[SQAIRZ VELO Shoe: 2024 Forum Member Review]

5 minutes ago, billpierce said:

Puma Spikeless versus Sqairz Velo with driver:

I said I would compare the shoes, and was really interested to test the stability claims of sqairz AND see if it translates to results.  The driver is my worst club in the bag and I tend to spray it a bit (something for me to work on).  Early in the season, the results will be a bit worse - but here is the results!

Sqairz Velo shoe and driving performance - what is immediately noticed is my left of green bias and it was surprising to me.  Is it a swing flaw that I need to work on? Maybe. I think it is actually the stability of the shoe, and a little more torque causing a different shot shape for me -> in some cases a sever hook!

The Puma Spikeless and driving performance - you see a more normal distribution (sorry math guy here) and that data matches my normal spray patterns. I could feel the ability to move my feet (not like Scottie) and although comfortable it does seem to cause less accuracy.

 

Initial results: Sqairz is more accurate to the range of 6-9%, left biased a good 10% more (and this is with me trying to correct path and stance). My first 30 hits were a whopping 80% left biased!

So far, I am not seeing a left (or right) bias in my shot pattern when wearing the Squiarz VELO golf shoes (I'm now 5 rounds into my testing).  However, I had been wearing Squairz almost exclusively for about 2 to 2.5 years before getting selected for this test.  One thing that I am noticing with the VELO that was also there, but not nearly as pronounced with earlier generations of Squairz shoes, is the great stability that these shoes provide on uneven and/or slightly slippery surfaces.  Squairz shoes have always been quite good for stability, but the VELO model seems to take that stability factor to an even higher level for me!

[SQAIRZ VELO Shoe: 2024 Forum Member Review]

24 minutes ago, billpierce said:

The older versions of shoes ran hot; I think due to water-proofing.  But I am very sensitive to hot feet and sweating!  The Velo line is better in my testing so far.

I concur!

[2024 NFL Draft]

1 hour ago, FallenSaber said:

We call it football just to annoy the rest of the world

Not exactly related but still hilarious

 

I also call what we Americans call "soccer" football, which is its rightful name!

[2024 NFL Draft]

2 hours ago, Wheelieb said:

I have a Premier League team I've followed for a good while now. And it's only because they have the same colors as my St. Louis Cardinals. that would be Manchester United.

BOO!!! I hate Manchester United, although that is my son's favorite Premier League team.  My grandson (a former college soccer player, as was my son, and I are both Chelsea supporters, even though the current ownership of the Blues, led by American Todd Boehly, is absolutely clueless.

[Ultra Unofficial Review of Wilson Triad Ball]

7 minutes ago, HikingMike said:

I have three rounds in with the Wilson Triad now. I'm happy to say I like the ball so far. I can definitely keep using it, and perhaps I'll get more after this 12-pack.

@Wheelieb did a "Super Not Official Review" of the Triad back in February as well, so let me reference that right away here! I posted a few times there as well. It turns out I got some Wilson Triads in the offseason and was planning to play those also, so it was great to see his post. I was going to just post another reply there, but it turned out I had more to say than I thought. I hope this is not too many Wilson Triad reviews, haha. 

I also found this other thread on the Wilson Triad from early 2022-

Reading those comments makes me wonder... who among those people are still playing the Triad. 

@Wheelieb, @GolfSpy Barbajo, @benb1989, @Richard Wise, @funkyjudge, @McGolf, @russtopherb, @sg419

Are you still playing the Triad? If not, what have you moved on to? 
I hope you don't mind the callout! I think it would be great to check in.

Perspective

This is early season, and I can be inconsistent, so I can't judge the ball by solely by my play. Of course the ball model is one of the smaller factors out there in the whole scheme of things, although you do hit it on every shot. But I've been playing pretty well. And from what I've seen of the ball, I like it. 

Let me say that I won't put number ratings out of 10 or whatever in here. It just feels like that wouldn't make sense. We know what golf balls do. I can tell you what I like, what I've noticed. But it seems like differences between golf balls are so thin, preferences and swings can be very different, and the ball is kind of down the list as far as factors in your play. What I will do is go into depth on what I think of the ball in the different portions of my game. Feel free to fill in ratings for yourself based on that.

Intro

I'll save the long intro talking about myself for if I get selected for an official forum test  But I will throw in some details that are most relevant for evaluating a golf ball. 

I have played Titleist AVXs the most the past couple years. I gravitated toward the lower flight, soft urethane cover, and lower spin Pro V1 alternative. Soft is also kinda nice, though not required. I also frequently play Pro V1, and occasionally play Srixon Z-Star, Callaway Chrome Soft, TaylorMade TP5... depending on what I find in the woods, LOL.

Going by those other threads, it sounds like there are others like me that played the AVX and now are trying the Triad, so that's actually really neat to hear a kind of convergence of preferences there.

My swing speed with driver is around 108-110. I generally don't have any problem stopping the ball on the green with my iron shots. I don't know about spin, but they get plenty high. Sometimes they hop back. I don't play a high spin game with my short game. And I've learned I have a bit higher spin with driver. Also, my primary miss off the tee is a hook, so I am fine with less spin in case that helps my driving game slightly.

