Well, nothing else left to it, but to do it! So let's get this going!
8/12/2021
Day 1
Introduction
Eric Seay and I reside in the great football town of Knoxville, Tennessee. (great football town, not great football anymore)
34 years old with two kids, 4 years old and 8 months and i've been married for 8 years.
For the most part my golf opportunities have become corporate outings/charity tournaments and about once a month on the weekend
I lead Business Development for a large construction company so in the summer/fall, there tends to be a lot of company outings, so I play my fair share of golf and even sneak out on a few Friday's to go to the range.
My wife will tell you have too many hobbies so spreading my time around appropriately to which sport can sometimes be hard! Between playing basketball, softball, golf, and even a kickball league this year, sometimes golf gets put on the back burner lately.
This game called golf
You know the scene in the movie My Cousin Vinny where Marisa Tomei is explaining why she knows about cars? "My father was a mechanic, his father was a mechanic, my brothers are all mechanics...", You get the idea. Well, that is my family and golf. My grandfather was a pro, my uncle won everything there was to win at a local level, my grandfather's brother was a pro...but me, my first love was baseball.
Then in 7th grade my baseball coach started coaching the golf team for the middle school and asked if I wanted to play. To that point, I had not ever played. Really enjoyed playing in 7th grade but was AWFUL. Played on a points system - 3pts for par, 2pts for bogey, etc. I would have around 6-8 points per 9 holes. After 7th grade my grandfather asked if I planned to keep playing which I did. He told me in these exact words, "If your last name is Seay and you want to keep playing, you can't play like that" so the plan was put in motion. That summer, he took me to his course 3 days a week and sent me to the range and out on the course and the other two days I played with him and his buddies. In 8th grade, i was around 22 points per 9 nine, became the 1 player in high school and played college golf at University of the Cumberlands.
Fast forward to now - The game has gotten a little lost, mostly because of my driver. MGS has been generous enough to select me for multiple driver testing opportunities which has only confirmed it's not the clubs fault. There isn't a golf course wide enough to keep me in play when i'm going poorly which has me playing to around an 8 these days. If you forced me to play a stroke play tournament today I would hit 4 iron off every tee and would feel confident I would shoot in the 70s.
For the rest of the game. Really good iron player, good scrambler (because I'm always in the trees), good wedge player, so-so chipper, and very average putter.
A little about the Putter and what i'm looking for
I am a very conservative putter. The goal is to never 3 putt which means I tend to not be aggressive on putts even inside of 20 feet. Miss far too many birdie putts so that I can ensure the par. My current gamer is a Odyssey Red Two Ball Fang. Love the alignment of the two ball. Played one through college, had a Rife for a bit that I really liked (so very excited about this EVNROLL), tried some other things and went right back to a two ball. I like the weight and swing of the larger head
While I love the alignment of the two ball, I am not a consistent striker of the putter with regards to speed and stroke. I'll come in with firm hands and a firm strike on one and the next is a longer stroke with a much softer impact - I just lack consistency there. I tend to start most putts on the line I intend and speed is usually acceptable.
I also have not made a left to right putt in probably 9 years.
For this review I went with the ER7V with the smooth flex shaft & long plumber neck
I wanted a more "straight back straight thru" path and liked the alignment on the head. Fujikura says the smooth shaft maintains stability for off-center strikes, geared more towards players with long strokes and want to feel the head more. ding ding ding!
Ultimately, I want a more consistent feel and strike to my putts and hoping a putter shaft technology is just the change I need!
To close...I cant wait to get out onto the course to try this out and make some putts. Plenty of corporate outings in September to try it out and I'm sure I'll be playing plenty in the fall. Thank you to MGS, @Fujikura Golf , and EVNROLL for this opportunity!
