Evnroll NEO Classic Putters - 2024 Forum Review

[GolfSpy_APH]

The Evnroll Neo Classic ER2 was named Best Overall Blade Putter by MyGolfSpy testers in 2024. It was the top performer in the five-foot category. Considering there were 39 putters tested ,this was no easy feat. The Neo Classic line boasts several more models and features that have not previously been seen in Evnroll putters. 

About The Evnroll Neo Classic Putters

We have a full deep dive into the Neo Classic line that you can view here. The short version is that this putter line features new takes on five classic Evnroll designs. The line incorporates adjustable weights, two finishes and their new aluminum SweetFace insert. Of the five new models, three fall are blades and two are mallets, meaning most golfers should see a shape or style that suits their visual preferences.

The biggest of all the  changes is clearly the SweetFace aluminum insert. Known for their SweetFace milled grooves that aid in direction and speed control, the new aluminum insert aims to provide a better feel that is softer but equally responsive.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@russtopherb

@ChitownM2

@AndySP

@Marty2shanks

[russtopherb]

First of all, a huge thanks to MGS and Evnroll for this opportunity. I’m grateful to have this chance, and I hope to do everyone justice with this review. I’m excited to take part in this testing opportunity - I’ve heard nothing but great things about Evnroll putters over the years, and I’m absolutely looking forward to seeing what Evnroll technology does for my game on the greens. 

It’s an honor to be selected as one of the testers, and to be honest I was on the fence about tossing my name into the hat at first. I went back and looked at my putting stats (more on those later) as well as my approach to putters and putting, and I realized that this represented a really good opportunity for me, as well as to have a very specific point of view on this test.

Before we jump into all the good stuff, I wanted to give you some background on me and where my game is at this point in 2024.

About me

Most of you know I’m a desk jockey during the day, as the marketing manager for a tech company. Thankfully I’m in a solid area of southern MA/eastern RI that offers a lot of courses and opportunities to practice. Just down the road from my office is a nice semi-private with a large putting green I can get to during the day, I walk 9 holes after work at least once per week and play 18 holes 2-3x per month, and I have a muni and nice semi-private both within a few minutes of my house. 

I tend to play a lot with the same group of guys that I’ve been friends with since I was in my early teens. As I approach 50, I’m very cognizant of how lucky I am to have grown up with these guys. I also play a lot with my son, who’s 18 and is headed off to college in the fall. We have a great time out on the course, and I shake my head every time he out-drives me by a good 20 yards. Ah, to be young again….

Me and the guys at the annual scholarship fundraiser my wife and I run every year, that's me 2nd from the left laughing and leaning away thanks to my buddy saying something completely inappropriate I won't repeat here

The courses I play at offer a wide variety of greens conditions. They’re fairly slow on the course I play my twilight rounds at, larger and faster at the muni, and darn near glass-like at the semi-private around the corner. This should give me a great cross section of greens conditions to use the Evnroll on as I put it through the paces. 

Let’s talk putters, putting, and Evnroll

I’m going to be right up front and say that I have given putters probably the least amount of thought among all the clubs in my bag. I know that there’s a lot of tech and research into putters, and I also know that’s the one club you’re going to use on every single hole of the course. 

So why have I eschewed putters?

I tend to find a putter I like and stick with it. I also, being cost conscious, have tended not to put a lot of my club budget into putters. Here’s what I have in my putter arsenal.

Cleveland HB 10 - This is my current putter, as it’s been having OK success so far this season. I kept it out of the bag for a little bit when I wasn’t so keen on the feel, however some lead tape has made it feel a lot better in my hands, and more stable through the swing.

Wilson/Staff Infinite Southside - I make no secret of my love for W/S no matter how much they may hurt me at times with their marketing and shelf availability… or lack thereof. I loved the value of this putter, but never fully vibed with it. I’ll pull it out occasionally, but it’s usually the last one I’ll reach for.

Nickent Omen - I picked this putter up for $30 used a few years back when I wanted to try out a mallet putter, and I got along with it quite well for a while. I liked the way it looked to my eye over the ball, it felt good, but I absolutely struggled with distance control at the worst possible times.

While the Nickent was a solid used bargain, the new cost of both the Cleveland and W/S were sub $150. Great values for what they bring, but nothing that would be considered top of the line tech or offering any features that would make putting easier or more consistent. That was what made me sign on for a chance to be an Evnroll tester - to see if a new putter that had a lot of current tech built into it would help me out vs a lower cost option that I’ve always gravitated towards. And that’s the POV that I’m taking throughout this review, looking to determine if Evnroll tech truly does make a difference when put up against the lower cost, no frills putters I’ve always used.

Me and my son getting in a round together off Cape Cod last year

When we were signing up, I opted for the ER5 because I just love the way a mallet looks vs a blade like I noted above. When I scrolled through the available options, that design immediately jumped out to me. I’m going with a 34” model, as that’s what I’m most comfortable with and wanted to do a true apples/apples comparison with my current putters.

As I was looking through the no-upcharge grip options, the Gravity 1.0 grip caught my eye. I read up more on the tech involved and what Evnroll described as a way to ensure a square face at contact as much as possible by inserting a 10” steel rod directly under the shaft, using gravity to help your hands know the position of the putter face. Other reviewers online talked about how much it worked for them, and as someone who tends to push or pull putts right out of the gate, I opted for that grip to see if it would help me with my start lines as well.

Info on the Gravity Grip from the Evnroll site

According to 18Birdies, I’m averaging exactly 2 putts per round over the past year. That’s not bad for a 15 hdcp but I think it can be better. My GIR is only 19.8%, so I’m in a lot of scenarios where I’m chipping for a chance at an up and down, or even chutting based on the lie and pin position. I absolutely plan on using the Evnroll ER5 in a lot of “off the green” situations, so I’m eager to see it’s performance there. 

My initial testing will be to bring all these putters to the local putting greens I have access to at the start, and do a side by side comparison of each from various distances to see what my comfort level is and make percentages are. I’ll also plan on putting the Evnroll ER5 into the bag as soon as it arrives, and see how my per-round stats change. Unfortunately I don’t use Arccos so I don’t know my make percentages across different distances, however I’ll be sure to post my anecdotal findings here and see how my comfort level changes (if at all) on longer putts. I’m sure my buddies and my son will all give the Evnroll a few tries, and I’ll share their feedback here as well.

Whew! That was a lot. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, ask away!

First Impressions - June 19

When I pulled up to the front of the house after playing 18 today, look at what was waiting for me at the front door!

It arrived too late to save me from a couple of 3-putts today, but I'm not too fussed about that. I brought the eagerly-awaited package out back to open her up!

The box that the putter arrived in is quite sturdy, however I have to say I was a bit surprised there wasn't any sort of packing materials inside to protect the putter overall. As you can see, it's in a plastic bag with no other padding. Also, no paperwork was enclosed to document the build specs that I chose.

Thankfully, there wasn't a single thing wrong with the putter, and it looks & feels amazing! 

The overall finish and details are pretty much perfect. The headcover feels very substantial and the magnet clasp is very tight. As of right now, I don't have any concerns at all over it falling off or being lost out on the course.

I brought the putter inside to my living room and started rolling it to see how it felt in-hand, using my ball return. I have to say the Gravity Grip feels absolutely perfect in hand. I've always preferred a larger grip to help keep my hands and wrists quiet in the putter swing, but the Gravity Grip just feels incredible when putting. I prefer pointing my index finger down the grip and it aligns nicely with the flat side of the putter. 

Looking down at the ball from the address position, I'm already liking how the ball lines up with the two dots on top of the putter. I was able to roll the ball extremely straight but we're talking about my living room carpet, not an actual green. Still, nearly every putt started on line, with no real pushes or pulls. No matter what the surface, if you hit the ball without the face square at impact, it's not going straight.

I definitely noticed how much louder the face is at impact vs my Cleveland gamer, however it's nothing that I think will bother me at all. Overall, the club just feels solid in a way my current putter (and my backups) don't. I don't know if perhaps it's the knowledge of what the Evnroll costs, it just feels more substantial and solid vs the other putters in my arsenal.

I'm excited to get this out to the practice greens and start in on some real world testing ASAP. 