Golfshot showed last season I ended at a 16.0 index, and now after these three rounds I am 11.0   I'm not going to play this up because it's crazy and I can't attribute that to the ball, but hey that's great. I was fairly sure that number was inflated by some bad play in the short time I've been saving my scores in Golfshot. You'd better believe I changed that in my MGS profile as soon as I saw that, haha. I'm at a 4 in one of my 9-hole leagues.

Goal

My goal in exploring different ball options is simply to find something different than an AVX or Pro V1 (or insert other high end ball here), still high performing, but that costs slightly less. The cost differences we're talking about here aren't that huge. But I don't have any loyalty to Titleist, and I'll take a few bucks if I have a good option besides Pro V1 and AVX. Now I'm reading more on this stuff, it seems like there is enough competition and there should be options out there. I know a lot of people like the Maxfli Tour and Vice balls for example, and I probably wouldn't have considered them prior to joining the MGS forum.

I have to mention one interesting factor here is that Titleist's AVX is different for 2024. MGS article on new AVX here. And now it actually costs $5 less than the Pro V1, when before it was the same exact price. This puts a wrinkle in things. I know the AVX may not be the most optimal ball for my swing speed. Though the new version maaaaayy be improved(?)... or it may be somewhat of a cross between the old AVX and the Tour Speed, which is now discontinued. And the Triad also may not be the best for my swing speed, so it's something I'll keep in mind and we'll see how this plays out.

BTW, I was lucky enough to be one of the 80 or so MGS testers who evaluated the Titleist prototype ball at the end of 2023, which later turned out to be the new 2024 AVX. 

Cost

I'll put this section next since cost was a part of my goal just above. Watching the price changes can be confusing when there are golf ball changes mixed in every couple years, and sometimes models are discounted before a new version comes out. But below I have prices for the current model of each year for 2023 and 2024. I think they're right. 

2024
Titleist Pro V1: $55/dozen
Titleist AVX: $50/dozen
Callaway Chrome Tour: $55/dozen
TaylorMade TP5: $55/dozen
Wilson Triad: $35/dozen (sale?)
Wilson Staff Model: $50/dozen

2023
Titleist Pro V1: $55/dozen
Titleist AVX: $55/dozen
TaylorMade TP5: $48/dozen
Wilson Triad: $40/dozen
Wilson Staff Model: $50/dozen

Alright, let's get cracking with the ball on the course!

Off the Tee

I have lost two balls so far, both in the first round, and one was a hook off the tee into some water. That is my struggle and I'm hoping to do better this year with that miss. But of course it's nothing against the ball. But on my good shots, I am very happy with the ball flight. I like playing my medium draw. I've only had one or two high slices. Is the tech of the Triad ball helping to keep it straight? I can't say for sure. I didn't lose a ball in my second and third rounds, so that's definitely a good sign with my tee game. And it is possible it took something off of my strong draw tee shots. It's hard for me to tell as left/right consistency with driver is the worst part of my game.

Driver distance seems good for me so far. I did have a couple 300 yarders for my longest ones. I'll occasionally hit 300 yards in past years, so that's normal. Golfshot says my driver is a 280 yard club currently. I have lots of other driver shots with the Triad in the 275-285 range as well.

 

(Of course there were no birdies in these two. Birdies are more likely to be found when least expected.)

Approach Shots

Approach shots with my irons have been solid. The trajectory has been mid, and looks good to me. The second ball I lost was a second shot over water where I was behind a tree and I was trying a punch shot that I didn't hit well enough, it caught part of the tree, and went for a swim. 

@Wheelieb said he noticed shorter distance on his irons, though he was playing in cold temps in winter and that seemed to be the reason.

Hop and stop is normal for me when landing on the green. Now that I think of it, I did have some balls hop back a bit despite the sandy greens, including a 150 yard 7 iron into the wind on a par 3, a 174 yard 8 iron with the wind on a par 4, and a 154 yard 8 iron on a par 4. So with the sandy greens, it is possible I'm getting more spin than I did with the Titleist AVX on approach shots. Time and more play will tell. 

For minor mishits, it seems the ball and my irons are doing a good job keeping the ball going to fairly close to the right place. This ended up giving me a fair amount of shots on the fringe that I could putt, and thankfully often on the same side of the green as the pin. How much of this is the ball? I'm not sure. But I did see @McGolf made a Youtube video that showed the Triad had a tight grouping for him with a 7 iron (relative to the previous version Staff Model, though partly due to one pulled shot with the Staff Model). And this is part of the marketing for the ball with its MOI setup. So maybe there is something to that, and if so, wow I really like that. 

I have been hitting my 100 yard shots better than usual with my GW. This is another weakness of my game normally. A lot of that could be down to my swing as I think I have that shot figured out better now (I play it like a long pitch, not a 3/4ths swing). They have been fairly on line and distance has been very good.

I like that the Wilson Triad feels firmer than the AVX. It felt closer to a Pro V1, the MGS ball testing data bears this out (below). 

Short Game

This one is really to-be-continued. My chipping around the green was mediocre. Usually it's a strength for me. A lot depends on the lie and shot and things haven't been the best, as I can remember not having good contact on some chips. That said, I can probably blame the sandy greens a bit here too because some have run long. Often I get a little bite and then some run out, so this could throw me off. Some of these have been biting a bit, but mostly not with the conditions of the greens. My third round had some ugly chipping, but then I also had a fantastic curving chip-in from 30 yards for birdie! When I hit a good one, it does what I want.

