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Rchang reacted to juspoole in Titleist T-Series Irons
Final Review
After a little over a month of testing, I feel confident that I have put these irons through a full run through. With 7 rounds and a lot of range sessions, I played as much as I could throughout the process to give you all the best feedback. These irons were fantastic and a joy to hit. Crisp feel with dynamite looks in a forgiving player’s package. I would give this 4.5 Stars if I could.
I’ll apologize now for how often I bring up my Mizunos during the test, but I felt they were a terrific comparison to the type of irons these are. I did a bit of a hybrid with the new and old scoring system in an effort to be more thorough.
Reminder of my set make up (similar to @chiefmikeofficer)
T200 Utility Build (Graphite Design AD IZ 85X)
T100 – S 5 – GW (KBS Tour 130 X)
Looks (5/5)
Describe the following:
Coloring / Graphics
· Subtle looks, but eye popping. I do not remember having this many people come up to my bag and take a look at my irons. The finish does not scream out “look at me” but there is something about them, which draws attention.
· They really do remind me of the AP2’s of old, you can still see that DNA in there. Also, as you saw the shape and size is very close to the split cavity Mizuno irons.
· Shape is exactly what I would look for, the top line is great and it flows so well overall. During a few of my side by side experiments, the Mizuno irons looked clunky and nowhere near as pleasing as the T100-S.
· I know it shouldn’t matter as long as you are playing the best equipment for your game, but as with the Mizuno’s, with Titleist, you are proud to answer the question “what irons do you play?”. Take that for what it’s worth, but they definitely make an impression when you see them in the bag that you are a good player. Performance on the course is up to you, but you will certainly look the part. I had more glances and people ask about these irons than anything else I’ve played. It’s just surprising because they are definitely not flashy.
I wanted to add a few more recent photos so that you could see how they look after a bit of use and the wear patterns thus far. Obviously only has been a short time
Feel (4/5
Describe how the iron sounds and feels
How is the weight? Balance? Can you feel the clubhead in your swing?
I feel a bit more weight in the club head in the Titleist than I do with the Mizunos. I prefer this feeling overall, but with it being a change, there are still some adjustments to be made. I can actually take a smoother swing and have the feeling that the club is doing the work. Feel off the face
· The million dollar question when it comes to a forged iron. I can tell you, I do get the feedback that I’m looking for as to whether I’ve made a good strike or not. That is certainly an important aspect. However, the feel is a bit “dead” when I compare to Mizuno. To give another reference, they feel extremely similar to the latest Callaway X Forged CB irons and Srixon ZX7 if anyone has tried out those. The T200 4 iron is a rocket launcher with a bit of a hollow feel but not awful. A bit better than the Srixon ZX for feedback.
Forgiveness (5/5)
· Very good. I think one reason that my scores have been very solid with these irons is that I am flying the ball to my yardage almost every time on mishits. I can swing confidently even though the topline and looks are a players shape. Honestly, a 15 handicap could play these with ease in my opinion if you want more feel. The T200 definitely does provide more in this category, but it really just depends what you are looking for. Do you want even more added distance and more forgiveness with a larger profile, or do you want just a tiny bit less of both, but added feel and a players shape? You’ll have to decide on that one.
Distance (5/5)
Nearly a club longer! A little bit less than that on the shorter clubs, but on 8 iron down to 5 iron, I’ve noticed the difference. The T200 can hit some bombs. I know the averages were only about a club longer with this one, but if I had to had one 250, I feel like I could do it with this 4 iron. Just crazy long. Ball Speed definitely has increased. I would say by around 4 mph on average with many clubs. Distance mirrors that to around a club longer. Launch angle is a touch higher, but the total height and descent angle are much better numbers. Dispersion however, has gotten a bit worse. Just bringing a few more pulls and draws into the mix when I usually do not have to worry much about that miss. On the flip side, I do not think that I’ve had a fade miss, so I’m still just missing on one side of the course, which is good. Pressure –
Tough to answer – I still feel like I’m grooving my swing with these. At this exact moment in time (September 30, 2021) it is probably a toss-up, but just give the slight edge to the mizunos because of accuracy. However, that is changing more and more with each practice session and round with the Titleist. Trajectory –
I know I’ve gotten into this, but definitely noticed a higher ball flight. I think this was due to both a less tip stiff shaft as well as all of the tungsten in this club. If you have trouble getting the ball up in the air, I think the T series will assist with that. Accuracy –
Still a work in progress. I think a combination of the clubs being a tad more upright and the different shafts are taking a bit of getting used to. I think it will correct itself. It has honestly helped me to feel like a can take a smoother swing and still increase my distance, which I don’t hate. Also, workability is not quite as easy as I find with the Mizunos. Possibly from the extra tungsten? I’m not sure. But I do find it easier with my previous set.
On-Course / LM Performance (4.5 out of 5)
· I would say that I hit a few less greens than normal, but on the flip side, it seemed like when I did groove a nice swing, I was giving myself a 12 foot or less birdie chance more often than I remember this summer. I dropped from 11.8 to 11.2 on average over the last 6 rounds with each. Granted I have been playing well during this time frame, but I had a couple real chances to break par and I cannot say that I’ve had that this summer. I recently played in an annual outing that I’ve been playing in for the past 5 years. I had my best score to date with the T100-S by several strokes and much was because of iron play. Turf interaction was also very good, it seemed to glide through on divots if that makes sense.
Did it help improve your scores? By how much?
· I must admit, part of the scoring coincides with adding a new putter to the bag and getting along well with it. But, my highest score with these irons was a 77. That definitely beats my mizunos, some of that has to do with off the tee performance and not having as many penalty shots lately.