FINAL REVIEW - August 3, 2024

First Impressions (9 out of 10)

As you can see from my initial posting when the putter arrived, it was love at first sight. The putter itself is just stunning in all aspects - it looks fantastic at address, the milling is excellent, and the overall look and feel of both the club head as well as the grip are outstanding. The headcover fits perfectly and is easy to take on and off, I mean what else can you ask for?

I did deduct one point for the complete lack of packing material to protect the putter, as well as the lack of any documentation showing the build that I had requested. Did it impact performance? Of course not. Thankfully the box was nice and sturdy, but if I had spent $400 out of my own pocket to order this putter and it showed up with no paperwork or packing, I’d be disappointed. 

Aesthetics (10 out of 10) 

Again, like I noted above, the ER5 is just a fantastic looking putter. I love the mallet appearance at address, the sole is sharp looking with the script name and recessed weights, and the face is solid and clean. 

I’ve particularly become a fan of the double dot for alignment, in conjunction with the center sightline. I’ve found it very easy to align with my starting line, which has paid dividends out on the greens (more on this later). I’m really glad that I chose the Gravity Grip as my option, because the feel in hand is fantastic. I’ve always been a fan of larger Winn or SuperStroke grips, and I find the Gravity Grip strikes the perfect balance of a wider grip with a tapered profile. I adjusted to the feel very quickly, and the balancing it provides overall almost makes the putter head feel like it’s swinging itself.

I noted in my mid-thread reviews that occasionally the head has a distinct “ping” sound at impact. I can honestly say that I haven’t noticed it at all during my rounds, it’s a non-issue for me. No one I’ve played with has heard or remarked on it at any time. The feel off of the face is soft yet solid. There’s no harshness even when I miss the center of the face, which is appreciated. I can definitely tell a difference from a 2 piece distance ball to a urethane ball when they’re struck, but it’s not jarring by any means.

Overall, when I compare the ER5 to the other putters in my (admittedly small compared to some of you!) collection… well, there’s no comparison. She’s a looker AND a solid performer. The ER5 simply looks “high end” in ways that my Cleveland HB and Odyssey putters simply don’t. I don’t even want to bring in the comparisons to the W/S Infinite Southside or the Nickent Omen, because I don’t want them to feel bad. 

The Numbers (17 out of 20)

For me, the absolute best thing about the Evnroll ER5 is the ability to start the ball on my intended line. I cannot believe how much more consistent this putter is than anything else I’ve gamed over the years. I literally lost count of how many times playing partners remarked how I had hit the ball on a near perfect line. My side to side misses have come down dramatically. I know it’s something I can’t truly quantify, as I’ve never tracked where or how I missed putts, but I can point out the complete lack of 3 jacks since the ER5 showed up. I honestly have not had any more putting range sessions aside from the first couple I got in when the putter first arrived. I’ll hit a few on the practice green before a round, then I’m out on the course. 

Distance control for me has been very good. Not perfect… but very good. I’ve found the ER5 to be hot off the face, and I’ve needed to adapt to that. I had remarked in my initial practice green tests that I was struggling with distance, but a lot of that was due to the constant switching back and forth between putters. Once I had the ER5 in the bag and left my Cleveland alone, I got dialed in pretty quickly for the most part. I’m not 100% comfortable admittedly, but my misses have usually been just past the hole vs. a few feet short. I’m OK with that for the most part. 

Stability and forgiveness have been through the roof. I cannot think of a single instance where I felt the putter twisting at impact, or coming in overly open or closed. Even putts where I’ve missed the center of the face go where I’m expecting them to. I mentioned in my initial practice session that putts were going right on me - once I adjust the ball slightly further forward in my stance to adjust for the head and neck, it hasn’t been an issue at all. 

I’ve used the ER5 as a Texas Wedge a number of times with excellent success. As long as the fairway and fringe are in good shape, you can pop the ball nice and close from off the green. I holed a few from off the green, as the face gets the ball started with a near perfect roll (as long as conditions allow) and it’s been far more consistent for me vs trying to chip. 
 

On-Course (18 out of 20)

The Evnroll ER5 has been, for me, rock solid out on the course. Prior to putting the ER5 in the bag this season, I was averaging 2.1 putts per round. With the ER5, I’m averaging 1.8. While that’s not a huge, massive difference, for someone like me it means shooting 42-44 over 9 holes vs 44-46. 

Looking at all of my individual scoring stats since putting the ER5 in the bag, I’ve had a total of 3 three-putts. And I remember two of them very well, where I was on a huge green that had me in positions where a 3 putt was probably the best possible outcome. It’s more of a criticism of my approach game than anything else. 

For me, the biggest gain I’ve had with the ER5 is comfort. And I’m not just talking about how it feels in hand. It’s more standing over a putt, knowing what my starting point is and where I’m aiming, and being extremely confident the ball is going to go where I want. I’ve always had the tendency to push or pull putts when under pressure, and I can honestly say there has been none of that since putting the ER5 in the bag. Between the aiming setup with the 2 dots and line, and how the club feels in my hands with the Gravity Grip, I have so much confidence when standing over the ball. 

Evnroll has once again done an amazing job of making a putter that looks and feels incredible. Their reputation is well deserved, and when I started this whole process, my thoughts going into this review were along the lines of proving that more expensive doesn’t mean “more better”. I’ve always used lower cost putters and felt that that was one part of the bag where spending more money, as one might do with a driver for instance, might not pay off. Well, I was dead wrong. The more expensive and solidly built putter with weights and R&D into it has made a big difference for me when it counts and I need to hole some putts, or put the ball as close as I can from a longer distance.

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

I feel like I’ve covered almost everything I can when it comes to first impressions, looks, and performance. The ER5 is just a classy looking putter that feels great in hand and performs exactly like Evnroll said it would. Their site claims that the milling and center sightline ensures ideal alignment and they are dead on. 

I’ve already dinged Evnroll for the lack of packing materials and spec sheet, so I don’t want to harp on that again here. The online ordering process was very easy when I picked my length, lie, and grip type. I do think I would have preferred more of an interactive tool like a lot of other manufacturers have been moving towards to reassure me that I was getting a putter that was exactly what I needed, vs just picking options from a menu. Given how popular these tools are, and the growth of fitting apps (or even the use of AI in some instances), I think Evnroll would do really well to implement something like that as part of their fitting process. 

 

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

This is hands down the best putter I’ve ever used. My comfort level is outstanding, and I have no qualms standing over nearly any type of putt. Yeah of course there have been a few putts on insanely fast and curving lines that had me gripping the putter a little harder, but that was more due to the circumstances vs how I felt about the putter itself. 

As I noted above, the biggest thing for me as part of this test was proving or disproving my theory that a more expensive putter wouldn’t make a huge difference to a mid handicap like me. The stats and scores have proven that I was hurting myself by not moving to a newer putter with some tech and R&D behind it. The milled face has been an absolute godsend for me when it comes to starting the ball cleanly. I can only think of one putt the entire time I’ve been testing the ER5 where the ball jumped up on me at contact… and that was on a pretty beat up green where I think it may have been more the conditions than the face contact itself. Evnroll promotes stability with their dual face insert and much like their alignment claims, they’re dead on the money. The feel and performance have been absolutely rock solid.

Conclusion

The Evnroll NEO Classic ER5 offers an incredible package of looks, performance, and feel that’s suitable for golfers of all skills and abilities. With a simply gorgeous look at address, easy alignment aids, and a face that gets the ball started smoothly on your intended line, I can almost guarantee putting the ER5 in your bag will make you a better putter. 

Evnroll was founded by Guerin Rife with a mission to make putters that were forgiving across the entire face, so the whole face of the putter was just one massive sweet spot. I can personally attest that Evnroll accomplished that mission, and accomplished it very well. Their “Sweet face” tech promotes a straight roll, and that tech has delivered for me in spades. While some of my other putters in the past ended up in “time out” because they stopped working for me, I think the ER5 is going to be in my bag for a LONG time. The ease of swinging the putter, the easy alignment, the straight roll, and the feel of the putter overall make for a fantastic addition to my bag. If you’re looking for a putter with consistent performance and feel, look no further than the Evnroll ER5.