Putting

The greens at my home course are still a bit sandy, so that sucks. And it feels like I'm shaking the rust off my putter more than my other clubs. I putted well the first round, and mediocre the second and third rounds. I have five 3-putts so far in these three rounds. I got two in a row annoyingly after being on in regulation in my first two holes, booooo. Short putts were giving me some problems, and it doesn't help that I'm leaving myself with downhill/sidehill slider putts a lot. But then after that, I stopped missing the short putts and I made some nice midrange putts too. I also made my first birdie of the year with a 30 footer

I like the feel of the ball off my putter face. My putter is just milled stainless steel, no inserts. I think I prefer a ball to feel somewhat soft, or probably midrange compression, when putting. It shouldn't really matter and I should be able to adjust, but that is just my "feel" thing. I have not actually played with many high compression balls like Pro V1x. Anyway, it feels good, and I saw no issues when putting. 

Design

The style of the ball has grown on me. I like the simple black against white background. At first I thought the logo (wordmark?) was just ok, but now I quite like it. When I walk up to identify it in the grass, it just plain looks good to me.

I like the Wilson logo better than the STAFF logo that was on the previous version of the Wilson Staff Model balls.

Previous Staff Model design ---------- new 2024 design 

 

MGS article for previous Staff Model ball ---- MGS article for new 2024 Staff Model ball

That STAFF logo is cool on their irons, but for some reason I don't like it on the golf ball. I'm glad they switched those to the same Wilson logo as the Triad as well, and put the "Staff Model" on the side as the alignment line, like how most ball brands do it (brand name on the main logo, model on the side).

As for the W/S in the shield or not - I'm good with either way. Taking the W/S out actually looks pretty darn good on a ball when most balls have just the one-word brand name and no logo. This takes some busy-ness out of it. So maybe I favor no W/S. 

I do have some flashbacks to Wilson's stuff from the late 90s/early 00s when I had a bad impression of them. But I love how they are staying true to their roots, playing up their brand heritage, and rehabilitating their image in golf lately. If you haven't seen their 3 new lines of irons yet, or their new wedges, go take a look   Dynapower Forged Irons, Staff Model cavity backs and blades, Model ZM Wedges

By the way, I may have to try those new Staff Model balls as well since they are geared toward higher swing speed. I'm leery of more spin since I have a strong draw or hook for my common miss and reducing that slightly is helpful. And the ball stops for me ok on the green with iron shots. Once MGS has a new ball review, I'll have to check how they compare.

Durability

I noticed a tiny bit of wear, but really no problem for me. It would be nice if we had another ball washer or 3 out here so I could see better. I haven't had any sand shots yet. And I may be a bit of a sweeper. The sad honest truth is that it's rare that I play a ball long enough to retire it due to wear. I did hit some trees as well. 

Here's my current Triad after 10 holes. I wiped it down and it's still in great shape.

 

And here it is after 19 holes, after cleaning. There are a few spots and a bit of a line, but nothing serious all. I'll play it again.

  

Intangibles

I am not sure why I have an odd affinity for Wilson. I think it feels kind of counter-culture because Wilson became so strongly associated with low-end sports equipment found at Wal-Mart (though they do make tennis rackets, basketballs, footballs, etc. that the pros use). I'm comfortable going against the bias from that. Maybe I like underdogs? Sometimes? I don't know. Oh wow, I just remembered, my very first golf bag was Wilson brand. Yeah it was definitely a bit cheapo, thin dark blue fabric for the bulk of it and a tan low-quality plastic-leather for the trim. I'm pretty sure it fell apart... but lucky for me I got a high school Ping Hoofer stand bag at the time. 

I don't think I've seen any Wilson balls besides mine at my home course, so that's kind of cool. I've had no trouble identifying my ball among my group (sometimes a Titleist among Titleists). 

By the way I have heard they had an odd marketing campaign around this ball. I truly have not seen any of that. It sounds like they're going after a young crowd, so that's cool. But anyway it hasn't colored my perceptions at all.

Exchange I had with the great fitter at Golf Galaxy when I tried out the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke line--

"Somebody's been watching Rick Shiels"

"No, I saw them on MyGolfSpy."

"Oh. They do a pretty good job there of staying true to the data" ... or something like that.

I've heard the name but had never seen a single Rick Shiels video. I did later look up the video on Youtube. It was pretty short, but he hits a bunch of good irons shots into a par 3 and likes the ball

MGS Rating

MyGolfSpy Ball Lab rates the Wilson Triad fairly highly for their consistency of compression, weight, diameter. They are made by Foremost in Taiwan, who seems to do a good job.

If you're interested in the tech behind the Triad, Wilson put out a good video on that. It does have something interesting going on inside.

Bottom Line

I like it, and I'm going to keep playing this ball. It's my new gamer. And their current price is fantastic at $35/dozen.

I may have something to gain going to a higher compression ball, so I may explore that at some point. The Pro V1x has slightly higher ball speed per MyGolfSpy's 2023 ball test, about 1mph (Tableau scatter plot here). I had previously stayed away from it due to spin. However it looks like the Wilson Triad has significantly more spin with driver than the Pro V1x. That said, I'm on the road to fixing high driver spin and volatility with better methods than the ball, haha. 

