Member Review: The Golf Garage (Putter Refinishing)

[jlukes 13,206]

Disclaimer: I will say up front that it took much longer than usual to get my putter customized and sent back to me. This was due to a combination of family issues on Kyle's end, as well as a bad batch of DLC finishes that had to be redone. Kyle has the highest quality standards and refused to send any clubs back with a less than perfect finish. I spoke with Kyle in length about the delays and he offered to provide all of his services for free as well ship my putter back to me for free once finished. I said while I appreciated the gesture I still wanted to compensate him for his work (and I did).

 

 

I was browsing twitter one day and saw Evnroll posted a picture of them doing some testing on tour. What really caught my eye was they had black ER2s! I knew I needed one, but unfortunately after talking with some folks at Evnroll, they were tour only at the time and it would not be possible for me to buy one. That is when I set out to get my ER2 customized. I knew there were a bunch of options, but one in particular intrigued me the most.

 

The Golf Garage (https://www.instagram.com/the_golf_garage/?hl=en) is located in Central Pennsylvania and is a one man operation by Kyle Campbell. I reached out to Kyle via Instagram and explained what I wanted done. He mentioned that there were a variety of black finishes he could provide, but recommended the DLC (diamond like carbon) finish as it is the thinnest and most durable finish. I told him how important the feel and performance of the Evnroll grooves were to me and he promised that feel and performance would not be impacted. I told Kyle about the stamping and paintfill I wanted and he said it would not be a problem, so I boxed up my putter and sent it on its way.

 

I have to say Kyle was very patient with me as I sent in minor tweaks to the paintfill and stamping before he began work and he was more than happy to accomodate my changes. When my putter finally came back from the batch DLC coating Kyle began sending me teaser pics and I was extremely happy with how things were progressing. Less than a week after the DLC was applied I received my putter back.

 

Here is an article that explains the magic that is a DLC Coating http://www.messinajewelers.com/blog/black-coating-watches-pvd-or-dlc/

 

The DLC coating exceeded all of my expectations. Kyle was true to his word as my ER2 felt and rolled as pure as ever. I putted a ton with it indoors and played three rounds of golf with it (on sandy, aerated greens) and the finish held up wonderfully. DLC isn't a plated finish, so there is no need to worry about paint chipping off which is phenomenal. The stamping and paintfill on the putter are all super clean and professional - much better than I could have ever done myself and is on par with what I had done to my Scotty Cameron at the Custom Shop years ago.

 

There seems to be some good things coming for Kyle and The Golf Garage. He mentioned to me that he will be getting a dedicated workshop up and running in the near future which will allow him to streamline his process and make everything more efficient for him. I mentioned that I would love to come by the new shop once it is up and running and take some pics and do a small interview for MGS and he said he would love that, so I am looking forward to providing a deeper look into his work soon.

 

Overall I am extremely happy with how the ER2 turned out and would absolutely recommend The Golf Garage to anyone looking to have their putter customized. Kyle has learned a lot about running a business over the last few months and he has vowed to make sure the customer experience becomes top notch to match the quality of his work.

 

If you are interested in having your putter (or even irons!) customized by Kyle or want to ask him questions about what types of things he could do for you, you can reach out to him directly through his instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/the_golf_garage/?hl=en

 

I will leave you with some pics of my custom ER2

 

 

 

 

[tommc23 9,697]

That looks very good and I'm glad that it works the same for you

 

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[DPattGolf 1,577]

Great write up! Nothing like a Black ER2!

[fozcycle 11,875]

Can EVNRoll certify the finish and ensure it does not affect the roll?

 

 

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[jlukes 13,206]

Can EVNRoll certify the finish and ensure it does not affect the roll?

 

 

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not officially certify but when I contacted Evnroll about getting it's refinished since I couldn't order a black one from them they mentioned a dlc finish would be best because it is only 1-2 microns thick. Even the super thin coating a company like Labworx uses is more than 4 times as thick (8 microns).

 

DLC is not paint. It is similar to the PVD finish that many OEMS use to make black putters and wedges

 

PVD is the method of coating whereas DLC is the type of PVD coating. I see that there is some confusion between the two and  people call black coating PVD . It is wrong to call PVD to any type of black coating since there are many types of black coatings, and PVD is  the process in which is coated. Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) is the method used to deposit thin layers of material by condensation of vapor in a high temperature and vacuum environment.

 

DLC or Diamond- like carbon coating is the highest quality PVD  black coating , the most durable and hardest to scratch. The coating is done with the bonding of high energy precursive carbon rapidly cooled down on the surface. It is very similar to the process of making synthetic diamonds. Not only the process is similar but the carbon coatings have the same attributes as diamonds since they are extremely hard and very resistant to scratches. In other words it is perfect for making metal surfaces more durable. Due to the hardness of the DLC material it is also a disadvantage because it makes it more difficult to bond such material on the surface making it more expensive.

 

Usually when a watch is referred as PVD Coated then it is for a cheaper type of PVD , and not DLC.  If you want to customize your watch to Black make sure it is a PVD DLC.  The regular PVD is not a fraction of durable as DLC. The DLC is way more resistant, perhaps a little more expensive but it is worth it

 

http://www.messinajewelers.com/blog/black-coating-watches-pvd-or-dlc/

[JudgeSmails 2,225]

looks great!

[JohnSmalls 6,088]

I've said it once and I'll say it again, that black evnroll is just awesome!  Thanks for the PVD & DLC brief, I have been wondering about that for a while now.

[jlukes 13,206]

I've said it once and I'll say it again, that black evnroll is just awesome! Thanks for the PVD & DLC brief, I have been wondering about that for a while now.

No problem! Kyle really educated me on the process. I wouldn't choose any other finish if I was refinishing a putter I intended to game.

[DPattGolf 1,577]

I've said it once and I'll say it again, that black evnroll is just awesome!  Thanks for the PVD & DLC brief, I have been wondering about that for a while now.

I have a DLC finished ER2 as well. Highly recommend it.

[justnred 35]

Looks awesome!

[JTexGolfer 1,040]

Gorgeous putter and excellent stamping as well!

 

This is making me itch even more to get my irons DLC'ed. I love my black wedges.

[Peterpc2828 716]

Sweet!

 

 

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[00sportsman 2,282]

Looks awesome, and the information about the finish was really interesting. Enjoy!

 

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[yungkory 9,883]

Sick write up brother

 

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[PlaidJacket 7,725]

I'm not a putter enthusiast like many are. However, I've liked the style of the ER2 since I first saw it. Still do and I'd certainly consider gaming one some day. I also like the new finish on jlukes putter. A lot! Beautiful work.

[richsgbox 76]

Looking for custom shop referrals.

 

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[Shankster 25,698]

Check out the TXG thread...

[cnosil 15,648]

Need more info.  Custom what?  Custom fitting,  custom club making,  or custom refinishing?

[jlukes 13,206]

Thanks plaid! Kyle did some great work

[GeekingGolf 1,791]

I just bought a Kevin Burns 9303SN that will probably need some work done.

 

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