downlowkey

hey everyone! i'm beyond stoked to be afforded this opportunity from MGS and ShotScope.
my name is joe, and i've been playing golf for a little over a year.  hard to believe, i know, because it probably seems like i've been annoying you all on here for a lot longer.  i picked the game up last summer during covid when my dad and brother in law convinced me to join them for a round.  
a little about my game: i was blessed with club head speed...a lot of club head speed.  this has been a blessing and a curse so far in my short golf career.  when i'm finding the center of the face, things are pretty easy.  when i'm not, well let's just say misses are amplified.  i've managed to get my handicap down to around a 12 this year.  last summer i was struggling to break 100, and now i'm shooting in the mid-high 80s most times out.  
i've always been into stats and data, no matter what sport i was playing, so i've been interested in ShotScope for a while.  i currently use the GHIN app, which tracks fairways, greens, and putts and compiles them into some meaningful data to review after your rounds.  i'm excited to add some club tracking data to that and start to get a picture of where i'm really losing strokes.  
i feel like i'm a good pick to test the SS v3 because technology and gadgetry aren't really my strong suit.  if it works well and is user friendly, i'll be the world's biggest advocate.  but if the user interface is clumsy, or if it requires a lot of work to make the device useful, then i'll get frustrated with having to take on part time job just to know how far my 8i is going.  
all in all, i'm extremely excited to test this out.  any excuse to get out for a few more rounds as the season gets shorter in the northeast is good in my book.
if you have any specific insights that you'd like me to look into or highlight in my test, let me know! i'd be happy to try and accommodate useful information into my review.  otherwise just sit back and enjoy my rambling, often incoherent thoughts on what i think is going to be a great product.  
 
UNBOXING AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS
i got home from vacation on Saturday and my ShotScope was waiting for me.  i didn't waste much time in getting it unboxed and checking it out.  
here's how it arrived:

really nice packaging with everything clearly marked and easily accessible inside.  here's everything you get in the box:

you've got the watch itself, your charger, 16 tags for your clubs, and a quick start guide which even i didn't need (and i need to call the neighbor's kid if my tv input gets switched somehow).
the watch itself is made of quality materials and is really comfortable to wear.  i'd say its about the size of an apple watch but with a more comfortable and secure band.

it sits tight to your wrist, and the clasp and closure are metal, so everything feels really secure once it's on.  my only pet peeve is that as a right handed golfer, you have to wear it on your left (glove) hand.  that means i'll have to sit the watch up a little higher on my arm.  not the biggest deal in the world, but we'll see how i feel about it when i play tomorrow.
once everything was unboxed, i downloaded the app and connected my watch to my phone.  again, this was super simple to do.  once you're connected, you can pick your home course, and then the app walks you through the rest of the setup.  i headed down to the basement to place the tags on my clubs and build out "my bag" in the app.
it takes a little bit of elbow grease to get the sensors into the butt end of your grips.  i guess that's a good sign that they won't fall out on the course.  here's where i ran into my second (extremely minor) issue.  i use midsized grips on my driver and woods, and they have a domed grip end.  this causes some seating issues with the flat sensors.

it's screwed in as tightly as it will go and i don't think the sensor is gonna go anywhere.  it's just not as clean of a look as i'd like.  this all got resolved when i got to my irons, which have a flat end on their grips:

i'm vainal (vain and anal - don't try to use that or my lawyers will be in touch) enough about my stuff that if i really like using ShotScope, this will influence my grip selection when i replace them at the start of next season.
from there, everything was smooth sailing.  i put sensors on all of my clubs except for the putter.  i plan to use the "manual putting" mode as people seem to find it easier.  you can build your bag in the app right down to your exact club model, which could make club comparison easier if you switch things around a lot.
i'd say total time from unboxing to being ready to go out and play was just over 30 minutes, and almost half of that was actually screwing the sensors in to my grips.  once i was done, i put the watch on the charger so it'll be ready for its first round tomorrow.
 
LOOKS AND FEEL
10 out of 10
 
the shotscope watch is great looking and very comfortable to wear.  I had some reservations since the watch itself is pretty square, but I didn’t notice any issues with the corners of the watchface.  I also worried about wearing it on my glove hand, but those effects were honestly minimal.
Shotscope offers multiple watch bands that can be switched out if you feel like customizing your watch, which is a nice bonus.  They were actually nice enough to send an extra watch band out after we received our initial packages.  Ill cover that more in miscellaneous.
As I said in my initial impressions, I think the watch is build to last.  The face itself has held up well to the wear and tear youd expect something to go through when it’s on your hand during a round of golf.  I can’t keep track of all the things I’ve banged it against, but it still looks brand new.  The band is thick rubber and all of the clasp and closure parts are metal, which gives it a premium feel overall.
SETUP
13 out of 15
 
Allow me to preface this section by saying that I’m a tech dunce.  It’s actually a miracle that I’m on MGS and can navigate the forums at all.  With that being said, setting up the shotscope was an absolute breeze.  Download the app, pair your watch, and you’re off to the races.  All of the setup is done via the app on your phone and the step-by-step instructions are incredibly easy to understand.  Out of the 30ish minutes it took me to set the system up, more than half of it was the manual act of screwing the sensors into my grips.
The watch doesn’t use a micro-usb charging cord, so if you lose the charging cable, you’re a bit out of luck.  Shotscope was nice enough to send us out a backup, but not everyone will get that luxury.  I found that after playing 18, I still had well over half battery life.  My routine is that after the round, I power the watch off and hang it from my bag.  The charger stays in my car, and I charge the watch up when I drive to the course for my next round.  I’ve had no issues with the battery.
Throughout my test, I had one customer service interaction and I was blown away by shotscope’s customer support.  The course I play most often shortened the 8th hole from a long par 5 to a short par 4 to protect some houses that line the fairway.  Shotscope still had the hole as a par 5.  I send them a quick email with the name of the course, the hole number, and what changes needed to be made.  They not only made the changes, but sent me clear step by step instructions to make sure that the next time I played that course, the hole would read correctly.
ACCURACY
12 out of 15
 
I’ve been using a precision pro range finder  a year now, and I found the distances on shotscope to match up really well.  They weren’t exact, of course, because with the laser I was shooting the flag and the watch gives you front/middle/back distances.  They were accurate enough, however, that I’ve become comfortable leaving my laser in the bag and just playing based off of the watch.
The distances to, and to clear, hazards is a really nice touch and comes in handy especially when a hole plays uphill or downhill and you can’t quite judge how far out bunkers and water are.
The feature everyone is most interested in with regards to shotscope is the distance tracking for each club.  I really like that I can look at data from 6 or 7 rounds and know what distances my clubs are going out on the course.  It was pretty eye opening to me how much distance I was losing on mis-hits, and how severe an effect the cold weather has on distance. 
The only downside I see to shotscope is the lack of a birds-eye hole view.  That’s something I’d like to see them incorporate because it’s helpful on doglegs and with other blind shots. 
ON-COURSE
27 out of 30
 
I honestly have to say that using shotscope on the course is incredibly easy and intuitive.  I thought I’d have to adjust to wearing a watch, but unless I’m looking at it for yardages, I barely know it’s on my wrist. 
It disrupted my normal routine, but in a good way.  Normally, if I’m hitting an approach shot, I’m pulling my laser and shooting the flag.  This is a hotly disputed pace-of-play issue, but no matter your stance on it, grabbing your laser, shooting the flag, shooting again to confirm, putting it away, and then hitting your shot can become a little bit tedious over the course of 18 holes.  Now I get up to my ball, check the distances on my watch, pick a club that covers the front and should carry the middle, and proceed to come up 20 yards short anyway.  That’s got nothing to do with the watch though.
My advice to anyone who wants to use shotscope is to use manual putting mode.  It took about a round to get into the habit of pressing the button to mark each putt, but eventually it became part of my putting routine.  Looking back at each round, I was impressed by how accurately the watch tracked my putts.
One spot where the watch struggles a little bit is with how quickly it puts you into putting mode when you approach the green.  If you’re someone who likes to walk up past your ball when you’re in the greenside rough to see what the green looks like, you’ll find yourself on the putting screen when you get back to hit your chip.  It’s easy enough to get back to the normal shot tracking screen, but still a minor annoyance.
MISCELLANEOUS
10 out of 10
 
Shotscope really shined with how completely they took care of the testing crew.  I know that some of the courtesies extended to us won’t make their way to every consumer, but it was still really impressive how well they treated us. 
Shortly after we received our packages, I got an email from Gavin, the CCO of shotscope.  He expressed how excited he was for the reviews, and said he’d be sending out some goodies.  A few days later, I received a package from shotscope containing an extra watch band, an extra charger, and a few extra putter sensors. 
Unfortunately, the watch band was for one of their older models.  We decided amongst the testers in the testing group private message that someone would let Gavin know, and the next day we all received a tracking email for another package containing the correct watch band.
This little gesture, coupled with the amazing customer support left me with the warm and fuzzies with regards to shotscope and how they handle themselves as a company.
PLAY OR TRADE?
20 out of 20
Play it for sure.  I’ll be keeping shotscope for the forseeable future.  I think it’ll be a really valuable when it comes to testing clubs on the course and seeing what actually works best for my game.  Fittings are great, but having club data at your fingertips from the actual rounds you play allows you to extend your fitting out on to the course. 
CONCLUSION
If a luddite like me can appreciate the ease of use and data shotscope provides, I can only imagine what someone who is more tech savvy and data driven can get out of it.  I really like products that are low maintenance “set it and forget it” gadgets, and shotscope is definitely that.

For the hobbyist, you can look over some simple numbers after your round and see what’s working and what’s costing you.  For the more serious golfer, you can dive deeply into your statistics and figure out where you can grind those 2 or 3 strokes out.
Final Score: 92/100

I'm Greg, a 3-point-something handicap in Durham, North Carolina. I played D3 college golf and after graduating, just didn't play for quite some time. I'm back and trying to cobble together some semblance of a game. In 2018, I upgraded by Ping i5's with some fresh i210s and availed myself of the offer of a free set of Arccos sensors, thinking that it would revolutionize my game. I'm not here to review Arccos, of course, but I'm always intrigued by the idea of data-informed decision-making and to do that, you, uh, have to have data. Plus they were "free." But what I'm realizing is that I'm basically only using it for club distance-tracking and what I need more help with is overall strategy, both in terms of bag makeup as well as course management.
So let's start off by saying that as a relatively long-time Arccos user, I'm ready to walk away from their platform. Arccos may have been free, but as they say, free like a free puppy, not free like a free beer. I've now paid two annual subscription fees totaling $200 and can't bring myself to get the Link for another $130 so I can leave my phone in my bag nor am I willing to pay several hundred more dollars to get their more in-depth insights. While Arccos' SGA gives me a breakdown of aspects of my game, what it doesn't do is give me tangible insights into how to work on each. For example, in a recent round I lost a couple strokes in Approach from the fairway. In reflecting on my round, I had a shanked PW, a thinned 7i, and a couple of wrong club selections that made my next shot very difficult (i.e. I missed in the wrong spot). I don't expect any system to pick up on two of those three, but when the insight is, "you need to work on shots from the fairway," I don't actually know how to operationalize that.
What I'm looking for from this product, which I admit I know very little about, is something that is less hassle than Arccos, doesn't charge me $100/year for the club distances I'm already pretty confident in, and gives me some insight into what aspects of my game need work and how to fix it.  I'm not nor will be a pro, I'm just a hack trying to be a little more competitive in my Saturday games and don't want to feel like I need a whole entourage of products, coaches, and trainers to make it happen. Am I asking too much? Maybe. But let's see what Shot Scope has to say first!
But I'm curious -- what do YOU want to see? What kinds of tests or wonderings do you have about this product?
Unboxing and First Thoughts
The product came quick and the packaging was sleek. I was pleasantly surprised at the overall presentation out of the box. Seemed really simple and straightforward.

 



I have pretty small wrists and wear a Garmin vivoactive 4 about 23 hours/day, so I was definitely interested in how this would feel. You can see the ShotScope is comparably sized but I will say it's quite a bit lighter. It does not, however, have a touch screen.

 
I received the package right before my Member-Guest tournament and decided that I should probably focus on the tournament and not trying new technology. But today I was able to get out for a round at a course I've never played to try and get as fresh a take on the watch as I could. Remember, these are first thoughts/hot takes and based on the fact that I haven't read anything about how this watch works other than its on-screen set-up prompts.
Initial Pros: Syncing courses could not be easier. Search for what you want and bam, it's ready to go. The watch is comfortable and I like not having my phone in my pocket anymore. Manual putting mode is really easy to use and 90+% of my shots through the day were picked up with absolutely no thought from me at all. The data analysis available in the app is excellent and arguably as good, if not better, than Arccos. I LOVE that it has leaderboard features! In reviewing my round later, the dashboard's GPS was unbelievably accurate. I have never had a single round on Arccos that didn't require shots to be moved and as best I could tell, all of my ShotScope GPS locations were exact. Very promising!
Initial Cons: Getting the watch connected (and later, re-connected) to my phone was PAINFUL. I had to restart both devices multiple times and it took probably 30 minutes to get it connected before the round to get the courses downloaded and then about the same after the round to get the round to show up in my phone's app. I have a SuperStroke putter grip, so no putter sensor for me. I also have a Cobra driver with Arccos built into the grip, so I couldn't install the driver sensor (I discovered that if I tap the loose sensor on the watch, it would register as a shot). Took 3 holes to figure out how to use manual putting consistently. Accidentally one-putted on #2 because I didn't realize once you mark the pin location, it advances you to the next hole. This is getting nitpicky, but I have 3 UI-related gripes: 1) the Android app is awful. Super clunky, inconsistently designed, and very difficult to navigate. 2) The front/middle/back default screen on the watch takes a fair amount of mental processing to interpret the data. This will decrease over time, but as a first-time user, it wasn't great. 3) The steps for confirming the round afterwards in the app desperately needs an overhaul. I was just tapping on random things to see what it wanted me to do. I didn't know what I needed to do, where I needed to tap, or how to close things out. I'm already not keen on the need for post-round confirmation and making it this complicated legitimately had me wondering if I should bow out of testing and let someone else try it out. But you can't get rid of me THAT easily... 🙂
UPDATE: Shout-out to Gavin from ShotScope who, upon reading this, sent me super helpful instructions about how to remove the Arccos sensor in my Cobra so that I can install the SS tag. Basically it just pops right out and you can screw in the tag like any other grip. Additionally, they sent us an additional tags including SuperStroke compatible tags that we can basically tape onto the putter through an adhesive backing on the tag. Clutch!

 
Looks & Feel - 8 out of 10
I think it's a premium product. So I'm going to compare it to premium products. I wish the watch laid flat (notice in the side-by-side with the Garmin how the SS is slightly raised) but I love the band. It's really durable-feeling material and I haven't had any issues cleaning it with just water or, more realistically, spit-shine. The graphics are functional and pragmatic, somewhere between "an engineer sketched these" and "we hired a designer to create some slick graphics." The fine folks at ShotScope were nice enough to send us an extra band. I had some issues getting one of the screws out while trying to swap the bands and gave up and I certainly wouldn't change bands before each round based on my outfit, but if you wanted a one-time change or had a breakage and needed to replace a band, I'm sure it would be fine.
Setup - 7 out of 15
This is the one area where ShotScope has the most room for improvement. I spent the first week with the device constantly frustrated by how many little quirks and idiosyncrasies there are in the system. For some, this could be a benefit. You can generally get up and running without really needing to learn the system and probably get some benefit fairly quickly and then just keep peeling layers of the onion as you go, discovering more features for weeks to come. I generally prefer to be given a user-tour through the most important features and, often, I like a periodic email with new tips/features that a new user might not know. I think this could greatly improve user onboarding. I was a full 3 weeks in before I realized there was a web dashboard in addition to my phone dashboard and the web dashboard has different stuff. I've covered most of my onboarding woes above already, so I won't rehash them, but I can imagine many golfers getting frustrated and giving up/reselling/getting a refund after a round or two just based on my onboarding experience. Lack of clarity/interpretability on various buttons persisted through use, but that's for a different section.
Accuracy - 14 out of 15
Scary accurate on any kind of full swing. Shot locations were dead-on and, anecdotally, far more accurate than using Arccos (phone-based). My only deduction here is when you get anywhere near the green, it automatically goes into putting mode, even if you're not on the green. To take it out of putting mode, the only way I've found is to walk well away from the green. In one case, I had to walk 30 yards away before a little 'X' appeared and I could get out of putting mode. In another instance, I finally just gave up and decided I'd fix it after the round. The accuracy I noticed here gave me a lot of confidence in some of the other on-course features of the watch.
On-Course - 27 out of 30
The putting interface/options leave something to be desired. I do like the idea of the automatic putting mode, but in practice I wound up with lots of 2-putts from 2 feet where it didn't appropriately register my putts. I'd say the automatic mode worked about 80% of the time, which is to say, as long as you can mentally go back through your round and you're aware of the length of every putt, it's reasonably easy to adjust post-round. As an aside, I was listening to an episode of the Hack it Out podcast and they were talking about how vital it is to get your putt distances as accurate as possible for strokes-gained purposes, especially up close. There's a world of difference between a 5 foot putt and a 7 foot putt, though maybe less important when outside of 30 feet. In this regard, I don't think any system is going to get it right. At least not any time soon. It's way too tough to be precise within 6 inches when using wrist-based GPS in a consumer-grade product.
Manual putting mode, when I remember to tag my putts, is great. Overall, very accurate. However, if you're a self-conscious golfer who doesn't like to interrupt the general flow of your foursome or you're a forgetful golfer who doesn't remember to tap his watch 2-5 times per green (Shut up. It was a huge green. Leave me alone.) then manual putting mode is not for you. I was playing in a best-ball match play tournament this past weekend and forgot to switch to auto mode and I basically just gave up on recording putts by about hole 3. I wish there were a way to 'pick up' while still recording a score and/or having everything else count. When you tap 'pick up' it acts like the hole didn't happen. In reality, I just had a two-footer conceded and didn't want to walk up to where the ball was, tap the watch, move over to the hole, wait a second for the GPS to catch up, then tap it again to suggest I holed out. To be clear, either of these modes are preferable to my Arccos experience, even after the most recent update which added multiple putt recording.  
Easily my favorite feature of the watch, which wasn't readily apparent and took about a month before I found it, is getting yardages to hazards/landmarks. When I'm playing a course or tee box that I don't know well, this is invaluable. It doesn't give club selection like Arccos Caddie does, but truth be told, that's not an Arccos feature that I ever utilize. I know folks do, I just don't have a need for it 90+% of the time. (If I know the number and the conditions, I can make a reasonable decision.) Some screen shots:
You can see a bunker left and a couple bunkers on the right. But other than that, it's a blind dogleg left that goes sharp downhill to a creek then aggressively uphill to a green. If you don't know this hole, you're making double. At least.

           
Note that it doesn't delineate what bunkers, just the numbers. In this instance, I know that 240 will cover both of them. But I can see 3. So which 2 of the three are we talking about here? One left and one right? So I scroll to the next screen. At this point, you know that 240 covers two of the bunkers but 248 puts the third back in range. But which one?? Go to third screen. HOLY CRAP THERE'S ANOTHER BUNKER? C'mon man. I can't even see that one! Where is it?! Next screen. Ah. Ok, so now you're saying if I can hit 275 or so, I'll clear everything and maybe get to 100 out. What the watch doesn't show you is that if you go past 150 in, you're in the rough with a downhill/sidehill lie and very likely going in the water at 316. Not sure how to capture that kind of info, but again, this is better than nothing. I hate this hole. Fine. Whatever. Bomb driver.
        


Mis-hit it. Good thing. Still made it past the bunkers and into the rough. 97 clears the water that I actually can't see because it's down the hill and then there are two bunkers. Again, I don't immediately know which is which but at least now I can see the flag. And for good measure (ha!), a picture looking back at the hole from the green. I hate this hole. I'm glad it's over.
A few holes later, you're presented with a risk-reward par 5 where you can decide how much to chew off. Thankfully, there's a yardage plate next to the tee markers.
  
Checking the watch and comparing to the hole ahead of me, I can sorta figure out what's what. Water straight ahead, bunkers left. Maybe some more bunkers way down there?
 
Oooook. Well. that's kinda unexpected. Why are there two water hazards? Is 214 to clear what it's reading as the shortest path over the water, which would align with the yardage plate? What if I go straight across? And where is this water hazard at 133 out, 152 fly? Ah, bunker left is 254. I'll just aim at that to be safe...
All of that to say, the on-course features of the watch are absolutely killer if you're a stat-tracker and you're just wanting some quick at-a-glance info about the hole. If you're wanting a course map like what you get on the phone in Arccos, keep moving. There's nothing to see here. I really wish there was a live-sync with the phone so I could look at it if I needed. But 99.9% of the time, I was thrilled to not have to pick up my phone several times per hole, I was thrilled to not have my phone in my pocket, and I was thrilled to have a phone battery not on red at the end of every round. (FWIW, I easily get 36 holes out of a single charge with the watch.)
I'll roll in my post-round commentary to the On-Course section.
I've already mentioned that I don't care for the required post-round review process, so I'll mostly skip rehashing that. I'll just say, if the review were to help me metacognitively reflect on my performance and what I could've done better, it would be a huge benefit to me as a player. Instead, it just feels like I'm confirming that the technology worked as it was supposed to. In that regard, the post-round review feels like I'm just picking up any possible slack/gaps in the product platform. 95% of the time, I'm just clicking check-check-check and moving on, but sometimes I do need to adjust a couple shots here and there. It would so sick if, during this process, there was like a 'ghost mode' like from Mario where it showed previous shot patterns and gave me things to think about like, "when you hit driver here, your scoring average is X but when you hit 3-wood, it goes here and your scoring average is Y." That would make the post-round review both enjoyable and useful.
I really like the stat tracking Shot Scope provides. I think it's every bit as good as Arccos with exactly two exceptions:
1) As best I can tell, you can't look at SGA for a single round. You can look at "Last One" in the filter, but if you wanted to look at your morning round and compare it to yesterday afternoon's round, I don't think you can. (Please let me know if this is incorrect!)
2) The SGA in Shot Scope is normed to a full 18 and doesn't have near the granularity of handicaps that Arccos has. This is not immediately intuitive and I was confused how I lost 4 shots in 9 holes vs scratch while shooting 37. And there were a few times when I wanted to compare to, say, a +2 instead of Scratch or Tour Pro, which are the only two options for better players. I know, I know, it's a tiny segment of the market. But IMHO, Shot Scope is a better device for better players vs Arccos. It's less obtrusive and more readily USGA rules-compliant (my Arccos has randomly turned itself OFF of tournament mode, which is NOT COOL and cost me strokes). But if I'm a +2 (in my dreams), I can really only compare myself to Tour Pro, which is still miles better than me and probably an unrealistic goal to chase until I'm +5 or better. One thing that neither platform really delivers are actionable insights. I wish it would pop up little notifications (or even emails!) like, "it looks like your 5 iron and 6 iron are going about the same distance, even on your best shots. Do you need both?" something like this would at least make me pause and consider if that's an area of my game that needs tweaking. (And yes, I'm getting rid of my 5 iron soon. Sucker.)
The browser-based dashboard really is a killer app here. The phone app is fine, but if you really want to dig into your game, you need to use the browser. I really didn't get to explore as much of these stats as I would have liked in the short amount of time I had (since I didn't know they existed until much later...) but I snagged some screenshots so you could at least see it. Tee shots first then approach then putting. And I threw in a Leaderboard down there as well, which is a fun addition to the platform. Some of you Spies are stupid good golfers, btw. FWIW, I never used the 'mark as positional' that other reviewers are mentioning. A) I don't know what that means and B) also not covered in user onboarding as to when that would or would not be advantageous. I suppose it would affect the Approach dots that were or weren't "successful"? What does "successful" mean, you ask? No idea. Also not readily apparent to me.

  
  
 

 
Miscellaneous - 10 out of 10
Shot Scope customer service is REMARKABLY good. Almost Sub70-level good. I've had three interactions with Arccos and none have left me 'wowed' like Shot Scope did. Shot Scope really cares about their customers. Charging is fast and the battery lasts long enough that I typically leave it in my bag (since I typically play 9 holes 3-4 times/week and only get out for 18 about once/week). The tags are small and unobtrusive (MUUUUUUCH better than the Arccos tags). Nothing else worth deducting that hasn't been accounted for already 🙂 
Play it or Trade it? - 19 out of 20
I'm playing it. I'm going to cancel my Arccos membership when it runs out next month and game Shot Scope full-time. I love that it's a one-and-done purchase and I can buy extras if I want them, but I feel like I'm getting the full use of the product with this "basic" kit. With Arccos, I just feel nickel-and-dimed. The tags are already more expensive than the whole Shot Scope system PLUS there's an annual fee PLUS if you don't want to use your phone, you need to buy Link PLUS if you wanted advanced data/analytics, it's hundreds of more dollars. Simply put, Shot Scope is the best value on the market for golfers ready to understand their game and get a deeper look into areas of strength and improvement. I subtracted a single point here only because I'm a Garmin user and I really wish I could get the best of both worlds. Basically I just want step tracking and data interoperability between the platforms. I know, I'm needy. If there were a Shot Scope app on my Garmin somehow (I know... it wouldn't work with the RFID tags) then I'd be done. I wouldn't look anywhere else. (I know there are Garmin tags available. Don't tempt me. I already have a problem with buying things and I really can't imagine that Garmin would do as good a job as Shot Scope in all other areas of game analysis.) I did work out a compromise though. I just put my Garmin watch in my front pocket. Boom. Step tracking and calorie adjustments.
Conclusion and Final Score - 85/100
TL;DR - Stick with it, learn the interface and the features, and this will absolutely be a favorite for anyone serious about improving their game. 

Initial observations- September '21
Hi everyone, my name is Jerry.  I've been golfing only for about three months and just broke 100 for the first time in September.  My depth perception on most of my hits is horrendous.  I'm the guy muttering "sit" just before my approach lands 20 yards in front of the green, lol.
I'm excited to have the opportunity to test this out; I have no experience with anything like this before.  I have developed some impatience regarding pace of play.  I'm the type who walks up, addresses, and hits all within a few moments.  Because of this, I'm really interested to find out how it affects the regular process of my rounds.
One more thing I'd like to find out is what ways I can interpret the statistics.  As an example, if I regularly use my 7 iron for bump and runs around the green, will it distort my understanding of the 7 as a full club? (11/8 update- It won't!  You have the option to mark any shot as a "Positional shot."  Use this if you have to do something abnormal like punching back onto the fairway from the trees.)
 

Unboxing
The unboxing and initial setup process was pretty straightforward.  The box arrived quicker than anticipated (shout out to DHL!)  As to be expected, there is not much to the package- the watch, a charging cable, 16 screw-in ID tags, and a little start-up manual.

From opening the box to ready-to-go the process took about a half hour.  When I turned on the watch it was at about 50% battery.  It went through a firmware update; as that was happening I downloaded the app and started to screw in the tags.  Screwing the tags in didn't take too much effort.  I set up my account on the app started to mark down my clubs.  There is a large database of clubs available; I don't know the exact model of my Dunlop woods so I had to guess, but it really doesn't matter too much.  The tags are very small and light.  Once they're screwed in I do not notice them.
 
 
Shot Scope V3 – Official MGS Forum Review by JerryB (11/2021)
 
 
ABOUT ME
My name is Jerry and I’m a 39-year-old married father of three.  My oldest is now 20 and he expressed interest in golf earlier this year when the place we work had an informal outing.  We went out for the first time in late May and have been hooked ever since.  Living an hour west of Chicago, we try to get out as much as possible, roughly twice on weekends and once during the week with the occasional range session mixed in. 
As to be expected, my golf game is not great.  I’m wildly inconsistent, lose track of my ball easily, and oftentimes forget what shot I’m on.  In short, I have the mind of a goldfish!  My progress has been full of little “aha” moments that lead to incremental improvements in my game.  I’m lately shooting 95-110 and am starting to hit the ball in the required direction with more regularity. 
My clubs are all hand-me-downs.  They aren’t great but they do the job for me.  I like tech but wouldn’t consider myself tech savvy.  I can use things, but troubleshooting is not always my thing. 
 