The (old) Wilson Staff Model similarly shows up with higher ball speed in the 2023 test too, and less driver spin than the Triad, but still significantly more driver spin than the Pro V1x. It will be interesting to see what the new 2024 Staff Model does. The new Callaway Chrome Tour is intriguing as well.

2023 MGS Ball Test Scatter Plot - handy!

Man I would love to have this data outside of Tableau so I could better compare the core things I want to look at (ball speed for driver, spin for driver, spin for iron, compression... for fast club speed). Maybe I'll take on that project someday, to manually type out the data.

Buuuuuuttttt, here is a comparison of some figures from Wilson, Titleist, Callaway, and Maxfli balls that I thought would be useful.

• Wilson Triad has similar compression and iron spin to the Pro V1, but the Pro V1 has slightly more driver ball speed and less driver spin.
• Wilson Staff Model has similar compression and driver ball speed to Pro V1x and Pro V1x Left Dash. However, the Staff Model has higher driver spin and higher iron spin.
• Maxfli Tour X is quite close to the Pro V1x in driver ball speed, iron spin, and compression. However where they differ is the Maxfli Tour X has more driver spin than the Pro V1x. 
• Wilson Triad and Maxfli Tour have similar driver ball speed and compression. But the Triad has more driver spin and irons pin.
• Kirkland has the highest driver and iron spin. Also, I didn't include this number, but it's an outlier with lower iron ball speed.

Let me also add thank goodness the MGS forum software auto-saves your posts before they're submitted. This one was a doozy and definitely was almost lost a couple times. I did write it up in a notepad first, but it would have been a lot to recreate still.

In answer to your question, I am not still playing the Wilson Staff Triad ball, although I still have a couple of sleeves. The reason? I went back to playing the Maxfli Tour X ball (2023 version). There is nothing inherently wrong with the Triad ball; I just prefer the Maxfli Tour X a bit more.

[Modern irons with more traditional look]

2 hours ago, GT1885 said:

Are there any modern game improvement irons that look more traditional in terms of thickness of top line and offset? For reference I have played in the past few years since I've put away my old blades and Taylormade 300 Forged (excellent OG irons, BTW):

Callaway XR16 Pro

Ping G400

Mizuno 923 Hot Metal.

I currently have in my bag a set of Maltby TE Forged and have one of their TE+Forged and TS3 in 7 iron head that I've shafted and tested. All of these are great irons also. 

 

I am just curious if the big names have made anything with a thinner top line and with smaller offsets than what I've listed from the big names above.

Since you are already familiar with the latest Maltby iron designs, the first place that I would suggest looking is their TS1 IM iron model, although they have been so popular since their introduction that Golfworks is finding it impossible to keep those clubheads in-stock. I just built a set for myself, and they are very much in the P790 and Takomo 101T style. Not too strong-lofted, but not super-weak either. Quite a thin topline and the soles are not very wide, but just a little bit wider than traditional blade irons.  I'm playing mine this evening for the first time in my 9-hole league, and if I get decent results with them, those irons will be in my bag for travel matches tomorrow and Thursday.

[The Good Morning Thread]

21 minutes ago, Josh Ross said:

This is my collection, Eidolon wedges are in a spare bag my buddy is borrowing. I also just put the Hogan irons he designed in the bag again.

I remember working with you last year, we're still trying to get a fitting system put together but I've got you on my list once we have that in place. 

Off topic, random tidbit. I get ads on Facebook for Protalus shoe insoles and for whatever reason your comment on the ad about having them in your golf shoes is always showing .

Very nice collection!  I also have a couple of those Ben Hogan TK15 wedges within my collection, along with the two Hogan Equalizer wedges with the "TK Sole" or "Koehler Sole" stamping on their hosels.

I swear by those Protalus insoles, as does my wife. We both have them in all of out workout/cross-training and golf shoes.

[The Good Morning Thread]

12 minutes ago, Josh Ross said:

Love the feedback! I started using his wedges with SCOR and haven't looked back. 

I have played (and fitted golfers for) SCOR, Eidolon, Reid Lockhart, and I even have a couple of Hogan Equalizer wedges (48* and 56*) with the “Koehler Sole”.

[The Good Morning Thread]

57 minutes ago, Josh Ross said:

Been a while since I've posted in here, seems like I always get on later in the day lately. But good morning to everyone, hope you all have an awesome week!

Hey Josh,

As a dedicated Edison wedges user (both first-generation and Edison 2.0), and a true believer in the “Koehler sole” (I have been playing Terry’s wedge designs for close to 30 years), have to agree with Javs. The Edison 2.0 wedges are the “real deal”! I play a 47* (adjusted to 48* loft), 53* and 57* (adjusted to 58*), with some lead tape high in the cavities of the 53* and 58* for an even higher COG in those two wedges. I think that I have probably saved myself close to 100 strokes — maybe more — with these Edison 2.0 wedges since I started using them late last year.

[SQAIRZ VELO Shoe: 2024 Forum Member Review]

On 4/17/2024 at 3:26 PM, Indy_Oz said:

Get well soon! But don’t push the recovery too quickly. I’ve had ‘viral pneumonia’ a few times and it’s nasty (I have chronic asthma and since I went through a few years of chemo a while back my lungs are very prone to infection). 

