Which Is The Best Zero Torque Putter

Golf Monthly

Sam De'Ath from Golf Monthly takes a deep dive into the best zero torque putters of 2025!

Transcript

00:00So zero torque putters are certainly the end thing in golf right now. It seems as

00:04though every manufacturer is making one. So what's the technology, which model

00:08is going to be best for your game, and ultimately which one offers the most

00:11stability? Let's put them to the test and find out.

00:16So before going into the looks, it's worth a brief explanation on what zero torque putters are.

00:32The idea is that the shaft runs through the center of gravity, and then the face stays square relative

00:38to your path the whole way throughout. Minimal twist, minimal torque, and therefore you should

00:44find the center of the face more often. Right, what do I think is the best looking putter model

00:50on the market this year?

00:56Now as is the case when choosing any golf club, looks are super important,

01:00and especially when it comes to putting. Confidence is massive when you're on the greens,

01:05it's going to help you hold more putts. If you feel like you're going to hold the putt just from

01:08looking down at the putter, that alone counts for so much. Now obviously even within the zero torque

01:14category there are different shapes, sizes, and models. Now the first one I want to talk about

01:19is the Odyssey Jailbird square to square. I feel like Odyssey have done a great job of producing a

01:24putter here that resembles the normal model. Obviously you've just got this square to square

01:29technology where the shaft runs directly through the center of gravity. Aside from that the head itself

01:35looks exactly like the original Jailbird, so that will be a very easy transition for those who

01:41play a normal Jailbird but want the additional technology of square to square. Now for those

01:46who really do want more of a blade or a double wide style model, there are a couple on offer. You

01:53have the Odyssey double wide, which I would say is slightly, it's got a longer blade length than the

01:59normal double wide, but it's still as you can see the same shape and it's got a top line on the top

02:05there to help with alignment. And then you've got the Evenroll Z2S as well. So this is obviously

02:10designed by Guerin Reif. It's got one of the best feeling faces, but down behind the ball you've got

02:15this long alignment aid on the top and this kind of reverse plumber's neck as well, which I would say

02:21is similar to a standard plumber's neck in terms of the way it presents itself, but obviously you've got

02:27the benefits of zero torque technology within that. But if I was to pick one that I thought was a standout

02:33favourite in terms of the looks of these zero torque putters, that would have to be the Lab

02:37Aus 1i putter. Now I feel like the previous models released by Lab were a bit eccentric, they were

02:44very large, but the Aus 1 just is more of a compact kind of mid-mallet looking shape. It's a bit futuristic

02:50with its sharp lines and edges, but I think especially with this kind of T-bar alignment aid on the top

02:55there, down behind the ball this putter looks spectacular, is a perfect transition from those using a

03:00normal putter into zero torque and will just really inspire confidence down behind the ball. So for

03:06that reason the Lab Golf Aus 1i is the putter that I think is the best looking zero torque model.

03:20Now like the looks, the sound and feel of a putter is very subjective, but it's important that you get

03:26one that you do like the sound and feel of in order to ensure confidence and it will also help with

03:30distance control. And I've highlighted three models here that sound and feel slightly different, so you

03:36can identify which one may be best for your game. Now let's start with the Evenroll Z5S. Now all the

03:43Evenroll models here are CNC milled from 303 stainless steel, so they offer really solid feel through impact.

03:50It's like any other premium milled face, they feel as though the ball kind of compresses and stays on

03:57the face for a long time. Now I would say they sound quite loud, so it's quite a ping when you hit the

04:03ball. It's not something that I particularly love, but I like the feel, so that's where you have to weigh

04:09up whether the feel or sound is more important for you and your putting. Now the next model I want to

04:14talk about is the Odyssey Square to Square Jailbird. Now these putters feature this white hot insert

04:21here, so it provides a really really soft cushion feel for impact. This would probably be great for

04:27those that play on faster greens to enable that your distance control is more accurate and you don't get

04:33the ball kind of springing off the face and the ball speed becomes too fast essentially. You do have

04:38AI1 technology within this putter as well, which means the insert itself has variable kind of face

04:44thickness so off-center strikes should come off at the same ball speed as those that are struck out