 
LOOKS AND FEEL 9/10
I'm not a watch person but it seems like a straightforward watch.  Watch band is rubber which may be an issue when it’s hot outside.  Fits well on my wrist and is unobtrusive once on.  Clasp feels sturdy.  There are four color options for the band.  If I wore a watch regularly, I would likely wear this as a regular watch. 
 
SETUP 13/15
Setup instructions were clear and concise.  Watch was at 50% out of the box.  Initial setup took about thirty minutes.  Much of that time was an initial firmware update on the watch.  As the watch was updating, I began screwing the tags into the clubs.  Took a bit of pressure to get them in, but nothing too intense.  The effort to put them in makes me feel like they will be secure for a long time.  Took a few minutes to set up “My Bag.”  There are 16 tags that are included which covers the general setup for many golfers- D, 3W, H1, 4I-9I, PW, GW, SW, LW, P and two extras marked X1 and X2.  I don’t have a 4 iron but I do have a 5 wood; I used the X1 tag.  On a full charge, the watch was used on the course on Friday morning, left on all weekend and used again on Sunday midday.  After that round, the watch was at 2%.  Shotscope claims 10+ hour battery life, which seems about right.  Uses a proprietary cable to charge; would be nice if it used a normal USB-C cable or something similar. 
 
ACCURACY 14/15
Yardages seem accurate for my purposes.  I compared the yardages to my Garmin G80, and the differences ranged from spot-on to about 5-8 yard difference.  Might not be feasible due to the size of the screen, but an overhead display of the course would be nice.  Instead, it shows the distance to the front and carry distance of hazards as well as what side of the fairway it’s on.  Those distances seem pretty accurate. 
 
ON-COURSE 15/20
Takes a little getting used to when using something like this for the first time.  The Pin Collect feature took me a few holes to do correctly and just hitting the button when I picked up the ball from the cup is a little different.  Not bad, just a little something extra to remember to do.  When you get on the green, the Pin Collect feature automatically pops up on screen.  This is a bit problematic if it pops up a step or two off the green and you aren’t trying to putt.  Walking away from the green will bring up an X option to revert to the regular shot screen.  I wish the X option were always available as it’s a small hassle to have to wander around the green to get the correct screen. 
Getting the tag to “wake up” requires you to waggle the club or take a practice swing or two before you hit your shot.  As a new golfer I don’t really have a pre-shot routine, but this is getting me on the path to one which feels helpful.  A small gripe is that the watch must be on your lead hand which is also my glove hand.  The buttons on the right side of the watch are then generally covered, a small nuisance. 
As a GPS watch it works great compared to my Garmin that is attached to the cart.  If I must stay on the cart path, the watch allows me to walk to my shot and give me an accurate reading as opposed to checking the Garmin and then making a guess as to the final distance.  Shot tracking compared to Arccos is better on course since you do not have to carry your phone with you as you play.  It would be nice if the watch could show your score in real time, but again this is a small nitpick.
You can add penalties (lost ball, water hazard, etc) as you go or manually add them in afterwards.
There is some debate regarding putting; whether to use the automatic or the manual putting tracking feature.  Automatic is the easier option…on the green you would putt then hit the “1” button at the hole to mark the pin for your one putt.  When I’m on the green, I would putt, then putt, then likely putt again and hit the “3” button at the hole to mark the pin and indicate that I took three putts.  These putting distances may not be completely accurate due to the small distances involved in putting so while the number of shots will be correct, the exact locations may be a little fuzzy.  Manual putting would just have you hit a button at each spot where you putt, and then a final button to mark the pin, to give you a more spot-on indication of where you were putting.  A beginner like me would likely be fine with some pretty accurate distances and the number of putts while a more experienced golfer might want things as accurate as possible. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 16/20
I haven’t had to deal with them, but customer service is said to be good.  Shipping was prompt and arrived quickly.  If you notice something has changed on the course like a hole has been re-designed, you can shoot them an email and they respond with a correction quickly.
The big feature to this watch is obviously the shot tracking and the information you can access afterwards.  So much info!  Definitely some overload for me as a new golfer that generally is also not very observant.  You can see a course overview and a hole-by-hole overview, laid out over a GPS mapping, of all your rounds.
 
There is a lot of performance data broken down into sections: all shots by Club, Tee Shots, Approaches (shots beyond 50 yards or meters), Short Game (shots inside 50 yards or meters) and Putting.  All these sections have visual representations such as graphs and charts to give you a better idea of where you are doing well and where you need to improve.  For instance, my short game, while terrible, is quite a bit better if I can use my putter or PW.  My tee shots tend to miss right but when I miss left it means I REALLY screwed up.
 
I do wish the Score Breakdown was a little more helpful to us high handicappers.  Their example is on the left, while my actuals are on the right.  Notice the large amount of “Double Bogey+” and I would like to emphasize the “+.”  I get many triples, quads, and beyond and it would be nice to see them broken down as well.  

There are also fun little medals and leaderboards so you can see how you stack up to the rest of the world.  Much of the information is the same on both the app and the desktop, but there are some differences.  On the desktop version, for example, you can add clubs and move them to an Unassigned section whereas in the app you can only edit a club that has a tag assigned.  If you wanted to use and compare multiple drivers over the course of a season, you can add them all in the desktop and switch them in and out with the Driver tag.  The app doesn’t have that option. 
 
PLAY OR TRADE? 18/20
After a couple rounds, the use of the V3 is pretty seamless on the course.  The amount of information given can be incredibly useful for players of all abilities.  A good golfer can use it to really dial in aspects of their game, while a new player can really grow and take out some guesswork.  I can see myself using this watch for a long time.  With just a one-time purchase and no subscriptions to worry about, it’s a great buy for just about anyone. 
 
TL;DR
I have the mind of a goldfish.  Oftentimes if I’m not the last person to hit, I’ll forget where exactly my ball is.  Once a round is complete, I’ve forgotten pretty much everything about it.  The Shot Scope V3 allows me to go back and re-live my round and breaks it all down into data that is very easy to interpret, all with very minimal effort on my part.  Having a GPS watch means just a quick glance at my wrist gives me the yardage info I’ll need.  I can nitpick things all day (and I tend to do so...) but overall this can be a very useful device.
TOTAL: 85/100

INTRO
It is an honor to be a part of testing this driver, thank you MGS and Sub70. I plan to test this driver against three other drivers I have. I will be testing the driver on the course, at Golftec (GCQuad/Foresight), and on the range with my Rapsodo MLM so I will have some good data and video. I will try to be as consistent as possible with balls and shafts. About me, I am married with two 10 month old puppies and an avid golfer. Also, "Hi. I am a hockey player, but I am here to play golf" Happy Gilmore...I played D-1 college hockey and did not take golf seriously until about 6 years ago. I have had some success since I started playing tournaments (qualified for the USGA Mid-Am in 2017 and 2021). Photos of me and the family below! 

Here is my golf info intro with some bolded items to get the short and sweet: 
I am a tournament golfer so I practice/play during the season most days. Even if it’s just rolling a few putts on the Perfect Practice Mat or swinging the Orange Whip. I am kind of a golf geek and enjoy the process. My forte is hitting it far and putting well. Handicap is +2.5. Swing tempo is 3.4:1 (data from Zepp) and Driver swing speed is 115+ MPH. My natural ball flight is right to left, but I can play shots both directions. Typical miss that would cause problems is left. My current gamer is the original Taylormade M1 with a Mitsubishi Tensie Pro Orange 70TX. I went back to this club this year after going through a plethora of Taylormade drivers (3 Sims, 2 M5s) that kept breaking. The M1 also performed very well in the MGS winner's test, which made me go back! I love the looks of the M1 driver. I was not fit for this driver. With driver in hand ball flight is the priority, but the look of the clubface is really important to me as well. Some drivers set up looking like they closed and I do not like that! I do not like taking chances with aggressive lines, unless I know I can hit it past all of the trouble. I mostly “play conservative, but cocky” (Dr. Bob Rotella quote). I am going for par 5’s in 2 as much as possible and not many that I can't reach. The statistics show that the closer you are the better and I rarely lay up to a specific yardage. Into par 4s a wedge is my typical club. First Impressions
Coming out of the box it was fun: Business card, tees, hand written note, and stickers along with the wrench and weights. Club looks really clean. Headcover is not the best, needs to be broken in or a little bigger. The OEM States and I AGREE "849 Pro Driver continues Sub 70's aesthetic of clean, classic lines, dark colors, and performance driven shapes". The 450cc 849 Pro provides the higher level ball striker a good soft sound: "sound of the driver has been optimized as well, so as not to draw looks at impact, but only after people have seen where the ball has landed." I chose the lowest launch/spin shaft available without an upcharge, Project X HAZRDUS Smoke 6.5 with the stock Lamkin Crossline 360 to fit a profile close to my Gamer. Sub 70 fits my notions that it is a better players direct to consumer priced option. The lower price point with a touch of good business (card and extras) was nice! This club will earn a spot in my bag if it performs better (distance and dispersion are important to me off of the tee). I will be testing with Rapsodo MLM, Golftec (foresight/GCQuad), driving range, and on course. It will be fun to test the most extreme settings for fade and draw bias! 


Info on the driver: 
https://www.golfsub70.com/sub-70-849-pro-driver.html
Video of my initial impressions: 
https://youtu.be/8V6PoH1hAOY
 
Final Review
Looks (8 out of 10 points) 
I subtracted 1 point here because of the head cover (it is not the best) and the stock settings of the club face look a little closed as shown above. I think Sub70 hit the mark on looks and the "less is more” moto that they live by. The general shape is your classic pear head with a little bit of an extended back. The graphics are perfect and very clean and neat much like a Titleist driver. The look comes together perfectly and I love the appearance compared to some drivers that have too much going on with coloring/alignment aids/etc. The 849 Pro Driver continues Sub 70's aesthetic of clean, classic lines, dark colors, and performance driven shapes. 
Sound & Feel (10 out of 10 points)
I would say the sound/feel is perfect (check the MLM videos attached). The sound and feel are my favorite parts of this driver. The sound is a comfortable sound that sounds like a nice low frequency dull thwack. The feel is consistent across the face on pronounced miss-hits without any noticeable dings/dongs/thwacks. Compared to my M1 Gamer the sound and feel are better. This driver is along the lines of the Sim2 sound which is great. The sound of the driver is optimal, so mentally I know it will not draw looks from other players at impact. 
Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 points)
 -1 because the driver spun more than my gamer. -1 because the stock setting looks a little closed to my eye. -1 because it is finicky to change out the small weights. Of note the driver’s stock swing weight was D5.8 and when I added the 10G weight to the toe the driver swing weight went to E0.1

 The trajectory is higher than my gamer, but still good (in the recommended range based on trackman recommendations). The club is very workable and has numerous settings to fine tune with the different weights. There was not a noticeable difference in accuracy from the two clubs. I did move more weight to the toe and was hitting the Sub70 Pro, “like a pro”. Total distance was good, but a little shorter than my gamer because it spun more. Hard to tell if that is more of a shaft thing, but that is my guess. Forgiveness was as expected and I was pleasantly surprised by the feel still being solid on low hits. This driver is adjustable. Changing out the weights on the club is not as easy as your standard weights that slide because you will have to carry the other weights in a pouch.  No problem with keeping the driver in play when I lofted down. With the stock settings, the club sat a little closed for my eye. I was pleased with the accuracy, the mishit’s feel, and the distance was good. The extra weights to find a good combo for swing weight and mishits is awesome. The one factor that is lacking is the club at its stock settings looks a little closed.
On-Course / LM Performance (27 out of 30 points)
I subtracted 3 points because the club was shorter, spun more, and it did not have a noticeable improvement.
The club performs well in all circumstances. I hit it well in the Monthly Rapsodo long drive contest where there are no mulligans. Three straight shots and they all count. (ignore the Launch direction on the Sub70, lining up the MLM is tough) 
 
I would rank this club right up there with the best of the best. I would rank it ahead of these clubs I have hit: TMade Sim2 (not a fan of the thing on the back of the club and it spins more than my current gamer), Ping G425 (do not like the grooves on top of the club), the PXG 0211 (not adjustable enough). My gamer, the TMade M1 works for me (shaft probably plays in to this too). I rank the clubs that I have hit this past year in the following order Gamer, Callaway Epic, Sub70, PXG 0211, Sim2, and Ping G425.
 This product changed my impression in a good way. As I eluded to in my intro, they did a couple extra things when the club was delivered like tees, stickers, notes so that was nice. The price point for the driver is great. Golfers can get the upgraded shaft and pay a similar price to the other guy’s stock driver shafts. I had an issue with the driver and their customer service is great!
 The features I would change are the head cover (it is a little snug) and the look of the club at address (looked closed compared to the M1). The feature I really like about the driver is the adjustability. I think you could really get dialed in without having to put lead tape on the driver. There are numerous combos to get the correct swing weight, loft, and feel with the removable weights. I did not notice a noticeable improvement in scores with the driver

Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points)
I subtracted a couple points here because I had an issue with the driver epoxy. In the video attached. I think the issue is probably a 1 in 20,000. They did add couple extra things when the club was delivered like tees, stickers, notes so that was nice. The price point for the driver is great. Golfers can get the upgraded shaft and pay a similar price to the other guy’s stock driver shafts. I had an issue with the driver and their customer service is great!  
Play it or Trade it? (17 out of 20 points)
I am going to trade it. My Gamer, the M1, gave me my best year of golf in 2021. The Sub70 Pro has a great asking price, great customer service, and is a beautiful looking/sounding club. I would like to get some data with my Gamer Shaft (Tensie pro orange) in order to compare apples to apples. The 70 gram 6.5 low launch HZRDUS Smoke is a close shaft but it is not the same. This club is for a serious golfer looking to fine tune their feel.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the 849 Pro Driver has clean, classic lines, dark colors, and a nice pear shapes. The 450cc driver is smaller and allows a higher level ball striker maximum adjustability…The driver’s carbon head has up to 20 grams of weight adjustability in the heel, toe, and rear section of the head. I liked the look of the club better when I lofted down which opened the club face. I think you have an affordable, great looking/sounding driver that is workable in both directions. If they offer a shaft you love, I think this club can find a spot in your bag, just find a better head cover.
Final Score: (87 out of 100 points)
 
 
 
 
IMG-1601.mp4
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

The Review 15th November 2021
 
Sub 70 849 Pro Driver – Official MGS Forum Review by Peaksy68
Intro
I’m testing a 10.5˚ Sub70 849 Pro with a Project X Evenflow Riptide 65gm 6.0 shaft, chosen from the list of stock options available.
Thanks to MyGolfSpy and Sub70.  I’m really excited to have been one of the first (if not the first) to play a Sub70 849 Pro in Australia
 
I've been playing for nearly 30 years, 20 of those seriously. The vast majority of my golf is in formal competitions, which is normal for golf in Australia. Only competition rounds are allowed for handicapping, and every competition round is entered into the Golf Australia handicap site.
On course, (and off) I love a bit of banter, and try to enjoy myself, while still trying to score the best I can. I spent the first half of my golf “career” just turning up and playing, never practicing at all.
My oldest daughter started playing when she was about 6, and started attending weekly junior clinics with the club pro when she was about 10. While these were on, I filled in time with some practice, and my handicap dropped from 10-12 down to 6 in 4 months. Amazing to see what a bit of practice can do.
I love the constant challenge that golf offers, and both the competitive and social aspect of the game.  While I enjoy the occasional scramble or 4BBB, I love the fact that what I score on the course is usually entirely up to me, be it good or bad.
 
My Game
My handicap is currently 6.8, based mainly around a solid game off the tee, solid fairway woods and a competent chipping and putting game.  Covid has had an impact on both my ability to play and practice. Taken with major works at my club closing the practice green and severely limiting other short game practice I’m reasonably happy with where my game is at.  To be realistic the last year I’ve been more focussed on golf as an escape from the daily grind of being a healthcare worker during a pandemic.
My current driver is a Ping G400 SFT, which I was fitted into. I was fitted into an Aldila Xtorsion shaft, and is longer than any driver I have previously played. Perhaps the Xtorsion being counterbalanced has allowed this.  I have been implementing some changes to my swing over the few months preceding this test, mainly to do with set up and alignment. This has resulted in significantly more misses left, and a more pronounced left to right ball flight.
 
My swing is reasonably short, with limited hand/wrist action after a series of injuries to my left wrist. I can incorporate more wrist cock, but it becomes too painful so I just avoid looking at my abbreviated swing as much as possible.  After surgery for a frozen right shoulder, I’ve had to rely on a full shoulder turn and staying attached to get club head speed.  Any over swing causes a significant chicken wing of my right arm, resulting in my bad miss, a very ugly block cut.
I’m in no way long off the tee, but not short either.
The biggest strength of my game is attitude. I never quit, and I'm more interested in the score I write down than how I did it.  I hit around 2/3 of fairways, with most misses slight and on the good side.
 
 
 
 
First Impressions
 
Having never seen a Sub70 club in the flesh, I was a little unsure what to expect.  On removing it from the packaging, I was immediately impressed.  The Sub70 849 Pro is a very good-looking driver.  Nothing too fancy or flashy, but in no way boring.  The finish is blemish free.
 

 
At address it looks great, the carbon fibre crown looks classy and modern, but still understated.
 

 
The number of loft/face angle and weight combinations available is perhaps a little overwhelming. I would love to see some information included that details what different weights would usually do to ball flight in different positions. 
 
 
My aim at the onset of test the Sub70 849 Pro is to determine whether it’s performance for me is good enough to warrant replacing my current driver.  I’ll be using data from Shotscope to make the comparison as accurate as possible.  Overall driving stats are probably most important for me, definitely not just distance.  My course has extreme rough not far off most fairways so keeping the ball in play is imperative.
 
I decided to give MyGolfSpy forum readers an inside look at the Sub70 849 Pro in more ways than one.
 

 
My initial plan to get the driver settings optimized was to utilize my club’s range using their Toptracer setup, but a combination of worn range balls, technical issues with Toptracer and lack of appropriate tee heights moved my setting up on course.
 
After really struggling initially, I gripped down about an inch and got much better contact and results. I subsequently cut the shaft down about ½ an inch.
 
Final Review
Looks (10 out of 10 points)
 
I really like the look of this driver. I’d probably describe it as sleek and modern, but with classic lines.  The head pairs well with the Project X Evenflow Riptide Shaft. As a disclaimer, unless the looks were so distracting to influence my swing, I’m not too fussed with appearances.  Happily, the Sub70 849 Pro actually looks good, and I like the clean lines at address.
 
Sound & Feel (10 out of 10 points)
 
The sound is great, and very well suited to my ear. Solid clank, pretty much Goldilocks. Not too loud, not too metallic and definitely not high pitched.
 
The feedback I get from the head is perhaps better than any other driver I have played. I can tell almost exactly where the ball has come off the face, even before seeing the ball flight.
 
Basic Characteristics (16 out of 20 points)
 
As discussed earlier, I was planning to dial in my settings using Toptracer at my club’s range, but unfortunately this wasn’t possible.
I played a couple of rounds playing with a couple of loft settings and putting a 6 gram weight in the heel, replacing the 3 gram weight.  After shortening the shaft I settled on one notch higher loft and standard weight configuration.
 
I started the testing hitting with a low to medium ball flight. I’ve increased my tee height, and ball flight is now more in the mid range.  The different shaft took a bit of adjusting to, but I’m starting to feel comfortable with it.
 
The ball flight is very penetrating, and seems to bore through the wind very well. Given that I play most of my golf in 10-25mph wind, that’s a real bonus.
Good swings result in an extremely straight ball flight, with solid distance. Heel or toe contact does see a drop in distance, but nothing too significant and the ball has stayed in play. All of my very poor drives have been the result of very poor swings!
As I get more comfortable with the driver I’m taking slightly more aggressive lines, and have been taking driver on holes I often take 3 or 5 wood to avoid trouble at driver distance.
 
On-Course Performance (24 out of 30 points)
 
The more I’ve played the 849 Pro, the more it’s growing on me.
 
 
This was a well struck drive, 240 yards into the wind, dead centre.
 
 
 
The penetrating ball flight really impresses me, as does the feedback it gives. The Shotscope Data shows a performance average drop of 4 yards from my Ping G400 SFT. This includes most of my set-up period, and most of my play has been of unseasonably wet fairways.  I’m looking forward to playing it when the fairways are in their usual very firm and fast condition. I fully expect the stats to improve as I get more used to the club .and conditions improve. The Sub70 849 Pro is listed as a 2 wood on my Shotscope.
 

 
 
A couple of highlights of the testing have been driving the green on par 4’s. The first was with an audience of old guys who let me play through. I think they thought I was better than I really am.
 

 
During my last round of testing I drove the shortened par 4 10th at my club.  Slightly uphill and into the wind. The slopes short of the green mean the window for hitting the green is only about 5 yards wide, and I thought I was a real chance of a hole in 1, finished 8 feet past the hole after missing the pin by a few inches.
 

 
 
 
Miscellaneous (4 out of 10 points)
Probably the biggest negative (and only significant one) is the headcover.  It looks great, but is very difficult to get on
 
 
 
 It is even tougher to get on when its warm, the rolled in outer material really sticks to the club head.
 

 
As someone who is a little visually challenged, I’d love to see the weights more clearly marked. It’s almost impossible to see the labelling with the naked eye.
 Some more information regarding what different weight will do to spin and launch would be very useful in helping to dial in the settings.
 
Play it or Trade it? (16 out of 20 points) 
I’m planning on keeping the Sub70 849 Pro in the bag. The penetrating ball flight is very well suited to the windy conditions I usually play in, and the feedback is great. I'm looking forward to a long relationship, I think we can be good friends.

 
Conclusion
I’d encourage anyone who is a reasonable ball striker to strongly consider the Sub70 849 Pro.  Even without taking price into consideration, this is a very good driver. When price is factored in it becomes an extremely attractive proposition, particularly if you are able to get fitted or demo it.  The outstanding feedback, adjustability and shaft options really make it really worth a look.  Give one of the little guys a chance.
 
Final Score: (80 out of 100 points)
 
 

jlukes' 2021 Cobra Full Bag Review

Well 2021 sure has been a year we will all remember, and one of the reasons I will remember it is because I had the honor to review Cobra’s offerings throughout the bag.  While the challenge portion of the Cobra Connect Challenge did not come to fruition, it didn’t prevent me from diving into the clubs I received in order to provide a proper review of everything for the MyGolfSpy Forum Community.
A little bit about me for those who I haven’t interacted with before or are new readers to the MGS  Forum.  My name is Joe, I am 37 and from central New Jersey.  As of writing this review I am a 4.8 handicap.  I grew up playing multiple sports, but ended up playing Varsity Golf in high school.  Now that I am in my mid (err, late) 30s I am married with a job, two kids and a busy life.  Thankfully my wife knows how important golf is to me and I still get to the range once a week and play at least every other week. The strength of my game is putting, followed by my driving.  My wedge game and approach shots have greatly improved since last year.
I was completely fitted for my gamer bag by True Spec NYC.  I went through this fitting in June 2019 and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my golfing career.  
My bag going into the Cobra review:
Driver - Ping G410 LST 9* w/ VA Nemesys 65X
Arccos Smart Distance: 294 yards
This setup has been so steady for me.  I originally was a forum tester for the G410 Plus Driver and it was phenomenal.  The following year I did some speed training and gained about 5mph of clubhead speed and with that I needed to move into a lower spinning head.  The LST head has been incredible.  The spin isn’t too low and it provides consistency across the head which really helps keep the spin in a manageable range. 
Fairway Wood - Ping G425 LST 14.5* w/ GD AD DI 75X
Arccos Smart Distance: 270 yards
I had been gaming my favorite fairway wood of all time, the G410 LST 3 Wood until earlier this summer when I unfortunately noticed that the face was beginning to cave in.  Ping customer support was fantastic and I had a replacement within 2 weeks in a G425 LST head.  Thankfully there does not appear to be much performance difference between the 410 and 425 heads.  I am comfortable playing it off tight fairways as well as off the tee.  
Hybrid - Titleist 818H2 20* w/ GD AD DI 85X
Arccos Smart Distance: 236 yards
The oldest club in my bag and for good reason.  It is the first hybrid I feel comfortable hitting just about any shot with.  Low cut, high cut, bomb draw, high and straight.  You name it and I feel I can execute with this club.
4 Iron - Mizuno MP20 HMB w/ GD Tour AD 95X
Arccos Smart Distance: 217 yards
I moved to a slightly more distance oriented 4 iron to help give me a better gap between my hybrid and 5 iron.  The Mizuno HMB is a beautiful iron that has manageable offset, a nice topline and not an overly large sole.  I feel comfortable hitting this club off the deck and off the tee and it fills the exact gap that I need.
5-PW - Mizuno JPX Tour 919 w/ Oban CT 115X(-)
Arccos Smart Distances: 5(202y), 6(188y), 7(175y), 8(164y), 9(152y) PW(138y)
Just a fantastic iron for me.  The thin sole is key for my shallow angle of attack and the shaft gives me confidence on every shot because it just blends perfectly with my swing.
Wedges - Vokey SM7 50F, 54S, 60D w/ Modus 125 Wedge
Arccos Smart Distances: 50(123y), 54 (107y), 60 (77y)
As you can see by the yardages, by 60* is not really used for full shots. It is my swiss army knife around the greens from the fairway, rough and bunkers when I need a bit more carry then runout.  Otherwise, I use the 54 around the greens for most of my pitches and chips.  My 50 is used for full shots and for chips/pitches where I want to play more roll out.  The D grind on my 60 is maybe my favorite wedge grind of all time.  It is high bounce, but the shaping of the grind makes it extremely versatile from just about any lie. 
Putter: Evnroll 1.2V
A slight change from my ER2.  The 1.2 was made with Evnroll’s CustomER program and has the long plumbers neck, no site line, and a lighter headweight.  Just absolutely everything I’ve wanted in a putter.
 
Now that you know a little about me and my golf game, let’s get to the review of the Cobra clubs!

 
 
Driver - Cobra Radspeed 9* w/ PX HZRDUS Blue 60 6.5
Arccos Smart Distance: 287y


During my fitting, the fitting cart did not have an XB 9* head.  Having played with the traditional Radspeed for 3 months, I can say that I would at least want to hit the XB 9* head to see if it could provide a bit more spin than the standard Radspeed.  And that is exactly my only issue I had with the Radspeed driver - it is very low spin.  When struck on the screws, the Radspeed can go toe to toe with just about any driver out there.  However, it does so through a combination of ball speed and low spin.  Very low spin.  I spin my G410 LST around 2200-2400 RPM and I struggled to keep the Radspeed over 2000.  On the course, this led to really big drives, but it also led to more low spin hooks than I have hit in the last two years. If you catch the RadSpeed high on the face, and even more so high and off the toe, the spin struggles to stay above 1700 RPMs.  This would be a fantastic driver for someone that is looking to knock spin off their driver, but is not good for someone looking for a bit more stability.  I did try the standard Radspeed and  XB 10.5* during my fitting, but unfortunately Cobra decided to make the 10.5* heads of both drivers more upright than the 9* head.  A puzzling decision for me, because it really alienates the better player who wants a bit more spin, but doesn’t want a head that looks more closed or is more draw biased.  Again, it comes down to fitting.  The Radspeed driver is a great head, but it is definitely on the low end of the spin spectrum and thus should be left for those who need help dropping spin. 
 
3 Wood - Cobra Radspeed 14.5 w/ PX HZRDUS Blue 70 6.5
Arccos Smart Distance: 260y

I want to note right away that my 3W came with two paint defects on the crown.  I could see them through the plastic and unfortunately they aren’t something that I could remove.  They aren’t scratches, but imperfections in the actual paint job.  If I was a paying customer, I would have contacted Cobra and requested a replacement head.  Being that the clubs were given to me as part of a review and the imperfections did not impact performance I did not escalate these to Cobra.