Since I have been through a few rounds of cancer treatments, including two surgeries since late 2020, and I have Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, I am also very prone to infections, including but not limited to my respiratory tract.

[Evnroll V-Series Putters - 2023 Forum Review]

On 7/17/2023 at 5:51 PM, JudgeSmails said:

EVNROLL Putters – Official MGS Forum Review by JudgeSmails

First off, a HUGE Thank You to MGS and EVNRoll for letting me be part of this review.  I was extremely excited to find out I was chosen, I’ve never done a putter test in the forums and have always wanted to.

My real name is Scott, but most of you know me as JudgeSmails.  I’m a 47yo dad to 3 awesome girls and obviously a golf nut.  I play whenever I can, which is usually the weekends with my golf buddy Josh ( @josmi15 on here).

The Personal Questions

-What region do you play out of?  Live in Fort Wayne, Indiana and play the local courses

-How long have you been golfing?  About 20ish years, but definitely taking the game more seriously the last 6-8 years.

-What kind of golfer are you?  I’m out there to have fun, but definitely want to get better and be competitive

The Golf Questions

-How do you want to test this product? Will be tested on practice green and during round play

-What are your plans for the review and comparisons? Head to Head w/ my current gamer

-What will make this product stay with you after testing?  If it’s better, or at least a better fit for me, it stays….the numbers don’t lie, let’s   see what happens

-Why are you excited about testing this product?  I’m absolutely stoked!! If I had to pick my dream test, it would have been an EVNRoll   putter test to be selected for

-What do you know about the product already? I have actually owned an EVNRoll before, loved the feel, but the model probably wasn’t a   good fit (ER3)

-What are your expectations?  I’m pretty comfortable with my current gamer, i think it will be a good matchup

 

For my game, Putting has been a real struggle and frustration point.  I consider it the weakest part of my game.  At one point, I went through like 5 putters in like 2 years. .   My biggest struggle was just hitting a damn 6 foot straight-in putt, I just couldn’t do it and had ZERO confidence over the ball.  A couple years ago, I did 2 things; bought yet another putter and switched to left-hand-low.  My putting has definitely improved some.  It’s still a weak point of my game, but it’s not the complete dumpster fire it was 3 years ago.  I feel the left-hand-low has helped with my distance control.  I’m still missing way too many of those short straight putts, but I am making more than I used to.  Confidence level has gone up some, but is still lacking.

My current gamer, which I’ve been using for the past 2 years over this slightly improved stretch is a Mizuno M-Craft V.   I like it’s compact mallet shape and it has a nice feel to it.  Mizuno putters are pretty underrated in my opinion.

The model I’m going with for this test is the EV8.  It has a very similar compact mallet shape to my current putter. One of the great advantages to this line of putter, is the availability of different shaft/hosel combos you can order.  I had a fitter check my putting stroke and I will be going with a hosel combo that will give a little less toe hang than my current Mizuno.  I have very little arc in my stroke, and was advised I need little to no toe hang,  so I’m going with the long-plumber neck which will give this model 20* of toe hang (according to their website).   That is the lowest amount of toe hang you can get on this model. I think this will be a great comparison as the putters are very similar, but will the reduced toe-hang and sweet face technology improve my lackluster putting? Stay tuned and find out.

 

First Impressions  (19 out of 20)

I chose the EV8 model for a couple reasons.  I generally like that small mallet shape and it’s extremely close to the putter I play now (Mizuno MCraft V), so I felt it would be a great comparison.  The main difference between the 2 will be the hosel. I had a fitter watch my stroke, and he said I could probably use a little less toe-hang.  So on the EVNRoll, I went with the Long Plumber neck which gives the lowest toe-hang at 20*.  The current Mizuno has a short slant and I’m guessing about 35* toe-hang.   Here are the specs on both putters.

My first impression upon receiving the putter was that it was solid looking.  I love the small mallet shape and the satin finish, and the design is kept pretty simple throughout the head, nothing too flashy.  One thing I immediately noticed was that I really like the TourTac grip.  It’s a great shape and feel, just seems to sit nice in my hands.  If I had one complaint about it, I’d maybe wish the grip was just a tad bigger, or at least they had a bigger size available.  I won’t spend much time on the headcover, it looks and feels nice, like you would expect when you buy a premium putter.  The closure is magnetic, which is a big plus.

The day I got the putter I went straight to the practice green to at least get a few putts in.  One thing I noticed immediately was that the head felt lighter than my mizuno.  Both are listed at 355g in weight, so it must be the hosel and/or the grip that give it that feel.  At this point, I wouldn’t say that’s a positive or a negative, just something that was noticeable.  I had a pretty good session and got fairly comfortable with the putter, so that I could take it out for it’s first round….which we will get to in the next section.

 

The Numbers (38 out of 40)

Before I did any head to head testing, EVNRoll would go in the bag and be my putter for the next 3 rounds.  The first real test came on hole #2 of the first round.  I was on the green, but had a long right to left putt to try and get down in 2 for my par.

 

 

And there it is!  A perfect lag leaving an easy par.  First test PASSED

From that point, things only got better.  I am pretty much a 1 birdie per round type player, I’ve never been good at cashing in on my opportunities.  Well on this day I cashed in for 4 BIRDIES (although one was a chip in to be fair) and the following round I had 3 BIRDIES on the front 9….