04:49the middle. Hopefully we've put a microphone down here and I can hit a putt with this putter and

04:55you'll be able to see the difference between this and the even roll in terms of how it sounds coming

05:00off the face. As you can tell much much softer, there was no ting in there at all, but there is one

05:08putter that kind of offers I would guess like a halfway stage between those two and that is the

05:15Lab Golf Mez 1 Max Putter. Now the main bulk of this body is crafted from stainless steel but then you

05:22do have this aluminum kind of face to it as well so it offers a really soft feel but you still get the

05:28milled sensation off the face of this putter. I would say in terms of frequency it kind of falls between

05:34the two but in terms of softness it's right up there with the Odyssey. Again let's hit a putt here,

05:40hopefully you can hear this as it comes off the face. So somewhere right between the two.

05:53Now Lab obviously now has the Oz 1i model which we will obviously go into more detail in this video

05:59that does have a 303 stainless steel insert in there for a much firmer feel. But if you want a

06:06putter that offers what I think is the perfect blend of sound and feel then the Lab Golf Mez 1

06:12Max model is the way to go. Now as you can tell by the pure surfaces I am rolling these putts on,

06:19I am not in fact in the UK during the winter. I've popped over to the beautiful La Hacienda Links

06:24golf course here in Spain. So if you're enjoying the video, enjoying the scenery, make sure you click on

06:29like on this video and subscribe to Golf Month Police YouTube channel so you don't miss any future

06:33videos. If you like any of the products that you've seen in today's video I will also put the links to

06:38the best prices in your area in the description box below. Right before we dive fully into the

06:43performance of these putters, I started my collection of data back at Custom Golf Works in Woking

06:48with putter fitter and coach Jackson Massey. Let's head over there now and see how we got on.

07:06We are going to talk through all the zero torque putter options and discuss via Capto which ones have

07:14kind of the best readings when it comes to face twist, which ones actually do produce

07:18kind of the most stable face throughout the stroke. We're going to start with the Bettanardi and this

07:25is the antidote and this is more in a blade style where most of the putters actually we've seen in

07:30this kind of technology in this putter sphere are actually larger mallet heads so it's going to be

07:34quite interesting to see how we get on with this. That was nice there, 0.62 of twist.

07:49So anything generally sub 60 so whether it's a plus or minus depending on what side you're providing

07:55that torque is generally quite stable right. If you moved into more of a toe hang putter I'm sure you'd

07:59see that number really creep up so anything like I said negative of 60 you're keeping that face

08:05relatively square to to that path. We got minus 6.2 of this one so that's that's really stable right.

08:11Very stable, very stable.

08:24Well we've tested the Bettanardi let's dive into the lab see what results they give me and whether

08:31they're kind of the gold standard when it comes to zero torque putters.

08:43That felt like a really good roll. Yeah minus 0.4 that was brilliant.

08:46That's one of the lowest ones we've seen right. 100%. You're going to have to forgive me here if

08:50you can see these putts. A lot of them aren't actually going in but it's not so much about

08:54hole in putts today because that is definitely down to me just aiming the putter in the right

08:57position in the first place. It's more about seeing how much twist we're getting in the face and

09:02that's what we're seeing from the data on the screen here.

09:13Oh we've made one. Shall we move on to the Lab Oz? Yep. We'll do a direct comparison now between that

09:19and kind of their latest model. Just pulled that one.

09:40That one felt really good. Plus 21. So very interestingly when you're looking at this if

09:44you looked at those six putts as a whole generally probably like to have that awareness of rotation

09:49even though they're still very consistent the amount of twist that you're applying may be

09:54fractionally higher but results a little bit more consistent right? Yeah.

10:03I have not hit that part.

10:07I have to say it feels amazing off the face. That was really good. Minus 18. That was really good.

10:14That sounded great. I don't quite hit it.

10:40Hold one there. Hit that one with a bit more authority. Yeah. And it's interesting that the face

10:43actually stayed more square on that one. Yep.

10:50Okay. Let's move on to the Odyssey square to square range.

11:03Oh.

11:08That was miles out of the zone. That's actually our furthest one out.