As for the performance of the club, this was the surprise of the review for me.  I was apprehensive that anything could be as good and as comfortable as my G425 LST 3W.  I finished the review pondering if the Cobra Radspeed 3W had earned a spot in the bag going forward.  Ultimately, the Ping won out for me, but man the Cobra 3W is fantastic.  The head is a wonderful shape and with the loft turned down to 13.5* it sits a tad open and looks absolutely perfect at address.  The head is not overly big, but it’s definitely a little more compact than some of the other standard fairway woods on the market.  The sound and feel is muted and, while feel and sound is subjective, I think it is one of the best sound fairway woods on the market.  I had no problem launching the 3W off the fairway or off the tee.  The only reason I didn't put the Radspeed 3W in the bag long term is that it simply did not give me the distance I needed off the tee.  I believe the main reason for this is that it spun a little higher than my Ping when hit higher on the face.  So when teed up, the Ping becomes a straight bomber, while the Cobra is still admirable but just doesn’t have that extra gear. 
My brother in law (former assistant pro and low single digit golfer now), has been in search of a 3W he feels comfortable with for the last 5 years.  He is a low-spin player and struggles finding a 3W that can give him the launch and spin that he needs.  He has now hit the 3W at the range with me a few times and he played his first round with it in his bag on Saturday.  During that round I watched him hit a 3W like I’ve never seen him do before.  He was actually elevating the ball off the deck and off the tee and he was extremely pleased with the flight.  I will update the review discussion thread with his long term thoughts going forward.      
7 Wood - Cobra Radspeed 21* w/ PX HZRDUS Blue 70 6.5
Arccos Smart Distance: 225y



I went with the 7 wood over a hybrid because the Radspeed hybrid was too draw biased for me (and the King Tec Hybrid was not available at the time of our orders being placed).  Unfortunately, the 7 Wood head was not part of the standard Cobra fitting cart, so I had to go into this a little blind.  It is also worth noting that I did request an 80g shaft for the 7 Wood, but that was not available so I had to go with a lighter than preferred shaft.  My initial impression of the 7 Wood? WHOA! That’s a lot of loft.  Looking down at it in the address position there is a lot of loft staring back.  It’s pretty crazy to see because it has the same loft as my Tileist hybrid, but for some reason (perhaps because it is a fairway wood head), the loft just looks so much more drastic.  From a performance standpoint, the 7 Wood launches HIGH.  Very high. It has a much different launch window than a hybrid of the same loft (understandably so as the 7 Wood has a center of gravity that is lower and more rearward than a hybrid).  This high ball flight made it a very desirable ball flight when attacking greens as the ball came down on a steep descent angle.  
The 7 Wood was easy to hit off the fairway and the tee, though I did not find it as versatile as a hybrid when hitting out of some shaggier lies and fairway bunkers. I did struggle with manipulating ball flight with the 7 Wood.  I did not have the ease of hitting different flight windows that I have with my hybrid.  Same goes for shaping the ball left to right. Overall, I think the 7 Wood is a great option for someone who needs a gap filler between their 3 wood and irons, but is not comfortable hitting hybrids.  I would also recommend this club to anyone who struggles maximizing carry with their fairway woods.
4 Iron - Cobra King Utility 22* w/ Tensei White Pro 100TX HY
Arccos Smart Distance: 219y





An absolutely bomber off the tee.  Really great flight and distance was fantastic.  If someone is looking for a driver iron, the King Utility should be at the top of your list.  The loft adjustments are a nice touch.  I am unaware of any other driving/utility iron on the market that offers adjustability.  Where I did struggle with this club was off the fairway.  As I mentioned previously, I have a fairly shallow angle of attack with the irons.  The wider sole of the King Utility really isn’t a good fit for someone with a shallow angle of attack.  If you have a steep attack angle and are looking for something to give you a bit more pop in the long irons, then the King Utility would be a fantastic option to try.  
5-PW - Cobra King Tour MIM w/ DG AMT Tour White X100
Arccos Smart Distances: 5(198y), 6(185y), 7(171y), 8(162y), 9(148y), P(136y)





I am not going to rehash what most of you already know - due to supply issues I was sent my 5th choice in iron shafts, which was basically the only iron shaft available and not one that I would ever be fit into.  That being said, this is a review of the irons and not a review of the fit.  I really enjoyed the King Tour MIM iron heads.  Their styling was very clean and classic.  The sole is a very middle-of-the-road width which makes it a good fit for just about everybody.  While the sole was thicker than my fitted irons, I had no issues with turf interaction with my shallow angle of attack.  I found the irons very forgiving - especially low on the fact.  My miss with these tended to be very low on the face and many times I looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see the ball still in a high flight window and going further than the strike warranted.  Kudos to Cobra for packing some forgiveness into such an attractive looking iron.  
One of the big marketing points of the Tour MIM irons is the Metal Injection Molding process and the feel it creates.  While the iron is not forged, Cobra claims that the MIM process creates a feel similar or better to a forget iron.  My opinion?  It feels great, but it doesn’t feel like my Mizunos.  The MIMs, when struck well, produce a satisfying sound.  However, there is still a hint of a higher pitched click within the strike that differentiates itself from the JPX Tours and other forged irons (Srixons) that I have played.
I have given the King Tour MIM irons to my brother in law to get his thoughts as well.  He is a former assistant pro, low single digit handicap, and currently plays Ping iBlade irons.  I will be updating the review discussion thread as he tryings out the irons for the remainder of our golf season.   
Wedges - Cobra King MIM 50V, 54V, 60WL w/ DG S200
Arccos Smart Distances: 50(120y), 54(103y), 60(72y)








So the first thing everyone will notice in the pictures is that my wedges have a raw look.  This was done by soaking them in white vinegar and then scrubbing them with a scotch brite pad.  This process is used to remove the black finish on just about any black wedge and it worked just as well with the Cobras.
As for the wedges themselves, they were fantastic.  I found spin to be acceptable from the different conditions and lies, and the soles that I chose did exactly what Cobra advertised.  I was able to hit nippy spinners from the fairway, high shots out of the rough that landed softly out of the rough, and was able to get out of a variety of bunker conditions.  I really don’t have anything negative to say about these wedges.  Like any wedge, it is important to pick a loft setup that fills your gaps and a grind/bounce setup that gives you versatility to hit a variety of approach shots from around the green.
 
I think the Cobra wedges are the most underrated wedges in golf.  They have the finish, bounce, grind and loft combinations of any of the more popular wedge brands and they do so with a slightly lower price.  If you are in the market for new wedges, you should definitely give the Cobra King MIM wedges a look.
Cobra Ultralight Stand Bag


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As part of the review, we were sent the stand bags as well.  What I look for in a stand bag is something that works well on a push cart and that is relatively comfortable to carry.  I also have grown accustomed to certain features that my future bags must have.  Unfortunately, while the Cobra bag is comfortable and performs well on a push cart and motorized cart, it lacks a lot of features that other bags have.  The main feature that the bag doesn’t have is a dedicated putter slot.  I get that it comes down to weight savings, but I would sacrifice another couple of ounces to have a dedicated putter slot over having to put my putter in a section with other clubs.  The Cobra Ultralight bag also lacks a bit on the storage end.  There are fewer pockets than I am used to, and does not have a dedicated rangefinder pouch/pocket. The stand mechanism is built into the base of the bag, which all stand bags should have moving forward (sun mountain and other brands still use a foot mechanism to activate the stand and this is a pain to use on a push cart).  My conclusion is that unless you want a Cobra bag, there are other bags in the market at this price point that provide greater utility.    
 
Overall, I would say the entire current Cobra product line from top to bottom is extremely solid.  Cobra often gets overlooked when compared to the other big OEMs in the industry, but I think consumers are doing themselves a disservice to not include Cobra in the list of options they try at a demo day or a fitting.    

 

BirdieBall Outdoor Putting Mat
 
Stage One
 
Hi guys and gals I’m David Kleck. I live with my wife and daughter in La Porte Texas, a small city inside the Houston metroplex right on the Galveston Bay. I’m a practicing veterinarian and avid golfer. It has been since last year’s CobraConnect Challenge 4 since I’ve been honored to be part of a review here on MGS. I‘ve played golf on and off most of my life but I have played consistently once or twice a week since 2007. My natural swing is a cut and my big miss has always been to the right. But over the last three years as I’ve become a better student of the game ( with the help of MGS ) my game has straightened out quite a bit. My current USGA handicap is 10.8. I use Arccos Caddie to track my shots and analyze my data to help me to know what areas of my game need the most work. Current state of my game.
                                       
As you can see, putting is a strong suit of my game. But there is always room for improvement. Will a BirdieBall putting mat help me improve? Let’s find out. I have always wanted a putting green or mat in my backyard and now that dream has come true!
 
 
My BirdieBall boxes arrived! Let’s get to unpacking.

Goodies from the small box!

Two strike pads, two targets, and a bucket of birdieballs.

Foam backing on strikepad allows you to play off concrete or grass.
Instructions
Target options

Other stuff BirdieBall makes.
And now let’s open the big box!

Yeah baby let’s get this set up.

Yes I want that too! 

Not sure what this is? 
   
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                   Everything out of the boxes.

Ready for action!

 

 


My initial impressions of these products are that they appear to be of good substance and will have reasonable durability. The products were very well packaged and arrived without any damage or blemishes. Will practicing frequently on a quality putting mat conveniently positioned on my back porch improve my putting stats? Will BirdieBall practice in my backyard improve my short game? I can’t wait to give this a try!
The official review
After putting on this mat for over a month, I never want to do without an at home practice area ever again!
It is I think a huge advantage to know that you can putt the ball straight. This mat is solid and consistent even on my back porch in the Houston summer heat. I have seen no decrease in playability of this mat over the course of this test what so ever. We all know that over time everything ages due to environmental factors and use over time. Quality products age slowly and this mat hasn't worn at all.
Quality of Components 5/5
If you cannot set this practice mat up, well, you should not be playing golf the most difficult game in the world!
Ease of Use 5/5
The basic characteristics of this mat are fairly simple, simulate a putt on a green that  if you hit it straight at the right speed the ball will go in the hole. This mat does that in the majority of the time and you can really gain confidence in your short straight putting game. Also you can discover, as I did, that hitting ball straight is not as easy as you might have thought. When you spend much time on a mat 3 feet by 12 feet you soon figure out that there are a few subtle breaks or grains that affect the roll of the ball. After that  you should roll almost every ball in the hole. I was not doing that at first and that made me realize I needed to make some changes in my putting stroke to correct my alignment. That correction for me was to change my hand and wrist placement to what some refer to as walking the dog putting grip...and that is working for me.
Basic Characteristics 5/5
The on course results is what it is all about for me! I take pride in my golf game and at the same time I know I don't make a living playing golf. I measure my game against folks that play once or twice a week like I do. If I can improve just a little bit because of some simple, CONVENIENT, practices I can do at home that help my golf game...what a value that is.

 
Okay that is a minor improvement in my putting stats. But I can tell you my confidence has increased greatly. I get over putts that I just wanted to get close that now I feel I should make! And now the elephant in the room...nearly 6 point handicap drop in short game!  

Thank you Birdieball for including a bucket of birdieballs and 2 strike plates and 2 targets with my putting mat. My biggest weakness throughout my golfing life is now becoming a strength! 
On Course Performance putting matt 4/5
On Course Performance BirdieBalls 5/5
A putting mat has limitations and your expectations of a 3 foot by 12 foot putting mat have to be reasonable. You cannot develop lag putting skills on a mat of this size, I don't think you can learn to read greens on a small putting mat, and you cannot learn the affects of the grain of grass on a putting mat. But if you can start the ball on your intended path you give yourself a great chance of making more putts. 
Miscellaneous 3/5
For me to have a convenient way to practice golf is the only way I can expect to improve at the game I love.  I'm a busy practicing veterinarian with a daughter who is a high school cheer leader and plays on the tennis team. I have obligations outside of golf!  Birdieball outdoor putting mat is here to stay! I love having the putting mat on my back porch.
Keep it or Trade it 5/5
 

Hello boys and girls. Its time for another thoroughly in depth golf item review. Since joining these forums a few years ago I have really enjoyed testing and reviewing almost anything golf related. I've written up posts on, golf balls, clubs, putters, wedges, tees and a onewheel. 
This summer has been a whirlwind for me and it is just starting to settle down. I've been in the process of selling/and buying a home, moving across a state and being homeless while between houses for 3 weeks. Yet still trying to get as much golf in as the wife will let me given everything else going on. The Birdie Ball test kit arrived at my new house before I even did!

I am super excited to be selected to test out this new indoor/outdoor putting mat. I have owned a couple of the generic 8' mats with the elevated cups for basically ever. I have hours and hours of practice using them and a updated better version would be a welcome addition to my golf practice. Is this new mat that?
So over the next few weeks, I'll be testing this mat indoors and out. I'll see what I think of the quality, the durability and if Birdie Ball has created a great putting mat, or just a great dog bed(notice Stevie, our Wirehaired Pointing Griffin, thinks it is a nearly optimal blend of cushion and scratchiness).

Also for the first time in one of my tests, I am enrolling the help of my assistant Xander and he is very excited:

There is a lot going on with this, as I was not expecting the outdoor targets and birdie balls to also test. Fortunately, my new house has a back yard that is almost 200' in length so I will get to test them out with some real swings. Any guesses on which club will clear the fence at 200'? Will any of them?
But for the mat, my big concerns are if it rolls like a nicely manicured green at Augusta, or a early evening Poa annua green at Chambers Bay(sorry chambers bay). It also came with a warning to not let it exceed 180° F, and while every part of me wants to test that... I feel like I should leave that one alone... but maybe

But the biggest question for me, does the Birdie Ball Mat make for a better practice tool than ye ole' felt ramp mat?

Let the putting begin!
 
Stage Two - The Review 9/10/2021
 
Birdieball Matt – Official MGS Forum Review by Thin2Win (Christopher Stefaniw)
Intro
Testing a practice aid is different than testing an actual club, ball or other product. But for me, it still boils down to 2 big things:
1)    Does it work for me?
2)    Is it fun to use?
If either of those ingredients are missing, I’m not going to use it. And I would guess that for most of you out there, you are in the same camp. It does need to work, and it does need to be fun. When I ask “does it work for me”, I’m really asking if I think using it is beneficial to my game. Even if it is just on a psychological level, that counts for me. 😃
The “is it fun to use”, well that’s straight forward, regardless of results, I’m not going to keep using it if it isn’t “fun”. What is a training aid I use and keep using? PuttOut. Its simple, easy to use, is fun, and even if only in confidence, helps with putting.

So as we dive into the details of my review, those 2 tenets are the focus for me.
Ease of use
The actual setup and use of this is straight forward. And other than attaching the bumpers(see below) it all went together quick, easy, and exactly how I thought.
8 out of 10 points
 
Quality of components and Basic Characteristics
Here, I needed to adjust the review format a bit. There is normally a Quality of Component section, and a Basic Characteristic section. For my use and testing, I couldn’t come up with a way to split my review of those two up as they were so intertwined. So here, I merged them. Please see why below.
 Taking the mat out of the box you can feel the heft quality of it, its solid. We had the 3’6” x12’ version for testing, and it was not light. I’m not sure I would have been able to move the 6’x12’ version without help. It rolled out of the box… mostly flat. Definitely flatter than when you unroll the standard 8’ felt putting mats I’ve used. But not actually flat. It took most of a day for it to lay down all the way. Right off I started using it on some indoor hardwoods. Then I moved it to indoor carpet, next to indoor/outdoor cement and then finally I put it straight on my lawn. It looks cool, it takes up a good amount of space and I was very excited to start putting on it. As with most things, there were good and bad things. Unfortunately for me, the bad was bad and the good was limited. 
Let’s start with The Good:
●      It’s a great hitting mat, I hit some chips off it last week, then moved to full swing shots this week. It is durable, it feels good, and the turf interaction is great. It was the highlight of my use with this mat. I’m not sure where they get these mats, but it feels and looks like a premium hitting mat that has been cut into a longer form.

●      The Mat rolls fast. Much faster than a felt putting mat, and I liked that. Faster than a standard weekday muni around here. More like a Sunday muni or a well kept private course speed. 10ish on the meter would be my feel for the speed. 
 
The Bad
●      The rubber bumpers that are included don’t really work and suck to put on. Balls with any pace bounce right over them. I’m not sure what their primary design use was for, but I can’t imagine that it was for this application. More like they needed a bumper and went to the local hardware store, found a rubber seal for something else and thought, “this will work”. I moved the mat a handful of times throughout testing, after the 2nd move I stop using the bumpers because they don’t stay attached, and again, suck to put on.
●      The cups that came with it have never fit right. The plastic cup slides in from the bottom, but with my mat all the cups were slightly larger than the cutout holes. This creates a raised ridge around every cup. Any putt that was slowly heading towards the cup would deflect away. Also, the sticks that go into the cups are very short. Like, very short. I’m not tall, 5’7”, and the leaning over to reach the stick to pull it out was annoying to the point that I also stopped using them. It was much easier on my back to use my putter to knock the ball out of the hole than to use the provided stick. Also, on any of the harder surfaces (wood/cement) the ball would bounce out of the hole on most putts. Yes, they make an additional mat to put under this mat… but that is a different product to help make this product better.

●      The putting surface itself had uneven heights of material running the length of it that resulted in ridges that the ball would ricochet off. Putts need to go straight down it, not diagonal at all. Which limits the need for it to be as wide as it is. And as the ball slowed down, it would break like Poa Annua late on a summer afternoon. In other words, wherever it wanted. Combined with the ridges around the cups…. It was frustrating to use as a putting surface. My wife used it one night for about 3 minutes, turned to me and said “this is disappointing” and never used it again.
10 out of 30 points
 
On-Course Performance
So as much as I had issues and was mostly annoyed with it. I still spent more time practicing my putting with it for the purposes of seeing if the ridges would ever go away or the grain would roll smooth on a different surface. And for me, any time spent practicing does pay off. And maybe the fact that putts had to be exactly on pace and line to go in made it even more effective than if the ball rolled straight and stayed in the hole. PuttOut is fun because of how hard it is, maybe this mat being so hard for me to use is what helped. But my putting has been dead on from anything inside 10’ for the last month with rounds of 75,73 and 75.
30 out of 30 points
 
Miscellaneous
Also included with the mat were some Birdie Balls(100!!!) some impact hitting pads for them, and some outdoor targets.

If you haven’t ever hit a BirdieBall, and you have an outdoor hitting area that you want to take full swings, watch the flight pattern, but not blow out the neighbor’s windows, then they are for you. They are the best limited flight golf ball I’ve ever used. Hitting into a net? Eh, just use a real ball.
 10 out of 10 points
 
Keep it or Trade it?
Yes!
Right now, I don’t know. I have plenty of space at my place, so I have it setup. And I still roll a few putts on it most nights… But I also have the standard ramp style felt one beside it, and I end up using that more. The ball coming back to you, rolling straight, etc. Its just easier to use and you get more reps in with a ball return.
Do I want it to be cool and have friends marvel at it and want to use it when they visit, yes… I’ll probably pass this off to one of the other spies who I have lined up and know need help with their putting( @fixyurdivot )but I’ll use it until then. But I won’t be sad to see it go when it does.
 10 out of 20 points
 
Conclusion
Its cool, practicing on it will help with putting because you are practicing. But it has issues with roll and component choices. For me, I don’t think it is an improvement over the ramp felt style mats. Using it reminds me of when I watched Mad Men. They had Jaguar as a customer, and Jags were sleek and stylish, and everyone wanted one. But then you go to drive it and it wouldn’t start.

Final Score: (68 out of 100 points)
 
 
 
 

Stuka44: BirdieBall Outdoor Putting Green
Introduction  8-14-2021
Well everyone welcome to my first review since joining MGS.  I'm excited to have been picked to test this product.  
I'm 55 years old and have lived and play 99% of my golf in northeast Ohio.  I play $30-$50 a round public courses as a general rule and have never belonged to a club.  I have been golfing regularly since about 2008, but learned the game when I was 16 or so.  I have never had a golf lesson, or club fitting of any kind.  I am an avid golfer at this point, and golf mostly to spend time with two of my older brothers, who have recently picked the game up again after long layoffs. I play all year long here even January and February as long as there is no snow on the ground.
I am currently around a 14 handicap, and I am a very easy swinger of the golf club.  In my younger years I always found myself using a less lofted club by one or two compared to those of similar age I was playing with.  I don't mention that as a negative!, I have always been alright with this, "just let the club do the work"  was and still is, and will continue to be my motto. My current putter is a Ping Scottsdale "Wolverine", and I wasn't fit.  I just like the way it felt, and had never been successful with shoe, and blade type putters so I tried the mallet.    

20210814_164813.mp4 My first impressions were good.  The matt was bigger than I expected it to be, its 3'4" x 12 feet long, however finding a level enough spot outside wasn't to be so I set it up in my basement.  It seems to be constructed well enough to certainly go outside.

The speed of it is quite good, and seems like it will translate well to the green speeds I play, (We'll see I guess that is part of the point of this).  There is another single cup at the opposite end from the three.  To the center cup you can comfortably practice 2-10 footers(painters tape along the edge), and add 6 inches to the side cups. The matt/cup is about 1/2" deep.
I'm going to be concentrating on what I read in Broadie's book "Every Shot Counts".  Trying to concentrate on making a higher percentage of putts in the 3-10 foot range, more specifically  4,5,6, and 7 footers.  I've never really been a practice guy, and rarely get to the course in time to practice putts or take a practice swing. Here are some of my putting numbers, based on 130 some rounds I have loaded into Free Golf Tracker(since 2008, some years I didn't enter many), which I hope to improve!!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
My average putts/GIR is 2.2, and my average putts/PER HOLE is 1.9, and my current average putts per 18 is 33, and I average 2.9 3 putts per 18 holes. I'm hoping the BirdieBall Putting Green will improve my make percentage at 10 feet and under, and help reduce 3 putts overall at all distances.  Only time, and PRACTICE, will tell!!!!

This last chart directly above represents the last 18 rounds I've played.  For the last 18 rounds (not knowing anything about the BirdieBall Putting Matt test/ review) I began to pace off my First Putt Distance.  And the Free Golf Tracker keeps track of 1, 2, and 3 putts for the distance you put in.  What I would hope to see as I practice rolling putts on the BirdieBall is 1 Putt make percentage especially in the 3-10 foot range go up(Hopefully Substantially). STAY TUNED!
BirdieBall Outdoor Putting Green..Official MGS Forum Review by Stuka44(Don)
09-10-2021
Introduction
I was able to get in about 3-4 practice sessions a week, consisting of about 40 putts each session.  Two each from 2-10 feet, and then another 6 each from 4, 5, 6, and 7 feet.  I was able to get in 5 additional rounds of statistics for my putting since the Introductory post about the product.  I did have improvement.
Quality of Components (8/10)
The BirdieBall mat (3'4" x 12') was packaged quite nicely and is not really too heavy.  This being said I am not to sure I would want to have to move it a long way to put it away after each use, its kind of awkward, and I'm not sure how rolling it up and putting it back down would affect its flatness for use. 

I noticed two very minor problems that I am classifying as "quality".  The first was mentioned in previous comments and by another tester.  One of my cups seems to have a little crown which causes a little break to the right.  A little annoying but I just know to aim center to compensate on that one.  The other issue is that the flags, and their bases which go into the 1'2" deep cups are very light.  Let me make it clear that when putting to the cups with the flags in them, THEY NEVER FELL OVER, EVEN ON PRETTY FIRM PUTTS.  My issue (and its mostly laziness on my part) is in retrieving the balls.  Clearly they were designed to be lifted and the balls dumped like on a real practice green.  I found that in doing this that the bases and flag would separate quite often, I glued mine finally.  Then I tried just tapping the ball out of the cup with my putter.  This is where the slightest bump of the flag and it would topple over.  A little heavier base for the flagsticks would be nice.

Ease of Use (9/10)
The mat was very easy to use and its purpose was clear.  The only problem I had here was that in order to get the maximum distance for a practice putt, I found that I needed to remove the bumpers on the end I was putting from eventually.  For me if I tried to place a ball within a foot of the top  edge pictured below, that my backswing would contact the rear bumper.  I also like to make a few putts from as close to the edge as I could get( and putt across the green so to speak) from as far away as I could get, so I removed the side bumpers as well on the end I was putting from.

Basic Characteristics (17/20)
I have never had any sort of actual home golf practice item.  I've always only ever practiced on my various carpet weaves for putting practice.  The BirdieBall putting mat most definitely encouraged me to practice.  The fact that it was quite quick, and looks like an actual putting green seemed to encourage me that what I did on it, would actually apply on a real course.  That feeling in hindsight was clearly lacking when in winter mostly I would try practicing on my carpet.  Quickly I would feel that putting on the carpet wasn't going to do me any good.  The quickness of the first few putts, and smooth roll very quickly got me  thinking this would help my putting.  The variety of this version of BirdieBall mat was good.  Its length provided the ability to practice about 10.5 foot putts at a maximum, and clearly shorter putts.  Again having read some books and other material, prior to getting this mat, I had determined that I needed to practice putts mostly in the 8 foot and less range, as a means to improving my scores a little more.  So the opportunity to review this mat fit right in with what I was planning to do.  I did notice some improvement quickly.  I noticed after making 120 or so practice putts that my stroke seemed much more consistent, and mentally making putts but trying to get them past the hole without striking the bumper behind the holes was great for distance control.  Something I hadn't ever really paid attention to in practicing intermittently before a round.  The tight weave and quick speed of the mat was very good, after having used it for a while the width of it was a little restricting for me.
On Course Performance (27/30)
At almost every distance of putts, my one putt make percentage improved after the limited duration of practice I was able to get in, and the numbers as indicated earlier are just 5 additional rounds to the total.  I would expect that with continued practice and adding of rounds that the numbers would continue to improve.


The top chart was the original 18 rounds, and the bottom is newest with the five additional rounds added to the totals.  One putt make percentage went up at 6,7, and 8 feet.  I was surprised at 4 and 5 feet.  4 feet was only 1 additional putt that I missed since the one putt percentage went down, and 5 feet was 7 additional putts, and the 1 putt percentage went down there.  I would note and this is not an excuse, but it is kind of ironic.  The last round I played I had to use my brothers putter(and it is not identical to mine) because my putter was leaning in the basement next to the putting matt.   I also noticed that at almost every distance beyond 8 feet the 3 putt percentage for almost every distance is going down.
I expect that continued practice will improve 1 putt make percentage.  But what I noticed most importantly though is that on these critical distances 10 feet and less is that all of the practice strokes I have made on the mat(which is pretty quick) has improved my stroke and distance control to a point where I'm not really concerned with making a horrible stroke and leaving an 8 footer 4 feet short, or blowing a 6 footer 5 feet past the hole.  The practice on the BirdieBall mat has really helped me mentally  to be confident in my stroke, also on 10-20 footers, and while not really expecting to make them based on make percentages, I'm putting them to try and make them without really being concerned about making a horrible putt.  I guess I'm trying to say I am putting to make them confident in a two putt, and not putting this distance of putt exclusively not to 3 putt, if that makes any sense!
Final Performance Comments:
A minor issue with it is that I really don't see the need for the cup on the opposite end from the 3.  Although I have the grass insert in this cup hole, it just impedes my ability to putt from as long as possible to the center hole on the other end. and in regards the the 3 cup end I would like to see at least one of them be very close to the rear edge to maximize the distance of the mat.
Miscellaneous (9/10)
The only thing I think I would like better would be to have the green be wider, so when putting from the edge you could be standing on the mat, and wider would provide a little opportunity to put "across" the grain so to speak.  From the right edge to the left cup, and vice versa.
Keep it or Trade It (20/20)
I would definitely keep it.  As a largely non-practice golfer the putting green is very good.  It represents a quick putting surface, which in the big scheme of things I have practiced on for only a very short time has improved my performance and attitude over my putts.  It seems very durable so if it holds up as promoted, and lasts a long time then I believe it would be worth the cost.  This is for every golfer.  I only wish I had put some effort into practicing my putting earlier in my golf career, especially realizing how just a little practice has helped me.  Repetition of my putting stroke on the BirdieBall green has transferred directly to the course and has me on the way to continued improvement.
Conclusion
The BirdieBall Outdoor putting green seems to be very well made.  The durability obviously can only be judged over a much longer period of time than available.  The practice you can do on it, given its speed, does  help you on actual putts on the course, and I believe will without question help you putt better.  This last point is a tough one which I want to address in this conclusion if this is all you read of my review.  Cost!  This 3'4" x 12' version is listed at $455.  If you are someone who loves to "practice" the game of golf, like my brother, who stops at the driving range 3-4 times a week, then I think this would be well worth it.  Just being honest if you are someone like me who plays but doesn't love to practice really, I'm not sure I would spend that much on it, without seeking out some comparison  prices for similar products.  This is not a bash of the product it is top notch, but $455 is a lot of money.
FINAL SCORE (90/100)

Introduction
I’m Michael and I’m a first-time tester for MGS. I play most of my golf at Werribee Park Golf Club, which is west of Melbourne, Australia (Down Under!). It’s a brilliant part of the world to play golf and has one of the best views from the clubhouse of any course I’ve been to. I also venture out to other golf courses about 4-8 times per year; one of the best was playing Curlewis (close to where my in-laws live) after being invited by @Peaksy68.