 

 

A couple of those 7 birdies were long bombs and the others were 7-10 footers.  Being able to cash in those opportunities has given me a ton of confidence with this putter.

The 3rd round I didn’t have any birdies, but didn’t really give myself any great opportunities either. I did cash in some par save putts though.  Between the 3 rounds I did have a few 3 putts, but who doesn’t.  A couple of those 3 putts were from the fringe on the complete opposite side of the green too…almost expected at that point.  

My Confidence on the greens with this putter in my hands had gone way up in the 3 rounds I used it.  It’s not like I don’t like my current gamer either, that Mizuno has been a great putter for me.  So now it’s time to put them head to head….

Testing Method: 

 I would go to the practice green and set up 5, 10 and 20 foot putts….as straight as I can make them.  I would keep track of make/miss on all the putts and proximity of miss on just the 20 footers.  I practiced with both putters a little beforehand and spread this out over 2 different days to try and be as fair as possible.  I would hit 5 putts with one putter, then 5 putts with the other and so on.  

 

 

One thing I noticed in switching back and forth so much, the ball seems to ‘jump’ off the face of the Mizuno compared to the EVNRoll.  The EVNRoll definitely felt a little lighter in the head weight, and softer, more muted off the face.  On the 20 footers I definitely had to adjust for that and give the ball a slightly firmer strike compared to the Mizuno.  That being said, the distance control once I got it dialed in was great.  This may be the “Sweet Face Technology” kicking in, but I felt like I could easily repeat the same putt over and over.

Here are the results of the test:

As you can see, the EVNRoll came out on top, although Mizzy definitely stood it’s ground.  It certainly wasn’t a blowout by any measure.  After 300 total putts hit, the numbers are fairly close, but EVNRoll did manage to edge out the victory.

 

On The Course (10 out of 10)

EVNRoll has shined on the course.  Made 6 birdie putts in my first 2 rounds with it and only 3 total 3 putts.   I have a lot of confidence standing over 5 footers with this putter in hand, I can’t always say that was the case before.  Most of my misses from inside 10 feet are burning the edge and I’m leaving manageable 2nd putts from all over.  Here is a comparison, last 3 rounds with the Mizuno in the bag, and the first 3 rounds with EVNRoll….

I wouldn’t say I’ve been putting bad with the Mizuno either, it’s honestly a great putter as well.

My 2nd round with EVNRoll in the bag, I shot my lowest round ever and had 8 1 putts, including 3 birdies.  

It’s hard for me to deduct a point here, so 10 it is.

 

The Good, the bad, the inbetween (18 out of 20)

GOOD:  Putter has a great look and feel to it.  The sweet face technology, to me, works and lives up to the hype and helps with consistency.  Big fan of the Tour Tac Grip.  Having all the hosel options when ordering is a great feature.

BAD:  Only one negative I can find so far.  One of the big selling points of the V-Series line is the 6 different hosel options and they are interchangeable.  Much like any modern driver, you can remove the head from the shaft/hosel with one screw.  Say you ordered the short slant hosel but you want to try out the plumbers neck, you have the option.  HOWEVER, these shaft/hosels are nowhere to be found on their website.  I did enquire with support how I would go about ordering a different combo and they said I could do that over email.  That’s fine I guess, but seems like it could be something we could just order on the website.  Here’s the email exchange with prices…

The Inbetween:  The price…at $420 it’s definitely on the higher end of putter prices, but certainly not unheard of in today’s market.

 

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20)

The sample size may be kind of small, but the numbers don’t lie.  I really like my Mizuno M-Craft putter, but the EVNRoll edged it out on the course and in testing.  I have a lot of confidence standing over putts with my EV8 in hand, that I haven’t always previously had.  I will definitely keep looking at my putting numbers going forward and likely keep Mizzy around as a backup. EVNRoll stays in the bag!  

 

 

Conclusion

Putting has always been a struggle. I was so happy to get picked for this test, it is exactly the test I would have chosen over any other. .  The EVNRoll EV8 did not disappoint.  From first round birdies to the testing numbers, it came out on top.  I have a new found confidence standing over what should be makeable putts.  The sweet-face technology seems to work in my opinion, judging from the consistent dispersion on putts of all lengths.  If you’re in the market for a new putter, and don’t mind the price tag, I think the EVNRoll V-series is definitely worth consideration.

Final Score ...

 

 

 

Great (and very thorough) review! I am very familiar with the EVNroll EV8 putter, having switched from an ER2 model that I played for more than 5 years to an EV8 with the long slant hosel last fall. As much as I liked the ER2, I love the EV8 even more, although it has been in a battle with my Makefield putter for the “permanent” putter slot in my bag.

The area where the EV8 excels for me is on putts of 3 to 8 feet, where I find it to be virtually automatic. The Makefield VS putter may be a bit more accurate on longer putts, but not if I am putting on fast greens (the Makefield putter is too heavy in the head and I hit too many putts more than 4 feet past the hole with it …. sometimes much more than 4 feet on fast greens). I changed to a much heavier counter-balanced Gravity grip on the Makefield, and this has helped, but I am still generally more comfortable and confident with the EVNroll EV8 putter in my hands.

[Evnroll V-Series Putters - 2023 Forum Review]

27 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Wow that's not something you'd ever expect to loosen! Did you check all the others, including the one for the shaft? 