· I played 9 holes with both sets and hit iron off the tee except for the par 5’s. I ended up shooting even par with both. However, I had a birdie and 3 putt bogey with the Titleist and overall would say, I had less club into every green by one or two clubs each time. However, I feel like I control my old clubs slightly better because I hit a slight fade with them rather than a draw. But I’m now to the point where my misses are still catching the green. With the added distance across all of the irons, I still felt confident only hitting 4 iron from the tee. This could help in future rounds and playing smarter and less risky shots off the tee.
· Below are some stats from several irons. Note that Ball Speed is up, as well as carry and angle of descent with each iron. I might shy some low spin players from these, but a shaft could help with that and the height will still help you hold greens.
Overall (4.5/5)
· I think in the grand scheme of things, these irons allow me to play better. More trust is still necessary as I move forward. I have to believe that with a smooth swing, I will still be able to hit the distance that these irons have shown thus far. On the course, I’ll still have the feeling that I need to swing out of my shoes to get my 6 iron 203 or whatever it may be.
· I really enjoyed my previous irons more than anything I’ve had before by a mile. These surpassed several aspects of them because they really are that good. I will miss the feel of my Mizunos to some extent, but it quickly washes away when I see the towering ball flight, great top line and extra distance the Titleist T100-S provide without swinging out of my shoes. As I grow more comfortable with these irons, they will help me play better golf – simple as that.
I have hit some other irons like the ZX7 and the Apex TCB, which did remind me of these. I think there are a lot of good options out there, but these seem to be a cut above with all factors in mind.
Now, if I could tame my driver and have one less hazard per round, I’d be on to something. Oh and a few less 3 putts would be nice, while we’re at it.
Thanks again to MGS and Titleist for choosing me to participate in this test.
First Impressions
Wow are these things clean. The lines are great on them. One of my biggest pet peeves was the large topline on some of my Mizuno irons and these alleviate that. I am in no way a photographer, so please excuse the poor lighting and quality.
Specs if anyone is curious - Not picture below but the 4 iron is a T200 with Graphite Design IZ 85 X flex shaft
Feel
Not quite as buttery soft as my Mizunos. Not harsh by any means, but I don’t get quite as amazing of feel by really flushing one. On the flipside, with a bit of a mishit, feels much better in the hands. No worries in the cold this season for me (well still some worry, but not as bad). Still getting used to them so more on this throughout the test.
Looks
Really like the satin finish of the T100-S, but if I’m honest, I think I prefer the chrome look of the T200 in the 4 iron a bit more. More to come as I see them in the bag on a regular basis. The back has minimal look with a lot of technology packed in behind the scenes. Topline is right where I want it to be. The offset is very minimal and maybe even less so that my mizuno – will have to research that. Also, the transition from shaft to club head is very smooth, the mizuno has a bit of extra meat right there while the Titleist is more flowing.
The Titleist has the blade like look, but does not make me scared in the least at hitting them. You can see the top line of my mizuno 8 iron on the right looks rather bulky compared to the Titliest. I think it gets it just right here on the Titleist. Blade Length may be ever so slightly longer in comparison as well.
Immediate Differences to my current Gamers
Much higher ball flight! The tungsten in these are no joke. The flight is not spinny by any means, but gets through the air easily and stops pretty quickly. Numbers on a trackman only tell you so much, but seeing the ball flight in person, it’s very noticeable how high I’m hitting these. I’m not changing anything else in my swing and it’s just higher. Also, small mishits are forgiven much better than the Mizunos so far and feel better like I said above. I won’t go into this too much here, but have noticed that I’m hitting a bit more of a draw with these compared to the Mizunos. Likely the swing, but planning on taking both out to the course and playing a hole with each to find out.
Below is a straight on shot of the 5 irons of both sets. The hosel looks shorter on the T100-S, but in person is about the same. Honestly, they are very close in shape. The main difference is under the hood and the cavity being larger on the T100-s compared to the smaller split cavity on the Mizuno.
Below is the gap wedge compared to my current vokey SM6 Gap wedge. More of the traditional teardrop shape from the wedge, but the T100-S 48* is more pleasing that I would have imagined. Top lines are pretty close to my eye, but sole is definitely a bit smaller over the Vokey.
Comarison of the Srixon ZX and the T200 4 Iron. No surprise here that the sole width is wider on the ZX. Thus far, I'm finding the T200 4 iron forgiving and easy to get airborne. Maybe not quite as easy to hit as the ZX, but still getting used to the clubs.
Loft Comparison
I could have went with the T100 and been pleased, but knowing where my lofts currently are for my mizuno’s, I thought it’d be an easier transition to go with these. I was right and wrong
The Fitting
I knew about these irons from seeing pictures online on Instagram. I watched the TXG video and a couple other Youtube videos to see initial impressions. I even went to my local shop to take a look at the iron head because I knew I would be interested in trying them out for potential purchase this fall/winter. Fast forward a week and I was chosen for the test!
I’m accustomed now to seeing all of the data from Trackman, so I knew what I was looking for out of my 7-iron demo club. (Off topic, but when did we go to a 7 iron instead of a 6 iron during a fitting? I guess with hybrids these days, a 7-iron is a closer representation of your middle iron in a set, but still am left wondering when that truly happened. ) I tried out 6 different shafts through a few days of testing. As Follows:
KBS Tour X-Stiff
Project X 6.5
Project X 6.0
KBS $ Taper X Stiff
DG Tour X100
DG AMT White X100 (Current Shaft)
I’ve been to enough demo days and fittings that I had a good idea of the iron shaft that would work best. The KBS Tour and the Project X 6.5 were neck and neck. I could have picked either and been good. At first I selected the KBS because it felt less stiff and I didn’t feel like I had to swing 98% every time. I started to find a groove with that shaft and it continued when I went to Project X, but that was a point where I was swinging my best and quickest during the fitting at around 96 mph.