A typical view of Australian golf in the middle of winter.

View from the clubhouse
I have been playing golf since I was 14, so have been playing for 20 years. Up until the last 3 years I haven’t had a regular playing schedule, but now it’s weekly. I’ve been able to go from an 18 handicap down to 8 in those 3 years. Typically, I gain strokes from driving, lose a little from approach and short, then putting is a small gain. Lately I’ve been driving terribly but my short game has been better than normal; skewing my recent averages.
                                 
  
Current 10 round averages - Overall stats are vs 8 Handicap, Putting vs 5 handicap (gives a testing baseline of 0.0)
 
My golfing is mainly on Saturday mornings, and I don’t usually have much of an opportunity to practice during the week. With the PuttOUT equipment I’ll be able to practice putting at home without having to go to a dedicated facility. It looks like a good range of equipment to make sure my putting is top notch. This should combine well with an AimPoint session I did recently. I’ve found it useful for reading greens.
 
First Impressions
In our box of goodies we received a Premium Pressure Putt Trainer (titanium white and dark grey – a colour combo that doesn’t seem to be on the online shop), a large putting mat (3.7m x 0.66m or 12ft x 3ft), and a Putting Plane Alignment Stick Set. I haven’t seen the packaging on the other colours of the Pressure Putt Trainers, but the silver band at the bottom of the packaging would be a nice colour pop to match the different colours of the trainers.
 
Packaging - The packaging is quite nice, with clear indications about what each item is for and links to ideas for how to use the equipment. I noticed how the packages could be merchandised both on a shelf standing up, or on a hook – a nice touch. There aren’t excessive amounts of packaging so it’s easy to get everything out. One minor issue is on the top of the Alignment Stick Set’s packaging. The closing tab detaches with an unsatisfying tear rather than a clean detachment. It’s an incredibly minor criticism, but it would make the user’s experience a little nicer.

Pressure Putt Trainer Packaging - I hope the silver band at the bottom changes with the colour of the product.

Alignment Stick Set Packaging with carry bag

Top of the Alignment Stick Set packaging - has unsatisfying tearing
 
Storage - Living in an apartment, I can’t permanently setup any golfing equipment, so the thought the designers have put into easily putting away each product seems to be very useful. I have a 4 x 4 set of Kallax shelves in my office and a golf area in the wardrobe for storing my gear. I think that I will be able to easily take out and put away all elements of the kit. The mat comes with a storage bag to keep it neatly rolled up when not in use. The way the Pressure Putt Trainer and the Putting Plane Alignment Stick Set fold up is ideal to fit into my golf storage area. A big tick for consideration of storage.

Easy to find places to store both the Pressure Putt Trainer and the Alignment Stick Set
 
Unrolling mat - For the test period I’ll be continually rolling and unrolling the mat to use it. First impressions are that the mat is thick, has plenty of different markings for different activities, and the edges are highly reinforced. It looks like it will last a long time. Only issue is that the centre of the roll doesn’t lie flat. Maybe that’s because it’s brand new and needs to relax (who am I to criticise for not relaxing), or maybe it’s just physics of rolling up a mat. It’s doesn’t really affect the performance of the matt, but I’ll see how it goes over time.

Matt rolled out - plenty of markings and a decent length that can fit in my living room

The centre of the mat doesn't lay flat. Will see if it just takes some time to relax
 
Assembling Alignment Stick Set - There are plenty of pieces that look like will enable a variety of different putting activities. All the parts disassemble and have a dedicated storage area in the bag, so it’s easy to pack away and keep all the bits. The small rubber tube that enables the two alignment sticks to be joined is a nice touch. I like the idea of the gates to give immediate feedback about starting line, but having the alignment sticks to ensure that the equipment is lined up properly is a nice feature.

The Alignment Stick Set allows many options and disassembles for storage. Pocket is for the gate parts.

Use of extended alignment stick ensures ball, gate, and target are aligned (sticks sag but are straight along putt line)
 
Goals for testing
My 10 round average for strokes gained putting is currently sitting at 0.0 against a 5 handicap, so I think a good goal for putting success would be to get it to +1.0, but any improvement will be worth it. I’ll post updated stats after any round I play to see how I’m progressing.
 
 
With my practice I want to make improve my ability to start my ball on my intended line, with appropriate pace. I really want to try out the variety of possible activities that can be done with the gear, as this will help with keeping practice fresh (putting practice can easily get stale) and evaluating how the gear can help you to develop a repeatable, accurate stroke. If there are any drills you want me to try out to see if they’re possible with the gear, please let me know in a comment.
 

 
With my reviewing, I used all of the different elements of our sets over different weeks. I started with just the mat and the Pressure Putt Trainer, then used the Alignment Stick Set with more regularity later on.
 
Quality of components (10 out of 10 points)
For all 3 elements of the set, the products are made well, have quality materials, and are well put together. As identified in my initial impressions, I could only fault some very minor packaging experience issues.
 
Ease of use (10 out of 10 points)
With the Pressure Putt Trainer and the putting mat, it was obvious what the purposes of each product were. With the Alignment Stick Set, it’s a more complex product. There are many more applications and combinations the product can be used in, so some were not initially obvious. This was solved with informative packaging with examples of the different ways the products can be setup.
 
Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 points)
Starting with the mat, it does everything you would want from an indoor practice mat. It rolls at a green-like speed, has assorted targets and alignment lines for practice. It makes a great base to build putting practice from.
 
With the Pressure Putt Trainer, having the smaller target meant I was able to focus with greater detail. It also meant that I had a more difficult goal that a standard hole size; great for rehearsing putts inside 6 feet. By having the goal of the perfect speed and line to nestle in the target, it was rehearsing starting the ball on line, with appropriate pace, and made practice interesting with the satisfying “plop” into the small target.
 
With the Alignment Stick Set, its fundamental purpose is to rehearse starting the ball on line. Sadly, with all the arrangements there was only loose feedback that I was starting my putts on line. The gates were much wider than a golf ball and can’t be narrowed for making tighter pass/go for starting putts on line. As I stated in the mid-review comments, by having multiple slots in the round rubber feet, the difficulty for starting on line could be changed.
 
On-Course Performance (## out of 30 points)
For my review, it’s impossible to evaluate on course performance; public health orders where I live prevented golf being played during the review period. I had one round on the 31st of August, but with 50km/h winds (31 miles) my poor putting stats were influenced more by the conditions than any practice I had done with the products.
So sadly, I’m going to have to ignore this part in my scoring of the products. I’ll revisit this in about a month and update this.
 
Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)
The strongest characteristic of all the products in our set is the quality of materials and finish. They don’t really affect the ability of the products to help your golf game but if you’re spending money on products, it’s better if they’re well-presented. For example, the Pressure Putt Trainer’s materials have a nice matt finish, the putting mat has reinforcement around the perimeter of the mat and a thicker base layer than others I’ve seen on the market, and the stainless steel in the Alignment Stick Set gives it a premium feel.
 
The other area of strength for all products was the thought put into how they are packed away for easy and small storage. The bag with multiple pockets on the Alignment Stick Set where every part had a place is well thought out. As a result, all the products take up minimal space in a closet.
 
Keep it or Trade it? (14 out of 20 points)
 
Putting Mat – keep. It does everything a putting mat should. Rolls up, rolls truly, can be vacuumed occasionally to keep it clean, and has a range of useful markings. Technically I’m not going to keep this one, but a friend is buying a Medium mat and then we are trading. The medium mat will fit my home better.
 
Pressure Putt Trainer – keep. This is a unique product in the putting practice market; providing a little reward for making a perfect putt but also indicating made putts. With the added convenience of it being able to fold away neatly when not in use, the different colour options, and its suitability for people who aren’t “golfers”, it’s a real winner.
 
Alignment Stick Set – trade. I really wanted to like this product, but I just didn’t find it useful. I tried all the different setups that it can do, and none of them convincingly aided starting the putt on line, and the product is not designed to train correct speed. I’m sure there will be someone who thoroughly disagrees with me who will love it though. It is a well-made product that you can tell has been thought about in design, but it just doesn’t gel with me.
 
Conclusion
I thank both PuttOUT and MGS for giving me the opportunity to review these products. The process really got me thinking about putting practice, and was the trigger for some enlightening discussions with the professionals at the facilities I go to. Overall, I commend PuttOUT for the quality of materials, construction, finish, and storage of their products. You can tell they have gone to great effort to get this right. For the Putting Mat and Pressure Putt Trainer, these are great products that I think help to keep my practice fresh and improve my putting. I want to practice more with these two products. Whilst the Alignment Stick Set is a well-made product, I didn’t find it useful to get my putts starting on line. I'm thinking of modelling and 3D printing some custom feet for my Alignment Stick Set.
Final Score: (61 out of 70 points)

PuttOUT - Official MSG Forum Review by Steve Davies (DStar) 
 
2nd August 2021
 
Into
I’ve been testing the PuttOUT large mat, pressure putt & alignment stick set for nearly a month. After a few evenings of initial testing to see what worked for me I came up with six tests/practice routines that I would use to complete the review.
These included using the gates & alignment sticks and the dreaded ‘Perfect Putt’.
The results can be found here: PuttOUT Test Results
Each session took around an hour to do and my aim was three sessions a week. 
I have also recorded my progress when playing on the course but these numbers only give an indication of my number of putts per hole/round as I don’t have any data on putt distances but we have some really tough greens and, on some, a 2-putt is a welcome number. 

 
Quality of components - 9
All of the products on test were very nicely packaged, clear/crisp graphics with instructions on use printed on each item. The individual items all felt well made and, as a set, blended really nicely together. 

On opening the packaging the parts felt really nice. As an engineer by trade I am particularly interested in quality of fit and finish and, overall, this was excellent. The only issue in this area was with the alignment plane - when the sticks were inserted I found that they did not line up perfectly with the holes in the gates, it would fit but needed a little persuasion. 

I had no issues with any items breaking or becoming unusable and I had my mat set up in our conservatory which gets very hot and I experienced no issues with the mat losing shape.
I really liked the bag for the alignment stick set as all of the components fitted well with a pocket on either side for a gate/feet set - very nicely thought out! 

 
 
Ease of Use - 9
I’m a typical man! New stuff, take it out of the box and try to put it together..
The pressure putt is simple to use, folds out nicely and I liked the aluminium button for the perfect putt target. 

The gates & feet go together and it’s obvious how these fit.
The alignment set took a little time to work out but then I read the instructions - easy peasy! 
The mat rolled out flat 1st time and stayed flat throughout the test. I did hoover it before use, every time. 
 
Basic Characteristics - 18
 
I found that as soon as the PuttOUT kit arrived I couldn't wait to try it. Having never used any training aids before I was keen to get it set up ASAP.
I still really enjoy the challenge of improving my putting and I am seeing some really good improvements in my game as a result of using the PuttOUT set regularly which means I will continue to use this equipment. 
The tests I devised are working for me and, going forward, I will look to add in different tests to keep the practice interesting. I can see that doing the same thing over and over may lead to less use but I think there are enough options to keep me coming back.
I found that the mat is quite good for short chip shot practice too although I would use an old mat or piece of astroturf to chip off as I'm not sure how much use the mat could take.
 

20210801_104259_001.mp4 I may add in a mirror as an alternative aid and will take the gates & pressure putt to the course to use on the practice greens to help improve further.
After a few hours of use I could really feel and see how my stroke and distance control was improving - this was backed up by my results on the course too. 
It started to become obvious which putts were good and which were bad. The repetition has really made a difference to my putting stroke. 
On the whole I found the kit easy to use and quite intuitive in how it can help improve my game. 
I did find that the alignment plane didn’t really work for me but others may find that it does. I can appreciate the idea but found a better way, for me, to use the gates/sticks to help with my alignment. 
 
On Course Performance - 30
 
I really do think that doing this test/review has made a huge difference to my confidence with the putter. 
I now stand over the ball without the dread of not really knowing what I’m doing. I can line up the putt, make a good stroke and have faith that I’m doing it right. 
I may not get the read right but the stroke is feeling so much better. 
The numbers in my data don’t really show the full story as it’s hard to achieve a perfect putt. As long as I was scoring 5 or more on each test I was happy as that meant I had, effectively, holed the putt I was aiming for - a perfect putt was a bonus. 
All of the kit on test performed flawlessly and I think that PuttOUT have produced a well thought out system that works well together (or on their own too).
One thing I would change would be to have two different sized gates as this could further increase the difficulty to help improve accuracy. 
Personally, I wouldn’t buy the alignment plane. I would be happy with a pair of gates and sticks as, for me, these were the best aids in that particular set. 
Did it help improve my scores? Even if the figures don’t show it I would say, without doubt, that this has improved my scores. Putting is a hard thing to quantify as it could be 2 putts from 8 feet or 2 putts from 30. We have large, undulating greens and I’m finding I am much less likely to 3-putt than I was before. I’m lagging long putts to a couple of feet for easy tap-ins much more regularly and I feel confident that I can do that on most putts. 
 
Miscellaneous - 8
 
I thought the whole package was a very well thought out set. All of the items can be used together or separately which gives a lot of scope for finding the best way to use them for different people. 
Everything came well packaged and presented and feels high quality.
 
Keep it or trade it - 18
 
On the whole I believe the improvements in my putting make this a sound buy. I will definitely be keeping it as part of my ongoing practice as I try to improve my game. 
The items represent good value for money, maybe a little highly priced if I was buying but it is all very good quality kit. The mat, in particular, seems very durable and consistent as a putting mat should be.
I think the gates and sticks go well together but would add the plane as an option as it didn’t work for me. 
I would also have two different sized gates rather than both the same size as that would give some variation on difficulty and further help with accuracy practice. 
I would also change the printing on the mat slightly. As most people would probably use known distances I would change the small lines (either side of the 1’ markers) to have rings that are the same size as the gate feet. This would make it easier to line up the gates with the central line.

Who would benefit from this set? Me for a start! I think that any golfer looking to improve their putting would find these products very useful. 
 
Conclusion
 
Overall this has been a great test. I’ve found the products easy and fun to use and will continue to use them. They can be tucked away fairly easily and the reinforced mat bag is a great touch as is the alignment stick set with pockets to keep all the bits safe.  
The perfect putt is so hard to get but so satisfying when you do and it’s showing it’s worth on the course which is where it matters.
Thanks to MGS for choosing me for this test/review and if you need any information do get in touch. 
 
Final Score - 92 
 
Well done PuttOUT on a great product...
 

Greetings Spies.  My name is Bill and I reside in southwest Montana. I'm ecstatic and honored to have been selected among the thousands of who applied to test the latest Evnroll series putters.  A HUGE THANK YOU to the folks at Evnroll and MyGolfSpy for providing this the numerous other product tests!!  I find these product reviews to be very informative and meaningful.  Marketing claims are "put to the test" by fellow amateur players with no strings attached.  I have used these reviews as part of my recent equipment changes and will do my best to provide you all with a meaningful review of the Evnroll ER5v putter.


A little about me.  I was introduced to the game by my Dad at 5 years old growing up in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and played on the JGA for a few years before the family relocated to Sacramento, CA. I have always played the game but, like so many, went through periods where I played quite a bit and then not as often.  For a brief time, I had a 9 handicap which is my personal best. After 30 years working in aerospace, I retired early and my wife and I moved away from soggy and very busy Puget Sound to the rural life in MT.  We live here until the snow fly's (I use porch snow shoveling events as my indicator 🙂), and then we head south to AZ for winter.  This affords me lots more golf and fly fishing time when I'm not working around the mini ranch with River, our yellow lab.



I really love the game and work at getting better at it.  That said, having gone through a period in my early 20's where I went through a swing change, got completely frustrated, and was no longer enjoying just playing, I now try not to take things too seriously.  I'm currently at a 12 handicap and while I really want to once again break 10 simply refuse to allow the journey to become a millstone.  
Overall, my putting has been a pretty average part of my game - neither a major impediment or advantage.  I have been wielding a PING B61 since 1987 when I used the $100 gift certificate from a company tournament to purchase it from the pro shop.  That "fitting" was all of about 15 minutes of me picking through and rolling stuff of the rack and, though I occasionally tested other putters over the years, none ever proved to be worth the investment.  For those who have come to know me through the forum, I tend to be a bit data driven, fuss the details, and labor over equipment decisions 😄.
As part of my bag fitting this past winter at TrueSpec Scottsdale, I had a "proper" putter fitting.  On the short list of performers was the Evnroll ER5.  I held off on procuring one as I was also fitted for and purchased a set of Srixon ZX5's with composite shafts.  So imagine my excitement when I saw the "Evnroll Putter Testers Wanted" announcement 😲.... and then the "Testers Selected" announcement.

First Impressions
To be quite honest, I've always had a rather not so enamored reaction to the large MOI, mallet and semi mallet design putters.  Like the move from my McGregor persimmon driver to my first Great Big Bertha to my current G410, the traditionalist in me has me feeling dubious and the suspicious part of me thinking I'm just falling for slick, without substance, marketing.  But, I watch a lot of tour golf and it's quite clear that these newer design/technology flat sticks are heavily favored.
The ER5v is a mallet design but of a smaller overall size envelope.  It is subtle as compared to a number of the more wild looking design profiles on the market.  To my eye, that is a positive.  I chose their "midsize pistol grip" as it is similar to the stock PING grip I've been using for so long.  It looks and feels very nice and, although a bit larger, should be an easy adjustment.


The quality of machining is top shelf and I really like the way it looks at set-up position.  The two alignment dots on the ridge and alignment line are also similar to my B61 and that too should help make the change pretty seamless.

As for the head cover, WOW, a thing of beauty and something brand new for me.  I have never had a head cover for a putter.  These are very well made, fit like a glove, and the magnetic latch is solid. I requested a black cover simply because I was afraid of a white one getting soiled. But now having it in hand, I'm happy they sent the white one.

I spent about 2 hours this morning on the practice green just getting the feel of the putter before delving into comparative testing. My initial impression is that it feels quite different than my PING, slightly heavier, and definitely more solid on contact.  The B61 is 351g and the ER5V 380g.  One would not think 29g difference would be that perceptible but is most definitely is.  
Some of you may know that I just recently changed to a left hand low grip and it has been proving very beneficial - particularly on putts 5 feet and closer.  I felt like I was not losing any gains from those distances.  Lags from 30 feet took a little more time to dial in but, by the end of the session, felt comparable to my PING.  
 

PXL_20210717_180656423.20210717_120740.mp4 So now onto the "meat and potatoes" that is the biggest aspect of Evnroll putters... "Sweet Face Technology". Guerin Rife's patented, novel design of variable spaced face grooves aimed at zero dispersion. The key being that the entire putter face is the "sweet spot" as opposed to the competition having a small, centered sweet spot. Like the other testers, I'm very intrigued by the design and claims, and want to put this to the test.


I'm planning to use the current MGS Putter Testing protocol as part of my review https://mygolfspy.com/how-we-test-putters/, but with some slight modifications.  I'll share the details of that in upcoming posts.  If you have any ideas about testing or questions about the putter, please let me know.
This is going to be a fun test and I sure hope many of you will follow along as the four of us put these latest Evnroll putters to the test. 


 
 

 
Evnroll ER5v / Stage Two Review / by FIXYURDIVOT
This has been a really fun review to do and I once again want to say Thank You to the folks at Evnroll and My Golf Spy for the opportunity!  Hopefully I have sufficiently done my part in providing a thorough review and in adding meaningful content to the ever growing library of product tests/reviews.  I can say first hand that these reviews have become my "go to" source when wanting to get the scoop on new and old gear.  Having candid feedback and scoring from peers is way more valuable to me than most all other sources.  So here goes... lets add yet another one to the MGS vault 👍.

Putters are truly, as so many state, such a personal and unique club within our bags.  They come in a seemingly endless mix of designs - from the completely esoteric to the mundane. They are the single most used arrow in the quiver and responsible for roughly 35% of most average amateur scores.  
Personally, it is a club I payed very little attention too over my 55 years of play and, although I occasionally grabbed one in a pro shop to test out, never felt any would offer an advantage to my 30+ years in the bag PING B61.  Hey, I'm used to it, and if I want to get better at putting, it will be 90% technique and 10% putter... or so I thought.
As it happened, I recently committed to a Left Hand Low grip while playing with some fellow spies at this years PNW Spy Meet-up.  I had briefly tried using this a couple years earlier but it felt weird and I gave up on it. This time I was able to get past the awkward stage and get to where it feels "normal", and I'm seeing some improvement.  Most importantly being my starting line and secondary make percentage on short putts.  So, the timing of this test opportunity, combined with the fact that the ER5v ended up the putter of choice from my True Spec fitting was simply awesome!
If you've been following my Stage One and the test thread discussions, you'll know that I had two key tests I wanted to complete as part of the performance aspect of the ER5v putter:
Strokes Gained Test Validate "Sweet Face/Zero Dispersion" Claim The Strokes Gained Test was a slightly modified version of MGS's Putter Testing Method. Where they test SG between various testers, I simply compared my B61 to the ER5v.  I also revised how putts were made from the 5, 10, and 20 foot distances.  Instead of repeating a series of putts from one location, I arranged a wagon-wheel spoke pattern around the hole.

The test consisted of (5) putts around hole, from all three distances, (5) times - for a total of 75 putts.  Each putt not holed was putted out and total strokes counted for each ball rolled.  This data was entered into a spreadsheet and, using the provided calculations, yielded the following results.

The Validate "Sweet Face/Zero Dispersion" claim consisted of trying to replicate robot putter test results with heel, center, and toe strikes.  The basis of Evnroll's "zero dispersion" is that the milled groove pattern is of such design that, regardless of whether you contact the putter face, balls struck in the same manner (face path and force) will rollout to the same distance.  Hey, that is some heady stuff right there - a very bold claim. I don't know about you, but a putter that keeps my off center hits from diverging away from the target is definitely of interest.

To test this, I putted balls from a single spot at a distance of 20 feet. My gut told me the effect (if there indeed was one) would be easier to see on long putts. I recorded how putts ended up; short, long, left and right of the hole. I added line marks on the top rail for the heel and toe hits.  These were the results of that testing.

Testing Summary
Clearly the Strokes Gained test indicates improved performance over the B61.  In particular is the gain on the 5 foot putts.  A potential of nearly 1.7 stroke per round would be very welcomed.  With all other aspects of my game kept in current form, this alone might finally get me to my 10 handicap goal!  To really validate this, one or two more repetitions of the 75 putt test should be done... but I like what I see thus far.  If you really want to compare some putters against your "Billy Baroo", I highly recommend using this SG analysis.
As for the "Sweet Face/No Dispersion test, it was much less revealing.  I think it is simply too difficult to repeatedly control face path and impact force to the degree necessary to validate rollout distance and dispersion.  I used the B61 as a comparison point since it has no grooves at all. I tested both in the house on short/dense pile carpet and on the practice green.  Overall, I could make a weak case for the ER5v offering better dispersion and more consistent rollout. I will say that toe hits on the ER5v did seem to move back from right to left - the reasons for this are discussed in an independent lab, robot putt test using the ER1.  Regrettably, I'm going to have to rely on this labs and Guerin Rife's robot putting tests for this claim... but I do believe there is benefit.

PXL_20210806_183310324.mp4 Scoring
Looks (8/10)
The ER5v is, IMO, an eye grabber.  It strikes a very good balance of bling and subtlety. The mallet style head has the tell-tale wings which are inherent of high MOI putters but it has a streamline look and far from the Marvel comics, exotic winged designs some have within its design group. The quality of machining is top shelf and the distinctive red Evnroll logo on the face looks perfect.  The black color/red end cap midsize pistol grip I chose is of very good quality and has a slightly soft feel.  Having tried several of the SuperStroke type grips, I find this a nice compromise to those and the stock PING pistol grip - definitely larger but no overly so. 
The headcover is very nice looking, well made, and fits perfect.  It's hidden magnet closure makes opening and closing easy.  Not ever having had a putter headcover, I feel like "I've arrived" 😆.

My only reduction in score comes from the back portion alignment mark.  First that the paint fill is a wee bit inconsistent, and second, that it is black color.  The top rail has no line but rather two unfilled/painted dots.  I think these would be much more helpful if filled with white paint and perhaps allowing the customer to choose the alignment mark paint fill color (black, white or ??).  To be fair, Evnroll's on-line order form does allow upcharge addition of a top rail align mark, no marks top or back, and color fill options. But they should, IMO, offer choice of fill or no fill and color, on the stock dots and hatch section line, as the no upcharge options.

Sound & Feel (10/10)
I would describe the sound of the ER5v as a moderate tick - definitely not ringy or loud.  Unfortunately I have very little experience with other putters to compare it too and to be fair, club sound is not an overly important factor to me.  I don't notice any difference when hitting across various places on the face - center strikes, toe and heel strikes sound the same.  My apologies but this is one characteristic I'm not able to offer much help with. Here is a recording of what it sounds like.

PXL_20210728_193211104.mp4 As for feel, that is much more important to me and I would describe this putter as solid and authoritative. The 380g head weight is quite a change from the B61 (351g) but I do like that added heft. Strikes feel very solid and center strikes feel different than extreme toe and heel strikes.  This is a nice attribute, especially when practicing as you get (or at least I do) a different feel in my hands.
Basic Characteristics (17/20)
I have been able to play 5 rounds and spend somewhere on the order of 6 hours on practice greens using/testing the putter.  I am finding it a bit more accurate than my current gamer and the aforementioned SG analysis confirms this. Distance control is good and it seemed I was able to very quickly adjust to it.  I feel much more confident rolling short range putts with the ER5v.  Perhaps it's the overall size envelope that evokes sense of confidence - ala the 460cc driver? The longer backend and alignment stripe seems to fit my sightline well and it's similar to my current putter.
This being a high MOI design putter, it is intended to help with face path stability and reduced twisting on off center strikes.  My True Spec fitting found this mallet and a semi-mallet style as my best fit and, based on the limited time I've used the ER5v, I feel it performs as intended.  
I find the putter to be very playable from all green slope conditions.  I recall my True Spec fitter saying my B61's loft was 5 degrees and this putter is 2 degrees (which he said is the new normal) and that I might find rolls through taller grass requiring a bit more force. A recent round had "greenskeeper woke up on the wrong side of the bed pin placements" and I'm not sure there was a flat lie within 10' of the hole on most greens but I putted just fine. As for apron and fringe rolls, the putter is adept at those as well.  I holed one from the apron and banged another off the pin from the fringe. 
On-Course Performance (26/30)
Pretty much straight away, I found a good groove with the ER5v. I thought it would take longer to adjust to such a big shift in size envelope and weight, but it did not.  Now I will say a good portion of my putting confidence has come from the LHL grip change, but rolling this putter seems to have added even more confidence.  Total putts in the 5 rounds I've played the putter have been 34, 32, 30, 34, 31.  This is pretty consistent with my numbers playing my gamer but one key difference is that I'm getting closer to and past the hole a bit more often.  This is resulting in fewer knee-knockers which the SG numbers show is my largest gain.  
Miscellaneous (10/10)
For many this may be of little importance but I love putter designs that allow you to scoop up the ball. The B61 is among the best I've ever seen/tried doing this and, having become so used to using this for over 3 decades, it's a feature I want.  At True Spec, I attempted this several times and had balls rolling every which way across the studio.  The rear "hatched out" potion of the putter certainly looks capable of this feat but I walked away from that fitting not thinking it was likely.
Much to my surprise however is that, with a little practice, the ER5v does do a pretty good job of scooping up balls.  Still not as efficient as the PING but I'm getting the hang of it and, with a little practice, should have it mastered.

