The Directed Force 2.1 is the putter that created L.A.B. Golf. Bill Presse founded Directed Force in Reno, Nevada in 2015 around a physics idea -- balance the putter so its face returns square to the stroke arc without needing hand manipulation, minimizing torque -- but the company nearly folded before Sam Hahn and his family bought out Presse's partners in 2017-2018 and relaunched it as L.A.B. Golf ('Lie Angle Balance'). The DF2.1 was that relaunch's flagship: an oversized, high-MOI mallet with a distinctively heavy ~375g head that L.A.B. lie-angle-balances so the face self-squares through the stroke, reducing reliance on a golfer's hand-eye timing. It is, by L.A.B.'s own account and outside coverage, where the company's whole zero-torque product line began.
Widely covered as launching a genuinely new putter category rather than a styling refresh -- outside golf media (Golf.com, SI.com, Wisconsin.golf) call zero-torque balancing a potential 'holy grail' technology, and the DF2.1 specifically has PGA Tour and Champions Tour pedigree, including Richard Bland's 2024 European Tour and Senior US Open wins gaming it; it remains actively discussed years after release rather than fading into the past.
Fits golfers whose miss is an inconsistent face angle at impact (pushes/pulls from poor release timing) and who are open to a properly fitted lie angle and L.A.B.'s proprietary Press Grip setup; not ideal for golfers who prefer a traditional toe-hang arc stroke and feel, or who are unwilling to get custom-fit for lie angle, since L.A.B.'s benefit depends on correct fitting.
The Directed Force 2.1 is one of the lowest-torque putters on the market by design, meaning it resists face rotation through impact far more than a conventional toe-hang or face-balanced putter, which keeps mis-hit putts starting closer to the intended line; its ~375g head is heavier than average, but the lie-angle-balance concept -- not raw MOI mass -- is what drives its forgiveness advantage over a conventional design.
Calibrated across the whole catalog — a tour blade scores low here on purpose; it means control, not ease.
Realistic 2026 private-party/eBay pricing for a clean DF2.1 runs roughly $200-$350, below the newer premium Mezz-series L.A.B. putters' resale value but still commanding a real premium over generic mallets of its age, reflecting sustained demand for the original zero-torque design.
The Directed Force 2.1 is the putter that created L.A.B. Golf. Bill Presse founded Directed Force in Reno, Nevada in 2015 around a physics idea -- balance the putter so its face returns square to the stroke arc without needing hand manipulation, minimizing torque -- but the company nearly folded before Sam Hahn and his family bought out Presse's partners in 2017-2018 and relaunched it as L.A.B. Golf ('Lie Angle Balance'). The DF2.1 was that relaunch's flagship: an oversized, high-MOI mallet with a distinctively heavy ~375g head that L.A.B. lie-angle-balances so the face self-squares through the stroke, reducing reliance on a golfer's hand-eye timing. It is, by L.A.B.'s own account and outside coverage, where the company's whole zero-torque product line began.
Widely covered as launching a genuinely new putter category rather than a styling refresh -- outside golf media (Golf.com, SI.com, Wisconsin.golf) call zero-torque balancing a potential 'holy grail' technology, and the DF2.1 specifically has PGA Tour and Champions Tour pedigree, including Richard Bland's 2024 European Tour and Senior US Open wins gaming it; it remains actively discussed years after release rather than fading into the past.
Fits golfers whose miss is an inconsistent face angle at impact (pushes/pulls from poor release timing) and who are open to a properly fitted lie angle and L.A.B.'s proprietary Press Grip setup; not ideal for golfers who prefer a traditional toe-hang arc stroke and feel, or who are unwilling to get custom-fit for lie angle, since L.A.B.'s benefit depends on correct fitting.
The Directed Force 2.1 is one of the lowest-torque putters on the market by design, meaning it resists face rotation through impact far more than a conventional toe-hang or face-balanced putter, which keeps mis-hit putts starting closer to the intended line; its ~375g head is heavier than average, but the lie-angle-balance concept -- not raw MOI mass -- is what drives its forgiveness advantage over a conventional design.
Calibrated across the whole catalog — a tour blade scores low here on purpose; it means control, not ease.
Realistic 2026 private-party/eBay pricing for a clean DF2.1 runs roughly $200-$350, below the newer premium Mezz-series L.A.B. putters' resale value but still commanding a real premium over generic mallets of its age, reflecting sustained demand for the original zero-torque design.
Released in 2018 as L.A.B. Golf's relaunch product, it predates and set up later, more tour-adopted L.A.B. models like the Mezz.1 Max (used by Adam Scott, Will Zalatoris, Lucas Glover and others); at launch it had no direct zero-torque rival, competing instead against conventional high-MOI mallets like the Odyssey O-Works and TaylorMade Spider. Its modern equivalent within L.A.B.'s own catalog is the DF3 or Mezz series, which extended the same lie-angle-balance concept into other head shapes.
Reading is one thing — hitting is another. Book a bay and see the numbers for yourself before you buy anywhere.
Released in 2018 as L.A.B. Golf's relaunch product, it predates and set up later, more tour-adopted L.A.B. models like the Mezz.1 Max (used by Adam Scott, Will Zalatoris, Lucas Glover and others); at launch it had no direct zero-torque rival, competing instead against conventional high-MOI mallets like the Odyssey O-Works and TaylorMade Spider. Its modern equivalent within L.A.B.'s own catalog is the DF3 or Mezz series, which extended the same lie-angle-balance concept into other head shapes.
Reading is one thing — hitting is another. Book a bay and see the numbers for yourself before you buy anywhere.
