Unless you’ve been living under a perfectly balanced rock, you know that we are smack in the middle of The Zero Torque Wars. It all began when L.A.B. Golf dominated the zero-torque putter market space in 2024, creating the hottest putter design on tour and in local shops.
Naturally, other companies are now also releasing zero torque putters. It’s not like they were going to sit idly by while L.A.B. Golf collected all of the pending putter profits.
One of the strongest competitors in the growing zero torque putter competition is PXG.
Yes, I said PXG. Bob parsons and crew entered the fray when they rolled out the zero torque PXG Allan putter last summer. The Allan was unexpectedly exceptional.
I suppose PXG’s track record for producing quality putters should have prepared me for the Allan’s excellence. PXG putters perform well in Most Wanted putter trials, and they have rolled out high quality putters for the last decade.
Still, I was surprised at how good the PXG Allan was.
The PXG Allan is an exceptional zero-torque putter, and I think that this new Bat Attack ZT may be even better.
PXG’s zero torque hosel
The key design element for both the PXG Allan and the new PXG Bat Attack ZT is the novel hosel shape. For both putters, the bends in the hosel shape balances the weight of the putter around the center of gravity.
How dos this work? First, ignore where the hosel attaches and follow the shaft toward the head. If you then were to extend the tip of the shaft, it would land very close to the putter’s center of gravity.
The balance of the head around the center of gravity reduces the rotational torque of the putter during the stroke. By doing so, the probability of returning the putter face square at impact increases dramatically.
Why do you want a square-to-target face at impact? Call me crazy, but having a putt roll on the intended line seems like a good way to make a putt go in the hole. Assuming your reads are not garbage, of course.
Other PXG putter technologies
One of the interesting things about the Zero Torque War putters is that while they all feature some kind of zero-torque architecture, they also feature each company’s signature putter technologies.
For the PXG Bat Attack ZT, these technologies include their roll-promoting Pyramid Face Pattern, adjustable sole weights, and hollow-steel, filled with polymer construction.
Essentially, this means that the new PXG Bat Attack ZT gives someone who loves their PXG Battle Ready 2 Bat Attack all of their favorite putter aspects in a new zero-torque design.
With the ever-expanding number of torque-free putters being released these days, it may be a company’s proprietary putter technologies, not the lack of torque, that drive consumer decisions.
Did you say that the Bat Attack ZT was better than the Allan?
You caught that, did you? Considering how much I like the PXG Allan, saying that the Bat Attack ZT is a better putter is indeed a bold statement. When you consider my historical ineptness with fang-shaped putters, my lauding of the Bat Attack’s superiority seems even more absurd.
Last summer, I shot my lowest round ever with the PXG Allan in the bag. The PXG Allan made everything, and it was the first time that I thought that L.A.B. Golf was going to face some market competition.
My only real criticism of the PXG Allan was that the feel and feedback were not emotionally fulfilling. Putts went where aimed, and ended in tiny little clusters, but the feel off the face was not my favorite.
Initial testing indicates that the PXG Bat Attack ZT is every bit as accurate as the Allan, and it has a way better feel. Maybe the hollow volume is larger in the Bat Attack ZT, with the additional S COR polymer dampening unpleasant vibrations and providing better feedback.
The Allan is a great putter, but the Bat Attack ZT matches the performance of the Allan, and it feels better doing so.
What’s going on with that grip?
Like the PXG Allan, the S-hosel of the PXG Bat Attack creates 2° of forward shaft lean. According to PXG, this shaft lean “naturally places the golfer’s hands in the optimal position at address, encouraging a smoother, more consistent putting motion with minimal manipulation or effort”.
Forward shaft lean is, of course, another hallmark of L.A.B. Golf putters, so in that element, the PXG Bat Attack ZT is like a L.A.B. Golf Putter.
Even so, I have a feeling that it’s the grip that will raise a L.A.B. Rat’s hackles.
Unlike the pistol grip on my PXG Allen, the new PXG Slant 1.5 R grip on the PXG Bat Attack ZT is long and rectangular in shape. The shape is the least interesting thing about the grip though.
Take a look at how the shaft enters the grip.
The putter shaft enters the grip at one side, and continues on angle through the grip. The angle of the grip compensates for the forward angle of the shaft, delivering the grip in a more traditional vertical position.
Isn’t that similar to how L.A.B. Golf’s Press Grip functions? Based upon my understanding of the design, they do seem similar.
Maybe it is just an example of convergent evolution, but can see why someone would argue that there was a bit of reverse engineering with this new grip.
The Bat Attack ZT once again confirms that PXG is a legit putter company.
Every time I roll a new PXG putter model, I reconfirm my belief that PXG is one of the best putter making companies. They are not often celebrated for their putters, but they should be.
Release after release, PXG continues to deliver the highest quality putters with some of the most innovative modern designs.
Yes, I recognize the irony of saying that PXG’s putters are innovative when I just discussed the similarities between their new putter grip and L.A.B Golf’s putter grip. Let’s just call that an innovation outlier.
Regardless, the simple truth is that the PXG Bat Attack ZT is a solid zero-torque putter. Fans of PXG will likely try this putter immediately. I’m betting the experience will be free of disappointment, and the wallet will leave the shop lighter.
Pricing is current-market competitive at $449.99. Remember that PXG offers discounts for military personnel, first responders, and teachers.
Those of you who are curious about zero-torque putters in general should add the PXG Bat Attack to your must roll list. While you are at it, roll the Allan as well. It is possible that our opinions regarding the feel at impact will differ.
Regardless, we should all be in agreement that PXG is a player in the modern putter marketplace.
Find out more about the PXG Bat Attack ZT and the other PXG putters at PXG.com
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