Stage Two - [Fujikura Putter Shaft] – Official MGS Forum Review by Eric Seay (eseay32)
Intro
Thanks again to MyGolfSpy, Fujikura, and EVNROLL for this opportunity! I thoroughly enjoyed this testing opportunity! With that said, let's get right into it! After not being able to get out much to test this bad boy out, things finally opened up and I played 4 times in about 10 days! It was quite nice and could certainly get used to that type of life but alas, it doesnt last forever. I was able to play in 4 SWAT outings which in my opinion is not a bad way to test a club or putter! It allowed me to be aggressive with putts, not worry about lagging them up, confident in strokes and have an opportunity on pretty much every hole to have a makeable putt. Add to that, leaving work early for these tournaments to socialize, eat lunch, and hit the putting green - Makes for a real solid test. There was some complexity in my opinion to this test because I tried to be focused on the shaft, not the putter itself. Of course this is a package deal but I did not want to get too high or too low on something because of the total package. As a reminder to everyone, I chose the ER7V with the "soft" shaft, 34 inches long and white pistol grip. I'm comparing this to my Odyssey 2 Ball Fang Putter with a Super Stroke 1.0 Grip
Looks 10 out of 10 points) - She's a BEAUT, Clark!
So, i'm starting with the looks of the shaft and will move towards the entire putter. First impression, it's sleek and has a great look to it. The black and silver tones add some nice graphics so it's eye catching. I went with the white Pistol grip and EVNROLL has done a great job with this one. Love the feel, size, and the 3 rectangles on the front do a great of helping me consistently grab and hold the putter. it sits great and has great balance. Love the alignment on the ER7V. The 3 line track with and two dots on the top really help me see my spot and the line i'm trying to hit it on.
Overall, I dont think I would change anything from the setup or the looks of it. TEN! TEN!
Sound & Feel (9 out of 10 points)
This was the biggest component of the test in my opinion. How does the graphite shaft feel compared to a traditional steel shaft? So as a reminder i went with the "soft" shaft and what I would compare as certainly softer than a steel shaft. The first thing I did after opening the box was wiggled the putter and this soft shaft has some real flexibility to it. However, you dont notice it in the stroke assuming you are the right shaft for your stroke. I would categorize my putter swing as a smooth, slower motion. I dont get quick or pop at it so I think this is an appropriate shaft for me.
So how does it feel? SO SWEET AND DIVINE! This was one of the game changers for me that made me really enjoy this putter. The feel of the ER7V head was so solid. It has kind of a soft, smooth strike to it and the ball comes off so well and stays right on line. If I were trying to describe it's like you are pushing the ball off the putter face without taking the putter back. You dont feel the "hit" and it's like you are catching the ball on the putter face. I was really impressed with the strike i was able to make. The best part is, it's consistently whether that strike comes from the toe or heel or center -- the feel is still smooth. Obviously, as with any club, it does not correct mishits so there will be some disance loss with a mishit but in my opinion it feels great regardless of where you are striking the ball.
So I have basically raved about this putter and the feel you get from it..."it catches the ball, you have not mishit feeling" so why score it a 9 out of 10...Here's why...it's almost too good! i've had a little bit of a hard time dialing in my distance control with this putter because the strike feels so good and the ball comes off the putter so well with that proper topspin that I ran my fair share of putts by the hole! Mentally, I've had to adjust my thinking with distance wanting to FEEL like i'm trying to leave the ball a little short. I firmly believe that all gets corrected with a few more rounds though.
Great feel, great strike!
Basic Characteristics (19out of 20 points)
I spent less time running the putter through the paces around the putting green but certainly put in some effort here. Again, i was very pleasantly surprised. My focus on the putting green is just getting a feel for the speed and seeing if the practice is over or under breaking. From an accuracy perspective, this putter really helps me line things up so I was confident when taking it to the course that I was able to hit my spot over and over again. Running it through long and short putts the distance control is really there in the sense that I was consistently having the ball travel the same distance. As I mentioned above, I knocked one point off because the putter is TOO good so i'm staying consistent here...One point off for distance control because i'm sending the ball past the hole on a regular basis. Typically, I want to die the ball in the hole so this can affect my mentality going forward.
I made sure to hit the ball off the toe and heel quite a few times on the practice green just getting a feel and similar to as I mentioned, it does well in this respect. So last thing to do was take it to the COURSE!!