PXL_20210721_211135338.mp4 One thing we have not talked about, that is a particularly cool feature of the "v" models, is the ability to swap out shafts. While the vast majority of us probably won't do so, this affords a nice modular aspect to the design.  With putter fittings becoming more common, it could prove beneficial whereby the head is optimal but a different shaft might be needed.  Much like drivers and woods, we are finding the ability to swap shafts very useful... kudos to Evnroll for adding this capability to their putters!
Play It or Trade It? (20/20)
What, not already obvious? 😆  Umm, yea, this putter is definitely staying in the bag. Simply based on the strokes gained test alone, my gut tells me it's conservatively worth a stroke/round.  For whatever reason, I feel more confident with it - particularly at close range where I tend to give away too many strokes.  Any club change takes a little time to adjust to its nuisances and I'm quite certain my performance with this putter will only improve with time.  

Conclusion
The ER5v and I just flat out "hit it off". Definitely a drastic change in design and weight from my gamer but it feels very natural in my hands - making the LHL feel more normal if that makes any sense. These putters are of top shelf quality and packed with GI technology.  While I couldn't definitively validate the "Sweet Face/No Dispersion" claims, we have seen independent tests that show it's definitely not all marketing hype.  One can argue "low vs. no dispersion" is more appropriate but regardless it does what it is designed to do - help us putt better.
Bottom line is that, if you struggle with dispersion from off center strikes and resultant inconsistent rollout distances, Guerin Rife's novel groove design will help with that.
I would not hesitate to recommend anyone looking to make a putter change/upgrade to include Evnroll among your list of candidates!
Thank You again to Evnroll and MGS for this amazing opportunity!
Final Score (91/100)

Evnroll ER5v Introduction
 Howdy! I am Corbin Jeffs from College Station, Texas, and I will be getting married in September this year.

I really appreciate Mygolfspy and Evnroll for giving me the opportunity to test the ER5v. For the last 2 years, I have managed a Commercial Driving Academy, and recently transitioned doing it for the local college. I started playing golf almost 10 years ago, and started at the same course I am now back as a member at, The Golf Club at Texas A&M. I served in the US Army, and now I volunteer to help coach the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets (future Military Officers) golf team. Although I coach more than I play, I really enjoy helping young students with the challenges of golf and as they are maturing into young adults. I have started working on my game again, my goal was to get below a 5 handicap by the end of 2021 and I have been as low as 6.6, so let’s see if this putter and the work I am going to put in on the practice green will get me there.
 
I came to Mygolfspy because of these forum reviews, mainly the Superspeed reviews, and because of the success the testers had I bought the set. It transformed my game and I improved so much. So I always will test in hopes others can make informed decisions to improve their game, as I have made in my own. In my bag, I recently added the Cobra Radspeed Driver because of the massive distance gains helping lower my spin. I am averaging over 20 yards longer over the Ping G410 LST. I have the Sim Max 3 wood, which I use primarily off the tee. The biggest change to my bag is I replaced my 3 and 4 irons with the TSi2 18* and Ping G410 22* hybrids, and I am so much more confident hitting greens from a long ways away. I have the 639 CB/MB combo set from Sub70, and they are probably what gets noticed the most in my bag. My Mizuno T20 wedges have been really solid for me this year. The final slot has been the putter I have the most confidence in that I have ever used so far, the Odyssey 2 Ball Ten S with Triple Track, so this should be a great head to head battle.

Driving and putting are the two strengths of my game, so when I was announced with this opportunity I was excited. I have always been drawn to blade style putters, but a year ago when I went through a putter fitting it was suggested I use a mallet, and I have not gone back to a blade since that day. I have used Scotty Cameron, Ping, Taylormade, and Evnroll.

Putting stroke.mp4 I have a slower tempo, with a slight arc to my stroke. I like to run my putts in with some speed on the short ones, but on longer putts I tend to leave short. My miss is typically a pull to the left. Since using the Odyssey 2 Ball, I am confident in short and mid-range putts, and honestly probably make more than I should according to my buddy. My lag putting cannot be blamed on the putter, and I have improved, but some added confidence in the longer putts would be amazing.
My first impression of the ER5v, is everything I hoped it would be, and more. I have always like this style of head shape, and but the way Evnroll cuts away from the topline into the hatchback/ fang area really frames it well at address. The nearest store that carries Evnroll for me is 90 miles, and when selected I drove there to test the different hosels, could not test it with the ER5v, because those do not stay in stock very long. For me it was between the short slant and short plumber, and I went with the short plumber’s neck. I really liked the way it sat at address, and I was more comfortable with it in my stroke. They had a perfect practice mat at the store and I was rolling putts in with ease with the short plumber’s neck. I was torn on what grip I was going to choose, and ultimately I went with the Gravity Grip. It is much bigger than what I am used to, but I did like how I felt squarer while trying the different styles. I ended up choosing the ER5v, 35 inch Short Plumber with the Gravity Grip. 




One thing Evnroll claims that I am really looking forward to testing head to head is the Sweet Face Technology. I have had the Evnroll ER2 in the bag and loved it. I am no robot, but I will do my best to test the groove technology, the 2 dot system on breaking putts, and test to the best of my ability on the distance control on off centered putts. I am also, going to put it head to head against my Odyssey 2 Ball Ten S Triple Track on distances of 5, 10, and 20 feet and keep track of my make percentages and 3 putts from those distances. I will also, using my Puttout Gates, and I have a yard stick and see which one will stay on line better. To earn a spot in my bag will be tough over the 2 Ball Ten, it has been really good for me. Although, if the ER5v can limit my 3 putts, and if it can somehow find a way to hole more putts I will gladly put it in the bag. If you have any other requests of what you would like to see tested just let me know. I am really looking forward to this test! 
 
STAGE TWO- EVNROLL V- SERIES PUTTER
OFFICIAL REVIEW BY CJEFFS12
 
Intro-
Let me start off by saying this was by far the most fun and work I have done in a review so far.  I spent a lot of hot, sweaty humid days down here in Texas, on the Golf Club at Texas A&M’s practice greens.  With that said I am so appreciative of this opportunity to have tested the Evnroll ER5v with short Plumbers Neck.  I kept track of the numbers from distances of 5,10, and 20 feet from 5 spots around a hole. I also, tested it on a ruler to check on how it does staying on my target line, and I also tested to the best of my ability strike location and the groove technology. I also kept track of how many putts I had per round as I played.

LOOKS (10 out of 10)-
I went with the ER5v which is the Hatchback model, or fang style, and this is by far my favorite looking putter. One thing that really stands with the Evnroll over other heads I have seen in this style, is how defined the lines are on the head. It looks like it is carved, not just one flowing piece. With the topline cut in a way that where they cut down the fangs, and it looks like two separate parts. This really helped me with alignment because it is a square bar, and made it easy to know when it was square at address. Another great feature was the back cutout was the moon shape between the tip of the fangs. It created an almost mirror effect with the golf ball to aide in center strike and setup. I really like the way that the head sits with regards to the hosel, it just really looked proper to my eye. The fangs were a good length, not too long like some I have seen, and with the inside part was cut in straight lines and defined it created an almost railroad effect. The two lines would create parallel lines along my target line, which helped me aim. The defined lines that make this putter look so amazing, make aligning and aiming this putter so easy.

SOUND AND FEEL (6 out of 10)-
For the last year I have had an insert putter, and maybe more muted sounding. The Envroll was very tingy sounding, almost like I was putting with a tin can or can of soup. I thought it was because I was using a firm golf ball, Pro V1x, so I bought some Pro V1, and it was the same. I do feel the sweet spot strikes were a bit better sounding than off center strikes.  It is not offensive to me, but sounds is the hardest thing for me to explain due to my reduced hearing in my left ear. The feel for me was just as I like, solid. I never felt like I had any balls jump off the face, and I could easily tell where I struck on the face. This was every evident when I did the strike test, and never once did I have a question when I was getting the toe and heel strikes.  When I did hit one off center I could tell where on the face I struck it, but I did not feel like the putter face would twist. It was very stable, and very forgiving, which is where The ER5v really stood out when it comes to my putting numbers, and how confident I would become with this putter. There was one round I felt like every putt was going to fall even on my dreaded downhill right breaking putts.  
 
BASIC CHARACTERISTICS (19 out of 20)-
I said in my introduction, that I thought it was going to be hard to beat the Odyssey 2 Ball Ten S with Triple Track, as it is a really good putter for me. Yet, the Evnroll ER5v, is an outstanding putter for me. When it comes to accuracy, throughout the week at night, I will putt on my mat and put down a 4 foot ruler to check start line and if I can roll it straight. I kept track of 100 putts and with the Evnroll I had made it all the way off on 96, and with the Odyssey I made it all the way off on 92. I also, track of 100 putts from 5 spots around a hole from 5 10 and 20 feet. I kept track of make percentage, number of 3 putts from each distance, I also include PGA make percent just so I can keep myself in check. Obviously I am on a putting green, but before I saw these stats I really thought they made way more than the average. Here was my results…
 
EVNROLL TESTING TRACKER
DISTANCE
MAKE
ATTEMPT
PERCENT MADE
PGA MAKE %
3 PUTTS
5 FOOT
84
100
84%
80%
0
10 FOOT
41
100
41%
41%
0
20 FOOT
12
100
12%
13%
1
ODYSSEY 2 BALL TEN TRIPLE TRACK S
DISTANCE
MAKE
ATTEMPT
PERCENT MADE
PGA MAKE %
3 PUTTS
5 FOOT
77
100
77%
80%
0
10 FOOT
33
100
33%
41%
0
20 FOOT
9
100
9%
13%
6
                         
There were several days where I felt like I couldn’t miss with the Evnroll from 5 feet. To me where the Evnroll really stood out to me was at 20 feet, and how consistently close my balls were finishing to the hole compared to the 2 Ball Ten. It shows in the number of 3 putts I had with the 2 ball compare to the Er5v. I really had to grind on some putts coming back with the 2 Ball Ten, but with the Er5v I had so many tap ins or inside 3 feet putts I hardly stressed when I was on the 20 footers with it. Which leads me to the Strike/ Groove Technology test between the two models. I was torn on how I wanted to test the strike test, Evnroll has a great video of robot testing and how well the groove technology works. I am far from a robot, and if this technology was going to work it needs to work on my free swing. So, I would address putts out the middle, off the toe and off the heel. I was surprised on how difficult it was to purposely miss-hit it a putt.
CENTER STRIKE TEST EVNROLL

ODYSSEY CNETER STRIKE TEST

EVNROLL TOE STRIKE TEST

ODYSSEY TOE STRIKE TEST

EVNROLL HEEL STRIKE TEST 

ODYSSEY HEEL STRIKE TEST

On the miss-hits is where I noticed the Evnroll shined and the Odyssey struggled. Even on miss hits the Evnroll would tend to be inside the length of the putter, but for the 2 Ball Ten S there would be atleast one per group that would finish outside the length of the putter. I used the Evnroll every time so show a consistent representation for distance around the hole. This confirms what I was seeing from the 20 foot test, and how well I was able to not 3 putt with the Evnroll due to it really holding its line and consistently finishing around the hole.
ON COURSE PERFORMANCE (28 out of 30)-
I was able to get the ER5v, out on the course quite a bit. At first, I was not sure if I wanted to take a wedge out of the bag and still bring the 2 Ball Ten S out as well. I did not, I only took the ER5v, and it never came out the bag since. In my 20 rounds before the ER5v, I was averaging 34.1 putts per round, in the rounds I had with the ER5v I averaged 31.6. I even had one round with no 3 putts!! I found that I could be more aggressive with my lines and speed, which in turn helped me sink more putts especially in key moments of my matches with my buddies. The ER5v, even helped me sink a huge birdie putt to win a match. It was so good one day, my buddies laughed about not allowing the ER5v in our money matches. Where I struggled at first with the Er5v, was putts on the fringe. Yes, I am from Texas, but I don’t use the Texas wedge all that often. I wanted to use the putter as often as I could, and in as many situations as I could. I had a 20 foot putt for eagle, with the first 5 feet through the fringe, and I embarrassingly left it well short. I noticed that I had to hit it noticeably more firm when on the fringe, and I improved a lot with those shots after that moment. I think it is because it starts rolling on the ground almost instantly, and I practiced it more after that putt. It was a learning moment, and now I have a new shot to use on the course. Overall, this putter has saved me 3 shots a round on the green, and it is very surprising due to my horrendous ball striking during this test, and I will keep posting as I get more rounds under the belt. I am very optimistic as I am working with the pro on my ball striking, that my handicap will go down. Swing changes are hard lol. When asked about how my impressions on Evnroll, and my opinion on the direction they should go moving forward, I would say I am impressed. I have used Evnroll before, but I did not get along with a face balanced model. I hope they will never go away from the groove technology, nor the added hosels of the V-series. They are game changers, and I do believe I will be an Evnroll customer as long as this continues.
 
MISCELLANEOUS (7 out of 10)-
There was some confusion at the beginning on how the ordering was going to happen, but once we placed the order, my putter came in quickly. I really like the quality of the headcover, it is a really soft leather, but more importantly it stays on. With other putter covers the magnet or Velcro would not hold and I would lose it. I haven’t had that issue at all. Another thing is the Gravity grip, I really like the idea behind it, but find it too big. I would wonder if they could make a similar shape but a little more narrow. The ER5v really caught the eye of the Pro at my course, and would always come by and roll some putts with it, and my playing partners always hated to see it in the bag, so that’s how I know it is good.
 
PLAY IT OR TRADE IT (20 out of 20)-
This has been in my bag since I received it, and it is staying there. I may dabble with trying a different putter grip, but it is staying in the bag. Being confident on putts inside 10 feet that I feel will go in the hole, and not worrying about 3 putting as much is huge for my game. I think anyone who miss hit putts should really look into this putter.
CONCLUSION-
I am really thankful for the opportunity of testing the Evnroll ER5v, I put a lot of hours on the practice green to get the data for this test. I tested it alongside my Odyssey 2 Ball Ten S with triple track, and saw improvements from 5 10 and 20 feet. On the course I was 3 putts better a round on average, and one round with no 3 putts. I could see a difference in my lag putting with the Evnroll ER5v. I really like the looks, and this may well be my favorite putter, so I can easily overlook the sound of the putter. I will continue to put the groove technology to the test, and keep practicing these distances so see how the numbers hold up over time. If anyone wants a forgiving putter, or struggles with 3 putting, I really believe they should give the Evnroll a try!
FINAL SCORE: 90/100  
 

I would like to thank My Golf Spy and Evnroll for the opportunity to be a tester for one of the new V series putters.  I will be testing a 34” Evnroll ER11v with the long plumber neck. I have a slight arc to my putting stroke.  I have been an off and on golfer since my mid-20s, after getting out of the Army in the late 80s. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and grew up across the street from a golf course, but I never played the game as a kid. I once came home from school to find a broken bedroom window and a golf ball on my bed. That golf course was Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica, CA. It was designed by Alister MacKenzie. The first course I ever played a full 18 holes on though was Harding Park. That was well before it was managed by the Arnold Palmer Company and before it became a TPC site.

My professional life started in the US Army where I was trained to maintain and repair medical equipment. I got out of the army and joined a medical imaging equipment manufacturer where I worked for 31 years. That company had moved me all over the U.S. My first move took me from California to Connecticut for several years. It was in CT that I recorded my one and only eagle. It was in league play, and it was a pitch in on a par 5 on the 9th hole at Grassy Hills Country Club in Orange, CT. Work then moved back across country to the Seattle area. There were several courses I enjoyed playing in Washington. Walter Hall in Everett, WA was my home course. In 2018, my wife and I moved cross country again to be closer to family. This time to Central New York, just outside of Syracuse. In 2019 my job changed and joined the ranks of semi-retirement which now allows me more regular golf, weather permitting as I am fair weather golfer.
My current home course is Radisson Greens in Baldwinsville, NY. It is an 18-hole par 72 course at 6360 yards from the white tees. The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. I purchased a Monday through Thursday membership there this year and I get out a couple of times a week weather permitting. The course is very challenging, but I love the layout. It is tree lined and tight in spots. I do have an uncanny knack for finding trees especially on hole number 5 and water on hole number 3.
I do not have a handicap, other than my swing. I generally shoot around 100. Most recently I have seen improvements in my putting and wedge play. My real struggle has been off the tee. The “How’d You Play” section of the forum has me looking at my game more closely. Reading the posts of others has inspired me to pay more attention to all aspects of my game.
I play golf because I enjoy being out walking the course and if good scores come than it is a bonus. I also am an equipment junkie. I remember reading Golf Equipment Magazine (one of those paper things that was out before the internet 😄). If I had the means, I would probably be a putter collector. I just love the aesthetics of good golf equipment design which explains why I installed BB&F Co. Valentina ferrules on my irons. I also have a small collection of third party designed headcovers, mostly Rose & Fire with a couple of Scotty Cameron’s thrown in for good measure.

On the equipment front, my first set of clubs was a Wilson box set with wooden woods. From there my bag make up has changed but my woods have seen the most changes. I have rotated through a lot of TaylorMade Divers and fairway woods, but I eventually switched to Ping. My Ping G400 Max was the first time I was fitted for a club, and I have yet to find a reason to change it. My iron history is small starting with Dunlop DDH II, TaylorMade Super Steel, Ping G25 (I won these through work) which brings me to my current set of PXG 0211. The PXG clubs entered my bag mostly because of price. The For Heroes Program PXG offers was just too good of a deal to pass up. The PXG 0341 3 wood is the best performing 3 wood I have ever had in my bag. My wedges have either been Cleveland or Callaway. My putter history was primarily Anser style putters. They include two TaylorMade putters the last being the Rossa Daytona 1. I gamed Odyssey Metal X Milled #2 but I did not like the feel of it. It was a My Golf Spy review and Most Wanted win that led me to trying Evnroll putters for the first time. I ended up with a mallet putter for the first time when I purchased the ER7. I was initial attract to the idea of a higher MOI putter but really like the feel and consistency of the roll the ER7 gave me. I am also a member of the “Pushcart Mafia” with a Clicgear 3.5+ pushcart.
What’s in my bag?

Bag: TaylorMade Supreme Hybrid Stand Bag
Driver: Ping G400 Max 10.5°
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 5.5
Grip: Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 Teams
3 Wood: PXG Gen 1 0341 15°
Shaft: Project X EvenFlow Blue 5.5
Grip: Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 Teams
Utility: New Level Golf 18° Utility Iron
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kura Kage Black 70IR S-Flex
Hybrid: Ping G30 19°
Shaft: Ping TFC 419H Regular Flex
Grip: Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 Teams
Ping G410 Crossover 4
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei Blue Regular Flex
Grip: Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 Teams
Irons: PXG 0211 5 – GW
Shafts: True Temper Elevate 95 w/VSS Regular Flex
Grip: PXG Lamkin Z5
Wedge: Callaway Mack Daddy CB 54°/14° W Grind 
Shafts: KBS 105 Hi Rev 2.0 Wedge Flex
Grip: Callaway Golf Pride SG-1
Putter:  Evnroll ER7 34”
Grip: Evnroll non-taper 1.2
Pushcart:
Clicgear 3.5+
Rangefinder:
Mileseey PF210
Bushnell NEO Ion GPS watch
Ball:
Kirkland Signature 3 piece
 
July 14, 2021 - First Taste
I ventured out to the practice green at a local course, Hickory Hill, for my first putts out of my basement with the ER11v. I also brought my current gamer, ER7,  to do some quick comparisons.

I putted a bit to get a feel for the green then proceeded to using the Strokes Gained Putting system developed by Columbia Business School professor, Mark Broadie for MGS. Initial impressions. I prefer the look of alignment aids on the ER11v over the ER7. I prefer the sound and feel of the ER7. As for the strokes gained numbers, that will have to wait. 
 
I will be taking the ER11v out for round tomorrow. More to come
July 15, 2021 - First Time on the Course
The putter performed really well for me for the first time out. I played a quick 9 and was most pleased. I had four 1 putts, including a 15 footer on number 9. There was only one disaster hole. I would attribute that to operator error. I total misread and I pulled the putt to boot. I ordered a Joby Gorilla Pod to take videos on the course which will arrive on July 16th. 

 
Not gonna lie. I love the way this putter looks.
 
Stage Two – Evnroll V Series Putters – Official MGS Forum Review by @MattWillGolf
 
Intro
I tested this putter on the course, on a PuttOUT mat in my basement and on the practice green. On the practice green I used the Strokes Gained Putting system developed by Columbia Business School professor, Mark Broadie. I did this over several sessions on the green to compare the ER11v with my current gamer, the ER7. Both putters are 34-inch mallets having a high MOI. The ER11v head weighs 365 grams and the ER7 is 370 grams.
Looks (10 out of 10 points) 
The putter I tested was a 34” ER11v. It is a mallet putter with a long putter neck designed for a putting stroke with a slight arc. I found the graphics to add to the shelf appeal. I really liked the black head with silver weights. The design is very clean at address. I found the alignment aids, a single dot and 2 lines along the length of head to be complementary and really focused me at address. The rear of the putter is slightly framed at address. I am very pleased with the design. The black anodized head, simple neck, black shaft, and black Tour Tac Grip really come together to make a putter that for me inspired confidence. The putter’s appearance is what initially attracted me to choosing this putter. I like the looks much better than my current putter. As I have had this putter in my bag, I am noticing some wear marks on the anodized black finish. I generally remove the putter cover on the first green and store during the round.
 Sound & Feel (9 out of 10 points)
 The ER11v “feels” sharper at contact and the sound is something I would describe as crisp. It reminds if a rap of the knuckle on a very solid wooden door. There is a noticeable difference when compared to my ER7. I prefer the sound of the ER7. But honestly if I didn’t have the ER7 to compare it too I would probably give the score here a 10. I conducted a feel test between the 2 putters. I donned a pair of noise canceling headphones and turned up the volume and played R.E.M.’s Eponymous album. Then proceed to hit a series of putts. I could detect no difference in feel. So, for me the only difference is sound. I won’t label the sound of the ER11v as bad. I simply prefer the softer sound of the ER7. This is chalk up to the 303 stainless steel vs. anodized 6061 aluminum. I thought the sound would bother me a little more on the course but when the putts started falling, I forgot about the sound. This putter has far better than sound and feel than one of my previous putters, the Odyssey Metal X Milled #2.
 Basic Characteristics (20 out of 20 points)
 I gave the ER11v a workout on my PuttOUT mat. I found little difficulty with distance control and accuracy. This putter as with my ER7 are very stable. I also found that the alignment lines on the putter were great help in keeping the putter on path. I used Craftsman Laser as an alignment line as well as the lines on the putting mat. On the course I still have issues reading putts and there is nothing a putter can do to help that, but I can say that on the course putts go where directed. The size of the head gives me confidence in sing the putter from the fringe or out of the rough. The putter’s forgiveness is excellent as it is with my ER7. The “Sweet Face” Technology was something I wanted test a bit further, so I performed a mini strokes gained test at 3 points on the face. Instead of comparing putters I compared face positions. I called them “Left”, “Center”, and “Right”. I used the alignment aids as centering for each segment of the face. The center of the face offered 2.4 stokes gained over the left and center positions. Take that for what its worth given my putting skills. The TourTac Grip feels nice, and it appears to be a bit smaller than the grip on my ER7.

 
 
On-Course Performance (30 out of 30 points)
 When I was selected to do this test, I started keeping putting stats as I played each round before receiving the ER11v for testing. I generally play 9 holes a couple of times a week. With rounds leading up to testing I got on the course 8 times, and I averaged 16.875 putts per nine holes. With the test ER11v I was only able to get out 6 times with my back acting up. For those six rounds I averaged 16.667 putts per round. I honestly didn’t expect a great deal of difference between the two Evnroll putters. But I can report that on the course I did make more longer putts with the ER11v. The one putt that really stood out was one from the fringe that was over 30 feet. The looks of the ER11v inspired confidence. I often use a putter when close to the green from rough depending on the lie.
 I performed the Strokes Gained Test on four different occasions on two different practice greens in my area. As the test is described I putted out five times each from 5 feet, 10 feet, and 20 feet with both the Evnroll ER7 and ER11v.  
 With testing I found that my overall average for the two putters from 5 feet 1.55 putts, from 10 feet was 1.7 putts and from 20 feet was 2.05 putts. For the same distances the ER7 averaged 1.6 putts at 5 ft., 1.7 putts at 10 feet and 2.1 putts at 20 feet. The ER11v averaged 1.5 putts at 5ft, 1.7 putts at 10 and 2.0 putts at 20 feet. For 18 holes the Strokes Gained Potential was 1.2 strokes in favor of the ER11v.
 
Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points)
The design of the putter had an added feature that I disregarded at first but found it to be most useful on the practice green. This feature will be greatly appreciated by those of us afflicted with less than perfect backs. The ER11v has a circular cut out perfect for retrieving balls off the green. The packaging was simple and my putter arrived safely. Maybe a bit more packaging to keep the club more secure would be nice. My point of reference is PXG and Callaway. I really like the design of the ER11 V Series head cover, but I do miss the ball marker that was part of the ER7 head cover. The ER11 head cover mimics the looks of the putter down to the silver embroidery that mimics the putter’s weights. The magnetic closure works well, and the lining is nice and soft. This cover will cause me to put my 3rd party Velcro head cover in the drawer as I have gotten so used to the magnetic closure. My area of concern though is with the durability of the anodized finish as I am starting to see some wear marks on some of corners and edges.

  

 
Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20 points)
 I will keep this simple. This putter is staying in my bag. It will be replacing my ER7. This checks all the boxes on the course. The looks and feel inspire confidence. I have sunk the longest putts I have ever sunk with this putter. I use it from the fringe and rough depending on the lie. The mass of the putter gives the confidence to get through the ball. The only issues I have on the greens are not from the putter but are with my greens reading ability. This putter goes where its aimed. Given the neck options offered by Evnroll, there is version of the ER11v for any stroke arc. And they offer an arm lock version as well. I was sold on the face technology long before this putter arrived. If you prefer a mallet then this one is highly recommended.  
 Conclusion
Thanks to My Golf Spy for this opportunity. It was fun to try something new and get a bit out of my comfort zone. Thanks to my fellow testers for your posts that planted seeds in my head on the test process as it was my first. @fixyurdivot for the example of the strokes gained table. I was struggling with how to get that across in my review. And thanks Evnroll for such a great putter to test. Well before this test was announced the ER11v caught my eye. And from my perspective it met all my expectations. This was a difficult comparison in that I was sold on the Evnroll “Sweet Face” technology with my ER7 going into this test. Both putters are mallets and the only differentiator for me was looks. I do like that the V Series has multiple neck options that support virtually any putting stroke. Evnroll now offers custom paint fill as a purchasable option. I must say I would have enjoyed putting a personal touch on my putter with some orange replacing the red. I am a San Francisco Giants fan after all 😊. If you are in the market for a new putter Evnroll needs to be on your short list. And if you want a high MOI mallet then the ER11v should be at the top meriting a look.
 
