“On The Tee” Interview With Sam Hahn, CEO of L.A.B. Golf

For our readers who may not be familiar, give them an introduction to LAB Golf.

L.A.B. Golf was founded as a company called Directed Force. I partnered with the inventor of Lie Angle Balance Technology in late 2017. We rebranded the company as L.A.B. Golf, which stands for Lie Angle Balance, and we make the world’s only self-squaring putter.

We have two patents. One is the equation that allows us to balance putters the way that we do, and the other is on our Press Grip, which is a proprietary grip, which we use to make our putters ergonomically comfortable. We also put those grips on other putters, and they seem to have some benefit there as well.

You had used the putter before. How did you go from being a customer to the CEO?

I was a full-on, certifiable putter psycho. At the time that I got my first Directed Force, I had 50 putters in my basement. I had been hovering between a zero and a two handicap for the previous ten years. One out of every six rounds I’d light it up and make a bunch of birdies and shoot in the sixties. The rest of the time I was shooting 73, 74, 75 over and over and over again. And I had gotten to the point where I was switching putters every single round, even if I had putted well the day before, just so I could give myself a honeymoon period with a new putter.

Bob Duncan, who is a coach here in Eugene, Oregon, pulled me aside and showed me this putter that was called the Reno at the time. The company was called Directed Force. And everything about it was horrible looking. The shape, the finish, the logo was cheap looking, and the grip was this strange looking oval. And I just said, “no way, sorry buddy.” He convinced me to roll a couple, so I dropped three balls from about 15 feet and made all three right in the middle.

So I went out to try it for nine holes. And this is absolutely no exaggeration, I made about 150 feet of putts in seven holes. And on the seventh hole I made about a 45-footer that from the moment it left the face I knew it was in the hole. I caught up with some groups in from of me, so I just drove back to the clubhouse and asked Bob, “what the hell is this thing?”

I ordered one on the spot and had it a couple of days later. But the honeymoon period ended real quick. I actually struggled like hell with it for a handful of reasons. But I didn’t drop it because I was embarrassed that I spent $450 and told everyone that I knew that this was the greatest thing since sliced bread. So I was somewhat determined to get this thing to work. I learned a few things about how it works. It took me about a week to get it dialed in. I was a 1 (handicap index) at the time, and six weeks later I was a +3.5. I played absolutely the best golf of my life all entirely based on the fact that I could do anything I wanted with the golf club because I knew I could make every 8-foot putt that I looked at.

About three weeks later the head fell off the putter. So I wrote the company and Bill Presse, who is the inventor of the technology, reached out. We started to chat and became friends pretty quickly. About a month or two later he was about to close the doors on the company. They just couldn’t get it going. So I was in the right place at the right time. I bought out his existing partners and partnered with Bill, and he and I resurrected the company.

Let’s talk about the science a little bit.  Most golfers are familiar with toe hang putters and face-balanced putters. What is a lie angle balanced putter and how does it work differently than traditional putters?

Lie Angle Balancing is a physics equation developed by Bill Presse that, depending upon the length, and lie, and grip, you apply this equation to the putter, move the center of gravity around in a way that makes the putter actually self-correcting. The putter head is actually seeking square to the arc dictated by the plane of that particular lie angle.

Fitting is an important part of the process. How can someone get fit for a L.A.B. putter?

Fitting is so important because to get the most optimal performance out of the technology we want that putter length perfectly flush on the ground. Now our fitting process is different for a couple of reasons. Number one, we offer two different types of fittings. If you go to our website and click on the fitting button at the top of the page, you’re going to get a list of fitting locations near you. We have a very cool fitting putter and trained professionals who can get you into a comfortable setup.

We also have a remote fitting that is so surprisingly accurate and so easy. There is a remote fitting video on the fitting page. You’re going to send us a video of you standing close to a hard right angle like a door frame, making a few strokes and get comfortable. From a core principal standpoint of our fitting process, comfort is king over everything else. Our technology sort of blows up the entire narrative about face-balanced and toe hang and one of those options being better for a particular kind of stroke.

Since we’re not trying to find you the right torque profile, because we already know that a putter that stays square by itself is better than one that doesn’t, our only goal is to get you comfortable.

What can you tell us about the new Mezz putter?