Unfortunately due to shut downs across the world, Titleist had issues sourcing the KBS shafts in time. Thus, I went with my back up and very close second the Project X 6.5’s. A bit more stout with a hair less feel than the KBS but numbers were terrific with this shaft.
******Update, my irons came in with the KBS Tour shafts. I don't know what sorcery someone at Titleist had to pull to grab these, but thank you. They feel incredible.
Also, I went with MCC Midsize grips as it feels best and what I have in most other clubs. I tried the MCC +4 and have had those in my irons since 2017, but they’ve always felt a bit small. Glad we were able to get the grips that would work best. Also the MCC hold up extremely well for me. I usually am getting several years of play with them with no issues.
Next thing I noticed is that I was getting amazing ball speed numbers for my swing. I had a few 7 irons over 130 mph ball speed on trackman. When I was last fitted to my Mizunos – I was in the 125mph range, but that was with a 6 iron. Even with that being said my distances stayed close for standard deviation. Shots that I felt weren’t struck great, were still around 124 for ball speed and flying only about 5 yards short so I could see the forgiveness.
Last thing that was crazy to me was that going in I thought I’d be hitting these fairly low due to the stronger lofts. I’m hoping the trend continues on course, but I was getting average land angles of 51*. To put that in perspective the fitter said anything 45 – 50 is good and PGA is 48 – 50.
Stats from Current Gamers (MP 18 SC)
Initial Post
Thanks for somehow picking my name out of the incredibly large hat that made up the nearly 16,000 entries to this test. THANK YOU TO TITLEIST AND MGS for the opportunity!
I’ve been active on MyGolfSpy since 2017 and this has been an incredible outlet for me to take a deep dive into all golf has to offer. Sometimes I get the eye roll from my buddies for going into some crazy technical speak so it’s nice to be able to share my opinions and thoughts here.
I’m 34 and have been playing golf just over 20 years. I turned to golf initially to spend more time with my grandparents since I’ve always been close to them and my grandpa even shot his age a few years back (84). Growing up, it was always a way to get away from the other sports I was playing competitively and while I wanted to play well – I could get over a bad round more easily than a bad game/match in another sport.
I truly got addicted to golf in college and would get out as often as my limited bank account would allow. I started to improve and went from shooting mid 80’s to shooting high 70’s. My buddies joke that I knew all of the break on the carpet in our college house since I was always putting.
I’ve fluctuated a bit over the years but have managed to stay anywhere from a 3 to a 7 handicap over the past 12 years. My wife and I have been together nearly 10 years and have 3 amazing kids (Alaina 6, Olivia 5, and Lawson 3). I’m trying to play golf with the kids, but they aren’t all that interested yet. Which is ok because we don’t need a ball/club to the shin type situation.
Current Game
This year has had some ups and downs for me physically. I tore my Achilles playing basketball in January but didn’t have surgery until February. I was able to start golfing again about 2 months after surgery but wasn’t completely confident in swinging until May. Luckily, my swing did not suffer that much and have gone from a 5.1 to a 2.7 at one point this summer. Hovering at a 3.5 right now, but can shoot anywhere from a 74 to 84 on a given day. Before switching to work from home permanently, my golf rounds were down to around 15 per year. Now, I’m able to add in more 9-hole rounds over lunch or go to the range to keep the swing loose. I’ve actually only played one golf round over a weekend this year.
Biggest Questions Going into this test -
Can my iron game get noticeably better?
My iron game is probably my biggest strength and I’ve noticed an improvement since I’ve had my Mizunos. There definitely is room for improvement, but will these make that impact? For reference I average 11.8 GIR and would say proximity is 35 feet on average when I do hit the green.
Are Titleist Irons still as good?
My first set of “players irons” were a pre-owned set of the 2010 AP2’s. Made a huge difference for me in terms of GIR and dispersion. Also, I think they helped my ball striking going from a game improvement iron in the Cobra SSI Oversize to the AP2’s.
Do they feel as good as Mizunos?
With having my irons for 4 years now, I can say that nothing has felt like a Mizuno thus far. Like many others on the forum, I always like to try the new stuff that comes out and nothing has contended with my Mizunos for a while. This will be interesting to see if the Titleist can contend.
Is the progressive bounce design noticeable?!
You hear about the importance of bounce with wedges, but I’ve not heard of it in your irons. Stay tuned…
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Rchang reacted to MDGolfHacker in Titleist T-Series Irons
Alright, alright, alright! My official review of the T200's has come to and end but don't think I won't be talking about these irons in the coming months! I will be the first to tell you that I am a BIG MIZUNO fan! Ever since I first hit the MP-32's, I never wanted any other iron manufacturer in my bag. I've made a few detours throughout the years with a Callaway set and the Cobra F8's, but I always came back to Mizuno's being in the bag with the latest MP-20's gracing my bag prior to this testing. Well, I can honestly say that a Mizuno club will no longer be in the bag for the foreseeable future as the T200's have earned a permanent spot in my bag! Read on for the rest of my thoughts on what Titleist has done with the T200's!
Looks (4.9 out of 5 points)
I like clean backs and I can not lie😂... The T200's have a fairly clean looking backside on the iron, as much as can be done with creating an iron that incorporates multi-materials in the head, especially the D18 density tungsten weighting. It has an almost blade-like look to it from address. Here's a comparison of the back with the Tommy Armour Silver Scot Blades, the MP-20 and the T200's. It'a very clean looking club
Feel (4.7 out of 5 points)
They say nothing feels like a Mizuno, but Titleist comes close. It had a very solid feel to it and it masks off center shots fairly well but you can still tell when you don't hit the center. You don't lose a much distance when you miss that sweet spot. Speaking of sweet spot, it's much bigger than the Mizuno's. I will also tell you that my favorite club to hit out of the set was the 4 iron. It FEELS SOLID when you make contact with it! I liked hitting so much, that I found I would alter my approach to a hole just so I can incorporate hitting the 4 iron😄😂😅. I really enjoyed hitting the T-200s throughout this test, so much so, as I eluded to earlier, that it has officially kicked out the MP-20's from my bag!