On-Course Performance (30 out of 30 points)
So this is what everyone is waiting for... sure, the other things are all important BUT the most important thing is...did you hole more putts? I will save you the anticipation and anxiety of reading through this portion of the review and give you my answer right now...YES! As Stephen A. Smith might say "Unequivocally, inspirationally, unapologetically, YES!" During my 4 rounds of SWAT golf, I was not the guy that hit the first put so everyone else could see the line. I was the holer of the putts! I usually prefer to putt 2nd in Captain Choice tournaments - I want to see the first guy to make sure we read it right, then I want to hit it. I dont learn much from 4 guys hitting the putt with different speed and break. However, my most recent tournament where we lapped the field and won by 4 - the 3rd and 4th guy didnt have to hit too many putts!
The ball really starts off on the intended line and has a good amount of top speed that helps it consistently get off the putter face and keep it's speed up. I forward press my hands some also to create even more. It holds it's line and limits the hops well. But if you stopped me on the course and asked "Eric, how do you know this putter is really helping you out and you just didnt happen to hole more putts?" I would be able to give you a very, VERY simple answer...You know how I know this putter is different? Because I rolled in not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 LEFT to RIGHT putts. I've played golf for 20 years and i'm not sure i've made that many. It's been a problem for me for YEARS. i'm almost always low or so high it never stands a chance. I attribute making these to the alignment aids and consistently solid strikes that gets the ball rolling and on the ground quickly.
I do have one complaint but it's not enough to affect the scoring in my opinion. I like to putt whenever possible. Tight lies, shortsided, etc. i'm a firm believer a bad putt puts you closer than a decent chip 99% of the time. Two different times I putted from off the green in a little bit of rough and both times the ball popped a foot into the air. Certainly not something i'm used to seeing with a lot of practice of this shot under by belt. Again, I dont feel like that's something that should affect any scoring but moving forward, I will think about that shot a little more before choosing my approach.
Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)
Similar to Mark's post, i'm going to make my post about two things that do not really affect the Putter/shaft or my review. The grip and the head cover. I really appreciate EVNROLL not cheaping out on a grip and going with a standard option. We had 4 choices I believe and all of them were quality options. I talked about the grip earlier but it has a great tacky feel, a little oversized which I love, and the boxes have helped me repeat my grip over and over. I wont be changing the grip any time soon.
The other is the head cover. I went with the white head cover and it's quality again. Great closure, white leather, feels great, soft inside, hangs on the putter well. (picture to follow)
Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20 points)
I was curious how I would like this putter and this "soft" shaft combination. It's been years since I was playing anything other than a 2 Ball. I've always loved the setup and aim that the 2 ball presented. After testing the Fujikura shaft and ER7V this decision was relatively easy. This bad boy will STAY in the bag. I without a doubt holed more putts. I love the alignment, i feel like I have two ways to ensure accuracy, and the feel is great but again, at the end of the day, I holed more putts and that's something I have really struggled with. So this was as easy as an answer as I can give you...YES
Conclusion
So wrapping everything up and putting a bow on this review I was obviously VERY impressed with the total package of this testing opportunity and it is definitely staying in the bag. BUT did I really answer the question that I was picked to answer which is "does a graphite shaft make a difference?" My answer...I dont think so. I tried my best to not turn this into an EVNROLL test opportunity but the feedback that you get from a shaft on a putter is minimal. While it's obviously a more flexible shaft, the weight and swing do not feel different compared to a steel shaft and can't think of a way that the shaft impacted the stroke negatively or positively. So in my final, FINAL conclusion to this test - I love the putter, I love making more putts, and i'm not going to change the graphite shaft out for a steel and I will keep everything the exact same and I cant wait to play with it more!
Final Score: (Add up all categories and present a total score out of 100) 98/100!!!!!
Final Reviews: Fujikura MC Shaft & Evnroll V Series Putter
Posted
Well, nothing else left to it, but to do it! So let's get this going!
8/12/2021
Day 1
Introduction
This game called golf
A little about the Putter and what i'm looking for
To close...I cant wait to get out onto the course to try this out and make some putts. Plenty of corporate outings in September to try it out and I'm sure I'll be playing plenty in the fall. Thank you to MGS, @Fujikura Golf , and EVNROLL for this opportunity!
