just thought I needed to teach myself to do something else, and it’s been working."
A few weeks later, at the Wyndham Championship, he would speak more about his putter, with the Major winner revealing that the technique with the L.A.B putter was completely self-taught.
“I don't want to know anything else and I'll teach myself how to do this. (I) spent a couple days in the garage, figured out how to stand. Took it to the practice green and spent about 10 days working on it. Took it to Memorial and putted nice. My misses weren't that crazy, awful, yippy stroke, they were just misses. And that's OK. It's just basically a whole new motor skill, a whole new brain function because it's so different, so out there from what I was doing."
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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