Basic Characteristics (5 out of 5 points)
The fit and finish of the Titleist T200 is top notch. There wasn't a blemish or flaw that I could detect with the T200's. I have come to expect quality when using Titleist products and the T200's did not disappoint!
Comparing the T200's with the MP-20's I found that I was anywhere from a 1/2 club to a club longer. The T200's had a slightly higher trajectory but still managed to have a penetrating flight in the windiest of days that I played. I found that the T200s were a bit more accurate than the MP-20s as well. The Tungsten weighting does it job as I can feel the extra weight in the club head in the swing where with the MP-20's, I tended to lose the club at times during the swing. What really impressed me the most is that I didn't have to think about swinging the T200s as I knew if put a good swing on it, it will do what I envisioned.
On-Course / LM Performance (5 out of 5 points)
I felt that the T200's on course performance is what I expected it to be. I hit some fantastic approach shots with the irons and very accurate shots when I was in trouble off the tee. Titleist truly made a great club that will benefit not only mid and high handicappers, but even low handicappers as well. Titleist really has a a winner in the T200's. The turf interaction is fantastic with just enough bounce to keep me out of trouble. Even faced with a few less than ideal situations, the T200s were able to allow me to get the iron on the ball and hit a great recovery shot! I can't say that I would change too much with club as it did allow me to shave off a stroke off me weekly score.
Miscellaneous (5 out of 5 points)
The very first day I had the T200's in the bag, one of my playing partners who is a low single HC, literally zeroed on the T200's from his cart and asked if he could hit it (he forgot I'm a lefty and was disappointed that he couldn't, LOL). The T200's are a great looking club, feels solid when you hit it, does go a few extra yards as advertised and has the Titleist name backing it! What else can you ask for in a club?!
Play it or Trade it? (5 out of 5 points)
As I mentioned in my opening paragraph, I am a big Mizuno fan and the T200's kicked the MP-20's out of the bag. That's a big statement for me to switch to the T200's 😀
Conclusion
Do yourself a favor and at least try the T200's. They are a wonderful set of irons that will definitely not disappoint you! With solid looks, great feel and the Titleist name, what else can you ask for in an iron??
Final Score: (29.6 out of 30 points)
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Click here to view the box opening video - Titleist Box opening
Fitting Part 2:
You can find out which shaft I went with here: https://forum.mygolfspy.com/tests/19-testers-announced-titleist-t-series-irons/?do=findComment&comment=5419
Fitting:
As I eluded to earlier in my intro below, I decided to go all in on the fitting. @GolfSpy_THV needed the specs pretty fast but I wanted to make sure that I got the best fitting possible. In the past, I've gone with the specs I've had for years. Which, is dumb because I've somehow gotten old.
Funny thing is, apparently everyone in the world also wanted to have a fitting within the great state of Maryland too! After calling 4 of the closest fitters to me, a great friend of mine recommended 2nd Swing in Columbia Maryland to get fit, in particular a club fitter named Kevin Kraft. The stars aligned as there was a 3PM opening for him the next day so I booked it!
When I arrived, I was pretty early. I was like a kid in the candy store! But I had to focus as my close friend said to save my energy for the fitting and boy he was right! When I got into the fitting bay, I sensed this guy really knew his stuff when I saw a big cardboard check for winning the 2018 Pennsylvania Open in the amount of $8,000!
Additionally, Kevin also played in this year's US Senior Open and had a T56 finish! To say I was in good hands was an understatement. If you're a Marylander or in the local DMV area, I'd highly recommend making the trip there to see him. Great guy! Now back to the fitting. I explained to Kevin why I was there and he asked if I was limited to the shaft choices, i.e. stock shafts versus upgraded shafts. I said no, not because I wanted the most exotic shaft made out of vibranium to put into the T-200 heads, but because I was curious as to what was truly the best shaft for my swing! I brought my Mizuno MP-20 7 iron in, which is my 150 yard club, for comparison. He checked the loft and lie and found that I was fit standard to the Mizunos. I then proceed to get on the launch monitor and hit about 10 balls with my Mizunos. Just to refresh your memory, my MP-20s have PX-5.5 stiff shafts in them which I found out were low launching shafts and well, I'm not a high ball hitter, 😞 so definitely not a match made in heaven. He then proceeded to set me up in the first of what would be eventually 10 different shafts for the fitting!
LOL...during this entire fitting process, he would ask how the the golf shaft felt and look at the numbers. My buddy was also there to take some pics as well. I heard a couple of oohs during some swings as well as dead silence, ha ha ha!!
98 swings later, here's the screen capture of the Trackman stats for the dispersion and trajectory of all the shafts I hit. I purposely made it black and white because I'm going to ask you, the reader to see if you can guess which shaft ended up being recommended for me and well, if I left the color in it, you would find out right away which I was fitted to 😄
A few things I discovered while I was being fit. I actually DON'T carry the MP-20 7 iron 150 yards 😞 First bubble burst. The shaft that was recommended for me really doesn't fit my swing! That was bubble number 2! Once fitted for the right shaft, I gained distance, more ball speed and height! So, for the shaft detectives out there, can you guess which one of the following shaft profiles is the PX-5.5 in my MP-20s and which two were my final choices to go in the T-200 Titleist heads?
Let me know your best guesses! Use the color of the 7iron logo at the top left of each shaft test to let me know which shaft you think is the Mizuno MP-20 PX5.5 shaft and which two I narrowed my choices to!
MDGolfHacker
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Background:
I thought I'd get this party started with a little background of me.
