Golfers have slowly started to recognize the importance of going through a custom putter-fitter. Instead of just grabbing a putter off the rack, it pays to exhaust all options before making a decision. That not only includes locating the correct putter head but hosel as well. Yes, the hosel. If you didn’t know it by now, the hosel can greatly affect putter performance, depending on your path and delivery.
For years, manufacturers offered several hosel options — plumber’s neck and slant being the most common — but most were tied to specific head shapes, meaning if you liked a mallet head shape but benefitted from the plumber’s neck attached to a blade, you might be out of luck.
The good news is putter manufacturers have been doing their best to ensure this isn’t a problem, pairing multiple hosels with popular head shapes to give you options. That includes Guerin Rife’s Evnroll V-Series lineup — the V stands for “versatile” — which consists of six different head shapes and four hosel options.
With the help of Quintic’s camera-based Ball Roll putting analysis system, Evnroll discovered through thousands of fittings that golfers can improve their putting simply by having the correct hosel on their putter. The ideal offset, toe hang and visual setup elicits a feeling of confidence that extends to the stroke. The result is a higher likelihood for more made putts.
ClubTest 2021: 21 new game-changing putters tested and reviewed
The insights led Evnroll to add four hosel options (short slant, short plumber’s neck, long plumber’s neck and long slant) to the line in an effort to pair up the correct head and hosel for every stroke. (Below are details on all four neck options.)
Short Slant: The hosel neck produces more toe hang promoting a more rotational swing-path that releases through the hitting area. This slant neck design has a hosel pin that fits inside the shaft allowing it to flow seamlessly into the putter head, a preferred look for better players.
Short plumber’s neck: The hosel slightly reduces toe hang and therefore reduces the rotation of the swing path. This plumber’s neck features a classic over-fit, collar-type hosel with a vertical full-shaft offset presentation.
Long plumber’s neck: The hosel further reduces toe hang and allows for a more straight-back-straight-through swing path. This plumber’s neck features a classic over-fit, collar-type hosel with a vertical full-shaft offset presentation.
Long slant: The hosel neck design has a two-shaft offset with an additional two degrees of loft to accommodate Evnroll’s new Midlock putter line.
The lineup consists of four mallets (ER5V, ER7V, ER8V, ER11V) and two blades (ER1V, ER2V). The ER11V mallet is the most customizable putter in the line with adjustable 303 stainless steel weights positioned on the extreme edges of the black anodized 6061 aluminum to enhance stability. The winged ER5V, perimeter-weighted ER7V and midsized ER8V complete the mallet offerings. A heel-toe weighted ER1V and wider heel-toe weighted ER2V are the blade options.
All six putters feature Evnroll’s patented Sweet Face Technology milling pattern that helps transfer additional energy to the ball on off-center hits (shoring up distance issues), while also creating a gearing effect that steers the ball back to the target.
In addition to the standard grip offering, a back-weighted “Gravity Grip” helps promote a square face on the takeaway and at impact with the help of a 70-gram steel rod running the entire length of the lightweight EVA foam material.
Evnroll’s V-Series will be available in March and retails for $389 (ER1V, ER2V; TourTac grip), $399 (ER1V, ER2V; Gravity grip), $409 (ER5V, ER7V, ER8V, ER11V; TourTac grip) and $419 (ER5V, ER7V, ER8V, ER11V; Gravity grip).
Want to overhaul your own bag for 2021? Visit the expert fitters at our sister company, True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.