11:12That's our highest one we've had. Yeah. Plus 68 on that one. But we hold it.

11:27That was a great putt. That was your best putt of the day.

11:38That was a good one to end on there.

11:42Let's go.

11:46Minus four. Brilliant. Brilliant. That was a good one to end on there.

11:59Those numbers there are pretty, pretty outrageously good.

12:14Okay. So we've got the PHG Allen putter here.

12:25Okay. Jackson, thank you so much for having us here today at Custom Golf Works, being able to talk

12:40through some of the data. What are your findings from this testing session?

12:45I think there is a lot to be said for them. I definitely think they are more stable.

12:52But how that directly affects performance, I think you have to try it. We've been chatting the whole

12:57way through. Each putter will feel different. It's going to rotate in different ways. And

13:02more than anything, it's how you react to that. There is definitely evidence in the numbers to say that

13:06it is more stable. The closer you get to that zero torque, the tighter generally those numbers were

13:13getting. But equally, all of them were still stable. And that the higher ones don't necessarily mean

13:19that you're going to putt worse. And the lower ones doesn't necessarily mean you're going to putt

13:23better. Just like everything in golf, it's player dependent.

13:25Absolutely. And that's what I've found here today. Right. Thank you, Jackson. Thank you,

13:30Custom Golf Works. Let's jump back to La Hacienda.

13:36So as we saw from the data at Custom Golf Works, there was very little splitting the performance when

13:42it came to face resistance and twist between all the models. Yes, the Odyssey square to square

13:47jailbird counterbalance was a lot more stable due to all the technology thrown into one putter. But like

13:53we've talked about in this video, there's much more to putters than just data. And in the performance

13:58category, there are a few select areas where you need a putter that performs well for you.

14:02Now, if your distance control isn't the best and you find you're leaving these nervy five-footers all

14:07day long, you're going to want something that's very stable and gives you a lot of confidence over

14:11the shorter putts. There were two models that stood out for me in particular. And the first of those

14:16is the Lab Golf Oz 1i model. I just find this mid-mallet shape frames the ball really well.

14:22It feels fairly heavy and this natural forward pistol two-degree shaft lean press grip

14:28really helps get your hands and body in a nice comfortable position.

14:37Now, the second model I found to be really good over a short distance is the Odyssey square to

14:44square jailbird cruiser. This 38-inch putter just sits behind the ball and the large mallet head with

14:50this Versa technology frames ball really well as well. It feels so stable when just putting it down.

14:56You can literally just take your grip, rock the shoulders, and it feels like you can't miss

15:01from inside five foot. Now, we've talked about the putters that will help you over the short distances

15:07because you've left yourself the five foot. But if you've left yourself the five foot in the first place,

15:11you're probably not a great long distance lag putter. Now, there are two putters that I thought were

15:16exceptional when putting from let's say over 30 feet up towards 50 feet and that was the LabGolf Mez 1 Max.

15:24Now, the precision weighting that comes with these putters after a custom fit in is absolutely

15:29incredible and it really helps you improve your tempo with the balance of the putter enabling you to

15:36create an equal stroke back and through. And the second model that I thought was particularly impressive

15:42over longer distances was the PHG Allen. Now, the pyramid grooves on the face here really ensured a

15:49consistent and quick roll. It got the ball rolling very quickly after it left the putter face which

15:54increased the roll and helped me improve my distance. It's quite a firm feel off the face,

15:59so that does take a bit of getting used to if you're used to putting with something with an insert.

16:04But once you do get used to it and you struggle with your longer distance putting,

16:09I can assure you this will help.

16:15So there you have it. I have put all the best zero torque putter models to the test,

16:20but there was one clear standout for me and that was the Odyssey Square-to-Square Jailbird Cruiser.

16:26We proved it with the data at Custom Golf Works. We've got a 38-inch putter here that feels super

16:31balanced. You've got Versa technology, Square-to-Square technology and an AI-1 smart face for all your

16:37performance needs. I think it frames the ball really well and for that reason this model is my favourite

16:43zero torque putter on the market. Remember if you like one of these or any of the putters you've

16:48seen in today's video, hit the description box below where you can find the links to the best prices in

16:53your area.

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