Final Score (92 out of 100)

Edited August 3 by russtopherb

[ChitownM2]

Introduction

I wanted to start off with a big thank you to both Evnroll and MGS for giving me the opportunity to review the new Neo Classic ER8.  My name is Ryan and this will be my fifth product review for MGS since joining the forum.  Previously I was fortunate enough to review the Ben Hogan VKTR+ hybrid, the 2021 Maxfli Tour & Tour X, the Precision Pro NX10, and then the Edel SMS irons last season. I really enjoy doing the reviews for the site and want to give you all the best possible review I can so if there are any questions you have or something you want to see please reach out by tagging me in this thread or shoot me a PM.

I’ll be 44 years old next month and have been golfing since my teens; however most of that time I never really took the game that seriously and then had a long break from ~2010 until late 2019 when I picked the game back up.  Since 2019 I’ve made it a point to try and get out as often as possible for someone with a full time job and a son who is playing travel soccer for the entire golf season.  For me that works out to getting out once on the weekend and I’m currently playing my 3rd season in a casual 9 hole league on Monday nights.

I’ve always hovered just below a 20 handicap and have gotten it as low as 15 in the past but have been struggling off the tee this season and am back in the 17-19 range currently.  Without a doubt my driver and long clubs need work since I am very inconsistent with them.  My short game is the one thing that has actually been working for me the last couple of seasons.  Around and on the green have been somewhat of a bright spot and likely saved me from posting some really big numbers.    

I’m currently gaming the original Evnroll ER7 that I picked up used/like new 3 seasons ago.  This was my first fully milled putter and I immediately fell in love with the feel off the face.  Prior to the Evnroll I had played a couple different Odyssey models always with one of their face inserts and softer feel. Given my history with my current gamer, I am very familiar with Evnroll’s “sweet face” technology and have confidence that it works. So for me, this test is really going to be about the new face insert and how I feel about the shape of the putter vs. my current model.

Shortly after I put the Evnroll in the bag that first season I ended up going for a full bag fitting where I got on a SAM PuttLab and nothing they had in stock could beat it out.  Since then it hasn’t come out of the bag. I have ordered the Neo Classic ER8 in the same stock specs as were measured during that fitting (70° lie / 2° loft).

After I receive the putter my plan is to use my Birdieball putting mat at home to practice with the Neo Classic and get more comfortable with it and compare the feel of the new insert face vs. the solid milled face of my OG ER7. I’m very interested to see how it feels and whether it’s more like my current putter or closer to something like an Odyssey White Hot.

On that numbers side of the testing, I am an Arccos user and part of my plan is to use the data it captures to compare my strokes gained statistics with my old putter vs. the Neo Classic.  My current numbers over the last 20 rounds are as follows:

I also plan to take both putters to a local course and use their practice putting green to compare my putts and see if there are any discernible differences over various putting lengths such as 5’, 10’, and 20’ similar to how MGS does their most wanted testing.  

Ultimately I feel that a large part of putting is subjective and based on one’s confidence in the putter so whether or not the Neo Classic ER8 earns a spot in my bag is going to come down to 1) am I making more or better putts and 2) do I have that same or more confidence in the new model compared to my gamer.

First Impressions - 6/30/24 - 9 out of 10

I received my putter last week and life got in the way of me tearing the box open right away, but I’ve had some time now to get acquainted so here are my initial thoughts.

As others mentioned, Evnroll shipped the putter in a nice quality box befitting of a $400+ premium milled putter but I too was surprised to find the putter loose in the box.  For this reason I deducted a point, had the club shipped with some foam molds to hold the putter in place it's getting a perfect score here.

It was protected in a thick plastic bag with Evnroll branding and the headcover on and I could not find any damage so all's well that ends well I suppose.  In fact, I could not find a single mark on the putter.  The milling, the paint fill and the headcover all look perfect and I am a big fan of the black insert set against the satin steel finish.  I also opted for the headcover and grip from the black finish model and I think they both really help tie the look together.  My only complaint would be that the headcover is way too big for the putter and fits very loosely on the ER8 which is only a mid-mallet.  My guess is that Evnroll must only make one size headcover for mallets now as I know in the past the original ER8 model used to have a smaller version of the mallet cover (I accidentally bought one on Ebay when looking for a replacement for my ER7 back when I first got it).  

 

Standing over the putter the ER8 has a very similar look to my gamer ER7.  This was actually one of the primary reasons I chose to go with the ER8, I am a sucker for that long center alignment line as it helps me with my alignment.  I much prefer the long alignment line on my putter rather than putting a line on the ball and futzing with getting the ball aligned.  I’m sure many of my playing partners like that as well.  

For my first rolls of the new putter I set up my birdieball mat and putted some 9-10ft putts with both the ER8 and my gamer ER7 for about an hour.  I didn’t keep track of the exact numbers but my make percentage had to be close to equal with no discernible tendencies with one putter vs. the other.  Personally, I feel like my "muni" speed birdieball mat plays quite fast compared to most muni courses I play but on a green with this kind of speed my takeaway from these first putts was that from this short distance the two putters felt very similar. 

I next took the putters to my local muni for some practice on a real green.  I started off with some 20’ putts and immediately noticed the difference between the Neo Classic with the insert and my gamer without it.  The insert makes the feel noticeably softer.  There was definitely an adjustment period where I was leaving the first few short by a foot or more but it was a quick adjustment and after a half dozen or so warm-up putts I was rolling everything within 18” of the cup.  I did swap putters back and forth a few times and consistently had the same feeling that I Need to hit the putts harder with the Neo Classic.  After rolling 25 or so putts from 20’ I swapped over to 10’ putts and while I still felt I had to hit putts slightly harder it was not nearly as pronounced a difference.

Overall the softer feel is something I will have to get used to but shouldn’t be much of an issue.  Alignment and shape wise, the putter is very similar to what I was previously playing so I’m hoping the acclimation period will be short and easy.  I’ll be getting out for my first round with the putter this weekend and will have more to report!

Final Review - 8/4/24

Aesthetics - 10 out of 10

I touched on my thoughts regarding the putter’s looks in my first impressions but I can say that I love the appearance just as much today as I did when I first received it.   The black face, grip & cover pop against the matte steel finish of the head, it’s different and eye-catching without being flashy or obnoxious which is exactly what I prefer.  I will say that I would have liked a slightly bigger head but it’s not a significant departure from what I’m used to and I didn’t have much trouble adapting. 

Neo Classic ER8 on the left and ER7 on the right

Moving past the looks, the feel of the putter is where I noticed the biggest difference between this putter and my OG Evnroll.  Impact with the Neo-Classic is definitely softer than the solid milled putter.  It’s a little unique compared to anything I’ve ever played before.  The steel face feels firmer than either of my old Odyssey putters and still provides that click sound/feeling you get from a metal face which I prefer.  One thing I have noticed is the Neo-classic gives more feedback on long putts that I don’t strike at the center of the face compared to my ER7.  I haven’t been able to determine if this is due to the insert or if the head shape is just less forgiving due to being a mid-mallet vs. a more perimeter weighted mallet, the latter of which I assume has a higher MOI.  Regardless of the reason, I haven’t noticed any significant difference in distance on these mis-hit putts which is a credit to the Evnroll face doing what it’s advertised to do.  This is something that I had taken for granted with my previous putter since poorly struck putts were not as apparent as they are with the Neo-classic.

The Numbers - 17 out of 20

One thing I realized during this review is that testing putters does not exactly lend itself well to the objective kind of data gathering that one would do with a driver or set of irons.  We’re not testing with a launch monitor and looking at distance, ball speed or spin numbers, it’s much more subjective and based on self analysis.  For me it comes down to three things, did I start the putt on-line, how is my distance control and can I make a repeatable stroke.  

To address each of these I put in some time with the NC ER8 on my birdie ball mat in the evenings and also made several trips to my local course to make use of their practice greens.  As I stated above, there was an initial adjustment period getting used to the different feel off the face but after that the putter performed very well for me on the distance front.  The biggest thing I’ve noticed with the ER8 is that as my stroke gets longer I tend to push putts more often than I recall doing before.  I haven’t been able to figure out the reason for this as the NC ER8 actually has less toe hang than my ER7 (17° vs. 27° per my eyeball measurement using a printable Hireko Chart) which should translate to less pushes not more.

My untested theory is it has something to do with the grip.  My ER7 has my all time favorite grip I have ever found in a putter. It has a shape I love and a small amount of taper....it just works for me.  The TourTac grip on the NC ER8 appears to be a zero taper grip that flares out to a pistol at the top.  It feels good in your hand but it is not as deep from the top surface to the bottom surface in your fingers.