Also maybe back out those screws again, clean off the threads and the inserts, and apply your own thread lock?

That is exactly what I was going to suggest (cleaning the threads and applying some fresh thread lock)!

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

23 hours ago, Shrek74 said:

Another Maltby arrived today - TC Pro 7 Wood. It looks really great and I really want to get to the range tomorrow to try it out. Maltby ProSeries FW Shaft, 70g, Regular (they play pretty stiff). This was one of their Paks, and for $105 assembled, I couldn't pass it up. They even got my grip request right to add some to the lower hand to reduce taper.

I just finished a highly-custom full set of Maltby clubs (every club is +1” in length, with super-jumbo grips and swingweights in the D4 range (slightly higher in the wedges). Included in the set are a KE4 TC Max driver, KE4 TC IST 3 and 5 woods and KE4 Pro Adjustable 7 wood, plus KE4 Tour TC 4 hybrid, KE4 Tour+ irons and a Maltby Max Milled 56* SW.  I am so impressed with the KE4 TC Pro 7 wood that I’m thinking about building one for myself. I already ordered a pair of Maltby Max Milled wedge heads (52*, which I will bend to 53* loft, and 58*) that I will build for my use (Lord knows, I really don’t need any more wedges, but the 56* that I built for my friend is so sweet that I had to do it).

Maltby/Golfworks has really stepped up their clubhead design game with their latest generation designs, and I am really excited to begin playing the new TS1 IM irons that I just built for me with Fujikura Axiom iron shafts! The newest KE4 TC metalwoods are also the nicest fairway woods that I have ever seen from them, as well.

[The Good Morning Thread]

41 minutes ago, EasyPutter said:

Good morning MGSpies from the suburbs of Rochester enjoying a brunch with my son doing a drop off and pickup for things needed at his RIT apartment and our house. Had a great fitting yesterday and learned facts about my swing and ball striking that was pleasantly surprising and the only thing that would have been better was a tee at the in between "gap" height apparently that I use. Should be getting outside when I get home to start taming the grass back into the appearance of a lawn, and hope golf is a part of your day  

39

RIT is my undergraduate Alma mater! I attended “the institute” from late 1970 through 1977, taking some classes and labs at the downtown Rochester campus (50 W. Main St.) and other classes at what was then the “new” Henrietta Campus, which has been greatly expanded over the years since I was a student there.

[The Good Morning Thread]

1 hour ago, Indy_Oz said:

Definitely works as an anti-theft device in the US. Less so across the pond. In the UK, if you pass your driving test in an auto, you have an auto-only license! At least that used to be the case. Across Europe most rental cars are still manual transmission.

I have a manual transmission car and the family wagon is auto, so the kids will learn both (but do their test in an auto).

My wife has NEVER driven a vehicle with an automatic transmission in the nearly 44 years that I have known her (including 42 years of marriage as of this coming September). I drive both manual and automatic, and we have both owned and ridden motorcycles at various times throughout our marriage (I actually started riding motorcycles in my early teens). My son, who turned 54 in March, owns several manual transmission vehicles and my grandson (age 28) also drives a manual.

My wife gets very distressed every time an automobile manufacturer announces the passing of another model with a manual transmission. Her current car is a 2018 VW Golf Alltrack wagon with a 6-speed manual, and she has owned several Subarus and VW Rabbit/Golf GTI models throughout the course of our marriage. It has gotten to the point where her options are extremely limited when shopping for a new vehicle, and she fears that there will be no reasonably-priced cars with manual transmissions when she wants or needs her next vehicle.

[Pro V1 Left Dash Alternatives]

1.) OnCore Vero X2

2.) Vice Pro Plus

For those who have suggested the Maxfli Tour, that ball is absolutely nothing like the Left Dash. The Maxfli Tour X is much closer, but it is slightly higher spinning than the Left Dash.

[SQAIRZ VELO Shoe: 2024 Forum Member Review]

Jamie & Hayes,

As you guys may know, my testing activity, and pretty much everything else in my life, has come to a screeching halt over the last 8 days. I began suffering from the RSV Virus last Tuesday or Wednesday, and it quickly transitioned into Pneumonia, which I still have. This has caused me to withdraw from, or cancel, several rounds of golf, including two tournaments and three league rounds, all of which would also have provided Squairz VELO shoe testing opportunities.

I am still taking antibiotics and another prescription drug to help me with my breathing and hopefully to accelerate my recovery. I had a chest x-ray yesterday and received a call from my doctor this morning telling me that my x-ray looked clear and instructing me to finish the full course of antibiotics, which last two more days.

Hopefully, I will be able to get back to the Squairz testing activities next week, when I have three rounds of golf planned.

Doug Mael (a/k/a “funkyjudge”)

[Liv Golf Central Thread: Events and News]

So many unfounded rumors! Here’s another rumor that has been circulating for the past week or more: LIV Tour is said to be considering going to a 72-hole format with no shotgun starts. When Jon Rahm was questioned about this, his response was, “Yes, that has been discussed”, but he didn’t elaborate about where or by whom it has been discussed.

If LIV indeed makes the above changes in tournament format, withholding of World Ranking Points would become far more difficult to justify.

