How ‘zero torque’ putters could change golf’s landscape in 2025

A lot has happened in the past 12 months – career grand slams, Ryder Cup chaos and more. With 2026 just around the corner, our writers look back at the most memorable moments from 2025 and explain why they matter.

2025 Stories No. 15: The “Zero Torque” Movement

After JJ Spaun’s 64-footer sealed the U.S. Open victory and thrust him into the international golf spotlight, he threw the LAB Golf DF3 putter into the air. Somewhat appropriately, the putter always seems to stay square.

Spann’s breakthrough win at Oakmont highlights a major shift toward “zero-torque” putters at golf’s highest levels and in recreational play, as the win was the first major championship for a player using the “zero-torque” model.

A “zero-torque” (or low-torque) putter is a putter designed with the axis of the shaft pointing directly toward the center of gravity of the putter head, resulting in a putter with the toe pointing straight up, rather than the toe pointing down at an angle or the face pointing up. This design creates a putting surface that naturally wants to stay square during impact to help keep the ball on line.

Bringing the shaft through the center of gravity axis typically requires positioning its starting position behind the clubface, as opposed to the offset of a traditional putter. To solve this problem, many low-torque putters have forward-leaning shafts to place the user’s hands in the correct position.

This design did not eliminate all torque from the pushrod stroke, but the name “zero torque” became popular early on.

Spahn isn’t the first player to use a low-torque putter or even win on the PGA Tour, but his early-season move coincides with his best year on the PGA Tour and underscores the rise of a new category in the game.

Low-torque putters first appeared on the PGA Tour when LAB Golf, the manufacturer of the Spaun DF3 putter, was spotted in Adam Scott’s bag. Scott became the poster boy for the early low-torque putter movement, using a putter in a long “sweeper” configuration, similar to the long anchor putter he used to win the Masters.

The putting genre really took off in late 2023, when Lucas Glover, whose career was in decline due to poor putting, burst back into the spotlight after back-to-back PGA Tour wins in August. Glover uses a LAB Mezz.1 Max sweeper, similar to Scott.

View Product

Also available at: PGA Tour Supermarket, LAB Golf

But it won’t be until late 2024 that major OEM competitors like Bettinardi, PXG and Odyssey begin to enter the low-torque segment. These putters saw PGA Tour greens for the first time late that season and were better adopted in 2025.

But this season, it’s starting to heat up.

Two of the three major OEMs in the putter market, TaylorMade and Scotty Cameron, and Odyssey will launch their own versions of low-torque putters in 2025. Ping also introduced the PLD Ally Blue Onset putter.

In addition, the company continues to innovate ideas. LAB was able to create the first heel-axis low-torque putter, and Odyssey created a version that didn’t require significant launch or forward shaft lean.

Spahn finished second at the Players Championship early in the season before winning at Oakmont, where Brian Harman won with a then-unreleased TaylorMade Spider ZT and Garrick Higgo won with a LAB OZ.1i putter designed by Scott himself. Meanwhile, Gary Woodland is having his best season since 2020 using a prototype Scotty Cameron Onset center putter.

Spaun, Higgo and Harman are the only players to win on Tour this season with low-torque putter models, and Higgo is the only player to crack the top 10 for Strokes Gained, but the trend is undoubtedly having a larger impact at retail.

LAB Golf’s marketing strategy reverses the traditional idea of ​​having tour players influence recreational golfers by first engaging regular golfers to see if they can influence tour usage. For the most part, it seems to be working.

TaylorMade Spider 5K-ZT custom putter

Low Torque Design The KBS putter shaft is drilled directly toward the toe near the center of gravity, and the shaft is tilted 1° 25mm behind the face, allowing golfers to realize the benefits of a new stable, toe-up design. Unique Sole Shape A new and improved sole shape works specifically with this unique socket configuration as engineers work tirelessly to find new ways to improve accuracy from the moment the putter is placed behind the ball. The new sole curvature adapts to different player types and ball positions, allowing golfers to find consistent and repeatable shots. Spider Stability combines high-density stainless steel with low-density aircraft-grade aluminum to provide the perfect foundation for a high-MOI design and allows the axis to be oriented closer to the face. MILLED TRUE PATH™ Alignment Based on feedback from Tour players, we were tasked with finding a new premium alignment system. Based on classic TaylorMade True Path™ technology, golf ball-width milled lines are added to help golfers correctly position themselves on the center plane.

View Product

Also available at: PGA Tour Supermarket, TaylorMade

With more and more low-torque putters being sold every day, Jacob Davidson, Odyssey’s vice president of product strategy, told GOLF that we may see the creation of a “game improvement” putter category, just like other club categories.

“Maybe, just maybe, for the first time we’re starting to see a divergence in the putting styles of everyday golfers and the best players in the world,” Davidson said.

Currently, low-torque putters are still relatively new to the game, but unlike early 2025, when many major OEMs were still trying to determine whether the putter style was just a fad or a trend with legitimate staying power, we now seem to have the answer.