ER7 grip on top ER8 on the bottom

The other issue I’ve had is the putter just does not feel as stable in my hand as I would like.  Again this may be due to the grip but I’m not sure if that is all of the story.  I ordered this putter in the same specs as my ER7 (370g head, 34” length) but I swear that it feels lighter in my hand.  The baffling part is that the NC ER8 actually has a greater swing weight despite being lighter overall with a heavier grip (playing lengths are identical).  At some point before the end of the season I will probably switch the grip as I bought a bunch of the grips I prefer after Evnroll discontinued them and were offering them on closeout.

ER8 club weight, swing weight & grip weight top to bottom on the left.  ER7 on the right

After all that it may seem like I had issues with the ER8 but that was not the case at all.  We’re talking about very fine margins here and what might be considered nit-picking.  To back that up I did attempt to do my own replica of MGS’ most wanted testing and compared the NC ER8 to my previous 2 putters (ER7 and Odyssey Marxman).  I tested over two different sessions and attempted putts from 5, 10 & 20 ft with each putter.  From each distance I attempted 4 putts with each putter and rotated through them all and then went to the next greater distance and repeated the process.  I rotated which putter went first each time to keep it fair and gave myself 2 “warm-up” putts with whatever putter was first from that distance.  I recorded the number of putts it took to hole out and then assigned a score of 10 points for a 1 putt, 5 points for a 2 putt and 0 points for a 3 putt for both the 5 & 20 ft distances.  Points were doubled for the 10 ft distance to weight that metric more heavily.  The results had the ER8 come out on top but in hindsight the sample size was probably not great enough and a couple of putts where the ball was left hanging over the cup made the difference.  Ultimately I'm comparing 3 putters that I already know worked for me, I’m betting there would have been more differentiation if I had tested the ER8 against a blade and a center shafted putter.

Marxman left, ER7 middle & ER8 right

On-Course - 20 out of 20

Cutting right to the chase, on the course is where this putter really performed for me.   No matter where I was on the green I believed that I was going to be able to leave the ball close to the hole.  Based on MGS’ testing and my previous experience with Evnroll, I knew the sweetface technology worked and it became even more apparent during this review.  Even when I could feel that I had missed a long putt out on the toe it still ended up getting to the hole.

My scores have backed up what my gut was already telling me.  This past month I’ve been playing some of my best golf of anytime in the last 12 months and while I’m sure it cannot all be attributed to the putter I’m a firm believer that confidence in one area of your game bleeds over into the rest.  As you know from some of my weekly updates, I’ve been using Arccos to track my rounds and provide some measurable way to assess the performance of the putter.  In total I played 10 rounds in the month allotted for the review which includes a mix of (5) 18 hole rounds, (4) 9 hole league nights and a lone outing to the 9 hole par 3 course.

Based on the data, Arccos has calculated a 4.4 strokes gained per round improvement in my game since I started using the Neo Classic ER8.  I’ve been comparing myself to a 12 handicap as that is a goal I’d like to achieve and while my driving and approach still needs a lot of work you can see that I’m nearly there with my putting.

Nearly half of this improvement occurred on the greens where I picked up 1.9 strokes per round compared to the 10 rounds prior to beginning the test.  That’s a 2 stroke per round improvement with the putter alone!!  I’m no expert on golf stats but that seems like a big jump for just making an equipment change.

Looking deeper into the data you can compare the stats I posted in my introduction with those below and see that I’ve cut down on my average number of 3 putts per round and significantly boosted my number of 1 putts.  You can also see that I’ve dramatically improved my putting within 10’ since that’s where you have the greatest chance to actually sink putts routinely.  For me that’s the difference between getting up and down for bogey or the occasional par vs. taking a double.  The only area I didn’t see a performance improvement was on the long to really long putts and I think this is where pushing those putts has hurt me and I’m hoping swapping the grip will improve that metric.

The Good, the Bad & the Inbetween - 18 out of 20

If you’ve read this far I think you can tell I’m pretty smitten with this putter so there is lots of good to go around.  The looks, the technology and the performance are all outstanding.  The build quality is also impeccable, Evnroll truly makes a premium product on par with any of the more popular milled brands out there like Scotty or Bettinardi.  The only negative I can come up with relates to the headcover.  I really like the design and it offers plenty of protection plus uses a magnetic closure (no velcro!) which is a personal must-have for me but I wish it was a bit smaller and fit more snugly onto the putter.  The one size fits all approach of offering their standard mallet cover for this mid-mallet putter kind of irks me a bit.

The inbetween for me isn’t a fault with the ER8 but with the head options Evnroll is offering with the Neo Classic line.  As someone who does not like fang style putters but has always played a mallet, my only choice was to go with this mid-mallet option.  I would have greatly preferred to get the face insert on the ER7 style or one of their “spyder” clones such as the ER10 or 12.  I think either would have provided more stability to the head which is something most mallet players are looking for.  Perhaps in the future they will expand the line-up since I believe there are others like me out there who would like the face insert technology in a few more head options.

Play it or Trade it? - 19 out of 20

Without a doubt the Neo Classic ER8 is staying in the bag!  The putter works well with my small arc stroke and I have confidence in it whenever I stand over the ball.  I’m proud to have it in my bag and love showing people the Sweetface and explaining how it works.  Overall it’s competitively priced against milled options from Scotty, Betti, and Toulon but provides more tech than any of them. 

Conclusion

Overall the Evnroll Neo Classic ER8 putter is a great option for someone looking for a new mallet or a blade player looking to transition.  The proprietary Sweetface technology really works well at maintaining consistent distance regardless of the strike location and can help anyone who isn’t making dead center contact on every stroke.  The putter looks great and has a few customization options for those who are willing to order it direct.  Personally, it has already cut 2 strokes off my game and I’m hoping I can improve on that figure slightly by switching to my preferred grip.  I don’t think there is much more anyone could ask for from a putter!

Final Score - 93 out of 100

Edited August 5 by ChitownM2

[AndySP]

Hey everyone, I’ve been selected to test the ER 2.2, (the wide blade plumbers neck), and I couldn’t be more psyched!

Preamble:

Before I talk about me I just want to praise the MyGolfSpy forum for being the one place on the internet where I can talk about golf and gear without all the…well…other stuff, on social media.  Every time I jump on I  learn something, and I love participating as a part of this group.  I was a tester of a Caley driving iron last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.  So, I’m honored to have been chosen here and I hope some of you can use my experience in the same way I’ve learned from yours. 

Bio:

Briefly, I’m a 36-year-old “young attorney” with a masters degree in philosophy.  I’m married and have a 5-year-old daughter.  Despite my degrees, I love diving into objective data.  I read the most wanted tests, comb through the graphs religiously and love the deep dives here on the forum and on the podcast. 

Im originally from Chicago, north shore (wonder if fellow tester  @ChitownM2 and I have played some of the same courses?).  I  moved to NYC for grad school and now live and play in north central New Jersey.  I get a reliable 9 holes every weekend, use a day to practice,  and find additional rounds here and there.  I consider this my 2nd act as a golfer. I learned how to play golf around age 6 with my dad and grew up without the benefit of launch monitors, strokes gained or independent testing.  I  played and fit my equipment by feel, using lead tape, lie boards and guessing.  Vestiges of my upbringing exist on my current putter: 

MyGolfGame:

When I played golf on my high school team, at 5’4” and 100 lbs (at best), I could not keep up off the tee, but did rely on my irons and short game to keep up.  After high school, I stopped playing to focus on my studies and spent more time rock climbing.  I’m still an active rock climber in the colder months. Because of it, I eventually put on some muscle and developed decent speed for my size and turned the tables on my game.  (I posted about my speed training in the Stack System discussion).  

Lately, my putting which is traditionally bad, has been embarrassingly bad.  Of course, I am capable my golf game includes both great moments and gaffs everywhere on the course as seen by my playing partner last week:

(Great look on a 2nd into a par 5….Not so great 2nd on the next par 5)

Normally, the most consistent par of my game is comparatively mediocre putting.  That said, I’m optimistic.  I believe I’m on the upslope, having spent some time practicing reading greens and dialing in my setup.  Nevertheless I am an unofficial 6 hcp, who sinks and swims by the putter:

Testing Goals:

My ultimate goal in this test is to determine whether the Evnroll technologies can save me a few strokes.  My putting weakness knows no bounds—lag putting distance control and the short ones frustrate me.  

