Zero-torque putters: Can these odd-looking clubs help you hole more putts?

Rickie Fowler has now played 23 events on the PGA Tour this season, with his most recent finish being fourth at last week’s Zozo Championship in Japan. As of Monday, he ranks 66th in Strokes Gained: Putting, the most accurate measurement of how well a golfer performs on the greens compared to other pros. That’s respectable, but Fowler was once an elite putter, finishing first in Strokes Gained: Putting at the end of the 2016-17 PGA Tour season and 13th after the 2018-19 season.

Fowler’s putting took a nosedive during the 2021-22 PGA Tour season, with his Strokes Gained: Putting average finishing at -0.253. which ranked 161st. This led him to bench his blade-style putter and start using mallet putters, which generally offer more forgiveness on mishits.

He switched to an Odyssey Jailbird after trying his caddie’s putter during a casual round of golf and liking it. That was the club he used to nearly win the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club before clinching a victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

That extended-length, long-grip putter stayed in Fowler’s bag until the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship, when he joined a growing number of pros who’ve added a “zero-torque” putter to their setup. Fowler’s choice was the L.A.B. DF3. Other pros who have recently used a zero-torque putter include Dustin Johnson, Lucas Glover, Will Zalatoris, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, and Ben An, who won last week’s DP World Tour event in Korea.

So, what are zero-torque putters, how are they different from traditional putters, and can they help you improve your performance on the greens?

Torque: Putting’s Silent Influencer

In putting, torque is the force that causes a putter’s head to rotate around the axis of the shaft. It’s created by factors like the putter head’s weight, its balance, the hosel mechanism, and the location of the center of mass.

Every putter’s face opens in relation to the target line you establish when you address the ball on the backswing, but when a golfer makes a putting stroke, torque acts to rotate the clubhead open or closed relative to the stroke’s path. To get the ball rolling down your intended line, a golfer needs to return the putter face back to square at impact. If the face remains open, the putt will veer right (for a right-handed golfer), and if it over-rotates and points left, the putt will start left.

Blade-style putters with a plumber’s neck and slanted hosels are often recommended for players with an arched stroke, but their “toe hang” balance can encourage more face rotation. Mallet putters, which are generally more forgiving, are often “face balanced” and suggested for players with a straighter stroke, but they can still create some torque.

Enter Zero-Torque Putters

A hot trend emerging in the putter market is zero-torque putters, like Fowler’s L.A.B. DF3, the new PXG Allan, and the Evnroll Zero. When balanced, these putters have neither toe hang nor face balance. Instead, the toe points up, and the putter’s face naturally aligns with the target. They’re designed to eliminate rotation caused by torque.

During the backswing, zero-torque putters stay square to the stroke path, whether a golfer has a relatively straight stroke, a moderately arched stroke, or a strongly arched stroke. The idea is that even if wrists or hands add small amounts of unintentional force, the putter resists turning and makes it easier to keep the clubface square to the stroke path throughout. This design should lead to square-face contact at impact and a more accurate roll along your intended target line.

This lets golfers focus on a clean, smooth stroke rather than worrying about keeping the face square. It’s especially useful for those who struggle with consistency, as the putter “wants” to stay aligned with the target line.

Whether that was Fowler’s issue on the greens or not, after switching to a zero-torque putter, his putting improved. According to the PGA Tour’s ShotLink system, from the start of 2024 through the British Open at Royal Troon, Fowler’s Strokes Gained: Putting average was -0.043, ranking 110th.

Since changing putters, Fowler’s average at the Sanderson Farms Championship was 3.765, putting him 19th in the field. At the Shriners Children’s Open, he was slightly above average (0.182, 44th), but last week at the Zozo Championship, Fowler’s average was 7.632, the second-best in the field, giving him nearly a two-shot edge per round over the field and marking his best putting performance of the year.

Zero-Torque Shortcomings: Looks, Feel and Price

No club is perfect, and zero-torque putters have their drawbacks.