Stage Two - [Fujikura Putter Shaft] – Official MGS Forum Review by Eric Seay (eseay32)
Intro
Thanks again to MyGolfSpy, Fujikura, and EVNROLL for this opportunity! I thoroughly enjoyed this testing opportunity! With that said, let's get right into it! After not being able to get out much to test this bad boy out, things finally opened up and I played 4 times in about 10 days! It was quite nice and could certainly get used to that type of life but alas, it doesnt last forever. I was able to play in 4 SWAT outings which in my opinion is not a bad way to test a club or putter! It allowed me to be aggressive with putts, not worry about lagging them up, confident in strokes and have an opportunity on pretty much every hole to have a makeable putt. Add to that, leaving work early for these tournaments to socialize, eat lunch, and hit the putting green - Makes for a real solid test. There was some complexity in my opinion to this test because I tried to be focused on the shaft, not the putter itself. Of course this is a package deal but I did not want to get too high or too low on something because of the total package. As a reminder to everyone, I chose the ER7V with the "soft" shaft, 34 inches long and white pistol grip. I'm comparing this to my Odyssey 2 Ball Fang Putter with a Super Stroke 1.0 Grip
Looks 10 out of 10 points) - She's a BEAUT, Clark!
So, i'm starting with the looks of the shaft and will move towards the entire putter. First impression, it's sleek and has a great look to it. The black and silver tones add some nice graphics so it's eye catching. I went with the white Pistol grip and EVNROLL has done a great job with this one. Love the feel, size, and the 3 rectangles on the front do a great of helping me consistently grab and hold the putter. it sits great and has great balance. Love the alignment on the ER7V. The 3 line track with and two dots on the top really help me see my spot and the line i'm trying to hit it on.
Overall, I dont think I would change anything from the setup or the looks of it. TEN! TEN!
Sound & Feel (9 out of 10 points)
This was the biggest component of the test in my opinion. How does the graphite shaft feel compared to a traditional steel shaft? So as a reminder i went with the "soft" shaft and what I would compare as certainly softer than a steel shaft. The first thing I did after opening the box was wiggled the putter and this soft shaft has some real flexibility to it. However, you dont notice it in the stroke assuming you are the right shaft for your stroke. I would categorize my putter swing as a smooth, slower motion. I dont get quick or pop at it so I think this is an appropriate shaft for me.
So how does it feel? SO SWEET AND DIVINE! This was one of the game changers for me that made me really enjoy this putter. The feel of the ER7V head was so solid. It has kind of a soft, smooth strike to it and the ball comes off so well and stays right on line. If I were trying to describe it's like you are pushing the ball off the putter face without taking the putter back. You dont feel the "hit" and it's like you are catching the ball on the putter face. I was really impressed with the strike i was able to make. The best part is, it's consistently whether that strike comes from the toe or heel or center -- the feel is still smooth. Obviously, as with any club, it does not correct mishits so there will be some disance loss with a mishit but in my opinion it feels great regardless of where you are striking the ball.
So I have basically raved about this putter and the feel you get from it..."it catches the ball, you have not mishit feeling" so why score it a 9 out of 10...Here's why...it's almost too good! i've had a little bit of a hard time dialing in my distance control with this putter because the strike feels so good and the ball comes off the putter so well with that proper topspin that I ran my fair share of putts by the hole! Mentally, I've had to adjust my thinking with distance wanting to FEEL like i'm trying to leave the ball a little short. I firmly believe that all gets corrected with a few more rounds though.
Great feel, great strike!
Basic Characteristics (19 out of 20 points)
I spent less time running the putter through the paces around the putting green but certainly put in some effort here. Again, i was very pleasantly surprised. My focus on the putting green is just getting a feel for the speed and seeing if the practice is over or under breaking. From an accuracy perspective, this putter really helps me line things up so I was confident when taking it to the course that I was able to hit my spot over and over again. Running it through long and short putts the distance control is really there in the sense that I was consistently having the ball travel the same distance. As I mentioned above, I knocked one point off because the putter is TOO good so i'm staying consistent here...One point off for distance control because i'm sending the ball past the hole on a regular basis. Typically, I want to die the ball in the hole so this can affect my mentality going forward.