I been using that Mizuno M-craft IV for 3 years.  I love the looks and feel despite the my lackluster results with it.  Interestingly, at the time I bought it, the Evnroll ER2 was my 2nd choice—and it took me about an hour to choose between the two.  I ended up choosing the Mizuno over the Evnroll for a three primary reasons:  (1) The Mizuno produced a calmer ‘tock’ sound compared to the slightly off putting “ting” sound in the Evnroll; (2) I didn’t like how double bend neck felt or looked, and (3) the grip on the Evnroll wasn’t right compared to the Mizuno. (I like a skinny rubber grip.) 

The Neo Classic ER2.2 with the new face, new grip choices and plumbers neck adresses all three points and has got me wondering big time.  Also, I’m really excited to be able to test them against each other on an actual putting green to see whether the tech manifests and a shot here and there. 

Despite all the lead tape on my clubs, I do appreciate aesthetics.  In fact, I owned a 2-ball putter after it won most wanted a few years ago…for about one month.  I couldn’t get over the look.  It now lives in an old bag in the basement.  It probably deserves a better home.

I love the classic-esqe look of the wide blade, and the balance between clean lines and forgiveness they seem to bring.   From middle school all through high school and when I more seriously re-started again around age 30, I used  this Scotty Cameron Studio design #1:

While you won’t see me with a L.A.B. putter anytime soon, or well, at least while I can keep my putts under 40, getting into something that brings back the magic (real or imagined) of that old thing is the real dream. 

I promise to do my best to evaluate this putter in a way that helps all of us, to be here to answer any questions, and try anything you guys think I may have missed. 

I can’t wait to get going for a proper test!

 

FINAL REVIEW

1a. First Impressions (8 out of 10)

When I picked my putter a few years ago, an Evnroll ER2 was my second pick. At the time I based my decision on feel, look and price. So now that I get to test this without the price consideration I feel like I can really give it an unbiased review. 

Going through the webpage to pick things out was easy enough. You can choose the loft, and lie and length, or choose a standard option that has a quicker ship time.  Being a tiny person with long arms, I’m living in the custom options no matter what.  I went with the length of my current putter, 31 5/8”, with the standard loft and lie. They have an enormous selection of grip and head-cover options. For the headcovers there were lots of fun upgrades with cool, fun designs like “Birdie Town” in the Vegas script and the “dancing El all-over logo print.   I went with the Neo script white cover in the end, maybe because they had cool pictures of it in the site.

As for grips, you can choose from Big and small, shapes, weighted and not, it’s all pretty cool.  I actually tried a gravity grip a few years ago, but I could never get used to the poly texture. So, I went with something familiar to me, a skinny 70g grip.

A few weeks later it arrived at my door!  

Sadly though, I can’t rate my first impressions 10/10 because my putter arrived in a suspect shipping container with no bubble wrap or other protection, just floating around lonely in the middle of a big box.

I immediately noticed when I picked up the box and felt a big “thud” when the putter shifted to the bottom of the box.  It made my heart sink a little. While I found no damage, it’s not hard to imagine how things could have gone wrong, and how an unluckier customer would be pretty disappointed. 

That aside, out of the box and in my hands, I could immediately tell Evnroll makes an undoubtedly well-crafted putter. I could find no flaws anywhere.  Whether or not it makes any performance differences, (probably not), this is not like the standard cast ping and odyssey putters that I have had in the past.  Perfect machining, immaculate milling on the face, and a sharp finish. I was smitten. These kinds of details aren’t really apparent to me when testing a club, but they shout at you when you finally have it at home:

The putter head came wrapped in a weighty, head-cover with smooth leather and cool embroidery.

The grip has a cool Evnroll embossed pattern and has a classic shape similar, but less aggressive to the contours than my beloved Lamkin Deep-Etched:

Before hitting my first few putts with it, I tried to recall the looks and feel of older model of the ER2.  On the first putt, the biggest difference I noticed was the softer feel off the face, and the lack of that ping-esq sound in the non-insert one.   This version, with the hybrid-insert face is definitely more muted, softer, but not plasticy…perhaps “refined?” Anyway….onto the looks.

 

1b. Aesthetics ( 10 out of 10)

So I’m no connoisseur of premium putters, but the sharp end of this thing is practically perfect.  The milling is pristine, the face insert is dead flush, the finish is immaculate and the paint is perfect:

The shape is a very balanced. I’d be shocked if something out there looked better off the shelf.  If you like the look of the double wide, then this putter should definitely be in your list to test.  

To my eye it’s a little more rounded tha the Mizuno, and as a result looks a little more compact heel to toe.  It frames the ball nicely, and the slightly thinner top line makes the Mizuno look chunky in comparison.

(Left to right is a Ping Anser, Evnroll ER2.2, and Mizuno Mcraft IV)

The double dot on the on the top also looks great and even helps with eye alignment. Centering the alignment line between the dots provides a nice double check that your eyes are over the ball (if that’s what you like).  I previously experimented with a sharpie dot on my other putters, but I like this refined version more. 

2. The Numbers (18 out of 20)

This section means a lot to me as a historically bad putter.  To avoid unintended bias, I used the Stack app to collect strokes gained numbers for my practice sessions and during rounds.  For those who don’t know, it’s an app that allows you to plug in your putting results (distance and break) for each putt, which is then sent through the strokes gained formula as well as other statistical comparisons.  Because I’m just pacing things out (based on a measurement of my stride), it’s not quite PGA tour level accurate, but I think it’s plenty good for me.  I also compared the numbers to the Mizuno periodically to make the comparisons understandable. Notably, I got some conflicting results. 

 

Practice:

For the practice sessions at home I set up a home brew start line test with a ruler and puttout. I decided on this method to test a claim I saw on the website, namely, that the grooves redirect the ball to be straighter.  

I was skeptical of this claim, so given that the only major differences between the Mizuno and the Evnroll are the grooves and the neck, I went to work.  I marked the putts as a make only if the ball rolled down the ruler and rolled back to me in the puttout.  Often the ball would roll the full length only to hit the devise and lip out. I found it easier to mark them missed there then accurately determine if the ball came off the center of the ruler.

I collected 200 attempts with each putter. I tried my best to address each putt carefully to avoid any bias and never hit more than 20 in a row with either.

So besides demonstrating terrible putting abilities, I think these numbers also suggest that I’m a little better at keeping the start line with the Mizuno.  That said, after all the putts, I only accumulated 6 more putts (3%) with it.  While I don’t know if my sample size is big enough to suggest a pattern, I don’t think the data is worthless either.  I want to keep doing the test a few more times to see if a more convincing pattern appears.  

I did uncover a notable difference that is not related to just made puts at least. I found a noticeable (28%-64%)  right bias with the Mizuno, compared to a more even (51%-47%) miss pattern with the Evnroll.  Not sure if that’s good or not, maybe someone here has an idea? Instinctively, a more even distribution sounds better…

Overall though, I’m not convinced the Evnroll grooves redirect the ball back to center.  I hit a lot of putts and I felt the biggest difference between the two was in how the face rotated through the impact area.  The difference between made and missed along the ruler is about .5 degrees on either side give or take.  The Evnroll, with its higher balance point felt slightly lighter, despite being the same overall weight to the gram. So, about out a week after the rest I added some lead tape to try to match the feel.  I have already started a round 2, and will provide an update as soon as I’m done to see if that helps.

 

Putting green:

Here the results are also mixed but trending better for the Evnroll.  I completed two of the premier sessions on the same practice green, which I provided here, but I plan to do more on other surfaces.  For those who have never see the test, the app makes you play “18 holes” that includes a variety of puts from 4 to 30 feet. The first two tests were done about a week in, and the last happened 6 weeks later. 

As you can see, the app grades them tied.  I see a noticeable difference on long putts though.  With the enroll, I gained about a stroke on putts longer than 7 feet.  I really struggled holing out the short ones with the Evnroll for some reason.  My hunch is that the putter’s swing weight affects the smaller stroke length for me.  As a nervous putter, I wonder whether the extra weight feels smoother and leads to more consistency.  As I noted above, I already began testing this theory. 