I've been on active with MyGolfSpy since 2016. It's been a great golf forum of like minded golfers without the drama that pops up as seen on other forum sites. I've been fortunate enough to test a few golf items which I still use to this day. I'll post links to the last few items at the bottom of this page!
MyGolf History 101:
My story began when I was growing up in Maryland. The only sport I played was competitive tennis throughout middle and high school.
Some of my friends golfed, but I never took an interest in the sport at all. When tournaments were shown on TV, I never wanted to watch it and viewed the sport as boring.
Fast forward quite a few years. I no longer actively played tennis as my job was taking up a lot of time. My girlfriend (now my wife), wanted to find a sport we both could do as a couple (we played tennis a few times but she got mad at me because I didn't hit the ball to her (kind of what the point of tennis is, LOL) so SHE decided we needed to invest in a sport new to both of us). Her brother was into golfing and suggested we take up golfing. I resisted as I had zero interest in the sport. I didn't have golf clubs, didn't know how to hold a club; didn't see the point of hitting this little white ball further down the fairway, didn't know how to putt, didn't know the rules and had no interest in the history of the game. Regardless, I was dragged to Willow Springs Golf Course in Maryland. It was an executive 18 course with no par 5's.
I had to rent clubs. Luckily, the pro shop had a single set for a lefty. Willow Springs didn't have the latest and greatest sets to rent; on the contrary, the set I was given was built circa 1965. The driver itself was no larger than today's 5 wood and had a BABY BLUE head on it (thought it was a strange color for the driver and not manly at all, but what did I know, I didn't golf) and the rest of the irons were a mishmash of blades hobbled together from probably 4 or 5 different sets. I was given a quick lesson by my now brother in law on how to hold the club and was told to swing away.
Standing on that elevated tee box, I took the first swing of the start of my love for golf. A swing and a whiff! I was given a mulligan (didn't know what that was at the time) and made contact on my second swing! It went high, straight and far!
That one shot is what hooked me on the game. It didn't matter that I hacked my way around the course the rest of the day (I lost count of the number of swings I took after 120 strokes, lol), what mattered that day was my love and interest of the game was born.
I started to watch the golf channel 24/7, started to see how fun golf could be. I picked up a starter set from Dicks Sporting Goods, and started to practice every day at the local range 5 minutes from my house. I should have taken lessons right at the beginning, but I didn't know better. I started trying to get out every weekend to golf, first with my girlfriend and her brother, then with co-workers.
My handicap started from the high 20's to the mid-teens and finally dropped down to a low index of 7.8. I became a club junkie, attending every demo day every week of every month. I purchased several iron sets, drivers and putters. I even jokingly considered renting out storage space to put all the excess clubs and maybe install a loft and lie machine too, kind of make it a hangout spot for my golfer buddies, LOL. I had the financial resources and more importantly, the time to devote to Golf. It was a great time as I golfed twice a week and sometimes more. I loved the comradery the game has brought to me, the deep history that I have learned to appreciate and the challenge of repeating something as simple as putter swing. I have really enjoyed being out on the course during the sunniest of days to the windiest and wettest of storms. Those that know me will say that I try and keep things light and funny, but determined and focused to shoot my best score.
Since then I married my wife, had several job changes and had two children.
I had to step back from the game to devote my efforts to my family. As a result, my golfing tricked to maybe once a month if I was lucky and a few select tournaments I always played in. My handicapped shot up and the daily hours I spent at the range all but dried up.
The Present:
The kids are a bit older and have showed some interest in the game and I am once again working on my game to bring it down from the current 11.1 handicap to single digits. I have only played this game for 20 years but have felt the wide range of emotions this game elicits. I play in a weekly 9 hole league. I am unfortunately an average putter. I can go through some hot streaks but more often than not struggle for even those short 2 footers. I went back to the basics this year (think grip, stance, and body turn) and reviewed earlier golf school videos to figure out what was going wrong. A few weeks ago I made the comment that my game is coming along nicely and I expected to get back to my single digit handicap soon. Well, the golf gods heard me and typical god mentality decided to smite my swing😠🤦♂️….😄😂🤣ha ha ha…It’s been out of kilter for the last two weeks, but I’m working on getting it back to where it should be.
I currently play Mizuno MP-20's and love, love love the irons. It has a great feel and just looks awesome! I thought I hit them pretty well and had gone off of my previous specs for the shafts. The answer is no, I didn't get fitted for them per say. More on that later. In addition to reviewing the T-200's, I'll also be comparing them to the Mizuno MP-20s. My average club speed for the MP-20 7 iron is around 75MPH and it's usually my 150 yard club so we'll see how the T-200's stack up. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Being selected, we were asked to get fitted or supply our specifications if we knew them to @GolfSpy_THV. I thought I had a good handle on my specs, but boy was I in for a surprise!
Tune in later this week as I chronicle my experiences of getting fitted for the T200s!
Previous reviews:
SkyCaddie LX-5 Watch:
Cleveland RTX 4 Wedges:
MDGolfHacker
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Rchang reacted to GolfSpy_APH in Rapsodo MLM Launch Monitor
Hello everyone and welcome to my Rapsodo MLM Launch Monitor review! Thank you MGS of course for the testing opportunity and Rapsodo for providing a incredible product for myself and our other 3 lucky testers to put through its paces.
Introduction: August 2, 2021
To start off we will of course begin with a introduction. For those new the the site I am lucky enough to be the newest of the Mods on a fantastic team here at MGS. Before I managed to get my @golfspy tag I went by Apolloshowl and before that Danbrook . In previous reviews I would leave a link to a past one to give you an idea of me and my game, however that seems like a lifetime ago and with our new system it means time for a brand new introduction.