[SQAIRZ VELO Shoe: 2024 Forum Member Review]

9 hours ago, Rob Person said:

May you get over this quickly,  and feel better immediately!

Thanks, Rob! It's actually pneumonia and I am on antibiotics plus a drug to help with breathing.  Getting a chest x-ray later this morning.

[SQAIRZ VELO Shoe: 2024 Forum Member Review]

On 4/12/2024 at 11:18 AM, Javs said:

Good luck and let us know what you think of the VGA. I am thinking about playing in some events this year.

It doesn’t look like I will be playing in the VGA event in NJ on Saturday. This illness (likely an RSV infection) is going to keep me sidelined for at least a week. I have already missed three scheduled rounds of golf, including the Tour Championship for the winter golf tour, and I had to get subs to play for me tonight in my 9-hole league and for my scheduled travel league 18-hole match tomorrow.

[Drive By Golf Course (No not a Drive-By)]

On 4/8/2024 at 10:24 AM, Shankster said:

My wife thinks I’m strange.  But while we are driving around, I’m always saying.  Oh wow that would be an awesome place for a golf course.  Even build some hole designs in my head.

 

Anyone else do this?

Absolutely! I do it quite often.

[Krank Drivers]

1 hour ago, Dean Dunivan said:

Krank advertises better technology and 20 to 40 yards more distance.  Has anyone used a Krank driver and what is your thoughts?

I used Krank drivers for many years, all the way back to my final years competing in the super senior division in World Long Drive competitions. I have also been a fitter for Krank Golf, and fitted a wide variety of golfers, from seniors and ladies to high-swing speed golfers with the last 3 or 4 generations of both conforming and non-conforming Krank drivers. My wife plays one of the non-conforming Krank XX drivers, designed for the very slowest-speed swingers of the golf club, and she gets remarkable results from it. Prior to playing the Krank driver, her best drives were in the 165-170 yard range (carry + rollout), but she now often sees 180 yards or slightly longer drives.

Admittedly, the clubhead shape of the Krank drivers (and fairways) is somewhat bizarre or unusual, but they do work very well for a very wide spectrum of golfers.

[Cutting butt end down flex affects?]

1 hour ago, crisj said:

I need to cut my advr 6x down a half in our so.  Will that make the shaft more stiff?  It's on the verge of too stiff already so not sure I want to go that route.  Need to go from midsize to standard grip as well. 

I hate to disagree with Jamie, but in reality that shaft WILL play a bit stiffer after you butt-trim it. However, the difference should be VERY minor. The one thing that will counteract that slightly additional stiffness is that you will be using a thinner, and thus slightly lighter, grip on the cut-down shaft, which will lower the club’s balance point slightly, thus increasing the swingweight (probably bringing the swingweight back to where it was with the midsize grip at the 1/2” longer length).

All things considered, the net effect is likely to be negligible, and you are also likely to gain a bit of additional control and accuracy with the shorter shaft length.

[Anyone else struggling with cracked driver faces?]

2 hours ago, Marshmac said:

I’m wondering if anyone else has this problem? Over the last 6 years I’ve cracked the face on 4 clubs. 2 drivers and 2 3-woods. Taylormade M1 driver, M6 3 wood and M2 3 wood. I swore I would never buy another taylormade and then sure enough the worst one yet is my Cobra LTDX LS driver. 
I’m a higher swing swing speed player, able to get up to 125mph but generally play between 110-115. Is this just the cost of doing business at those higher swing speeds or am I an outlier?

I don’t recall ever cracking the face of any driver that I’ve owned, but I have cracked the face and/or crown on two fairway woods in the last 4-5 years. One was a Callaway Epic Flash 7-wood with a carbon crown that I repaired with high-impact epoxy and played for close to 2 years after the repair, but it recently cracked again. The other was an older Tour Edge Exotics 3-wood which actually separated at the seam that connects the face to the crown (this was about 5 years ago and the 3-wood was already at least 7-8 years old at the time.

[Shoot Your Age Thread-Tell Us All About It]

On 2/29/2024 at 1:45 PM, Golf2Much said:

We have a men's league golfer who is 88 years old and carries a course handicap from our gold tees of 23.  Brian is slight in stature, walks with a very deliberate pace and reminds everyone who knows him of their British grandfather.  At face value, he's the last you would peg as someone who ever shot their age!

Two weeks ago, he made a statement after shooting one over his age that he's shot is age "once or twice."  A gave him a funny look as I've played with him when he's done it at least that.  So when I got home I downloaded 17 years of Brian GHIN posted scores and compared each round (just under 900) with his age.  Here's what I found:

Since he turned 80, he's shot his age 3 times and better than his age 7 times.  During that same timeframe, he was within 2 strokes of shooting his age 21 times and within three strokes 41 times. 

Given there's a low single digit percentage of people who will shoot their age once in their lifetime, Brian is our very special local exception.   

I have a very good friend who recruited me to play both on our senior travel team and on the Caliendo Winter Golf Tour on which I have played for 6 seasons. Bruce (better known as “Cap”) is now 79 and he shoots his age or better several times every year since he was 71 years old (he has also won the Mercer County Open and Mercer County Senior Open a handful of times, equaling or breaking his age with at least one round each time he won). In the first two weeks of our senior travel league this year, Bruce has shot 4 strokes below his age and 6 strokes below his age, quite an accomplishment for sure!