It’s incredible. The Directed Force putter, our flagship model, is absolutely profound. From a strictly technical standpoint it is still the most technologically superior putter in the world. With the Mezz, we were able to apply all of the lie angle balancing technology into a much more cosmetically appealing shape. It doesn’t have quite as much craziness. The grip isn’t quite as offset, the shaft lean is not as significant, the size is drastically reduced, and the static weight and swing weight were reduced.

When you pick up the Directed Force it is an experience. It’s totally unlike anything you’ve ever used before, and the technology feels very obvious. The whole thing is just an experience. With the Mezz, you definitely get a lot of that. It’s so smooth. It’s so easy to use. It’s so easy to take back and sort of let do its thing, but it feels a little bit more like other putters you’ve used. So we were able to strike the perfect balance between utilizing everything we know about lie angle balancing with a shape that is exciting and fun to look at.

 And you also have a blade putter in the lineup.

The B.2 is a true blade putter. It is very simple. Cosmetically it looks like a block of steel on a stick with some soft edges. It is balanced for sure, but the tech and the feeling of it aren’t nearly as obvious as with the Directed Force or with the Mezz. But it feels sweet. It’s a totally solid block of stainless steel, the ball feels really solid off the face, and it is fun to use.

 How were you introduced to the game?

I did a little playing when I was young. My dad showed me some basics and we would play a handful of times throughout the summer. When I was late into my high school years my dad joined a club, so I got to play a little bit more. But I just loved to play. I didn’t have any interest in actually learning the game.

When I moved out of my parents’ house at 18 years old, I was about an 18 handicap. When I landed in Eugene, in my early twenties, I got a dog and there was a dog-friendly golf course right next to where I moved. So I started playing just as an excuse to walk him around.

I met a really nice guy who was about a 4 or 5 handicap. And that was the first time that I had real access to someone who knew how to get the ball around the course. So about two and a half years later I was a scratch player. I just became a full-tilt golf nut. I put up a net in my garage, watched every single golf tournament from start to finish, read every article I could possibly read, and just became absolutely crazy about the game.

 Golf is special to you because…?

Because every version of me has a place in golf. There is a version of myself that is very laid-back and very present and calm and that version of me loves going out all by myself, close to sunset, and enjoying the quiet and the views and not really caring about anything.

There is also a part of me that is ridiculously competitive and driven. The driving range and the occasional state tournament are so happy to host that version of myself.

And then there is a social version of me that enjoys getting to know people and enjoys learning from people and enjoys good conversations and golf has room for that guy as well.

Golf serves every part of my being, and it is frankly the best friend I’ve ever had.

 Golf would be better if…?

If it were more accessible. Golf would be better if it could be enjoyed by everyone.

If you could play as much golf as you wanted for the rest of your life, but you could only play one course, which course would you choose?

I’m going to say Northwood Golf Club in Monte Rio, California. Northwood is an original, relatively untouched Alistair McKenzie golf course in the redwoods. It’s a nine-hole short course and it looks like somebody took a shrink ray to Augusta National and stuck it in the middle of the redwood trees. It is a municipal golf course, probably twenty-five bucks for nine holes, and every single hole is lined with 250-foot Sequoias and redwoods. You can’t get through a round without hitting one of them and you hear this giant reverberating knock that goes all throughout the golf course known as the “Northwood Knock”.

They have these tiny, ridiculously sloping greens with bunkering complexes that look just like Augusta. You can go out there in a tank top and flip flops and your own six pack of beer and have yourself a time. I think I would be posting up right there.

What is the most fun you’ve ever had on the golf course?

Sheep’s Ranch at Bandon Dunes. It’s easily the best part of the property. I’m normally focused on the golf when I’m on the golf course. But this place is so cool, I don’t even know what I shot. I was in absolute heaven watching the ball fly against the beautiful sky and looking at the ocean for thirteen holes. And it was a golf course designed explicitly for fun. There’s not a single bunker on the entire course. The fairways are 100 million yards wide, the greens are as challenging as all get out, but they’re fun. I was with a good friend and two complete strangers, a father and son who I’ve hung out with since.  So at least in recent memory, just to get out there and have an experience like that, which had nothing to do with my golf score was profound.