My name is Jamie, I am 33 and I live in a little town about a half hour from Zurich, Switzerland. August 1st not only represents the Swiss national holiday, but also our 1 year here in Switzerland... oh I should probably elaborate on the plural. When I made the decision to move here for work, my then girlfriend now wife (Allyssa) joined me on this great adventure. We were of course joined by our 3 dogs. Apollo, Fender and Oliver (or Ollie or Smalls or Smalliver). We absolutely love it here and are excited to welcome a new member to our family in the new year and are very fortunate to call Switzerland home.
As for the work that brought me here, well it is unique. I work as a Ice Technician for curling clubs and events. For me this normally means travelling a few months a year to different parts of the world making ice and maintaining my home club where we have ice 11 months a year and host many Olympic teams and training. It's work that has constant surprises and is always changing. I truly love what I do and can't imagine doing any other work... of course my work here as a mod not included.
That sums up life/work in a short way, which means we are now onto the fun part. Golf and MGS!
Before I get into my game here is a link (I'm doing it again) to what sums up my MGS career a little bit:
Now with that out of the way my golf game. I play to a 11, although sadly I really haven't got a chance to play nearly as much as I would like to this season with work, incoming baby and covid it has meant a lot less golf. However when I have played I still have a good feel for everything and have put up respectable scores. My biggest strength is my putting. That is also what I practice a fair bit at home so it is simply a comfort for me. My weakness is chipping and tee shots. My driver is less then consistent and after SuperSpeed testing last year it didn't hurt, but also didn't help. With a increase of speed and not as much practice it has meant some more big misses with the driver. My irons I love and am just really comfortable with, although arccos would tell me to club up on approach shots as I will very often come up short vs miss left or right.
If you want to check out a WITB for me it will be linked in the post about my MGS history above.
Finally now we get to the goods and the product in question for testing.
For starters I'll be using my ipad on it, as I have an Android phone (old iphone if I have to). Most of testing will be here at home (be ready for the unboxing post of all unboxing posts!) at the range and some on course use where possible (golfing in Switzerland is a little different and very go go go so less time to videoing and so on). I do promise to try and get some good backdrops where I can!
Why am I excited for Rapsodo and what this test means to me?
As eluded to above I don't get out to play nearly as much as I would like and Rapsodo will give me a great tool to practice and work on my game here at home both indoors and out. The coach feature is likely what I'm looking forward to most in I have not had a lesson in years and think this will be very beneficial as I can take the time to work on what is given to me before taking it to the course and get lots of reps in. It will also be great to get numbers and have a better idea of how far I am hitting all of my clubs since Superspeed training.
What will be tested and examined?
For this test I will again test it both indoors and outside. I will also be going to our local shop and see how some of the numbers compare against GC Quad for those curious in that.
Last the coach feature. I truthfully am not exactly sure what to expect with this. I will be going in with a open mind and willing to try anything the coach recommends or suggests. I think I forgot to mention this, but I am also a lefty... so outside of suggesting I play right handed I'll be all ears!
There are lots of good solid reviews out there on the Rapsodo MLM so I will try and bring something fresh and new to the table with that, but I will also put a large focus on the Coach Feature and how it could benefit all of you.
Unboxing: September 23, 2021
Time for a photo dump. As I said in the post the Rapsodo comes with everything you want and need and nothing that you do not. This to me is great. Less waste and I don't need a bunch of things to open or fiddle around with. A power button, simple setup guide and instructions, usb C cord and thats about it.
That being said my ipad case does not work with it so that had to be taken off which is fine, but not a easy case to take off.
It is pretty small and compact which is also fantastic!
It also feels sturdy as a device, which I won't say is surprising but i feel the durability will be great for the long term with this device as well.
Then we have the home setup which is a big reason why I wanted to get in on this. With life changes and being in a new country I haven't got a chance to play nearly as much as I would have liked and with baby on the way this is going to get a lot of use and the Rapsodo will help me dial in numbers over the course the review a future.
First impressions are great so far and very happy with the quick setup and install and looking forward to the Coaching Feature and how I can improve my swing.
For now I am going to wrap this up and for future updates, unboxing, photos and reviews check back both on this post and the comments!
Final Review: November 25th, 2021
Looks & Feel (8 out of 10 points)
Describe the following for the device:
This is a big bonus for the Rapsodo device. It is small, compact and really simple. I’ve touched base on this throughout parts of the review process, but with how simple it is I really think this is a key feature to it being a good product in any golfers bag. The added carrying case, USB C charger are great to have with one protecting the device and the other being a basic standard for most chargers now aday (funnily enough not apple which is what you need to use to use for this… just now noticing the irony in that)
I used mind with a ipad in a net almost exclusively and although I didn’t get around to doing head to head with gc quard or trackman I was able to do some with the PRGR which if we are being more realistic is a more comparable device for those who may be looking at getting the Rapsodo MLM.
In comparison the Rapsodo is a slightly larger, but add in the ipad and it feels like a much more professional unit and one much more suited to someone looking to dive into the data.
As for the score of 8, it is a good unit and sleek there is no doubt about that, but there is also nothing really makes it stand out and say WOW so a score of 8 I think is justified.
Setup (10 out of 15 points)
Set up is stupid simple. Make sure its charged up, turn the power on. Have the app downloaded and account created within the Apple device and simply select pair. The app walks you through step by step and within a matter of minutes you are ready to hit golf balls. The app really does a stellar job and making sure you are given the proper knowledge going into it.
The battery on the device for me lasted several sessions and I never ran it down to dead, it was quick and easy enough to bring in and throw on charge for a couple hours and put it back on the bag.
Although I did not have any reason to contact customer care, I was happy to see that after one session that seemed to have missed more then a fair share of shots I got a email notification asking about the session and saying here are some tips and tricks if I was having trouble and gave the information for customer service. I did have another bad session where the ipad kept shutting down, I reset it and recharged it to full and didn’t have the issue again. HOWEVER I did make sure the ipad always had 80% or better charge from there on out. I don’t recommend using it with a lower charge as it may use too much and shut down. Also worthy to note that the ipad would not simply turn back on, but had to be plugged in to reboot.
