Evnroll ZERO Z1 Life-Tested Review
With benefits that go beyond zero torque, Evnroll may have raised the bar with its new ZERO putters
The Evnroll ZERO Z1 has raised the bar for zero torque putters.
Until now, zero torque putters have justified their unorthodox looks and excessive forward shaft lean by offering a nearly foolproof method of hitting putts straight.
The ZERO Z1, however, makes no compromises, packing the ability to stay square with elegant looks, a premium feel, and first-class forgiveness across the face thanks to Evnroll’s SweetFace grooves.
I’ve been testing the Evnroll ZERO Z1 for several weeks for this complete life-tested review. Here’s everything you need to know.
Testing the Evnroll ZERO Z1
I tested the Evnroll ZERO Z1 indoors using a state-of-the-art PuttView green, and at home. During parts of testing, the indoor PuttView green featured projections of the perfect line, break, and slopes of the green, which took the guesswork out of finding the line and made it obvious if I hit or missed the intended line.
On a related note, thanks to the University of Idaho golf team for opening their first-class facility for this testing.
Features & Technology
Using a state-of-the-art PuttView green made testing the Evnroll ZERO Z1 easy
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Style: Mallet
Dexterity: RH, LH
Pros:
- Feels like a traditional putter at address
- Distance control came easily
- SweetFace grooves perform as advertised – putts off the toe and heel roll out exceptionally well
- Ball-grabber is a luxury I didn’t know I needed
- Length, loft, lie, head weights and grip color are customizable
Cons:
- $449 price tag puts this putter out of reach for many recreational players
- Only one alignment aid and grip model available
Reverse Offset Hosel
Evnroll and designer Guerin Rife achieved zero torque in the ZERO Z1 putter by essentially flipping the hosel around. Sure, it’s more technical than that, but the reverse hosel gets the shaft in line with the putter’s center of mass, which creates the face-forward, zero torque profile.
That hosel design also eliminates the need for excessive forward shaft lean built into the putter, which many of Evnroll’s competitors in the zero torque category utilize.
There’s nothing wrong with all that shaft lean per se, but there’s no denying that the ZERO Z1 looks and feels much more like a traditional putter than many of the zero torque alternatives. Even though the face is in front of the shaft, the hosel enters the clubhead right where it does on any other heel-shafted mallet putter, which makes it easy to forget this is a zero torque putter at address.
SweetFace Grooves
Evnroll's SweetFace features grooves that are wide in the center and get progressively narrower toward the edges
Long before it dabbled in zero torque putters, Evnroll established itself as a leader in forgiving putters. The branding tells the story. The name Evnroll explains that you can expect the ball to roll an equal distance whether you strike the center, heel, or toe of the face. The logo backs up that story, as the three parallel lines in the “E” signify an equal distance of roll from anywhere on the face.
Evnroll uses its SweetFace to create that consistency from heel to toe. Rather than a milled face, Evnroll uses grooves on the face, but they’re not your typical grooves. The grooves are actually wider in the middle of the face and narrower as they move toward the heel and toe. This essentially increases energy transfer as you move farther from the center, which makes up for the typical loss of energy transfer associated with missing the sweet spot.
Now if they could only make irons that are as hot off the toe as they are off the center, all my problems would be solved.
Conveniently, the parallel alignment lines on the head of the ZERO Z1 make it easy to test those SweetFace grooves. I hit a number of mid-range putts off of both the toe-side and heel-side lines, I’m sold on the effectiveness of that technology. I didn’t notice any distance loss on those off-center strikes.
Evnroll ZERO Z1 Performance
A look at the Evnroll ZERO Z1 from the address position
Whether it’s the zero torque profile, SweetFace, or reverse hosel technology, the Evnroll ZERO Z1 putter is just an easy one to pick up and roll.
I’m not sure if it’s how natural the hosel looks combined with the zero torque performance, or if the swingweight just happens to agree with my stroke, but there was no getting-used-to-it period with the Z1. I’ve thoroughly tested a half-dozen-plus different putters in the last season or two, and even my favorites of the bunch required some adjustment period, but for whatever reason, not this one.
I pulled it out of the box and immediately started rolling putt after putt all the way down a four-foot metal ruler and off the other end. I actually chuckled to myself at how effortless this was.
It wasn’t just easy to start putts online – passing the yardstick test – I found it easy to control distance with the ZERO Z1. I’m not talking about distance control on mis-hits from the SweetFace grooves, I’m talking about more of a Goldilocks face that’s not too hot and not too cold. Feeling the right distance came naturally with this putter.
Sure, that comes down to personal preference, and not every player should expect the same feeling, but it’s a game-changer for me. I recently tested another zero torque putter, the Allan from PXG, and I found a lot of things I liked. However, I struggled with distance control and stood over 15-foot putts wondering if they were going to roll five feet past or stop five feet short. That feels impossible with the Z1.
Evnroll ZERO Z1 Look & Feel
The feel of the Z1 is medium-soft. The face is also not super hot, so you can stand over short and mid-range putts with the confidence to knock it in the back of the hole without fear of a long come-backer.
The alignment aid on top is two parallel lines straddling the sweet spot. It’s simple and easy to line up, but I wonder if players who have used a single line their whole lives would hesitate because of this, since this is not one of the customizable elements of the putter. If I’m looking for a knock on this putter, that might be it.
Similarly, it comes with a branded Neo pistol grip, and while you can choose between white, black or red, you can’t build this putter with a different grip when ordering online.
More Than Just Zero Torque
There are two other puttiers in Evnroll’s ZERO line, a wide blade (Z2s) and full-mallet (Z5s) that both have a stainless steel finish along with the same reverse offset hosel and SweetFace grooves, however, without having tested those options first-hand, we can’t offer the same vote of confidence in them yet that we can the ZERO Z1.
No, the ZERO Z1 doesn’t look exactly like a traditional putter, but when you start rolling putts with it, it’s really easy to forget this is a zero torque putter just from looking down at it.
Honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this impressed with a putter. Just as golfers began accepting the fact that if they wanted the performance benefits of a zero torque putter, they’d have to compromise on looks, adapt their setup, and perhaps re-calibrate their distance control, Evnroll comes along and offers this putter that really does not compromise.
If you’ve been curious about the performance benefits of zero torque putters, but have been turned off by their non-traditional looks, or hesitant to exchange one set of performance benefits for another, then maybe the ZERO Z1 would be a good one to check out.