For starters, zero-torque putters look unusual, and looks matter to golfers. Whether it’s a PGA Tour player at a tournament practice area or an amateur browsing a pro shop, golfers first put the club in the address position and look down at it. After years of seeing refined blades and mallets, zero-torque putters often look strange. They stand out, and golfers, as a group, are very image-conscious. They want to shoot lower scores but also look good doing it, and zero-torque putters don’t look like traditional clubs.

Another factor is the forward press. To achieve the zero-torque design, the hitting area shifts forward, creating a natural forward press at address. This can produce a different view of the ball and the hitting area.

Then there’s the price. Zero-torque putters are currently complex to manufacture, and brands want to recuperate research and development costs, so they’re priced around $450. As competition heats up, prices may drop, but for now, $450 is steep for most golfers, especially for something so unique.

Who Should Consider Zero-Torque?

If putting is a strength of your game, you might want to address other things before looking to make putter changes. However, golfers who miss putts left and right are prime candidates for zero-torque putters because a two-way miss on the greens suggests inconsistent contact.

A quick way to see if that’s you is to use a ball with alignment aids, like the TaylorMade TP5 Stripe or Srixon Z-Star Divide. Line up a few putts and check if you consistently achieve an end-over-end roll. If not, your stroke could be the issue, and a zero-torque putter might help.

Fitting Is Everything

Fowler made the switch to the L.A.B DF3 after taking time off from the PGA Tour for the arrival of his second child with his wife, Allison Stokke. The break allowed him to test the putter thoroughly.

“I wouldn’t be putting something into play if I didn’t think there was a real potential benefit,” Fowler said before the start of the Sanderson Farms Championship. “Sometimes you don’t know if it’s going to be good or bad until you put it into tournament play. Things can work well at home, but under the gun, you really don’t know.”

If you’re considering a zero-torque putter, follow Fowler’s example and get properly fitted. The process can measure your stroke’s consistency, aim accuracy, and impact location. That data will be key in determining if a zero-torque putter could benefit your game.

Here are some zero-torque putters you might want to consider trying:

Evnroll Zero

Price: $449 eachSpecs: Milled 303 stainless steel with tungsten and steel sole weights and grooved face (Z2s, Z5s); Milled 6061 aluminum with tungsten weights and grooved face (Z1)Available: Nov. 7

What you should know: Evnroll’s Zero putters are designed to look familiar but greatly reduce face rotation and torque during your stroke. They also reduce the forward press some zero-torque putters create.

Excerpt: "Each of the Zero putters has also been made with Evnroll’s SweetFace grooved hitting area. The grooves are deeper in the center and gradually get shallower toward the heel and toe. According to Evnroll, this helps to normalize the speed of the ball across the hitting area, so putts that golfers mis-hit toward the heel and toe roll out to nearly the same distance as putts struck in the center of the hitting area, resulting in enhanced distance control." Read the full review.

L.A.B. DF3

Price: $449 (stock) and $559 (Custom)Specs: 6061 aluminum with steel weights. 69-degree lie angleWhat you should know: Using a unique weighting and balance system, the DF3 putter is designed to keep the face square to the arc you create when you set up to putt and help you start your putts on your intended line more easily.

Excerpt: "Each DF3 putter, which is made from 6061 aluminum, is center-shafted and has eight weights positioned in specific areas in the front of the sole. The weights vary based on the putter’s length, and they are all measured and installed by hand." Read the full review.

PXG Allan

Price: $449.99Specs: 303 stainless steel chassis with injected polymer and milled 6061 aluminum crown.

What You Should Know: The PXG Allan putter is designed with an S-shaped hosel that creates a toe-up balance, helping the putter’s face stay square to the arc of your stroke. This design aids golfers in making solid contact more easily.

Excerpt: "The black frame of the Allan putter is made of 303 stainless steel, and the face is designed to be very thin. Behind the face, there’s a hollow chamber filled with a lightweight polymer called S COR, which PXG says absorbs excessive vibrations to enhance sound and feel." Read the full review.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Zero-torque putters: Can these odd-looking clubs help you hole more putts?