I made sure to hit the ball off the toe and heel quite a few times on the practice green just getting a feel and similar to as I mentioned, it does well in this respect. So last thing to do was take it to the COURSE!!
On-Course Performance (30 out of 30 points)
So this is what everyone is waiting for... sure, the other things are all important BUT the most important thing is...did you hole more putts? I will save you the anticipation and anxiety of reading through this portion of the review and give you my answer right now...YES! As Stephen A. Smith might say "Unequivocally, inspirationally, unapologetically, YES!" During my 4 rounds of SWAT golf, I was not the guy that hit the first put so everyone else could see the line. I was the holer of the putts! I usually prefer to putt 2nd in Captain Choice tournaments - I want to see the first guy to make sure we read it right, then I want to hit it. I dont learn much from 4 guys hitting the putt with different speed and break. However, my most recent tournament where we lapped the field and won by 4 - the 3rd and 4th guy didnt have to hit too many putts!
The ball really starts off on the intended line and has a good amount of top speed that helps it consistently get off the putter face and keep it's speed up. I forward press my hands some also to create even more. It holds it's line and limits the hops well. But if you stopped me on the course and asked "Eric, how do you know this putter is really helping you out and you just didnt happen to hole more putts?" I would be able to give you a very, VERY simple answer...You know how I know this putter is different? Because I rolled in not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 LEFT to RIGHT putts. I've played golf for 20 years and i'm not sure i've made that many. It's been a problem for me for YEARS. i'm almost always low or so high it never stands a chance. I attribute making these to the alignment aids and consistently solid strikes that gets the ball rolling and on the ground quickly.
I do have one complaint but it's not enough to affect the scoring in my opinion. I like to putt whenever possible. Tight lies, shortsided, etc. i'm a firm believer a bad putt puts you closer than a decent chip 99% of the time. Two different times I putted from off the green in a little bit of rough and both times the ball popped a foot into the air. Certainly not something i'm used to seeing with a lot of practice of this shot under by belt. Again, I dont feel like that's something that should affect any scoring but moving forward, I will think about that shot a little more before choosing my approach.
Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)
Similar to Mark's post, i'm going to make my post about two things that do not really affect the Putter/shaft or my review. The grip and the head cover. I really appreciate EVNROLL not cheaping out on a grip and going with a standard option. We had 4 choices I believe and all of them were quality options. I talked about the grip earlier but it has a great tacky feel, a little oversized which I love, and the boxes have helped me repeat my grip over and over. I wont be changing the grip any time soon.
The other is the head cover. I went with the white head cover and it's quality again. Great closure, white leather, feels great, soft inside, hangs on the putter well. (picture to follow)
Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20 points)
I was curious how I would like this putter and this "soft" shaft combination. It's been years since I was playing anything other than a 2 Ball. I've always loved the setup and aim that the 2 ball presented. After testing the Fujikura shaft and ER7V this decision was relatively easy. This bad boy will STAY in the bag. I without a doubt holed more putts. I love the alignment, i feel like I have two ways to ensure accuracy, and the feel is great but again, at the end of the day, I holed more putts and that's something I have really struggled with. So this was as easy as an answer as I can give you...YES
Conclusion
So wrapping everything up and putting a bow on this review I was obviously VERY impressed with the total package of this testing opportunity and it is definitely staying in the bag. BUT did I really answer the question that I was picked to answer which is "does a graphite shaft make a difference?" My answer...I dont think so. I tried my best to not turn this into an EVNROLL test opportunity but the feedback that you get from a shaft on a putter is minimal. While it's obviously a more flexible shaft, the weight and swing do not feel different compared to a steel shaft and can't think of a way that the shaft impacted the stroke negatively or positively. So in my final, FINAL conclusion to this test - I love the putter, I love making more putts, and i'm not going to change the graphite shaft out for a steel and I will keep everything the exact same and I cant wait to play with it more!
Final Score: (Add up all categories and present a total score out of 100) 98/100!!!!!