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Evnroll ZERO Putters
Evnroll just announced a new line of ZERO putters. Naming them “ZERO” is a bit ironic since there are way more than zero interesting things going on with these new Evnroll putters.
The ZERO line features two different mallet designs and one familiar-looking blade. One of the mallets is available in three different anodized finish colors. Most importantly, the putters have one of the wildest hosels you’ve ever seen and, for some reason, there are penguins on the headcovers.
That all seems like the opposite of zero to me.
Evnroll had a couple of reasons for naming these putters ZERO. One you could probably guess if you are familiar with Evnroll technologies but the other reason for the ZERO name came as quite the surprise.
ZERO Mishits
All of the new ZERO putters feature Evnroll’s SweetFace Technology face milling. Evnroll believes heir face grooves will allow golfers to have “ZERO” mishits.
When it comes to putter face grooves, Evnroll’s grooves are the best in the business. Their patented SweetFace groove pattern not only ensures even roll distances across the face but the grooves also correct for dispersion.
You are, of course, going to mishit putts on occasion but the SweetFace grooves turn those misses into makes. Technically, that would make it ZERO miss hits on the scorecard.
ZERO Face Rotation
Anyone familiar with Evnroll experienced ZERO surprise when they learned that these putters will have Evnroll face grooves. In contrast, I’d be shocked if you were not surprised when you first got a look at the ZERO hosel design.
No, Guerin Rife didn’t accidentally put the plumber’s neck in backward. That’s how it is supposed to look.
While the neck does look unfamiliar, the purpose of the neck is very familiar in the current putter market. The shape and position of the neck produce a putter that has a “toe up” toe hang and a face that does not open and close during the putting stroke.
Yes, you read that correctly. The big reason behind Evnroll naming these ZERO is that the face has zero rotation during the putting stroke. The lack of rotation allows the face to remain square to the swing path while you take your stroke. The face is always pointing forward relative to the path and this should result in you returning the putter square to the ball at impact.
If you are square at impact, your putt will roll away on the intended target line and hopefully into the hole.
I’ll come back to the face rotation discussion in just a bit but first let’s look at the Evnroll ZERO putter models.
Evnroll ZERO Z2s
The Evnroll ZERO Z2s is similar to Evnroll’s most celebrated model, the ER2. The ZERO Z2s retains the overall profile of the ER2 but is a bit shorter heel to toe and wider front to back. It is a wide-body blade, perhaps blurring the line between blade and mallet a bit.
Regardless, I believe this will be the gateway ZERO putter in the set for many people curious about the ZERO design’s functionality. While the reverse hosel looks unconventional at address, the overall look should still be very familiar to ER2 players.
Since the SweetFace grooves are milled directly into the stainless steel body, the impact feel will be familiar as well to those of you who play pre-Neo Classic Evnroll models.
I am interested to see if the new V2s can live up to the Most Wanted Blade pedigree of the ER2. Could the new ZERO architecture possibly make a great putter even better?
Evnroll ZERO Z5s
To me, the stainless steel Evnroll ZERO Z5s looks like the Evnroll EV5.3 mallet with just a smidgen of blade putter added to the recipe. The overall profile is mallet but the front end of the putter has bumper shapes and central alignment elements more commonly found in Evnroll’s blades.
It reminds me of the Toulon Alcatraz H1 as well, with the obvious exception being the novel ZERO neck.
One of the strengths of the Z5s is its central alignment scheme. The two dots on the top line allow you to easily center the putter on the ball. The cavity sight line and the parallel edges of the wings are then used to aim at the target.
The Z5s has quite a number of different angles and lines in the design but somehow they all work together into a coherent visual system.
Evnroll ZERO Z1 Black
In many ways, the Evnroll ZERO Z1 design is a reinterpretation of the previous Evnroll ERZ mallet. The ERZ and the new ZERO Z1 are manufactured from aircraft aluminum, have similar four-pointed shapes and a hole in the middle of the head.
From there, though, the designs deviate into other directions.
The 2023 ERZ had weights in all corners in order to boost MOI. The ZERO Z1’s weights are located in the front corners, with much of the rear material removed from the underside. Were it not for the novel hosel, this weight distribution shift would be the big story since it dramatically shifts the MOI and how the putter would feel with a traditional neck.
However, the neck is not traditional. The forward weighting works with the hosel shape and position to eliminate rotation during the stroke. Like the other putters in the ZERO lineup, the face stays forward-facing during the stroke.
Evnroll ZERO Z1 Red
The Evnroll ZERO Z1 will also be available in red and blue. The red finish is very bright but not glare-producing even in full sun. The hue seems to shift a bit between red and raspberry depending upon the lighting.
The red version of the Z1 comes with a red version of the Evnroll Neo putter grip.
Evnroll ZERO Z1 Blue
The blue Envroll ZERO Z1 mallet is a looker. As with the red finish, the blue finish is lustrous without being distractingly reflective. For comparison, the anodized finish is far less reflective than the chrome shaft.
I’d say it is the flashiest of the three finish options and that is not a criticism. I’ll give you one guess which color Z1 was the one that I took to the course.
Unfortunately, neither the blue or the red option is currently available for left-handers.