Scoring reasoning of 10 I think is covered above, but even though initial setup and integration and app itself are really good. The bugs with the devices and needing to have a near full powered device is a downfall for me. Side note a feature which I would love to see, not sure if it was there or not but a power indicator on the unit itself would be great!
Accuracy (12 out of 15 points)
The accuracy of this device is exactly what you should expect for its price point. Some shots are missed, some are spot on and there is a variance in between. That being said if you are trying to dial in distances as a whole I think this is a great unit. I like how it displayed and showed the data on the ipad and really liked how you can go back and look at shots. I believe it accurately detected thin shots, fat shots and of course the odd perfect one that I hit. Distances were consistent with what I would expect on the course and there were very few that I looked at and said well thats a obvious misread. If anyting those misreads were simply just missed entirely. This happened for me I would say 5-7% of the time. Again this could be more because I was using a net almost exclusively and maybe the flight wasn’t far enough.
This brings me to the second point in this where distance is one thing, direction is another. I again believe in the distances it showed. The direction I’m not so sure of. I mean I would love my dispersion to be as tight as it was, but know that I’m not that accurate so I think into a net with a limited ball flight the direction has a bit of room for improvement, but is more then adequate. I didn’t shank any, but did hit some high toe shots that I could see go into the top left of the net and it would read them as being more straight.
Comparing to PRGR I was quite happy, swing speed seemed to be close to on point which is what PRGR is known for and ball speed I would say is pretty darn close to. Now with that information is that showing better things for Rapsodo or PRGR? I’ll let you know and determine that for yourself.
Scoring reason- lets be honest for the price this is at and the features it provides its great. A 12 given some of its grey areas are truly awesome.
Are the yardages accurate? (compare to another method if possible)
On-Course (20 out of 30 points)
I did get out for a round with it, as well as a few range sessions, but again I want to focus this more on net compatibility as we head into the off season and colder weather could this be something that is used a lot indoors for training and improvement?
Again setup is simple, the app is great and I think this could work really well for someone who wants to use this at home not as a simulator, but as a training device and to keep their swing in shape in the winter months and dial in some numbers as well as distances.
Obviously the ball flight features and such are great for on course and range, but something you do not get at home. Maybe one day there can be a simulated flight, but for these purposes it's not really needed.
The biggest draw back I found was outside of a 7 iron I could barely see my swing, almost my whole body was out of the video which I’m sure I could move the device further and further back, but driver I would need to have it so far back it would be way out of the parameters of working so I do think that is a area for improvement.
I feel like I am being a little harsh on Rapsodo with my gradings, but I think it is important to understand what you are getting and what you are wanting to achieve with this device. Outside of testing I’ll be honest I don’t think I’ll be bringing this onto the course with me again. Not that it was difficult, but I’m not sure I see the benefit for on course use. That being said range/net use I think is great as a base device to get you numbers, data sets and general swing thoughts for your golf game. Which I do believe is important, especially in todays number centric golfing world. It gives you a lot more then PRGR, but that also comes with a cost of $350 or more… which is about what I would expect.
I will also say that I used multiple sets of clubs to see if there were different launch angles and such and it did seem to pick those up. My Cobra Fly Z Pro set was shorter as expected then the i210s. Sadly driver was a tough one. I believe it was good and generally accurate, but I was using my old old driver as my Epic decided to crack on the crown so I can’t really accurately say driver numbers were spot on. I feel they were, but my 3 wood was about as far according to the numbers Rapsodo showed. This I also don’t doubt.
Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)
Okay there isn’t too much to put in here. However this is where I think Rapsodo does score perfect. It is clear they believe in their product. They have come out with several updates for the App along with new features. They have also expanded the use of the Rapsodo MLM to include a coaching feature which unfortunately we weren’t able to gain access to, however they did give us full access to the premium subscription which allows you to store more shots, see more videos and get some additional data sets. This is FREE for any Rapsodo user for the first month which is fantastic! A great trial before you decide to take the plunge, which I do believe is worth while.
It is great to see they are enhancing features around the same unit to give it more uses as well as data to use. This is great to see and Rapsodo themselves were very good to deal with when I had to email them about some of the features of us doing this review.
Play it or Trade it? (15 out of 20 points)
This will be more brief for me. I will play it and use it. With life changing and family growing my golf game will be more out of home focused which means this will get used more and be part of my more normal golf routine as well as help me keep my game in check and swing smooth. However if I was to be out on the course a lot more and able to play more I honestly am not sure how much I would use it? So in short yes and I am very happy with the unit itself along with its features for my golf game and where golf fits into my life now.
Conclusion
TLDR- The Rapsodo device is a great small, simple and compact device that gives you solid data points across the board and in terms of my testing was nice to see net compatibility function well. Rapsodo continues to work and improve not only the app, but features and uses of the MLM which only adds to its overall value
Final Score: 75/100
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Rchang reacted to MattWillGolf in Final Reviews: Evnroll V-Series Putters
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?
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Rchang reacted to cjeffs12 in Final Reviews: Evnroll V-Series Putters
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
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Rchang reacted to Hook DeLoft in Final Reviews: Evnroll V-Series Putters
Hi Everyone. First of all, a huge thank you to Evnroll and MyGolfSpy for the testing opportunity. This forum is by far my favorite on line.
