Putters

Here’s what to make of the zero torque putter craze | Fully Equipped

By: Jack Hirsh

You might be wondering, with all the Tour players employing “zero torque” putters and OEMs putting new models on the market en masse, is a zero-torque putter right for you?

Just in the past month, Odyssey and Bettinardi have unveiled new zero torque putter models while L.A.B. Golf has added to its stable of “low torque” putters with the release of the OZ.1.

Zero-torque putters initially made their way on the PGA Tour with Adam Scott and Lucas Glover gaming L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 putters and Justin Rose employing an Axis1 for the last several years.

While both of those brands have been on the market for more than five years, other manufacturers are now capitalizing on the trend. The zero torque design revolves around placing the center of gravity (CG) of the putter directly under the shaft axis, thus keeping the putter square throughout the stroke. This results in a putter that balances with the toe pointed up, rather than down (toe-hang), or parallel to the ground (face-balanced).

Bettinardi 2025 Antidote SB2 Custom Putter

$429.99
SIMPLY BALANCED™ TECHNOLOGY G With a precisely engineered 6061 Aluminum body, center insert, and 303 Stainless Face, the SB2’s Center of Gravity (CoG) is optimized to promote a zero-torque stroke that stays naturally on path and square from start to finish. F.I.T. FACE™ (FEEL IMPACT TECHNOLOGY) FACE MILLING G Milled from 303 Stainless Steel. This exclusive Bettinardi face milling removes 55% of the face material, resulting in a soft, responsive feel. DIAMOND BLAST AND SAPPHIRE BLUE FINISH G The Antidote SB2 has a Diamond Blast finish on the 303 Stainless Steel face and an Anodized Sapphire Blue 6061 Aluminum body.
 
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Back to the original question; is this something that can help all golfers? Not necessarily says GOLF’s Fully Equipped co-hosts Wadeh Maroun and Kris McCormack.

“Zero torque, I think, is going to be fantastic for a lot of people,” Maroun said. “And I think zero torque is not going to work for a lot of people.”

McCormack agreed, calling it a “love it or hate it kind of thing.”

“Look, at address, it’s really odd to look at,” Maroun continued. “And so I think for me, when I look at something like a zero torque putter, and I’ve spent a lot of time with [CEO] Sam [Hahn] at L.A.B. and I love what L.A.B.’s doing, and I love Sam, and I’ve tried to game a couple of L.A.B. putters, but as you go through different things and you see what’s going on, and you see the people that are really doing really well and successful with it, they are more of rockers. They will go square to square, whereas I accelerate through the ball.

“And what I’ve noticed is because I accelerate through the ball, I close the face a lot quicker with a zero torque putter, and it doesn’t really work very well for me.”

Odyssey Ai-ONE Square to Square Jailbird Custom Putter

$299.99
Odyssey’s new line of Ai-ONE Square 2 Square putters feature a modern center shafted design that makes them Stroke Balanced so they want to stay square throughout a golfer’s stroke. These putters are ideally suited for golfer’s looking to minimize their face rotation when they putt. Ai-One Insert Designed using Artificial Intelligence, we’ve created contours on the Aluminum backer of the insert which we co-mold to a White Hot Urethane striking surface to promote consistent ball speed across the face with the classic White Hot feel that Tour players and amateurs love. Modern Center Shafted Design This design centers the shaft on the cg plane of the putter. This results in putters that rest with the toe up in a reverse torque position, opposite of a traditional putter with toe hang. This design promotes a square face throughout the stroke. Built in Forward Press 3.3° of forward shaft lean presets the hands in a forward press position eliminating the opening of the face that often happens when golfer forward press on their own. Unique Navy Blue PVD Finish This line features a beautiful navy blue PVD finish that really sets the apart and gives a premium look and of course the Jailbird models come with our classic Versa alignment.
 
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The concept isn’t exactly new to golf, and McCormack, in his years as a fitter, often got questions about how different zero torque putters are.”I mean, kind of an approach that I’ve had for years is if it’s something that is dramatically different, there’s only a little bit of time before every other manufacturer starts to copy the design and basically make a version,” he said.

Now it seems that is exactly what is happening.

For more from this week’s episode of Fully Equipped, check it out below.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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