Final Score: 97 out of 100
Update 9/12/2021
I decided to switch back to my Evnroll ER7. I believe in the Sweet Face Technology but this was purely because of the sound. The firm, crisp, click just threw me off. I played my first 9 hole round today since switching back and recorded 14 putts over the 9 holes with 2 one putts and the rest were 2 putts with zero 3 putts this included a chip in for par on the first hole. 🙂  
Update 2/12/2022
The winter months have me putting in the basement. I broke the ER11v again. It’s been rolling really well and I’m not as put off by the sound. I definitely like alignment aids on the back of the mallet. Which begs the question, how often to golfers switch between putters?
 

Intro:
I am Robert Jason, 67 years young, have played golf since early teen years, and have had numerous lessons over the years. My driver swing speed measured as 99 mph this spring, and my swing style, is wide arc, with quick transition from the top, similar to Nick Price. One important thing to note for me is that I am a left-handed person who plays most sports right-handed, so in golf, I typically have a strong left handed grip, and shot shape is typically a small draw, or big hook if I get too aggressive.
Initial Thoughts on Sub 70:
It was great to be selected for this test, as the club promised "anti-left" so common in hybrids from other OEM's. The club arrived with extra goodies thrown in, and a very nice personalized touch added by Sub 70.
The club is not the brightest, most colorful club on the market, and I appreciate that immensely! It should be about performance more than colors or looks.
 
Looks, Sound, Feel:
I thoroughly liked the look of this hybrid, the head shape really made the club visually appealing to my eyes at set-up in my opinion. The clean and minimalistic design is smooth and is practically distraction-less. The sound of this club was solid as well, no annoying ping noise. You can definitely tell when it is struck well and when are you off-center. The feedback of sound and feel is helpful and I could tell how well I hit it before even seeing the ball flight.
 
Trajectory & Distance:
The overall trajectory of shots hit with this club initially were for me, low to mid trajectory bullets. I did change the weights in the head, moved the heaviest weight to the center, and put a lighter weight in the toe, and it raised the trajectory up and increased launch as well. That made it easier to feel confident that shots into a green would hold the green and not release over it. I also was getting good distance out of this club; it flew almost as long as my 3 wood from both the tee and the grass. This presented me with a challenge for the top of the bag gapping, but I could carry this hybrid and add a 3 iron into my bag to eliminate that. For me at this time, it almost is too long to add to my bag with a 15 degree 3 wood included.
 
Forgiveness:
This is where I think the individual would be best testing this hybrid before making the purchase. Designated as a "player's hybrid" it is equal too the Titleist 818 I have played before as far as forgiveness goes, but I am certain that there are OEM's marketing hybrids to higher handicapper players that may offer more forgiveness. I haven't had any experience with the models designed to be more forgiving, so really do not want to make comments which may not be accurate. Additionally, this club is definitely an anti-left setup as claimed by SUB70, I really could not create too big of a draw with this club.
 
Workability & Adjustability:
I found that I was able to hit this club relatively straight or with a little bit of a fade, if I manipulated my grip to get the ball to land "softer" with that shot shape. I can say that this club would be very workable for the better player. There is also plenty of adjustability available for this club including a set of head weights to alter the weight in the toe of the club.
 
Accuracy:
I found it fairly easy to hit straight, accurate shots with this club. The accuracy was better than that of my current gamer as it eliminated the big left miss for me. I also let a friend try this club while we were playing, he seems to fight the dreaded slice with his misses, and he too did not seem to have major issues with his accuracy either, but it may also be that this head shaft combination fit him better than what he currently had in his bag?
 
On-Course Performance:
I was not able to get the club out onto the course as much as I wanted too., I played five rounds with this club and I tried to use it as much as I could. I played it from the tees on all the holes except the par 3's three rounds exclusively, and for second shots on the par 5s. I found the turf interaction to be smooth and I really had no fear of hitting any shots heavy. It was just as easy to hit from the fairways, as well as light rough.
One thing to note, is due to my crazy, long work hours, I spent quite a bit of time at the range with this club too, and that not only built confidence heading to the course, the results from the range and course were very similar.
 
Play It or Trade It?
For now I think I will be putting it in the bag to experiment with a driver / hybrid / 3 iron set-up. I also could put the 3 wood back in the bag, and use the hybrid in place of the 3 iron, just would need to work on my distance control and gaps before doing so.
For anyone who fights the dreaded hooks with a hybrid, this club meets or exceeds expectations. It will give you the results of your swing with some forgiveness. 
 
Thank you again to MGS for this opportunity, and if anyone has any additional questions, feel free to ask either in the topic or by message, and I will gladly try to answer them.

Sub70 949x Pro Hybrid
Intro
Hi there everyone!  I am Alex Williams (@LakeErieGolfer) and this is my review of the Sub70 949x Pro Hybrid.  I am 30 years old, living in Northern Ohio.  
·         I am generally a very feel based player.  I was resistant to buying a rangefinder for a while, and I still wish I could get it in 5 yard increments (rounded down).  I have only had a handful of lessons, back before college so around 13 years ago.  Self taught draw, which is probably why my miss is aggressively left.
·         Handicap is a 5 right now and has been for a couple years.  I have never shot under par, only been even one time.  
·         My swing speed for my driver clocks in around 105.  My general tempo is “quick”.  I have a tendency to not finish the backswing, and then have to try and save it on the downswing with my hands and it results in a left miss hook. 
·         Ball flight is high, miss is left.  
·         Strengths of my game are driving, long irons, short game.  Weaknesses are wedges and woods.  
·         Current gamer is a Rocketballz 3 Iron hybrid from a long time ago.  I was not fit.  Too much draw bias in it. 
·         I like hybrids anywhere on the course.  Getting a little more juice on punchouts, fairway finders, par 5 approaches.  
·         I LOVE taking aggressive lines.  Let me go over the trees blind anytime.  Future me will deal with the fallout later. 
·         I can usually get home on at least half of the par 5s on a course.  Unless there is a hazard or a huge fairway bunker guarding, I will try and get it inside 50 yards and deal with the pitch shot. 
·         I usually come into par 4s with and 8 or 9 iron. 

First Impressions
From Sub70- “dislike about hybrids is the inability to easily shape shots with them, and the tendency for stronger players to over draw them.”
This is the main reason I was drawn into this club.  I have been looking for a hybrid that is neutral for years now.  
From Sub70- “the face angle is factory set at 1 degree open and a weight port has been added to the toe of the club
This is great for someone like me.  With my old hybrid my miss was a 30 yard hook, it spun so much and was draw-biased.  My current setup with the 949x is the 10g weight in the sole and the 7.5g weight in the toe and with my normal swing it goes straight, maybe a slight draw.  Which is good by me.  
Other things I was interested to compare were the launch and spin.  Rbz would launch high generally and be spinny, so into the wind it had a tendency to balloon, which anytime it was into the wind it would die and with the wind it would 
I have spent 3 range sessions with this club so far and about 5 rounds.  Probably hit it 2-5 times each round and a lot on the range.  As I have gotten used to the hybrid more its definitely worked its way into my game instead of out of it.  
One thing I have gotten out of this is an appreciation for shafts.  This is the first time trying a DTC brand and also my first non-stock shaft and I like the initial build of this club.  Having the option to get my grip, Golf Pride New Decade MCC, onto this to match my other clubs has been a nice little touch.  

Looks  ★★★★★
General Shape:  The shape is great, on both the top and sole.  Its sharp, and I like that its smaller and more compact.  I love hitting my long irons and like my woods less, so having it lean towards an iron is preferable to me. 
Graphics: Sub70 definitely keeps it lowkey with their graphics.  Simple.  I don’t need anything on the top.  The shiny coating on top comes clean with a wipe of the towel so no water marks. 
The overall look of this is great.  It does the job and isn’t too flashy about it.  I am coming from a white crowned club, so this is wildly opposite and I really like it. 
Much more compact and subdued from other hybrids.  No graphics, no colors, nothing unnecessary.  Unless I told someone what it was and who makes it, no one could recognize it.  I kind of like that.
If there was anything weird, getting the grass out of the ports for the weights is kind of difficult.  Takes some digging with a tee to get it out. And since this club is used as much on turf as the tee, its going to happen a lot. 

Sound & Feel  ★★★★
This thing sounds solid. A deep click is what I would describe it as. 
It kind of sounds like heavy metal on metal with no reverberation.  Like if you set a cast iron pan down on grill grates.
I would liken it to what my Epic 3-wood sounds and feels, but if it was in a smaller head. So everything is a little lighter, the sound and feel both. 
Mis-hits sound dull. Distance wise they are ok, obviously offline, but the sound you can tell its off center.
Some clubs you hit and it feels like nothing, this one does not quite get there for me.  But it is really close. You know when you hit one perfect, but just not the same as other clubs in my bag.   
The feedback is great.  I know without even watching the ball if it is doing what I want it to.   I think I get good feedback from any club in my bag, and that’s a good reason for me to keep them there.
Basic Characteristics (★★★★★)
Trajectory – Low.  Standard settings for my resulted in a lower ball flight.  With a little work (and the 10 gram weight in the sole instead of the 7.5 gram) I was able to get the launch to where I want it.
Workability – This hybrid is workable.  Which is good for me as I wanted a club to be able to work both ways and get out of trouble or bring it into a green from a certain side. 
Accuracy – Your ball flight is all on you with this club.  I never had something weird happen hitting this yet where it acted differently than I expected. 
Distance – I would say the max distance is a little bit less than my old hybrid, by a few yards.  However I believe this has more to do with the different shaft (Sub70 is 85 grams and my old shaft was 60 grams).  
Forgiveness – Off center hits do seem to go relatively straight.  There is a noticeable distance loss on off center hits, as there are with most clubs.
Adjustability – I added some weight to the sole and noticed a higher launch, which I have kept in there.  I also messed around with the toe weight, but went back to the 7.5 gram weight. . 
Pressure – I believe this club is going to become my absolute fairway finder.  Getting some more history with it and being in that spot will prove this, but I like this club enough to trust it now.   
The bias is so great.  Neutral is so welcome in a club after playing so long with draw-bias in my hybrid. 
I think one thing that will be a downside is going to be the face finish.  The black finish seems to me like it is going to wear off over time instead of “wearing in” like others and I hope this doesn’t affect performance.  

On-Course / LM Performance ★★★★★
Swing Weight:  This feels a lot like an iron, where my old one felt like a wood. This is definitely a combination of the slightly heavier shaft than before and the similar head weight.  But I like that.  
My miss is still left, however its left fairway instead of left trees.  Left bunker instead of tee box to the left.  The side movement is softer, I guess that would be the best word to describe it. 
Launch angle ended up being about 2 degrees lower than the Rbz pretty consistently off a mat.  It can launch high off a tee, and it can land soft on greens off turf similar to my 3 iron, but much easier to do. 
I feel about the same confidence attacking long holes with this, it has roughly the same distance as the Rbz overall, but the straightness can’t be understated.
Very similar to other hybrids I have used out of the rough.  I am not sure there is much room for improvement here unless your swing speed is much higher than mine. 
Final Performance Comments:
I LOVE this club off the tee.  I have always trended towards my 3 iron over my 3 wood or hybrid as a fairway finder and that’s fine but I usually end up further back than I would like.  This hybrid bridged that gap.  It comes off the tee lower and more in control that my previous hybrid, similar launch to my actual 3 iron but just has so much more juice. 
I can do whatever I want with this club.  The only thing that is tough is hitting it really high off the turf, but I can get it up enough to land and stop on a green so its fine.  I can move it both ways, flight it low, and get it out there 230 if I need to. 
My impression of Sub70 has always been good.  This reinforces that and makes me interested in getting some more clubs from them.
I love the weights and the neutral bias the most.  Being able to throw a heavier weight in the bottom has allowed me to launch a little higher.  But if for some reason I knew I would need to hit a lot of low balls I could swap it back out.  
I think the finish on the face could use a little improvement.  It has decent wear on it for only being in my bag for a month and a half and I am worried about it long term. 
I think it has definitely improved my ability to attack par 5s when I couldn’t before.  If I need something that moves left to right and lands soft, I now have that shot.  I had that a few days ago, 230, downwind and trees on the right.  Needed to come in from the left and worked it beautifully (missed the putt though, of course). I think this club will continue to come in handy and save me strokes for a long time. 

Miscellaneous ★★★★★
Shipment:  I have never gotten anything from Sub70 or through testing before, but I felt like the shipping was a little weird.  I got a call weeks before receiving the club telling me it would be going to the floor for build in the next 2 days, then it still took over 3 weeks to arrive.  Could have been COVID, could have been a miscommunication from the guy who called me, or anything.  The packaging is A+ though.  Good box, foam, wrap, no chance of damage.  

Play it or Trade it? (★★★★★)
PLAY IT. And play it as much as possible.  I really do like this club and it has filled a hole in my bag that was duct taped together before.  Using my old hybrid, with a mid-size grip, a modified swing path, and still having a huge left miss, I was having to work harder on that shot than anything else in my bag.  This pro-style hybrid gets rid of that and lets me use my normal swing with normal results. 
I think the area of the market this club is in is perfect.  Sub70 being a DTC brand and being able to cut some costs makes this even more attractive.  For $150 this club is definitely worth giving a shot and it certainly holds up to the top level brands.  Especially with the customization afforded with every club being custom built.  
Conclusion
If I had to choose one word to describe this hybrid and Sub70 in general, I would say, “impressed.”  The quality of the clubhead and the total build is up to snuff with the big brands and this club belongs in the same class, but for 40% less cost than them.  I was always looking for a club to gap between my 3 wood (240 yards) and my 3 iron (210) and my previous gamer was a Rocketballz 3 iron hybrid.  It hit the gap perfectly distance wise but I could not move it left to right.  I had a huge left miss all the time, so much so that I had a midsize grip (all others standard) and also consciously swung it as if I was trying to hit a slice.  
The Sub70 949x Pro fills that gap perfectly.  The distance is very similar, the ball flight ended up being a little lower and lower spinning.  It is WORKABLE.  There is little to no bias in this club, which is great for me personally as I can force a draw or a fade on command (and sometimes not if we are being honest).
The look of this club is great.  I love the compact head, my 3 wood also has a slightly more compact head and this meshes great with that.  There is no visible offset, and the weighting is very similar to an iron, so learning to swing it was a little different as my old hybrid swung more like a wood.  I would completely recommend this club and Sub70 as a brand to anyone willing to branch out a little bit and try something new. 

Sub 70 949x pro hybrid – Official MGS Forum Review by Thomas McClafferty
Intro
 
First off I want to thank MyGolfSpy and @Sub70 for this opportunity to test this club. I am the typical armature I golf one to four times a month depending on things in life and trust me I have a lot going on with my life. I am currently training a dog for a hunt test in Iowa in September and dealing with a family member whom is sick, I will leave this out of here go check the got problems thread for the low down if you're interested. I typically score in the mid to low 90s with my bad scores recently being 98 or 99 but still under a hundred. My typical scores are right around 92 to 94 with this being a huge improvement from when I started in 2015, when a typical score would be 120 plus.
So I am the typical ex-powerlifter and strongman kind of guy I have large shoulder, large back muscles and tight hips. These things don't always allow me to play the best golf of my life, but they do let me hit the ball quite far, not as far of the longball guys on this forum but decent enough. I do not game a driver, cannot control them even in my fitting I couldn't find a combo I could control as well as I can control something a little shorter and smaller less area to mess up. I tend to be a fast swinger, tempo is quick, transition is quick, and my speed isn't slow I was having club head speed in the one-teens with the hybrid fitting I did for this test. I hope the video plays if not I'll have to mess with things again. If the video plays you can see how when I'm tight I cannot get a turn or my hips to move right. The day I took the video my back was a complete mess and I did not have time to go back to the course and with the family problems won't have much time to get onto the course coming up. 
I like to hit my 3w 240-260 which leaves me long irons or driving iron into the greens. I have only been gaming the driving iron for a year and I am on a love hate relationship with it. I need to have something that goes shorter than my 3w but further than my 4i, 200. So when they announced this testing opportunity especially for a club that has a fade bias, preferred shape, I was all over it. I wanted to see if I could find a hybrid I could actually use because I've tried a few brands and models over the years and never liked them. With me having longer irons into greens I typically need to be really good with wedges if I miss the green or if I have to lay up. My definite strength, until recent, was ball striking being able to hit my irons well has been what keeps my scores consistent. I mentioned I like a fade bias because that is my stock shot and I prefer to work with it, but if need be I can work the ball either way. I like hitting the ball high and it's something I look to be able to do with any club. I do like to flight balls down when needed, but that tends to take me some time to correct.
 
First Impressions
I got the email that the box was at my house and I couldn't wait to get home. The first thing I thought was the box looks great and damn they have a nice set up to make sure nothing happens in transit. I liked the little touches that they did with the added tees and the personal note. I got a personal note when I tested the Hogan equalizers years ago and that is a nice touch. I included a bunch of unboxing pictures previously so I'm not going to repost them in this final review, don't be lazy go looking through the thread and look at what we all posted we had some different pictures and they weren't all the same. I know I know we can't take time to read 4 or 5 pages that's too much but really we read more pages than that daily. Lets take some time to read what we've all said so far especially since that is a big part of what we come here for reviews by the average joe. My first impression was honestly crap that wasn't the shaft I asked for, but I'm no complainer I didn't mention it and I just rolled with it because the weight was what I asked for and the stiffness was correct. I had already purchased a hybrid shaft I was fit for just in case I didn't get along with the shaft I chose. 
Looks (5*) 
This is a nice looking club I looks like a typical hybrid but it sets up really square in my stance and with how I set up. I've never had a hybrid set up square before heck it is hard to get the thing to sit closed I mean hard. This is great for me because I like straight to fade and I hate to set up a club so closed, it messes with my mind a little. It is super clean on top no marks no fancy fins or turbulators, I don't like how they look. The thing is super clean and isn't too square for my liking. It looks great and it actually fits my eye. The fitting to my eye is HUGE and part of why it is getting 5 stars. I'm not a fan of hybrids but I like it and it doesn't look as chunky as my driving iron does, maybe that's why I don't hit it well. I know I'm a picky guy for looks when I haven't even broken 90 yet, but I'm a looks and feel guy so they are key for me. The bottom of the club is cleans too not much for dirt to cling to and the clean simple look is appealing. I didn't clean it after my last round so I included pictures of the club dirty and clean so ya'll can see how she looks dirty or clean.



Sound & Feel (4.75*)
Sound and feel are completely objective to everyone. I said I like to feel things and that I am a feel player. These things feel nice when hit well and when mishit. I like to feel when I mishit a club, I play muscleback forged irons, so when they feel good on every hit it confuses me. I love that I can hit it poorly and that it doesn't have a harsh feeling, this would probably get 5 star rating because of that but I'm stupid. I like to know when I have a shot on the face so that I can adjust for the next time and so that I don't creep into a bad habit or continue to do something that can cause my game to fall apart. This club feels like you hit it perfect even when it's not and that is a good thing for most but for me it takes off the slightest points. I don't mind looking at the face of the club to see where I hit it, but if you hit a beautiful shot and look down to see it was on the toe that can mess with me a little. The club has such a perfect sound that shows up on the video I have attached, hopefully. The only time that this club gives you a harsh feeling is if you hit near the hosel of club and the only reason I found this out was because I wanted to know so I tried it. They did a nice job with the feel and sound with this club, but I'm nit picking because I'm goofy.
Basic Characteristics (5*)
Man I couldn't wait to hit this club but I didn't want to be unfair to it right away and not try to dial it in first. I did the stupid thing and took it to the course right away but only hit a few shots with it on the 9 I played. I hit it well those two times the first trip out but wasn't a fan of the ball flight it went dead straight but really low compared to what I'm used to. Off to the range I went with all intentions of warming up nicely and then working with the hybrid to dial her in and do some head to head. I definitely put it head to head with my driving iron that day and once I got weight adjusted it was money.
Initial trajectory was dead straight to my fade but it was lower than all my clubs normal ball flight. I messed around with the weights that were included and I found out that the MONEY was the lightest weight in the toe and the heaviest on the middle. This made for some great shots as I described in the post about my range session so I won't go to in depth with that as it was already stated. I even got this bad boy to carry 240 a few times which is where my 3w typically lands on a bad day so it sometimes got too much get up and go, which is crazy to say. I landed it 230 once and watched it roll to the 250 marker on the range and I immediately stopped messing with the weights. I watch it land 220 consistently which is right where I needed and wanted. I have been able to launch this sucker super high and flight it down as needed, but I have not hit a fade with it on the course only on the range.
On-Course / LM Performance (4.8*)
 
So the course is where this club has really shined especially since I haven't been able to get to a launch monitor with it. I tend to keep score and track distances with my Golfpad app on my phone. I never remember to take screen shots of my phone so I slacked with that but I had multiple great days with this club. The only ding I gave it was because of the first day with the stock weights, but I was an idiot and shouldn't have hit it that day but it was there and hard not to. I have been hitting this club with a consistent carry of 218 to 229 with the average being 221. I have mentioned I had some longer carries with the club but they were the outliers. I haven't had a ton of shots below 215 though which is the furthest I could carry by driving iron.
The head to head with my driving iron on the course is where I really found to trust this club. I would drop a ball for the driving iron and I would hit an okay shot, but drop one for this beaut and no problems hitting it where I wanted and how far. If you look at the club head in the picture I posted I have been making solid contact without even trying to. This club has given me confidence every time I pull it out. With me being able to carry it nearly as far as my 3w I would use it when I wasn't hitting my 3w well and if you couldn't guess I'd end up in the fairway nearly as far as I would be. I have the utmost confidence with this baby as I typically do with my wedges or my 3w.
I have made this my go to club for a few holes on my local course where there is a huge dog leg right or where there is a creek in the landing zone for my 3w. Those have become the best holes for me on the course because I am in the right place and am not risking the rough or the water. The club I play at doesn't have long rough but the rough we have definitely effects the clubs, it grabs onto all clubs unlike anything I've ever played before that is so short. The 3h holds up pretty well it doesn't get as effected as my irons but it gets more grab than my 3w, which is odd you would think the smaller it is the less grab but this grass is a pain. I have been able to hit it to the greens a few times and the times I landed on the front edge it has held if I land it anywhere beyond the front it bounces off. This has nothing to do with the club I watched a 9i bounce nearly off the green and then spin back a little. The greens on my local course are super firm and fast so if you don't have a ton of backspin you're not staying on with anything.
 
Miscellaneous (4*)
I like the added touches they sent with the club, the tees and ball marker were nice touches. The hand written note is also a nice touch it shows they actually care. The one thing I wish I could have gotten the grips I typically play. I typically game Pure grips and they just weren't an option this is a complete nit pick though. I like to use to the white name for my grip line up to keep things consistent and not knowing golf pride I just selected one that others were. It is a good grip and works well it just is different than what I normally use and isn't a big deal just having a bigger grip selection would be nice. This honestly is the one thing I will change on the club is the grips. The shaft not being what I ordered actually turned out to work perfectly for me and I am no where near upset with it or the mistake because this club down right performs.
 
Play it or Trade it? (5+++++)
I think if you read this much into this review or read through the thread you know where I'm going with this!!!! I had mentioned in the thread that this had already kicked the driving iron out of the bag. This baby isn't going anywhere I have too much confidence in it to kick it out of the bag. The little things wrong are super minor and heck even one of the little dings was because I didn't adjust the club right before using it. That little ding I gave it honestly is on me but if you're like me and typically don't go to the range often having a club work right out of the box is what a bunch of people like. The shaft feels great I'm able to keep track of the head, I'm able to load up and let her go full bore and not feel whippy, and best of all the thing is easy to hit.
I had mentioned to @Sub70 in the sub70 thread that this thing has opened my eyes. Yea I've read about their stuff on here but being the kind of guy who likes to see it before I believe it I am now a believer. I am definitely looking their way for my next 3w especially with how well the hybrid has held up with range rocks, trust me they were rock hard. The few small scratches are from 6 range sessions in a few weeks and 5 rounds of golf, I know you retired guys do that in a week. I got an eye opener for sure and I knew they had to be good because sub70 has gotten some recognition by MGS. I think this is going to be in the bag for a while something special will have to kick it out of the bag or it will have to start to fall apart.

 
Conclusion
Sub70 has a demo program if you don't want to take the word of an average joe test one out. I am a guy who plays a lot of smaller brands or direct to consumer brands so I support that model. These guys are definitely on my short list for clubs in the near future. I have had great success and great confidence in the short period of time we've had these babies. I cannot say it enough that the simple and clean looks are very appealing. If you want to avoid a draw and want to try out a new hybrid this is where I'd go because It takes work to draw the ball with this club. It not only is a good looking club but it performs! With being able to hit the distance I want consistently without trouble makes this club easy to grab in the tough situations. I highly recommend this club if it is what you are looking for or if you are shopping for a new hybrid.
Conclusion is this is a great club and I am very thankful to have gotten to test it and will continue to game it for the future. I cannot wait for someone to have a question or want to know more about this because I am more than ready to answer any questions you may have.
 
 
 
 

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Looking forward to having Max go head-to-head with my Snell MTBx balls.  One test that I already have in mind is seeing which one goes farther into the woods, water and OB.  Fun!
Thanks to MGS and Maxfli for my first product testing opportunity.  I started playing golf relatively late: in my early 30s, which was in the late 1980s.  I played in two leagues at work, and at least one more time a week on weekends.  Back then, I had gotten my index to the mid-13s, and breaking bogey fairly regularly.
Flash forward to the first decade of the new century.  Work travel had severely curtailed my golf time, and I was down to maybe 5-10 rounds a year.  Eventually, due to to the travel schedule and injuries, I stopped playing completely; that was 16 years ago.  Last year, I was newly-retired, and began a part-time seasonal job at a local muni in Fort Wayne.  This is in NE Indiana, more or less half way between Chicago and Cleveland.  My love for the game has been rekindled, at the ripe young age of 64. 🙂
So far, my back and arthritic hips are limiting me to 3 or 4 rounds a month, but even so, with lessons and new clubs, I am actually hitting my drives 15 yards farther than I did when I was in my 30s.  My index is currently 15.3   I used to dread the driver, and resorted to 3 wood most of the time, but now it is my favorite club in the bag.  Is it my strength?  I guess so, but with so much to work on, that's not saying a whole lot.
Based on my swing speeds (low 90s with the driver) and careful study of the great ball reviews here on MGS, I have chosen the Snell MTBx.  For me, it gives me what I need in a ball, which are good distance off of the tee, and decent spin into greens.  I'm not looking to hit a wedge and pull the string on the ball as it hits the green, spinning back like a yo-yo, just the confidence that, with a well-struck wedge or short iron, my ball will stop reasonably quickly, and not go skidding off of the green.  Manufacturing consistency is also important to me; I want to be sure that any mishits are a result of my swing, and not a flaw in the ball that I can't see.   A great thing about the Maxfli's that we will be testing is that it seems that they will be in the same category as the Snells I play, facilitating comparisons.
My typical ball flight has a rather high trajectory, and when I do hit a ball well, a slight push-draw.  Unfortunately, my misses are much more common than those golden shots, the most common of which is a putrid low snap hook.  Lately, my back has been acting up, causing me to subconsciously restrict my turn.  At its worst, I will pick up the club steeply on the backswing, and, trying to correct the path on the way down, either hit it fat, or a thin wormburner.
Since I do lose balls, my first plan is to take the Maxfli's and Snells to an indoor range with Trackman, and compare numbers before taking them onto the course.  I'm looking forward to it!
The Review :September 6, 2021
Maxfli Tour and TourX Golf Balls – Official MGS Forum Review by Oze
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I was very pleasantly surprised with the packaging of both Maxfli balls, especially in comparison with the utilitarian packaging of my Snells.  In my opinion, both the outer box for the dozen balls and the sleeves of three just say "class", and give my the feeling that I am in the presence of top-shelf golf balls, and especially the black ot the Tour X!