A little background: I'm 64 years old and started playing golf in my mid 30's. Until the last 2 or 3 years, my handicap stayed in the 12 to 14 range. It is now around 9 and dropping. In case you're wondering, retirement helps your scores😉 I play 2 or 3 times a week, weather allowing. I have never been a big hitter and getting older hasn't helped, but the modern golf ball and long shafted, oversize drivers have helped me maintain most of the distance I had in my 30's. My bag currently consists of a Ping G425 driver, Taylormade HL 3 wood, Callaway Heavenwood, Cobra 8 wood and PXG original generation 0211 irons. My current flat stick is a Ping Sigma2 Anser (more on that later). I have about 8 sand wedges and lob wedges I rotate for no good reason, but chipping and pitching have historically been a strength of my game. From the beginning, my putting has been a weakness of my game. Take a peek at my avatar. When I first started playing, I used a Wilson 8800 putter thanks to my admiration of Ben Crenshaw's stroke. Sadly, my putting stroke wasn't nearly good enough for that Wilson putter. I think it had the sweet spot the size of a gnat's backside. I also had a lot of arc in my stroke that led to inconsistency.
After a few years of trying a lot of putters, I picked up a semi-mallet Odyssey putter that worked much better for me. It also had a larger grip, which I think lessened the arc in my swing. I still wasn't what I would call a good putter. After a few years, I went to a Ping Craze E, which was a huge mallet. With an oversize grip, it worked pretty well but, naturally, it went sour after a while. Then came a Taylormade Spider and then a Happy mallet.
About a year and a half ago, I borrowed an old Ping Pengyo putter from a buddy. He is very tall and the putter was 36 inches with a huge grip. Suddenly, I became a good putter! My stroke smoothed out and my speed control improved dramatically. After 6 months of putter bliss, the buddy moved out of state and took the putter with him. Aarrrgh! No amount of begging and no amount of money would convince him to let me keep the putter.
Enter the Ping Sigma 2. I ordered it at 36" with an oversize grip. It works pretty well, but not as well as the old Pengya. I am hoping that the Evnroll will have some of the mojo of that old Ping.
A couple of shots of the putter. As you can see, it's a variation on the classic Ping/Scotty Cameron blade shape. Everything about the putter exudes quality. The finish is top notch and the head cover is a magnetic model that won't fall off.
I went to the putting green yesterday to give it a whirl. The weight is lighter than my Ping, despite being over length. On center strikes, it has a nice soft feel and sound. When hit on the heel or toe, it sounds and feels "clang-y". I did notice that speed didn't suffer much on off center strikes.
At the putting green I was pushing a lot of putts. I was hoping I would be able to correct that for this morning's round. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I had to really concentrate on releasing the putter through impact or the ball went right. At the moment, I don't know if the problem is alignment or something else. I use an alignment mark on my ball and set the putter perpendicular to that, but it is certainly possible my stance was closed and I didn't realize it. I'll go back to the putting green Monday and see if I can work out the problem. Even though I struggled with the line this morning, the speed control was good and I took 28 official putts, plus 3 from the fringe.
I'll post more results and photos after the putting session Monday.
MONDAY'S RESULTS:
After a long session at the putting green, I have to say this putter is the bee's knees, the cat's meow, the real stuff. Obviously, the earlier problem pushing putts was user error. Really, was there ever any doubt? I started with some short, straight putts and then moved to longer putts and breaking putts. Below is a pic of the result of 3 putts from 12 feet:
It
I stupidly took one of the balls out of the cup before thinking to take the pic. 2 out of 3 from 12 feet and almost perfect speed on the miss.
Here's a pic of 3 putts from 60 feet:
The worst putt here was 4 feet away and that was the one that got past the hole where the green slopes down to the edge.
We are having a dangerous heat wave here but I plan to get in a round in the next few days using my Shot Scope V3 to track my putting stats.
I have mentioned the grip on this putter only in passing. It is a Gravity grip. I don't think you would say it is a counter balanced grip but it is a similar idea. There is a metal bar inside the grip on the underside that runs the length of the grip. Evnroll claims that it makes it harder for the player to rotate the face away from square. At the putting green, I was starting almost everything on the line I had picked, so maybe there is something to it.
THE LATEST 18:
I played this morning at a course I play maybe 8 times a year. The putter was working extremely well. The distance control was just about perfect on every putt. I started the putts on the lines I picked on every putt but one and that one was a 20 footer that missed the hole by 4 inches on the left after a pull. I had 29 putts, but that doesn't tell the whole story. I didn't hit anything close all day and had 7 one putts and no 3 putts. If this keeps up I'll be buried with this putter.
Below is a quick video of one of the most important performance aspects of a putter:
IMG_1805.MOV
And I would like to point out that was off a down slope. Very handy for swiping up the ball after you've shot yourself out of the hole!
Now for the ratings:
Looks: 5 Stars Obviously, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I've decided to score this category based on the quality of construction and finish. Both are top notch. The putter has a quality look and the finish is impeccable.
Sound & Feel: 5 Stars The putter really shines in this category. The ball feels and sounds just a tiny bit soft coming off the face, but, at the same time, very solid. If you put a terrible stroke on the ball, then you will get a little bit of a clanky feel and sound, but you have to miss the sweet spot by a lot for that to happen.
Basic Characteristics: 5 Stars Evnroll gives you a choice of hosel styles with each head, allowing you to pick one that fits your eye and stroke. I ordered one of the choices to fit well with a slight arc and it worked beautifully for me. They have options for those with a straight back through stroke and those with a lot of arc in the stroke. I think this is a huge plus. It helped me start most putts on the line I had chosen.
On-course Performance: 5 Stars Using this putter, my ability to hit my line and my speed control have improved dramatically. Evnroll makes a big deal of their "Sweet Face Technology." Well, they should. It flat out works.
Miscellaneous: 4 Stars I'm dinging them one star here because the packaging wasn't the best I've seen. There was no padding to protect the putter from shipping company gorillas.
Play it or Trade it: 5 Stars This putter is firmly ensconced in my bag. At this point, any other club in my bag is replaceable. Not the Evnroll.
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Rchang reacted to fixyurdivot in Final Reviews: Evnroll V-Series Putters
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)