I just returned from the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association State Championships at Penn State, where 216 of the best boys and girls golfers in Pennsylvania – two of whom I happen to coach – competed for state titles.
I’ve seen a lot of good golf and another thing: low torque putters. Lots of them! This has been the case at every junior tournament I have attended this year.
Why is that surprising? Low-torque/zero-torque/lie-angle balance/onset (call them whatever you want) putters are the most popular club category in the sport, but not to the point where you’re likely to see multiple players in your group using them at your local muni.
However, this may be the case in junior golf.
There are no official usage numbers to refer to, but as I stood on the green where about 60 players were practicing, I counted 10 low-torque putters. (Most often they were LAB Golf or Odyssey Square 2 Square models.) Also, at least two players who finished in the top 10 of the AAA boys division used a low-torque putter.
Why do so many elite juniors use these putter types?
The answer probably lies in something GOLF’s Jake Morrow said on a recent episode of the Fully Equipment podcast. Morrow noted that the ideal candidate for a LAB golf putter (or other onset-type putter) is someone who has never putted before, because established players have years of muscle memory and a natural arc in their strokes. Junior golfers, on the other hand, don’t have to work as hard to reprogram their muscles.
In other words, not many junior golfers grew up hooking their putts with Bullseyes and Wilson 8802-style putters, and therefore would find it easier to adapt to low-torque putters. No retraining is necessary.
Low-torque putters have already taken off in pro golf, but is the real explosion yet to come when today’s top juniors hit the PGA Tour? Only time will tell.
3 things I’m thinking about
New things are coming: Now that the Tour is back from Japan, the 2026 gear will start showing up. We’ve already seen glimpses of PXG’s new Lightning metalwoods series and Odyssey’s Tri-Hot Square 2 Square putters. Stay tuned to the USGA Conforming List for more newcomers in the coming weeks.
Do I even need a driver? Tommy Fleetwood’s victory in India without a club taller than a mini driver makes me think: do I even need one myself? While I’m happy with the driver I played with this year, my goal for ClubTest 2026 (again) will be to find the best driver for my game. That said, I rarely play courses long enough to even need a driver, so it might be worth going without.
What is Jason Day up to? Day has been one of the most fun material free agents to watch, and this week is no exception: it looks like he’ll be playing Avoda prototype irons in Utah. That’s the same company that made Bryson DeChambeau’s bump and roll 3D printed irons. We monitor!
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