 

3. On Course (19 out of 20)

I also used the stack app to track strokes gained on the course. These numbers are compared to a 6 hcp, because that’s about as good as I play and it’s too painful to compare myself to a scratch golfer.  Here the edge belongs to the Evnroll:

 

The long putts make up the biggest difference. The data says I am about a stroke better per round with the Evnroll for putts 17 to 30 feet.  I think it’s no stretch to say that the sweet face tech is responsible at least to some degree.  I can’t say 100% that I notice the difference, but that’s why strokes gained is so important.  My game relies on getting a decent number of GIR, and so while I didn’t see any change in my scores, it’s probably because I’ve simultaneously wasted away shots with my wedges recently. I’m confident the putter is helping me out by about a half of a stroke and that I will see that born out as soon as I sort out my 50 yard and in game.

On a more subjective level, there a few other things that make me really like this putter. First, the way it lines up with the plumbers neck looks really square. It’s hard to explain, but I feel more confident lining up putts.  Getting confidence with the putter is something that I could really use, so I am very happy with this unexpected benefit. 

Second, it’s really easy to hear/feel the mishits.  I hear a noticeably lower pitch for off-center strikes.  My Mizuno does not provide the same kind of feel.  After living with it for a few weeks I’ve grown to really appreciate it.  It’s like having blade irons feedback without the corresponding result.  Having additional feel on the golf course has helped me diagnose the causes of missed putts.  Because I putt heads-up, it has been especially valuable.  In the shop, I think I would have passed on this putter because of the same feedback, but now that I’ve lived with it for a little, I am beginning to regret my decision…

 

4. The Good the Bad and the In-Between (17 out of 20)

So I’m using this section really to describe the only two things that bothered me. The first is that the grip was installed with a gap at the bottom. It’s kind of hard to get a good picture of, but the bottom 1/2 inch of the grip does not touch the shaft:

I know that it takes extra steps to get the bottom to fit right when you cut down a putter as short as I do, but I expected for the price, that they would have added the layers of tape to make it sit nice. The picture on the left shows what I did to build up the grip on my own.  I’m disappointed that I will have to remove the grip to fix it. 

I also came to dislike the magnetic opening for the headcover. It might sound silly, but the magnets are too strong. It’s hard to take off with one hand, and because they snap shut so tight all the along the edge, it’s annoying to slide it onto an alignment stick, like I usually do. It’s only an extra 2 seconds, but I notice it every time. As much as I really like the cover, I might ditch it for a velcro cover. 

I used to think of Evnroll as a bit gimmicky, but this test opened my eyes to their putters. While I didn’t find sweet face technology to be magic, it proved to me that it’s legitimate.  That’s the story of golf tech though—everything is a “breakthrough game changer” when it’s really just a little bit better.  I’m happy that it’s a little bit better—I wish sometimes the advertising would chill a little.  

Anyway, in my opinion, Evnroll putters belong in the same league as Scotty, Bettinardi, and Tulon. Their advantage is that they have added something that affects scores on top of making expertly crafted designs. 

 

5. Play it or Trade it (10 out of 20)

 

So I’m not the kind of person who changes gear easily.  I like to be 100% confident in everything I have. So that said, despite everything being pretty stellar, I’m still on the fence right now.  I like the putter, and I have gotten decent results with it, but I am more confident on the short putts with my Mizuno.  My next steps will be to  change the grip on the Evnroll, keep testing and then see where it shakes out.

I will provide regular updates, and update my review here as time passes.  

 

6. Conclusion

Evnroll achieved the almost impossible task of building a beautiful putter with demonstrable technology.  Whether the technology leads to performance gains is difficult to see in the data, but the putter’s craftmenship speaks for itself.  Regardless of the results, I immediately felt comfortable over the ball, which is worth a lot.  I had some minor issues with the assembly and the packaging, but overall, it’s a great product. 

Thinking about it a little more, If I could have everything in one putter, i think it would be cool to have this face with the defending loft tech from SIK. I think the two of those together would be remarkable.

 

Total score (82 out of 100)

 

Edited August 5 by AndySP

[Marty2Shanks]

Hello MGS Community!  Thanks for all the well wishes on being selected for the EVNROLL Neo Classic Series test.  Before we get into the review, I would like to thank MGS and EVNROLL for the opportunity to review this new series of putters.  While I am a more recent member of MGS, it has been incredibly enjoyable to read so many amazing reviews, participate in fun and informative discussions and I hope my observations can be as helpful as many of the previous reviewers. 

Golf buddy and son at Brickshire Golf Club, Hole #18.  I am the scruffy looking fella on the right

Now for some quick background about myself.   My name is Chris and I have lived in Northern Virginia (NOVA) along the I-95 corridor since 2004.  Before moving to NOVA, I had lived in Maine, New Hampshire, Alaska, New York and Illinois, but my golfing life only started when I moved to NOVA.  I have been married for almost 30 years, have two adult children (who both golf!!) and have been honored to have had five amazing rescue dogs.

Current rescue pup, 7 year old French Bulldog...I have nicknamed him "Money Pit"

As for my golfing life, I started in my early 30’s.  My dad played, but I didn’t have interest in the game.  I grew up playing soccer, baseball and track & field, and played soccer and ran track in college.  When my oldest son turned six, my dad got him a set of clubs and some lessons with a local pro.  My son enjoyed the game and I would take him to a local par-3 course to play.  I decided to get an Adams starter set just to play alongside since I was out there anyway.  Well, my son beat me at the age of seven and a switch flipped in my head.  No way was I going to let that whippersnapper continue to pummel his old man!!!  I jumped headlong into the game…lessons…equipment changes…club assembly!!!  I loved trying different gear, seeing what worked for me and what didn’t.  My favorite nighttime reading materials became the Golfworks and Golfsmith catalogs. 

Some of the first clubs I assembled...Snake Eyes 685OS.  Built out a set of the 685X for my oldest son

I quickly became an equipment junkie, and tweaking specs is what I honestly enjoy the most.  Adjusting loft/lies, modifying club swing weights, lengths, and experimenting with different grips is my pastime.  I became the de-facto club re-gripper for my golf buddies.  I have literally brought my swing weight scale and packs of lead tape to my weekly golf sim league and adjusted clubs that were wildly out of spec (even custom orders which was shocking).  

Current gamer sets…and I have more in the shed…wife thinks I may need professional help so I told her about all the local professional clubfitters and she teared up...love to see her so happy and filled with emotion over my golf game

As for my current golfing status, I mostly play at daily fees courses in the NOVA area and in a weekly 9-hole beer league scramble at a local course.  I typically get in two or three 18-hole rounds per month as well, mostly with my regular golf buddies.  I also try to get in one dedicated golf trip per year.  I will share that my game has had to go through some significant adjustments in the past two years.  In late 2022, I experienced a demyelinating spinal cord along my cervical spine (C4-C7).  I lost peripheral sensation in 85% of my body for more than 30 days.  That event short circuited my muscle memory and I had to learn to swing the golf club all over again (as well as having to relearn to ski, type, and many other daily tasks).  It also left me with some permanent numbness in my right hand. On a good note, it actually cured my putting yips!!!   I have been able to get my handicap as low as an eight (playing from ~6300 yards) and currently play to an eleven (the transition from ski season to golf is always rough for me), so overall I am happy I can play this well. 

Sly Fox Hole #10…500-yard par 5…laying two (3-wood, 8 iron) with a short pitch approach

Testing the putter

My testing protocol will involve three main efforts – practice green testing, on-course review, and direct comparative testing.  I will also provide both quantitative product data (e.g. length, lie, loft, weight, swing weight) as compared to my current inventory of putters and will provide an initial subjective qualitative review (e.g. how does it look, feel, confidence over the ball, etc).

The practice green testing will be completed at two local public course putting greens - Augustine Golf Club and Gauntlet Golf Course.  Augustine's practice green typically stimps out around 9 and has an average slope of 3-4 degrees with highest slope 6-7 degrees.  This will certainly test my ability to moderate putt speed, especially from above the hole. 

Augustine Golf Club.  Right side of the putting green, view from chipping area above the hole.  Green is sloped from right the left.  Will use the first black/white striped cup.

View from below the hole.  Slope is from right to left.

The Gauntlet practice green is more moderately sloped (average 1-2 degrees) and stimps out around 10. The practice pins are moved more regularly on this green so I will have to use what is available during my test days.