Evnroll ZERO 38 Tour Spec
Just like the previously released 38 Tour Spec putters, the ZERO 38 Tour Spec is a counterbalanced 38-inch-long putter. Talk about a formula for stability. You have the inherent stability provided by the counterbalanced design and on top of that you have the new zero rotation stability produced by the reverse hosel position.
The girth of the grip should keep your hands out of the equation as well. If you are getting the ZERO 38 Tour Spec to move in unwanted ways during your stroke, your forearm strength must be superhuman.
Here’s a bonus fun fact. You can pick up the ball with all of the Evnroll ZERO Z1 models.
Play testing the Envroll ZERO models
One of my favorite things to do is to toss a new putter into my bag and immediately use it on the course. No practice session first. The first putt on the course is the first putt with the putter.
It’s not a great system for low scores but it is interesting to see how putters work under pressure compared to casual practice green usage.
This time, I had three new putters in the bag, resulting in three different putting experiences.
The blue ZERO Z1 led off the round. I am not ashamed to admit I got pulled in by the dreamy blue hues of the head. Sometimes, shiny objects catch my eye.
The milled aluminum Z1 is bed-full-of-kittens soft at impact. I love the feel of milled aluminum mallets and the Z1 did not disappoint.
When I saw the putter, I wasn’t sure about how the alignment scheme would work. Two long lines and a hole in the middle of the head is not a typical aiming system. I found it to be a bit like using an Odyssey 2-Ball. I would line the hole in the putter up with my ball, using the long lines to track the target line. After a little adjustment, it worked very well.
I did notice that my distance control was a bit off with the Z1. Most of my misses were online but short. A bit more practice, or perhaps swapping out the weights, could be the solution for this.
The Z2s and Z5s were very similar to each other on the course. My distance control improved with the switch from aluminum to stainless steel. These two put a little more pop on the ball for me than the aluminum Z1 did.
The ZERO hosel situation went from distracting to a non-issue after a few putts. I think that having the shaft angled like a normal putter helps. It may enter the head in an unusual way but it still seems like you are using a normal putter.
After some time on the course, the Z5s was the winner for me, probably because I’ve played a good number of rounds with a similarly shaped Toulon Alcatraz this summer.
The Z2s should be a big seller for Evnroll. It looks like the popular ER2 and has technology to make you even more accurate. That seems like “big seller” formula to me.
I know I said it before, but the different-looking neck is just not that distracting once you spend some time rolling balls with it. Initially it was odd-looking but it quickly just became a non-distracting non-issue.
What’s up with the penguins?
Yes, there are penguins on the bottom of the mallet headcovers. Like you, I had no idea why there would be penguins on a putter cover.
I dig penguins but I didn’t see the connection.
Evnroll added penguins to the headcover since penguins are known to walk the easiest route to a destination. One leads and the others follow. That means that all of the penguins are Face Forward, like the ZERO putters are during the stroke.
The fact that there are 18 species of penguins also gives them a numerical relationship to golf.
Ignoring all of that, the addition of the penguins adds a fun element to the headcover and I am here for that.
Final thoughts on the Evnroll ZERO putters
It looks like the putter story for the coming season may prove to be torque-balanced/zero-rotation/face-forward putters. PXG just launched their rotation-free Allan putter a few weeks back, and now Evnroll has released a whole line of putters geared toward a similar design goal.
The no rotation design objective is not a new thing. Many companies have produced versions of zero-rotation or torque-balanced putters in the past. The PING Kushin 4 was a toe-up design. Odyssey tried it with both their BackStryke and Toe Up putters.
Most recently, L.A.B. Golf’s Lie Angle Balanced putters have taken the design to the next level of precision and are also largely responsible for the design gaining popularity with tour players and with amateur golfers as well.
It makes sense from a business point of view that a company would try and capture some of the momentum from golf’s hottest thing. This new Evnroll ZERO line is their spin on the “lack of spin” design.
Initial testing suggests these should prove competitive in the corral.
Find out more about the new Evnroll ZERO putters at Evnroll.com
FAQ: Evnroll ZERO Putter Line
As I said, we are going to see a lot of putters with this type of design this year. The design concept does predate L.A.B. Golf but they are the ones that got the mainstream to pay attention to it. For consumers, choices are always a good thing, assuming the choices are good.
For example, did you know that Coke hit the market about a dozen years before Pepsi? Though not the same recipe, they are both cola-based sodas. Some of you out there prefer Coke, others Pepsi. As far as the companies go, there is plenty of consumer money out there to make both of them very successful.
Absolutely. By rolling the stainless steel heads and the aluminum heads side by side, it is readily apparent how much softer the aluminum feels. Softness preference is one of those things that varies greatly from golfer to golfer. I know that my distance control improves with a firmer-feeling putter. For other people, if it feels too firm, then they will find the putting experience unpleasant.
I had the same question when I was thinking about changing the weights in the Z1 to help with distance management. The answer is no. You can change the weights to fit your swing weight preference and the face will still stay forward.
Of course they will. Evnroll knows that these new ZERO putters are a solid design but I don’t think that they think that everyone will move to this kind of putter. The other models in the Evnroll family will continue to be offered so people can choose the best putter for them. That said, if these are big hits, I would expect to see more ZERO models in the future. I’d love to see a white EV12 get the ZERO treatment.
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