The high gloss white finish on both of the Maxfli's was pristine on all 24 balls, and appeared identical to the Snells.
The "Tour CG" and "Tourx CG" alignment aids seemed a bit odd to me, and in my opinion, look gimmicky and took away from my overall impression of "class" with these balls.  I decided to perform the salt water balance test, and so filled a glass measuring cup with salt water, and spun away with 6 balls of each type.  Given that a ball coming to rest at the same spot repeatedly indicated an out of balance ball, with the center of gravity fixed and that if they came to rest in different, random positions indicate a balanced ball, here are my results:
Number of balls that were in balance:
Snell: 4/6 Maxfli Tour: 6/6 Maxfli Tour X: 3/6 Again, for someone of my skill level, no big deal, but it is good to know that if I miss a putt, it is my own fault, and not a ball that was out of balance.  Suffice it to say that I did not use the "CG" alignment aid on neither tee shots nor putts.
And so, on to the testing.  I decided to break the it up into three areas:
Chipping and putting Trackman analysis Full rounds of golf My testing philosophy was that I am auditioning the Maxfli balls as a possible replacement for my current ball, the Snell MTB-X.  Given similar price points, I would expect there to be a clear, compelling reason to switch, especially since I tend to be brand-loyal.  Given a significantly lower price, the bar to switch would of course be set much lower.  At the current price difference of $5/dozen if I buy two dozen of the Maxfli's I consider the price to be effectively the same.
My playing partners' reactions to the new Max's were mixed, but humorous.  I have been out of the world of golf for 16 years or so, and in any case, have never been an equipment snob.  Initial comments included, "What are you hitting?  A Maxfli?  What's next, Spalding Kro-Flites?"  To be fair, some of these lesser-educated Cro-magnons that I played with never heard of Snell, meaning I have to endure a couple of holes of Sergeant Schultz impersonators yelling, "Macht schnell, Colonel Hogan!"  It was almost universal that they all echoed my first impression of the"CG" alignment aid when I explained to them what Maxfli claimed.  "Gimmick".
Here are the sticks used for the testing:
 
Ping 425 Max Driver Wilson D7 3 and 5 Woods Titleist TS2 4-hybrid Titleist T300 irons Ping Glide 52 degree and 58 degree wedges Odyssey Stroke Lab Rossie putter
That's a CuddleDud of Maddie, the best dog I ever had.  Adopted her from a rescue, and sadly, 3 years later, she died in her sleep.  I'll admit to occasionally talking to her every time I pull out the driver, a la Judge Smalls and his Billy Baroo putter.😆
TESTING
I visited Apex Golf in Fort Wayne, to see what Trackman had to say about each ball with each club.  At the risk of public humiliation, I'm attaching some screen shots of the results for the Maxfli's.  Somehow, the none of the data for the drivers nor any for the Snell didn't ported over to my email, so I just have those averages to report. 
First of all, so that you all can measure the grain of salt with which you take this data, belowis the dispersion plot for the 8 and the wedge; the driver information, of course, was even worse.  This was not a great day at the range.

Here are the average values for spin and carry distance for the 3 balls.  Sorry that I couldn't figure out how to upload an Excel file:
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Clearly, for my skill level and purposes, the performance of the three balls is effectively the same, with the Snell having a slight advantage in some of the numbers.
GRADING
Looks and Durability: 12/15
This category is a complete no-brainer.  As mentioned above, the packaging is top-notch.  The gloss white finish is also something that immediately caught my eye, and compares favorably with my Snells (no colorful golf balls for me, please). The personalization was a pleasant surprise, and yes, Maxfli *did* spell my last name correctly. Although I lost more balls than I care to admit, I was able to save a representative of each type of ball which survived several holes, including bunkers, full wedges and a foray into the brutal waste areas of the links course I played.  As you can see, durability is definitely not an issue.  These covers withstood it all.  The only small nit to pick for me is the alignment/CG gimmick.  I would prefer that it not be on the ball at all.

 
Sound and Feel: 15/15
I really liked the sensory experience of hitting both balls.  Starting with chipping and putting, the feeling was soft, and the sound was a very satisfying "click", identical to those of the MTB-X.  Ditto with full swings, including the driver.  Going into the testing, I expected there to be at least some sensory difference between the 3-piece balls and the 4-piece TourX, but to my uneducated mind, all three were the same.  In a very good way.
On-Course Performance: 40/40
I have to say that I was very impressed with the performance of these balls, but especially with the Tour's performance with wedge shots.  It is not usual for me to hit a shot of <100 yards and have to ball seem to just drop from the sky onto the green and *stop*.  This happened on multiple shots during the two rounds, and each time it was when I was playing the Tour ball.  Pars and even multiple birdies were the direct result of this, and I think that the Maxfli Tour and my 48 degree T300 gap wedge have become fast friends.  I cannot stress enough how, after the second or third time of watching (admittedly, somewhat slack-jawed) my ball descend and stop on the green, my confidence in playing this type of shot soared.  It was my favorite part of both rounds, and saved me from having to enter triple-digit scores.
This is the 10th hole at the Pete Dye-designed Tippecanoe Country Club in Monticello, IN.  It's a very short, 260 yard par 4, with a tree that bisects the severely-sloping fairway at 200 yards.  Of course, I clipped that tree with my tee shot, leaving me with a 60 yard shot to a green so elevated that I could barely make out the top of the flagstick from where my Maxfli Tour ended up.  Taking into account the slope, I hit a 52 degree wedge, and although I couldn't see it land, it felt great and looked majestic; my hopes were high as I walked up to the green.  The ball had stopped 6 feet from the hole, and 3 inches *behind* the pitch mark!  I 2-putted for par, but still...

 
 
Miscellaneous: 10/10
My first impression upon opening the package was the excellent presentation that the packaging gave, both the dozen boxes and the sleeves.  Especially compared to my current ball, the Snell MTB-X, these insignificant cardboard boxes just exuded class.  I was further pleasantly surprised to find that the balls had been personalized with my name--very cool.  Although I have to say that I would never get my real name put on a ball that I was going to play, given the embarrassing possible locations where one of my errant shots could end up.  Although I don't share my playing partners' extreme negative bias towards the Maxfli name, it was a name that I somehow associated with being a budget brand.  My experience so far with these balls has proven quite the opposite.
Game Bag or Shag Bag: 15/20
I would have absolutely no problem playing either of these balls under any circumstances, especially the Tour.  They compared favorably to the ball I currently use for important rounds, like the occasional $5 Nassau.  The sight of the Maxfli logo and black dot has quickly become one to instill a great feeling of confidence in me, especially with my wedges.  My only reason for the not-perfect score in this category is my personal feeling that I lose too many balls to be paying even $3 apiece, and plan on doing a deep dive into the MGS ball test data to see if I can find a low-price ball for next year to replace the MTB-X that will be "good enough" for my game, at least until it improves to the point where I can use a single ball for a complete round, or maybe even two!  But both of these Maxfli's would be great choices for any golfer, and the price point is not bad for anyone who is not a loser-of-balls to the extent that I still am on tougher courses.  I've A-B compared the MTB-X with the ProV-1, and the Snell comes out on top for me.  By extension, I think that a serious golfer would do well to try out these Max's; in my opinion, they have everything that the "Ball that Tour Player X Uses", without the snob factor and associated inflated price.
Conclusion
I used my current ball, the Snell MTB-X as a baseline for the review of the new Maxfli Tour and Maxfli Tour X golf balls.  The price point for each are very similar, especially if one shops sales and offers.  On first impression, the packaging of the Maxfli's blew that of my Snells out of the water; not that shiny-wrapped cardboard can lower your score, it does give one a feeling of quality right out of the box.  So to speak.
I took all three balls to the practice green, a Trackman stall, and two very difficult golf courses, and tested them under identical conditions.  In what was a surprise given my preconceived bias against the Maxfli name, they performed nearly identically to the Snells in all aspects.  The Snell performed slightly better in terms of distance according to the Trackman, but I wasn't able to notice this on the course.  What was a truly awe-inspiring display, the Maxfli Tour out-performed the Snell (and every ball I have ever played) when it came to ball flight and stopping ability with full wedges.  I am not used to seeing a 115 yard gap wedge drop from the sky onto the green, and finding that the ball was within a foot or two of the pitch mark.  This is unheard of for me, and happened multiple times when I was playing the Maxfli Tour.
Unless you are one of those who is brand-conscious and a slave to what ball what tour players (being paid to) use, I suggest that you give these balls a go.  Spend the $20/dozen you save on some good craft beer.
Final Score:  92/100
 

Well hello folks, it is I Nunfa0 (none for none), star of previous classic tests Shot Scope V2 and Cobra Connect Challenge 3 😎
This time around I have been fortunate enough to be chosen to test the Maxfli Tour and TourX golf balls. This was an opportunity I jumped at because I was a big fan of the original Maxfli Revolution golf balls.
Right, I am a 49 year old lefty golfer who plays out of Christchurch New Zealand. I have been playing golf for quite a while, in fact next year will be the 40th that I have been a member of the Templeton Golf Club.
I am a 9 handicapper that drifts between shooting near par to shooting in the 90s. My swing has been described as long and rhythmical, I gave up swinging hard years ago.
 
I generally have a high ball flight but I can hit the stinger when required (sometimes when I don't need it too). My miss is generally to the left with woods (slice) and to the right with irons (hook). I am usually a pretty good putter, good off the tee and my short irons are not bad. My weakness is chipping 😭.
My average drive is sitting at 260 yards and 7 iron 161 yards.
My current bag make up is F9 driver, 3 wood and 3 hybrid, 2016 Forged Tec irons, RTX Zipcore wedges and a rife putter (more details in my signature).

 
My current ball is the Titleist ProV1x. I chose this ball for the driver distance, ball flight and stopping power around the greens. I also have to like the feel of the ball off the putter, There is nothing more irritating to me than a hard, clicky feeling when putting.
I am looking for a ball that is low spin off the driver, feels great off the irons and spins around the green.
This test should be a lot of fun and I can't wait to get my hands on these golf balls. I am planning to test the Maxflis around the green, launch them in from a hundred yards to test spin and play some rounds with them to see how they stack up against the Titleists. I might even do the Rick Sheils 10 shots from a bunker to test durability.
So bring on the packages and lets get it on!!

 

Maxfli Tour/Tour X Golf Balls – Official MGS Forum Review by edingc
Introduction - July 10, 2021

Hello, everyone!
First off, thanks to Maxfli and MyGolfSpy for this review opportunity. My name is Cody, and I am excited to be back for my third official review on the forums. In 2019, I reviewed the Callaway Epic Flash driver. Last year, I was fortunate to be a competitor in the #CobraConnect Challenge.
My golf game has undergone a huge transformation since I joined the MGS forums in 2018. I am lucky to call the West Michigan area home. We are flush with quality golf courses, instructors and practice facilities. I likely was a 25-30 handicap when I joined the forums despite having played for two decades. Today, my unofficial handicap hovers in the upper-single digits.

The strength of my game tends to be my ball striking from inside 150 yards. As a former baseball player I am able to generate a good amount of club speed and distance. My biggest weakness is my accuracy and consistency from the tee box. In general, I hit a high draw with my irons, with a miss being a block to the right or a hook left. My driver ball flight is less consistent, though my best shots tend to be high, small cuts.
I play 18 holes three-to-four times per week from May-August, weather permitting. My office is also less than five minutes away from an excellent practice facility. I am able to hit range balls, use the putting green and practice my short game every day during my lunch break.
I maintain a dedicated game improvement thread here on the forums that dates back to 2019. I also have a full WITB post.
My golf ball is one piece of equipment that rarely changes. In 2019, I tried out several urethane-covered models early in the season. I ended up loving the yellow Snell MTB-X. I have played that ball almost exclusively since.
In order, the four things I considered when selecting the MTB-X as my gamer (and what I measure any ball against) were:
Driver Carry Distance Value Iron and Short Game Spin Feel The MTB-X was by far the longest ball off of the driver for me during my testing. It is a great value even with the recent price increase. I can usually expect a medium-high flight off of my irons and a quick one-hop and stop, or even a bit of pull back. While it is a higher compression ball, it seems less firm than something like the Srixon Z-Star XV.
-------------------------------------------------
The Review - Sept. 6, 2021
It’s been fun getting the new Maxfli balls out on the course over the past month. I’ve played several rounds with each ball and played a two-ball solo scramble. I also spent time on the practice green and in the short game area.
Maxfli has put out very strong tour-level offerings in both of these balls!
First Impressions

The packaging of the balls is well done and informative. It is “premium” looking. The urethane cover on both models feels very soft and tacky, especially fresh out of the sleeve. The dimple pattern, although common to balls produced by Foremost, seems large. Larger than balls I've played in the past. Nothing about the packaging makes the balls stand out, for better or worse, on a rack with other premium offerings. Maxfli did well here.
Looks & Durability - 13/15 Points

The balls sport a clean design, highlighted by a large “MAXFLI” marking. The only differences between the appearances of the Tour and Tour X are the color of the numbers (black for Tour, red for Tour X) and the name on the alignment marking.

My only complaint about the looks is that the CG alignment mark is a little chunky. It is almost “Triple Track-like,” in its width. I’d prefer for the lines to be either closer together or removed.

The durability of both models is impressive. I hit many trees throughout my testing and did not cause any noticeable damage to the covers of the balls. Most grass and dirt marks wiped away with a towel. Some covers picked up permanent marks after particularly violent collisions with trees.
Sound & Feel - 15/15 Points
The Tour and Tour X are two different golf balls with two distinct sounds and feels.

Being a lower compression ball, the Tour produces a muted thwack sound. The Tour is also softer feeling. On my best swings it almost felt like the ball was melting on the club face. I found this feeling to be very addictive.
The Tour X is a typical high-compression ball. It is firm feeling off of the club face and produces a more piercing crack/click noise when struck.
These differences in feel and sound exist from driver to putter.
Both golf balls are enjoyable to hit and deserve all points in this category.
On Course Performance, Tour X - 40/40 Points
On Course Performance, Tour - 25/40 Points

The Tour X was a solid performer all around. It gave up no distance, had a high ball flight and adequate spin for one-hop-and-stop shots into the green. I did not experience excessive spin off of the driver or irons. It plays very much like other high-compression balls I have used in the past.

The Tour excelled in the long game. It seemed to be a little longer than the Tour X off the driver, I suspect from less spin. It has a penetrating flight that is lower than the Tour X as well.

My biggest issue with the Tour was a general lack of spin on approach shots and around the greens. I struggled to hold greens with full wedge shots, but only on certain swings. The Tour seemed to be very inconsistent. One shot the ball would hop-and-stop and the next would kick off the back of the green. This made it very hard for me to play the Tour. By the end of testing I had no confidence hitting approach shots into greens.
While I do find the stock alignment aid to be chunky, I putted very well with both models. My distance control and accuracy seemed no worse during my testing period. It may have even improved.
Miscellaneous - 7/10 Points
I ran each dozen through my Check-Go-Pro device. The purpose of the C-G-P was to confirm the position of the factory CG/alignment stamp. My results were interesting as I had a handful of balls that seemed to deviate from the factory line. (The post with my full results is here.)
The CG stamp would be a big selling feature for me, as I C-G-P most of my golf balls. Either the Maxfli process or the C-G-P is wrong for some balls. Deducting three points here as I’m not sure what process to trust. 
The balls also showed up personalized with our names. While a nice touch on Maxfli’s behalf, I tend to prefer anonymity when losing golf balls!
Game Bag or Shag Bag, Tour X - 15/20 Points
Game Bag or Shag Bag, Tour - 5/20 Points
The Tour X is a fantastic golf ball. I enjoyed my time playing it, and I think the ball would be good for many high swing speed players. Once Maxfli releases a yellow version for sale, I plan to buy at least two dozen to put into play. At $34.99 per dozen or cheaper on sale, the Tour X is a great value and every bit as good as higher-priced alternatives.
I enjoyed the long game characteristics and feel of the Tour. However, I was not happy with the inconsistency when hitting approaches into the greens. My remaining Tour balls will be heading to the shag bag. Or, I will pass them along to someone who doesn’t mind playing golf balls with my name on them. 🤣 The Tour might be a better fit for someone who plays a bump-and-run style of approach to most greens.
Final Score, Tour X - 90/100 Points
Final Score, Tour - 65/100 Points
Despite being a “house brand,” Maxfli is making some quality golf balls at excellent prices. The Tour X behaved exactly how I’d expect a high-compression, tour-level ball to behave. The durability of Maxfli’s proprietary cover is impressive (especially considering my testing efforts!). While I did not get along well with the Tour model, it could be a great ball for a different type of golfer.
Both models are worthy of inclusion in any listing of quality, urethane-covered golf balls.

August 2021
Maxfli Tour and Tour X Golf Ball Review by Tom the Golf Nut
Intro:  I have been playing for about for thirty two years and currently hold a .6 handicap.
My swing tempo is smooth with an average driver swing speed in the high 90’s.
I play in North East Tennessee at the base of the Smoky Mountains. My home course has a lot of elevation changes. Actually every hole has an elevation change.
My typical ball flight is straight with a middle flight trajectory.
My strengths are driving the ball straight, chipping, pitching and putting.
 
  First Impressions: The packaging is clean and classy.  There are two alignment lines that frame the ball model. They actually work well with my putter’s alignment system.  

 
                                            
 
The Tour is a three piece ball and the Tour X is a four piece ball. Both models are urethane and come with the center of gravity balanced. I really didn’t notice much difference off the tee using or not using the alignment system. But if a ball happened to be perfectly balanced it really wouldn’t matter anyway.                                                       
 I went into this testing to see if a brand I would normally dismiss could perform, change my opinion, and find its way into my bag.
First I wanted to check the alignment Maxfli put on the ball claiming the center of gravity balance point. I conducted a salt water test. For the most part the alignment was spot on. On a few, the ball was perfectly balanced so the alignment markings really didn’t matter. I did find two per half dozen that were not perfect to the alignment but it was not off by much.
 The first of my playing test was to hit three of each model into a chipping and pitching practice green to see what the ball would do from 60 yards with a 60 degree lob wedge. Then repeat this step three more times using the same balls. I also wanted to check for durability with the higher spin coming off the lob wedge. My typical results are to land and sit in place.  So my results (as seen below) were good. Both models just sat where they landed.

 
I went on to chipping next. I used my 50 degree gap wedge from 40 yards off the practice chipping green. The Tour balls would hit and roll about two feet. The Tour X seemed to have a little more spin and they did a one hop and stop. This test was repeated three times with similar results to what is shown below. The Tour rolled up closer to the pin.

 
Next test was to play from varied distances from 90 to 125 yards out. Will the ball still sit or will it roll out. Like I mentioned earlier my shot is “land and sit or one hop and stop”. This time I did the test on the actual green at my course. Still good results. The results between the two models were very similar. Both hit and stopped a foot from the impact.

                         
Next test was on to the Driver. I went out on to the course and hit six drives. Two Titleist AVX, Two Maxfli Tours, and two Tour X balls. I am very consistent with my driver. All six balls were in the fairway. I did not see any real distance difference between them. The only discernable difference was the sound at impact. The Maxfli’s were a little clicky with the Tour X having the loudest click. But that is probably due to the compression difference and being a four piece ball. I didn’t mind the difference in sound but I thought it would be worth mentioning.  After completing this I just compared the Tour and the Tour X against each other with the driver.

I am still using the same sleeve of balls for durability testing which we will cover later.
On to the putting green. I was just comparing the Maxfli’s against each other and using the center of gravity alignment feature. The feel comparing to the two models was similar. The sound was different but not by much. The Tour X was a little louder on longer putts, but the two models felt the same off the putter face. Distance on putts was identical. I even mixed the balls up so I just putted what was in front of me. No discernable difference in length.  I set up for 10 and 20 footers. Below is a photo of one of the 20 foot attempts. I did a second round on the putting green at 60 feet and the balls reacted the same but the X was louder on impact.

 
I set up to play four balls on a par three requiring a six iron. Two of each. No distance difference between any of them. All four were close to the same distance just left or right of the pin. The Tour balls hit and rolled out about two to three feet. The tour X checked up a tad bit more. So the consistency is still similar between the models based on my swing. The Tour X had a slightly higher trajectory but both model ball went roughly the same distance.
I have played a few rounds with both balls either playing both on the same hole or alternating holes. I have played my course for 15 years so I know what club to hit and the typical distance of my second shots. These balls played very similar to the AVX that I started playing.   
 Durability, So far these still look brand new after cleaning the dirt and grass marks off. No scuff marks or feathering from lob wedge shots. After several bunker rounds the balls still looked good. I haven’t hit any trees or cart paths so I can’t speak to that part on durability. Playability out of the bunker was very good. The balls checked up nicely. This photo was from a short sided bunker shot side hill downhill combination. Balls landed by the pin and tricked to their location on the photo. Typically with anything other than a urethane ball they would be off the green. The slopes are bigger than what they appear. I was actually quite pleased with these.

 
Could I find anything wrong with these balls? Not really… I would say these are quality golf balls with close to the performance of a high end ball. If you squirm at paying close to $50.00 for a dozen premium balls then I would recommend you give these a try at $35.00. The performance factor between an average or better than average player using this ball or the ProV1 would not be able to tell the difference and it definitely won’t hurt your wallet much. I’m picky and only play a few different models when it counts but in a casual round I’ll try a sleeve of something that found its way into my possession (As long as it’s a decent ball). I easily could put either model on my “to play list” But if I had to choose I would play the Tour. This ball felt better for me and I am a feel player.
Grading:
Looks and Durability, 13 out of 15
The word MAXFLI on the golf ball was a little too blocky looking for me. But that’s just me being picky.  Durability was actually a little better than a typical urethane ball. During the weeks of testing with the same sleeve from each model there was no damage or visual imperfections.
 
Sound and Feel, Tour 13 out of 15, Tour X 12 out of 15
The Tour X has a louder click sound. The Tour sounds better to me. The same with the feel. The Tour felt a little softer and more like what I prefer to play. The “X” felt firmer. I really noticed the difference with the wedges.
On Course Performance Tour 37 out of 40, Tour X 38 out of 40
This ball performed well under all playing conditions. Chipping and putting gave me similar performance to the AVX and each other. I did not have to make any adjustments to my game to play the tour ball. I did have to attack the pin more with the Tour X on the short game. It seemed to check up quicker (But not by much).
Miscellaneous, 8 out of 10
The packaging was classy. The center of gravity marking was clean and functional as an alignment aid. This worked good off the tee and on the greens for putting. 
Game Bag or Shag Bag, 18 out of 20
This product does contribute to your game and it should go in the Game Bag. The price is great considering the performance the ball gives you. I think this ball would be great for anyone with a mid-handicap down to a single digit handicap.
 
Conclusion,
This ball performed better than I thought it would. For a mid-priced ball claiming to be a “Tour” ball I think they nailed it pretty well. It did perform similar to the AVX I have been playing. Both model balls played well on the short and long game. If you like a slightly softer feeling ball then the Tour is the ball for you. (I will qualify this statement by saying it is not a very soft ball)  If you already play an “X” ball from another manufacturer then the Tour “X“ will feel, sound, and play similar.  
Final Score 89 out of 100. (Slightly different scoring on an individual basis but the totals were the same)
 

Lets get this off with a bang!
For purposes of this review I will be adding important dates (just below) of each add to this review! 
8/8/2021 Intro:
Just a little history on me:
Mark Lacasse and I am from Massachusetts. 32 years old with a wife and 2 children. I get out as much as I can, with younger kids I get a decent amount of rounds in every year depending on how far the season goes into the fall (If we go to November I am very happy), since I am in New England you just don't know. But typically anywhere from 25-40 rounds a year. Love the outdoors give me a fire, drink and someone to sit and chit chat with I am good to go! I am a Facilities Manager for a large portfolio in the Northeast from hard services (HVAC, electrical etc.) to soft services (landscaping, janitorial etc.) I have always been involved in facilities for my professional career in the Navy was an "Engineman" where I worked on HVAC equipment and when I got out was an HVAC tech as well. The Family:
Me and Golf:
Started playing golf later in life. Played as a kid but baseball was my passion and maybe played a couple rounds in the summer from 12-20. Once I got out of the military (Navy) baseball was not in the cards anymore and started playing ALOT more. I was never fitted and was consistently in the mid-high 90s or low 100s for several years. Over the past 5 years I have really become competitive and striving to get better. Lowered my handicap to a current 6.9 (will be dropping with the most recent 2 rounds I played). I was fitted 2 years ago and have been focusing on swing adjustments which have shown very good play this year as a whole, just a few tweaks I think need to be made. Arccos has been a very big eye opener for me. Driving and putting are the best parts of my game (putting was a big surprise to me) driving have had several penalties this year which has brought me down a bit. Wedge play as of late has been a huge positive for me (SG was closer to -10 beginning of the season), while approach play is a massive struggle, know what I need to do....just need to do it.....(tempo) I am not a gear tinkerer, I like to stick with a setup but MGS has opened my eyes to so many aspects of golf I didn't look at in years past. I by no means stick to 1 thing during  around, if something isn't working I am adjusting and will figure it out after the round. Put a few sticks in my hand I am going off feel for the day and I will score. Current look at my strokes gained to a 0 HDCP (Past 10 rounds vs Past 5 rounds):
Putting has always been pretty good but Arccos is a huge eye opener. My current gamer is an ODYSSEY O-WORKS 1W. I prefer the wide blade and that's what I went with for this test (ER2V with Firm shaft) WITB: Big stick-COBRA RadSpeed 8* 3W-Taylormade SIM Hybrid-COBRA SpeedZone (4H) Irons-Taylormade P790's Wedges-SM7/8 Putter-Odyssey O-Works 1W Since this will be a putter test a couple big things for me (Goals):
I want to have a little more consistency. My biggest struggle is the 6-15' range. My current gamer is hot off the face and I typically blow those by and give myself a tough come backer (Past 5 rounds not so much though, pretty sure the putter knows its on the hot seat). My goal is to make a few more of those though. Pretty good under 6' and rarely 2 putt from there (I intentionally toe the ball with my current gamer) so this will be something I want to make sure continues. Lag putting is good and I think this might be the biggest struggle transition wise but we will see. I hope that I can maintain my consistency from 15'+, I probably have gotten efficient with lag because of my poor approach play, so I suppose I could reduce my distance that way! I have been looking at swapping my putter for over a year, not that I am not comfortable with mine but I am strictly going for a different feel now (see my game above), I am hoping this setup provides that more responsive feel and less of that soft feeling with my current setup. My stats aren't super accurate pre-selection as I was not great about placing pins on Arccos but the last 3 have been accurate so we will look at that:
I am usually good for a 3 putt or 2 per round so the past few is an anomaly!  I will be updating as I continue to play rounds prior to receiving equipment so look out for those 3+! Closing:
I am looking forward to this test, I hope the shaft provides stabillty all around the green from long to short putts. My goal is to consistently be sub 30 putts and reduce my 2 putts from 6'-15'!
If you're interested in seeing my previous reviews they are in my signature!. Thank you MGS, @Fujikura Golfand EVNROLL for this opportunity! Can also add me on Instagram as I will be updating on there as the testing goes @lacassemark.
8/18/2021 Package Received/Initial Thoughts:
Package has been received folks! I had not received any tracking details UNTIL the package was delivered, and even then I received a text message from my wife letting me know it was there before FedEx sent their alert. Needless to say I bailed from work! First I will go over unboxing with some pictures and then get into my first thoughts on this equipment!
From Ordered to Package on Porch:
So I was pretty surprised the quick turn around on this setup. From time of selection to test on 7/17 to ordering around 7/20 we are looking at less than 4 weeks which EVNROLL is saying lead time is even longer than that on the site. Never mind the shaft is somewhat difficult to find outside of eBay (have done some looking into what their lead times were and all the dealers didn't even have at this time). My specific order is as follows: ER2V  34" (-1" compared to my current gamer) Standard lie/loft Long plumber neck Shaft 115 Firm EVNROLL Gravity Grip Package was in good shape when received and my daughter was more than ecstatic to open it up for me (she proceeded to color the box, not pictured)
Nothing special about the packaging, there was no bubble wrap or anything like that which was surprising because it was not a snug fit in the box but was a very sturdy plastic (nothing against packaging as their was no damage just noting what I am seeing)
Going through material everything was clean, no marks on the shaft, grip or head. The shaft into the plumbers neck was very clean and their was no glue or debris. Same with the grip. The build is very clean! Model Shoot:
The entire setup is gorgeous. Such a clean looking setup. Fujikura on aesthetics alone do a beautiful job. I think I am going to call this setup "the little black dress" Shaft: I am happy that the shaft description is setup on the back of the shaft at address, small thing but very happy to see that as I do not like verbiage from the top down view.
Head:

Gamer VS. Potential Replacement:
First 24 hour thoughts:
So overall the transition to this putter ascetically should not be difficult. Very similar setup and toe hang. The plumbers neck is more appeasing to my eye which I am happy with. Overall weight feels heavier (will get official weights in time) and feels much smoother. I am excited to get into the overall feel of this shaft. The material it is built with claims to have better balance as well as better feel. Initial stroke test feels extremely smooth and cannot wait to get some balls rolling.  Also looking at the "firm shaft" really looking forward to the feel claims. Looking to get at a minimum to a green this weekend even if I do not play so keep an eye out on the comments section!  
9/28/2021 Final Review:
Final Review: Fujikura MC Putter Shaft
Official MGS Forum Review by: Lacassem (Mark Lacasse)
 Re-Introduction
Welcome back everyone! Hope you enjoyed the week to week thoughts on this Fujikura shaft and EVNROLL setup. Of course, I want to start off with thanking MGS, Fujikura and EVNROLL for giving me the chance to go through this tool. I think (as you will see) this putter has really changed some things for me on course.
My focus on this review was to hit the course, as well as some practicing but most was on course testing. I am all for practice but what’s the point if you are not making them when it matters? Also, I was on a pretty good hot streak in terms of putting prior to being selected so wanted to just roll with the new setup and see what translated.
 As I had discussed on the intro, I really wanted to hone-in certain distances (10-20’ range) and not lose any of my other consistent scoring from the other distances. I had a pretty poor 1 putt percentage from anything over 6’ and was really hurting my potential. I talked about 6’-15’ range on my intro but using Arccos data my review will be referencing 1’-10’ and 10’-20’.
Just as a disclaimer for the below review the grading is based on the shaft but I will be including review thoughts on the ER2V putter head as well as the EVNROLL grip. I think giving thoughts on the entire setup is important as I cannot putt without the head and grip, but also feel like doing justice to EVNROLL for jumping on another review is important. (Spoiler alert) I also think a lot of my success putting is the entire setup not just the shaft.
Looks that will make you do a double take (10 out of 10 points) 
 The shaft is beautiful. It adds a little originality to your putter. You have your different colored steel shafts but the black/grey combo on the firm setup is just awesome. I really like that Fujikura set this design up as an additional alignment with your grip down to the putter head, that alignment aid shows as an “MC” which is pretty clever in my opinion, just an extension of the grip visually. The rest of the design sits on the back side which I also like because it keeps the shaft at address simple. The pattern and color choices are top notch, just love the black and grey.