Gauntlet Golf Club Practice Green

My initial test will be the 360-degree test at three feet, six feet, and 12 feet.  I will set tees at 0, 90, 180, and 270 around the hole.  For each distance, I will take 3 putts at each location and only record makes/misses.  I will putt around the circle three times for a total of 36 putts per test.  I will also do some testing at 24 and 48 feet to record my ability to lag putts.  For comparison purposes I will use my normal gamer putter – a Scotty Cameron Studio Select Fastback 1.0 – which has similar characteristics to the EVNROLL Neo Classic ER2. 

My second effort will be on-course reviews.  I will provide a routine assessment of the results of my Thursday night beer league scramble to include the length of the putts and resultant putt proximity to the hole.  Since it is a scramble, I will only use the first putt since the data will be skewed if my putt isn’t chosen or if it is within “gimme” range.  I will also keep a log of my putting stats during all non-scramble rounds played and will periodically update the forum thread.  I typically don’t play my 18-hole rounds at my Thursday league course, so I intend to provide reviews from multiple local courses and will provide an overview of the types of greens and speed (I have a stimp device and I use my phone’s slope app for the gradient).

The last effort will be direct comparative testing.  Not only will I compare against the Scotty Cameron, I will also provide less in-depth testing against my other suite of putters.  This should provide a good overview of the EVNROLL’s characteristics against comparable products, but also allow readers to suggest comparative tests that I can perform at the local putting greens.  The focus will be on the ENVROLL’s performance, but I will note if I performed better/worse/the same with the other putter.  

Current Putter Lineup

I have been selected to review the EVNROLL Neo Classic ER2.  Putting has traditionally been the weakest part of my game.  I am especially poor in the 5-8 foot range, just close enough to produce the anxiety that I should make the putt.  I will also note up-front that I prefer head-heavy putters.  I really need to feel the putter head through the swing and anything less than F1 reduces my ability to feel the face square through impact.  My current putters' swing weights range from D8 all the way up to an F8. I will use either a Titleist Tour Speed or Tour Soft golfball for all the tests and for the on-course reviews.  I have found these balls to play very consistently for me across all my current putters.

Note: The EVNROLL NC ER2 originally came with the EVNROLL OEM Rubber Pistol Grip (seen below) which was swapped out for the EVNROLL OEM Tour Tac seen in the above picture.

In addition to the putters in the table, I have also owned two Odyssey White Hot Dual Force Rossies (one center shaft), Odyssey 2-Ball (White Steel Series), a Nike Method Converge B1-01, Taylormade Spider Ghost, Never Compromise VooDoo, Odyssey White Hot XG #9, Ping i-Series B60, and a Taylormade Spider Tour.  

Unboxing/First Impressions (19 out of 20)

Unlike the other testers, the putter arrived in a plain brown box with no "EVNROLL" branding.  It did not have any additional packing around the putter.  All parts of the putter were protected in a plastic sheath.  I requested the putter 34" long, 2 degrees upright (72 vs 70) and 2 degrees of loft.  As for color, all my current putters are stainless/gray and I want to review a dark headed putter to see if color affects my performance.  I also chose the black putter since it came with a black grip and headcover.  The satin stainless comes with a white cover and grip, and my experience with white is that it will quickly show dirt/grime.

The milling on the putter is flawless. And the headcover is the best I have ever owned.  I particularly like the dual magnets.  I will say the magnets are very strong.  I don't mind this, just be aware that the headcover clasp is extremely strong and may be difficult to remove if you have 2-3 other clubs in your hand.

A few things I really like about the putter.  First, the alignment line is thicker than my current gamer.  My eye was immediately drawn to the line, which I hope will help with maintaining focus during the putting stroke.  The line on the Scotty Cameron tends to fade a bit during the putting stroke.  Also, the contrast between the black body and white line really pops at address.  Second, the NC ER2 head is roughly a 1/2" longer than the Scotty Cameron, which should help with forgiveness on off-center strikes.  The black body of the NC ER2 also produces less glare than the Scotty Cameron.  The square corners of the NC ER2 versus the more rounded back of the Scott Cameron are not an issue for me; both look fine.  Third, the topline of the NC ER2 is slightly thinner behind the ball, which does draw my attention to the center of the putter.  Not sure if that was an intended design feature but it clearly focuses my attention.  As for the two dimples on the topline, doesn't do anything for me, I could take them or leave them.

Another aspect I really appreciate are the torx head interchangeable weights.  No proprietary tools needed if you want to change the weights.  [Side note - Come on Scotty Cameron...join the vast majority of the other putter manufacturers and go with torx head for all your head weights.]  The putter swing weight is E5, which should work out very well. 

The milling on the putter face is tremendous.  I hit some quick putts in the garage and it definitely felt softer than the Scotty Cameron across the entirety of the face.  I also appreciate the limited glare off the putter shaft.  One long-term observation will be if the shaft is resistant to chipping. I have seen other blacked-out shafts that quickly show chips and scratches.

I did have a couple concerns.  First, I don't like the grip.  It is certainly very high quality, and was tacky to hold, but with a grip circumference of only 3.25", it feels very small in my hands.  I wear a medium-large glove but have fairly skinny fingers.  As a comparison, the Super Stroke grip below has the same grip circumference, but it actually feels larger since the grip is wider (but not as deep) as the EVNROLL grip.  Unless the data says otherwise, I am already planning to replace the grip after the initial review. 

Second, I ordered the putter at 34" long, and it is 33.5".  I also initially thought I might need to order heavier weights but if I lengthen the club and go with a similar weight grip, then I should actually get closer to F1 which is my preferred swing weight for putters.

Lastly, when the NC ER2 is soled on a harder surface it opens about 10-15 degrees.  This is clearly due to the ridge on the bottom of the putter head.  I didn't like that.  However, this was not an issue on the course.  If you test the puttter on a hard surface and it opens, you can rest assured this will not happen when gaming the putter.  For comparison, the Scotty Cameron will open maybe 2 degrees when soled and none of my other putters open when soled. 

UPDATE - After a horrible putting session finishing the 3-foot circle test at Augustine Golf Club, I couldn't take the OEM rubber pistol grip anymore, so I replaced it with the EVNROLL Tour Tac OEM grip and I lengthened the putter to 34.625".  Much better feel in the hand and more natural position at address.

Overall, the NC ER2 is a premium putter that is accessible to many golfers (as compared to say a Scotty Cameron Circle T).  The component quality is top rate and is definitely built to last and impress.  The headcover is the finest I have ever owned and accessories (such as other headcovers, grips, head weights) are available on the EVNROLL website for a very reasonable cost.  I am not sure why the putter was 1/2" short, but as the other testers didn't note anything similar I suspect this was a one-off issue.

Aesthetics (9.5 out of 10)

Simply put, the EVNROLL Neo Classic ER2 is functional style executed at a high level.  The shape is pleasing to the eye with appropriate blending of angles to soften the appearance.  Badging is pronounced, but not overdone.  The alignment line is the best on any putter I have ever used – particularly regarding the line width – and the white line to black body contrast draws focus to the center of the putter.  There is no glare when soled at address, and the shaft blends into the putter head minimizing distractions.  The putter cover is pure quality – every putter maker should follow suit.

While feel is often player specific - and also depends on the ball used - I can say I found the NC ER2 feel to be very pleasant.  Hits out of the middle were quiet yet crisp while strikes toward the heel/toe had only a slightly harder feel, but significantly less punishing than a miss with my comparison blade putters. For transparency, the NC ER2 does not feel as good as a high-quality blade struck pure out of the middle, few things do; but I often don’t hit the middle and I would rather miss with the NC ER2 than with any of my other blades.  As for sound, I would describe it as a muted thud; while heel/toe strikes were a bit more “tingy”; not unpleasant to the ear, but enough to auditorily know you missed the middle. 

 
Center Strike Sound

 

 
Toe Strike Sound

 

 
Heel Strike Sound

The Numbers (9 out of 10)

I have gathered three main sources of playability/performance data: (1) circle putting drill at set distances; (2) lag drill; and (3) on-course playability.  I used my Scotty Cameron Studio Select Fastback 1.0 as the control putter and used Titleist Tour Speed/Soft golf balls for all data points.  Regarding the circle drill, the NC ER2 performed as well or better than the Scotty Cameron across all the distances and had an overall increase of 9.7% in total putts made.

Color Legend: Green = Definitive winner; Yellow = ~Tie.

Color Legend: Green = Definitive winner; Yellow = ~Tie.

Legend: Green = Definitive Winner; Yellow = ~Tie
For Comparison - PGA Tour Make %: 3-Feet = 99%; 6-Feet = 70%; 12-Feet = 30%

As far as lag putting is concerned, I hit 72 putts with each putter and the result was ~1” difference between the NC ER2 and the Scotty Cameron – while the Scotty Cameron technically won, this was essentially a tie.  When looking at the greens, I was better with the NC ER2 on the less sloped but slightly faster green, and better with the Scott Cameron on the slower but more sloped green.

Legend: Green =Definitive winner; Yellow = ~Tie
Distance/Proximity Ratio: Allows comparison of proximity as compared to the distance of the putts.  The higher the number the closer proximity as compared to the starting distance to the hole.

Legend: Green =Definitive winner; Yellow = ~Tie
Distance/Proximity Ratio: Allows comparison of proximity as compared to the distance of the putts.  The higher the number the closer proximity as compared to the starting distance to the hole.


Legend: Green =Definitive winner; Yellow = ~Tie
Distance/Proximity Ratio: Allows comparison of proximity as compared to the distance of the putts.  The higher the number the closer proximity as compared to the starting distance to the hole.

On-Course (18.5 out of 20)

On-course playability was gathered during my weekly 9-hole scramble league and three 18-hole rounds at three different courses.  Two key pieces of information emerged.  The first was the distance to proximity ratio which represents how close I got the first putt compared across all the data points – the higher the value the closer to the hole given the different starting distances.  On the full course, the NC ER2 beat the Scotty Cameron by 1.4 points, which is a 15.6% closer to the hole improvement.  On the weekly scramble, the NC ER2 beat the Scotty Cameron by 1.8 points, which is a 58% closer to the hole improvement.  The second piece of information was looking at putt made performance inside set ranges during the full course review (<=3 feet, >3-6 feet, >6-12 feet).  Overall, there was a 2 shot difference in put made performance – with the Scotty Cameron besting the NC ER2.  The simple takeaway was that I can get the NC ER2 closer on average, but that I missed a couple key short putts.  I will note that I changed the grip and lengthened the NC ER2 prior to the final full course review, and the putting stats during that round were better.

Color Legend "Average": Green = Average Proximity <= 3 feet; Yellow = Average Proximity >3 - 5 feet; Red = Average Proximity >5 feet.
Color Legend D:P Ratio: Green = >10; Yellow = 7-10; Red = <7.

Color Legend D:P Ratio: Green = >10; Yellow = 7-10; Red = <7.

Consistency is the name of the game with the NC ER2.  My total putt performance from three full rounds – 33, 34, 34 – all on varying green complexes – demonstrates the versatility of this putter.  I simply had confidence that I was going to get the ball close on first putts, and that high-percentage second putts were going in the hole.  I don’t have that with my other blade putters.  The forgiveness of the NC ER2, as evident by the wide adjustable weight placement on the sole, coupled with the excellent alignment line and consistent energy transfer off the face, allowed me to simply putt, and not try to guide the ball to the target.  With the exception of downhill putts, big misses have been significantly reduced.  I did find that putting the ball from off the green presented a challenge since the putter has only two degrees of loft. I don’t typically putt from off the green, so not a big issue for me, but I could justify adding additional loft to increase the putter versatility. Whatever EVNROLL does in the future, keeping the current sightline should be a non-negotiable.  If I were to eliminate one feature, it would be the narrow rubber OEM pistol grip; the EVNROLL TOUR TAC should be standard on all models.

Color Legend "Average": Green = Average Proximity <= 3 feet; Yellow = Average Proximity >3 - 5 feet; Red = Average Proximity >5 feet.
Color Legend D:P Ratio: Green = >10; Yellow = 7-10; Red = <7.

The Good, The Bad, The In-between (18 out of 20)

For me, the NC ER2 all comes down to the SweetFace technology. The vast majority of the time it is a substantial benefit, providing distance consistency that I cannot achieve on comparable putters.  However, on downhill putts, I struggle to bleed energy by hitting it towards the toe as I can on my other blade putters.  The NC ER2 energy transfer simply works, and I haven’t been able to adjust my swing to hit the ball soft enough to not go racing by the hole.  This has been my consistent big miss during the review period.   The only other issue I encountered was a right bias (for a right-handed player), which especially reared its head on the 3-6 foot putts.  I initially tried to play the ball more forward; but I found that I would occasionally hit the putt off the bottom leading edge of the putter.  I solved the right bias issue by changing the grip to the EVNROLL TOUR TAC and aligning the grip a couple degrees to the right, so the putter presented a little more closed.  This way I could use my normal ball position, which worked well with the putter loft and reduced the right miss.

Play-It or Trade-It (20 out of 20)

The NC ER2 is going in the bag!  Scotty Cameron is out.  My two Cleveland HB Soft mallets and my Odyssey Black Series blade are relegated to the shed.  Odyssey 2-Ball got sold.  If you are a golfer with a moderate arcing swing path who wants the ability to change the head weight to align with green speed or adjust the swing weight feel, then this putter should certainly be on the “must try” list and is well worth the asking price.  As for me, I am all in on this putter.

Conclusion

Bottom line – MGS evaluated the Neo Classic ER2 as the #1 blade putter for 2024 and I see no reason to dispute that rating.  Far more forgiving than my other blade putters, the Neo Classic ER2 significantly reduced big misses – reducing the opportunity for 3-putts and lowering my overall stress level on the greens. This putter has allowed me to achieve my potential with a blade-style putter, and I honestly doubt I would be any better with a mallet.  If you struggle with distance consistency, the Neo Classic ER2, and frankly any of the EVNROLL models, is a “must try”. 

FINAL SCORE: (94 out of 100)

Edited August 5 by Marty2Shanks

[3Putt4Double]

Congrats testers! My Evnroll was a game changer! Much thanks @Golfspy_CG2.. 

[sirchunksalot]

Congratulations testers! 

[ScramblinMan]

Congratulations to all testers. Been looking at these and Bettinardi putters the last couple of weeks and want to hear all your feedback before pulling the trigger!

[ParFore74x]

Congratulations testers!

[Leonvdwesthuizen]

Congratulations testers!

I will be keeping an eye out for your thoughts and reviews over the next while as I have been admiring the Evnroll putters for a while.

[ejgaudette]

Congrats testers hope you roll them well!

[CFreddie]

Congrats Testers! Roll them well!!!

[TK_]

Congrats fellas! Looking forward to hearing the details on it all!

[GolfSpy_BEN]

Congrats to the testers! Now the fun begins

[MattWillGolf]

Congrats testers. The Evnroll ER11v was my first test opportunity. I’m curious about the new face Evnroll has gone with.

[ChitownM2]

Thanks everyone and thanks to MGS & Evnroll!  Definitely looking forward to this one and comparing it to my ER7 gamer I've been using the last 3 seasons.

Edited June 11 by ChitownM2

[TJ Hall]

Congratulations testers…roll ‘em well!

[Fongle]

Congrats testers! Looking forward to see how these perform vs your current gamers

[Bohnson]

Congrats testers! Great putters! 

 

[Mike10487]

Congratulations guys! Looking forward to seeing the reviews

[phil S]

Congrats.   Can’t wait to see how you rate them

[dback]

Congrats testers!

[Mulligan09]

Congratulations!  Enjoy the process and thanks for helping all that may be looking for a new putter 

[TSauer]

Congrats, everyone! The ER2 was my gamer before the Link, I think you'll be very satisfied. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

[JAYER38]

Congrats Testers!! Cant wait to see your thoughts on these

[cksurfdude]

Congrats!! testers

Sorta related I still game an ER5 picked up several years ago after reading about it here on MGS.

@Marty2shanks great intro. That's crazy what happened to you but good job getting yourself back in action.

[Rob Person]

Congratulations everybody. I hope that these roll as well as they claim to and everybody knows there are quite a few number of putter wh*res here who will be watching this test!  

[billpierce]

Really liked these when I tried them - will be interesting to watch the reviews and confirm how the putter performs!

[Erin B]

This is exciting!!! Congrats!!! I’ve been looking at Evnroll, L.A.B, and SeeMore putters. Can’t wait to read your reviews.

[ZJeb67]

Great putter opportunity!  
Pour 'em in!