I compared it to the Ventus shafts, the overall look is very similar. I really like that having this shaft just adds a little something extra to your putter, helps it stand out. I had several folks on course ask what I was using and made for some great conversation on the putting greens.
I was hoping to get the black head to go with this BUT I am very happy with the regular head. Compliments the grey in the shaft and the grip. The single black line for the alignment aids I like as well as 2 dot closer to the face, very simple.

Harmonious sounds and sweet feels (10 out of 10 points)
Was able to putt with both the ER2B with a steel shaft and the ER2V, the shaft made a clear difference in sound as well as feel. The ER2V felt softer at impact as well as a softer/quieter sound, I thought the ER2B sounded a little tinnier (had the steel shaft). I would be willing to bet that if this shaft was in the ER2B it would have sounded and felt just like the ER2V. Much more pleasant for me with this shaft.
The feeling was good across the entire face. Firmer than what I am used to coming from the insert but still felt soft on all spots across the face but with a little “deader feeling” off the toe or heel compared to when making center contact. The rubber composite made a very big difference in feel for me. It is just a really pure sense of contact.
Once I was using the ER2V and Fujikura MC shaft consistently and not going back and forth with my Odyssey 1W, I lost all sense of putting with the Odyssey (in my office for all to use). Whenever I pick up the Odyssey it feels off, and I was putting extremely well before this testing.
Only thing I would change is maybe a feel of a little more firmness on center strikes. Curious if I went with the X-Firm if I would get that feeling. It was a good transition for me though coming from an insert that was very soft.
 
The basics (16 out of 20 points)
This setup from the get-go translated for me. I had previously (not knowing prior to really analyzing my stroke through this test) not seen that:
I opened the face slightly and didn’t always get back to square Needed to choke down on my gamer @ 35” because the toe was up at address. Both issues were fixed with the Fujikura/EVNROLL. Cut the shaft down to 34” which fixed the toe. Then when putting, the face opening was completely removed with this setup. I attribute this to the head and the long plumber neck.
From the get-go I was using both my gamer and the new putter on my putting mat with the puttout trainer. While I was not continuously getting perfect putts, I was continuously rolling the ball from 8’ and hitting the white/rolling up the puttout. Distance control and accuracy continued onto practice greens as well as on course.
Practice greens I was able to replicate to the best of my ability a similar stroke and I was extremely happy with the ability to hit my line and control distance. I have reduced points here because I do not believe it had anything to do with the shaft. These practice sessions I was using the ER2B with a steel shaft as well, I was able to replicate the same stroke and was able to make the same putts. Later, I did the same evolution with my Odyssey gamer, results were not the same (several long when I caught the ball square off the face).
I had no issues putting from fringe or different areas of a green (uphill/downhill/flat) and all aspects of the face played consistent. As I had said before during testing, toe and heel need a little more “OOMF”, but I do not intend to be intentionally hitting off the toe or heel anymore like I had previously done with the odyssey! The stability of the stroke and knowing the center face contact distance/feel, I am very confident about making square and center contact which in turn gets a good end over end roll for me. I was trying to get a good roll video but nothing was coming out very well besides the one I had already taken.
The on-course data…GET IN THE HOLE! (28 out of 30 points)
The best thing about my on-course performance I can say are:
Lining up to a putt, I am 100% confident in the putts standing over them, something I did not have with my previous gamer (longer putts will take some time, but I do not foresee any issues with long lags down the road as I continue working this setup). I completely changed my 10’-20’ range “make” ability. I am consistently making those putts. While I am not naive enough to think this percentage will stay the same, it is super exciting to see my percentage this high. Previously I was almost guaranteed a 2 putt from outside 10’
As I have expressed before, I cannot attribute my overall play or stats to just the shaft. It is the entire setup that I need to give credit to. The 5 rounds that I played, compared to 0 HCP statistics are as followed for SG:

My scores are a little better and I attribute that to the made putts, but I was also playing well and putting myself in good spots with my short game. Two of those rounds (86/81) my putting really saved the round which in the past I would have expected a low 90’s score. I foresee some low rounds in the future if I can clean up my approach, which has shown some light in a few of these rounds.
While I am sure there is some benefit to the shaft, I am not entirely sure what they could improve on? I would be interested to see how the other shafts feel compared to the firm but besides that…It is a putter shaft. I really enjoy both the grip and head as I stated before. I do not think there is anything they need change for me to get me to enjoy it more than I already do. My opinion on Fujikura has not changed, they are a top-notch shaft company I just do not believe this shaft is going to change your short game. On the reverse side EVNROLL will now always be in the conversation for future sticks, good luck getting this thing out of my hands.
The other stuff (9 out of 10 points)
Not shaft or head related but two additional things were the putter cover and grip. The head cover I went with was black. Goes really well with my setup and really great quality. The magnetic close is strong and durable, but I have my shark headcover that I will never part with. I have said in previous threads I am “uncle shark” to my nieces and nephews (some say “auntie shark” but I’ll let it slide, buggers), the headcover stays.
I absolutely love the gravity grip. Little bigger and heavier than I was used to, but I really enjoy it. I never thought I would go away from a superstroke with the flat front but here we are. I think it has helped me become a little more stable on my stroke and I think it also played a part in not opening the face on takeaway, keeping the face much squarer through the stroke. The “G” throughout the grip is a nice feature too (the grip pattern is all G, tough to get a picture without too large a pixel)


Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20 points)
110% keeping if you couldn’t tell. This setup instantly translated to my game. While I maintained a similar total putt to the previous couple rounds prior to receiving when I was keeping good data, previous rounds when I was just keeping total putts I was putting were usually in the 35-36 range compared to 31-32. I also achieved exactly what I wanted from this setup…more 1 putts and more made putts from 10’-20’. I also did not lose much in the strokes gained aspect of long putts and the SG from the other ranges more than make up for any loss further out, but I do not foresee that being a long term issue as I get even more accustomed to this.

For you skippers, here is the Snopes version (conclusion)
If you jumped right to the end here it is, sweet and simple synopsis.
Love this entire putter. Shaft, head, grip all of it. I set my sites on cleaning up some of my putting. The numbers speak for themselves. I’m ready to compete with some 0 handicappers (only in putting) so if anyone needs a go to tournament guy for on the green let me know. (stats compared to 0 HDCP)

Seriously though I accomplished several things by cleaning up some of my 2 putts and making them outside of 10’. I did not lose many strokes if any from other ranges and as time progresses, I am confident anything over 30’ will be a consistent 2 putt for me as I had previously been doing. Sprinkle in a 3 putt here in there because I am only human.
The rubber composite in the shaft does make it feel smoother and a little softer when hitting center on the head. The putting stroke feels like a steel shaft but there is a clear difference in feel when making contact with the composite in there compared to steel. In a word, pure.
Now I know the BIG question coming into this needs to be answered, which I saved for the end right here, “Does this shaft really help your putting and is it worthy of the premium price tag?”. My answer to this is personally, no. The shaft in my opinion did not play a major factor in my putting gains, I attribute all that to the EVNROLL head, long plumbers’ neck, and grip. BUT Bruce Sizemore said it well “The putter is the most personalized club in your bag, If you have 12 putters in your garage that are different, I think you are going to putt best with one that is customized specifically for you, if you’re proud of your putter, whether it is because your name is on it, or it is your favorite color or whatever…you’re going to exude more confidence and putt better”.
So, while I would most likely not pay the premium price tag it would take to get this shaft, I cannot argue that this entire setup has really changed putting. I step over a putt and I 100% anticipate I am going to drain it, and it has been the case consistently as of late. So, if you are looking into this shaft and you think it will help your confidence and you are really looking for a premium feel, get it.
I am officially naming her:

Final Score: 93 out of 100 points
 

The final review!!
When I was first selected for the DDC review, I was so thrilled. Driver has been a trouble club for me in the past. We’ve all had the fitting experience…you go in and your swing is an absolute mess, or you feel like Tiger Woods. By the time you leave you are (hopefully) confident in your set-up and order your new driver. 
Fast forward to the course…
Shank city. Slice-o-potomous. Frustration. 
Having a company that allows you to test out drivers on the course without any penalty is a needed model in the industry. I think about it akin to Apple’s program that allows you to upgrade your phone every year while paying a subscription fee. People want new drivers, and want to mix and match until they feel comfortable taking in that tight par five. Dollar Drive Club allows you to test out up to 3 drivers per year for $1 per day. If you find your perfect match, you can purchase the driver for MSRP minus the cost of your subscription.
When I first got my driver, we did not get along. Shout out to @dlow206 for helping me upgrade the shaft to Ventus, which really helped me get confident. 
Fast forward to now, I feel like I can reliably hammer this thing. I do not know if it is the one for me, but it is an improvement over my old driver. Being able to have time on course with the club knowing I could swap it out is a great feeling. The model can work. 
Let’s get to the scoring. 
Speed of Shipping: 4/5 Stars
Shipping was fast and easy. I had my club about a week later. Living in CA I am used to getting a pretty fast turnaround as I’m only a couple hours away from Carlsbad, so I docked one star for the extra couple days. Shipping also costs money, which was an unwelcome surprise. I’d like to see the model adjusted that the subscription fee covers everything. 

Selection of Clubs: 2/5 Stars
This was a disappointment. When I first began the review we were fairly late in the season of 2021. Pickings were slim, especially when it came to shaft options. I use an X-Flex, so I typically have trouble with off the rack options and was hoping there would be more than I found. Some heads were lefty only. I recommend finding a shaft you love and putting an All-Fit adapter on it so you can swap it out with different driver heads, removing the need to worry about shaft selection. 
What I was most excited about was being able to jump on new releases in 2022, which never came to fruition. There are still no new driver options on the DDC website. Without an update to inventory, it makes the model a bit of a head scratcher as to how it will be sustainable. 
Return/Exchange Process: 3/5 Stars
Full disclosure…I never did this. I had been looking forward to it, but without new clubs showing up on the site I never went for it. I was going to get fitted and order the top two contenders as my last two drivers, but that never happened. I was tempted to try a swap for the sake of the review, but the shipping costs are not cheap (roughly $20 range). As I mentioned earlier, it is disappointing this is not included in the cost of the membership. What really stopped me, however, was having to ship my driver back before they’d send me a new one. That would leave me driverless for over a week, which is not something I was wanting to do. I would prefer the model gives you a two to three week window to get your old driver shipped back. That way you were never without a driver, and could test two side by side and send back the new one if you decided it didn’t compare. 
Customer Service: 5/5 stars
I did not have much interaction with DDC customer service, outside of initially setting up my account. They were very helpful, timely in their responses and aided me in feeling confident navigating everything. They also have a great FAQ section which answers a lot of questions members might have. In my limited experience, I have no complaints!
Purchase Process: N/A
I have not tried this. I assume it is a simple enough process, but cannot fairly comment on it having not completed the transaction. 
Total Score: 14/20 Stars
Dollar Drive Club can work. There is a need for the service, and they are off to a good start. It will be interesting to see how this evolves, and if companies will begin a subscription of their own much like Taylormade appears to be. Until the kinks are worked out, however, I would recommend tabling it as a wait and see option. 
Thanks to MGS and DDC for the opportunity!
Jordan
 
Greetings everyone!
My name is Jordan Daigneault, and I have been lucky enough to be amongst an amazing group of testers to provide some insight into Dollar Drive Club. What an opportunity! Thanks to MGS and the folks over at DDC for providing us access to this amazing service. 
A little about myself...
I currently reside in Southern California, just north of Los Angeles. It is an amazing area for golf, with a variety of well maintained courses that you can play just about every day of the year (we maybe lose 5-8 days to rain and extreme wind every year, it is a burden). I teach high school and am fortunate to coach the boy's golf team. I work with an amazing group of golfers, most of whom are substantially better than me (and thoroughly enjoy reminding me of such). I got my handicap down to an 11, but that was before disc replacement in my lumbar spine. It popped back up to a 13 in the time since, and I'm working on getting it back down. It can be frustrating to have it one day and completely stink the next, but that's golf! I was finally able to play two days in a row for the first time in 8 months, so I expect the scores to come down. Outside of golf, I was fortunate to finally marry my amazing wife this summer! We had to postpone a year because of COVID. We managed to have our wedding occur right as things opened up, prior to them quickly closing again thanks to Delta. It was an amazing day! Better than breaking 80! We have two dogs, one of whom is a COVID puppy, so they keep us on our toes.
Though my short game is my biggest weakness, I know that it also an area I have improved a lot and will always be working on. What has me really excited about with this test is that I get to attack another weakness of my game...driving! I can absolutely hammer the ball. My swing speed is up around 120 on a good day, and I hope to get there more consistently as I will be working the superspeed training system with my golfers starting in a couple weeks. When I keep the ball in a good spot off the tee, I get far more greens and shoot great scores. Mind blowing stuff, I know. The difficulty with hitting it far, however, is that little misses end up missing by a lot. Where someone who hits 225-240 might be in the rough, I'm OB or in the trees. Distance can be a big advantage, but also ratchet the scores up quickly!
Enter Dollar Drive Club. With this membership, I'll be able to try out clubs on the course. We all know how huge this can be. You pepper the fairway in the fitting studio, but when you get exactly one swing on the course to make it count, it isn't always there. Finding a club I feel very confident with is something I am really looking forward to. The M5 I have right now has given me some great results, but you really need to find the middle if you don't want to get punished. 
I plan to begin my test with the MGS Most Wanted Callaway Epic Max LS. I will be going to the local golf shop to test it out and make sure it isn't a complete mismatch for what I like, but I used to have an Epic Sub Zero so I feel pretty good about this option. From the reviews, it seems like Callaway really found something special this year, and the forgiveness factor is a big one for me. I'm not sure if it is just the time of year, or COVID, but DDC also seems to have limited offerings right now, so that also helps me make the Callaway decision. There are only 3 X flex options available, so I might take @dlow206s advice and put the Allfit adapter on my Accra and see how that works out across different heads. I do still plan on swapping shafts, but the Accra is definitely one that has worked well for me so keeping it in the rotation will help me compare new shafts as I go. I may also throw a Ventus Black in the mix to see how that compares. 
I'm particularly interested to see what shipping times look like. Do I send the old stuff back before they send new? Vise versa? Does inventory increase as we get into new stock at the turn of the year? (I must admit, I am incredibly excited about the prospect of trying the latest and greatest as it comes out this winter). What are peak shaft offerings? All stock? Upcharge? I hope to answer all of the these questions, and any that the community would like to know about as well!
I cannot wait to get started on this ride with my fellow testers! If any of you have information you'd like during this test, please let me know and I will make sure to find out whatever I can. 
Jordan

Dollar Driver Club: Final Review (4-12-22): “Move Fast and Break Things”
So, maybe those of you familiar with technology are familiar with that phrase above. You see, when asked about his now super-company known know as Meta, Mark Zuckerberg said that was the motto the company needed to abide by. Don’t wait, make mistakes and figure out how to catch up to those mistakes after the fact. A modern version of “you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.” It’s easy to see for early adopters where that has gotten them and also where there are flaws in that thinking.
Personally, I remember the rise and subsequent bottoming out of Movie Pass, a service where for $9.95 a month, and later even cheaper, you could see 1 film a day, bringing people to films in droves. However, those wings built on dreams and Icarian belief later cratered into immeasurable financial difficulty and eventual bankruptcy.
So, why I am I saying these things in the lead in to my final review of the Dollar Driver Club? Well, it is a way to bring some historical context to the issues and praises I have to this business model, and since this is more a review of a service and not a particular equipment based a review, a way to edu-tain you without the usual pictures, statistical analysis, and pure numbers that a club or ball review may provide. We’re looking at 5 factors on which to grade DDC, they have the star ratings next to them at the top of the post, but I’ll list them here as well
Speed of Shipping
Selection of Equipment
Return/Exchange Process
Customer Service
Purchase Process (if applicable)
 
Speed of Shipping: 4.25 stars out of 5
There are benefits to being in a central local for service providers. You don’t need to harvest from different warehouses across the country to make shipments happen, and if you focus on one specific product you can make shipments happen very quickly. Luckily DDC has that going for them. The company is located in Texas and was able to ship me both drivers I requested for this review in about an average of a week’s time, which for someone in New York is very good, especially considering one of those exchanges was made in the winter where it was only delayed due to a bomb cyclone in the northeast by a day.
However, there is a drawback to favoring speed in some circumstances, and it comes with handling in care. As mentioned in my initial post when I received my Cobra, the box had taken some damage in transit and as mentioned when I received the current G425 Max, the driver was shipped in a box with the headcover and the tool, no extra packing materials to ensure the club made it in one piece. I appreciate the commitment to fast turn-around times, but if I had to wait a couple of extra days to make sure I could receive my driver in one piece, I’d take it.
Selection of Equipment: 3.5 Stars out of 5
If you see that star rating and think it a big harsh for this company, I’m not going to sugarcoat. The selection is decent, but nothing more. Sure, you get the major companies, your Callaway, Titleist, Taylormade, Cobra, Ping, and Srixon for something a little exotic. The shaft choices are pretty standard as to the non-upcharge stock options, but that’s about as big the selection gets. I know, you shouldn’t be going in expecting to get the latest from Oban, Accra, Autoflex, etc… but this is more about the late release of 2022 drivers.
As of right now, no 2022 drivers are available to order for testing purposes and it’s a bit of a disappointment. In talking to the folks in the DDC chat, they’ve indicated to me that there are supply chain issues in them getting clubs, and while I’m understanding of that, all the major 2022 releases so far I would have expected were released in store 6 weeks ago with preorders a month before that. It’s not a total deal breaker, but it’s a definite hit.
 
Return/Exchange Process: 3.5 Stars out of 5
Again, this is not a knock on the service here. So as either a yearly member, like we were for the test, or a monthly member, you are entitled to test and receive 3 drivers every 12 months. The actual process to go through for the returns and exchange are actually quite easy. You enter the driver you wish to exchange or “upgrade” for or the shaft you wish to swap, complete a few pages of drop down menus and get yourself a pre-printed shipping label to send the club back to Texas.
What drops a star and a half off this easy process? The fact that it costs you each time you do. For me to get my new Ping driver upgrade, it cost me $20, and the initial Cobra ran me $16.95. Again, for someone who ‘paid’ upfront $360, I should be able to send what I want for either a reduced price to a month to month member or get a few free switches, or at least have those funds used toward a potential purchase. Perhaps that’s me wanting the service to be something it’s not, but if the idea is to make it advantageous to be able to switch and try different set-ups, it should be more financially viable.
 
Customer Service: 4.75 Stars out of 5
Look, I loved dealing with the staff at DDC. The people they have with the chat function to be the up-front people for folks looking to answer questions are friendly enough, and they were helpful enough in answering some questions we had of the service. It’s also worth noting that the package we got in our initial drivers of the tees, the ball marker, and the letter from the head of the company was a very nice touch. It’s hard to be up front about supply chain issues and getting back to us with answers to our questions so that’s why it’s not a perfect five as we have gotten a bit of radio silence as a group recently, but they have good people that work there and they try to go that extra step for the customers, which is all you can ask for.
 
Purchase Process: N/A Stars out of 5
Simply put, I don’t know if I’m going to purchase whatever driver I finish with, so I can’t grade this part of the review. I am planning on a personal fitting for woods this fall, but I could be convinced by great performance by the G425 Max or any other potential driver.
 
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you guys ever heard of the saying format “X walked so Y could fly,” I think that’s what we’re in a case with Dollar Driver Club. Much like how Moviepass died and systems like Regal Unlimited, AMC Stubs A-List, and Cinemark Movie Club sprung up, I think you’ll see something similar if Dollar Driver Club falters in any fashion. You’re already seeing it with the Stealth Demo program attached to TaylorMade’s My TM+ service and if that proves popular, golf is one thing where it’s follow the leader. I could easily see Callaway and Cobra following suit soon after and potentially DDC might get played out of their own market.
I guess in summation, DDC is one heck of idea, a great proof of concept that it can and will work for some golfers. For Spies who tinker, I think you’ll find it a little threadbare for what it is we are looking for, but for the regular golfer with money to burn and a need to have the latest and greatest, Dollar Drive Club is one heck of a service.
FINAL SCORE: 77.5% (15 Stars out of 20)
 
Introduction for Posterity
"Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most"  - Dostoevsky
I often wonder some times if famous people or thinkers were golfers or not in a past life. In a way, I want to believe that ol' Fyodor Dostoevsky would have been one, and would have been one hell of a tinkerer, always trying new things in the search to get better.
Oh yeah, me. I'm Ryan Bergman, aka forum member Berg Ryman, commissioner of fantasy leagues, seeker of putters, tester of products, and writer of really intricate reviews that make multiple pop culture references that range from explanative to bizarre.
In that above quote, Dostoevsky puts forth the thesis that the one thing that man fears most is change, and he has a point. We are creatures of habit or routine, and for something as cataclysmic as change to come in and be a constant is scary. The idea of "evolve or die" comes to mind. Again, the parallels are there for us a golfers. We have our old reliable, we have our own superstitions, we have our way of doing things and it's hard for some of us to get out of there.
Interestingly, the same can be said of business and the golf industry. This is where Dollar Driver Club comes into play here. It takes a change in the way business is done to shift the golf world forward and Dollar Driver Club is attempting to be that shot in the arm. For a new company to come in and offer a subscription model for drivers is a welcome change to the typical big box model or even green grass model.
So, what can you expect from my version of this test? Well, I'm going into this as a general golfer, not as a Spy, not as a former worker in the industry. I'm not going to get fit in a big box store or a fitter before making my orders. The reason for this is two fold. One, I feel like this is a service built for those of use who want tinker and try for ourselves, so I do plan on using the options available and the people that DDC have on staff as my resources, as well as info from the companies themselves to direct me toward things I know I like. Two, I feel like beside the tinkerer in us, this service also really appeals to that "basic golfer", the one who may not dabble in the finer points of equipment differences, exotic shaft selections, kickpoints, etc. So I'm going to try and take some information about these clubs to again, color the choices. Namely, I'm looking at the measurements from the MGS Most Wanted testing.
Now, I've already signed up for the service and made my first selection. First, I want to talk to you guys about early interactions with DDC. They had us all fill out an intake form that basically set us up a profile. They asked us your basics, name address and then we got into golf specific questions. We gave them our current driver set up, preferred ball flights, lofts, etc. So I entered my info about my Mizuno ST180 with my Kuro Kage Silver TiniDual Core in Stiff flex in 60 grams (net weight 69 grams)
So, then we get into the search and as noted the selection is not all-encompassing, but is substantial. You have the Main five driver companies on offer with the newest lines from Taylormade, Cobra, Callaway, Ping, and Titleist, as well as one generation old Callaway and Taylormade in limited offerings. Again, using the info in the Most Wanted testing for mid speed swings and current feelings about drivers, there was one club that caught my eye and checked all the boxes to be the first driver I requested... and I guess I need to find out if it truly does suck.
That's right, I have a RadSpeed coming my way, 10.5 in the Peacoat Blue with the MotoreX F1 60 in Stiff. It was the longest at midspeed testing and I'm all after bombs right now. It should be here Wednesday. I am psyched.
So that's where we start from, there will be change, there will be questions, and we'll be there for the better part of a year to answer them and help you guys understand what DDC can be for you. As always, thanks to the MGS Staff for the opportunity and for the community for putting it's trust in me, I'm going to give you everything I got.

To get this started I would love to thank MGS for the opportunity to test something I have always seen but wondered if it was worth it to try. 
  So first off let me tell you a little bit about me and my game. I am a scratch golfer and I play 3-5 times per month when I am not in training or on deployment. I play all types of courses in the San Diego area.  I played one year of college golf before deciding that college just wasn't for me and I joined the Navy. Since joining I have played in several tournaments and done pretty well. 2018-2019 were the best years for me. I won several tournaments and shot some great rounds. I spend most of my time now with my 2 boys that are 9 and 5.   
When it comes to my game I have always been a long hitter and pretty accurate considering how far I hit the ball. I am currently playing the Taylormade SIM2 with a UST Mamiya LINQ Purple 7F5. This driver has been the best driver I have hit in years. 
 
I absolutely love to tinker with equipment it is a passion of mine. When I retire from the Navy I plan to open a fitting and building studio. I currently have a full build shop in my garage and do all my own builds along with most of my buddies builds. 
 
The Dollar Driver Club(DDC) is a really great idea for the person that loves to change and test different drivers for a long period of time without having to pay full price for every driver. I have a few drivers I have been wanting to test but didn’t want to buy without being able to play them first. I couldn’t commit to buying them as the Taylormade SIM2 has been a game changer. The Titleist TSi3 has had me drooling since the release and every time I have hit one it’s taken everything in my power not to buy one. I have always had great success with the Ping drivers since the G400 LST and G410 LST. So these are the top of my list to try in this review.