We all know that zero-torque putters are the hottest thing in golf right now, but legendary putter engineer Guerin Rife had another idea. Instead of removing all of the torque, he wanted to keep it in control to help the putter face stay square to the target. This engineering expedition created the new Evnroll EZPZ Reverse Torque putter.
So what is Reverse Torque? Rife moved 60 percent of the putter mass below the shaft axis in order to create a heel-down weighting. This Reverse-Torque design helps keep the putter face in the Square Zone longer by slowing the face’s rotation at impact. The Square Zone is space and time when the face is pointed towards the target as the putter approaches impact. With Reverse Torque, Evnroll sees that golfers have the putter face square to their target for twice as long. That translates into tighter starting line dispersion and more consistent putts.
“Zero Torque has been in the spotlight and has quickly been embraced by the industry,” said Guerin Rife, founder and chief designer of Evnroll. “While reducing torque is a good thing, I believe “reversing torque” is even better. Reverse Torque allows golfers to keep the familiar look and setup of a traditional putter while naturally slowing face rotation through impact. The difference is something golfers can feel immediately.”
Out of the box, the EZPZ is far from a traditional putter, but it does retain some traditional features that a lot of zero torque putters don’t. A standard-looking L-neck, plumbers neck, hosel gives the putter a full shaft offset.
When you set this putter down, it looks like a high MOI mallet, and you don’t think much more than that. The milling work looks really good, and the Sweet Face 2.0 machine work is just impressive. Some will say the putter is busy, and that is fine, but in the race to make more stable and forgiving putters, you sometimes have to make a non-standard shape to get that performance.
Once I was out on the putting green, I didn’t get distracted by the putter’s appearance and felt comfortable pretty quickly. Evnroll adding a premium UST Mamiya All-In shaft is a great move as I love the feel and performance of these new graphite putter shafts. The gloss black finish matches the head, and the chrome tip of the shaft flows well into the silver hosel.
When I hit my first putt, the first thing that came to mind was how stable the putter felt. Face-balanced putters usually have a nice stable weighting to them, but this was slightly amplified. Through my entire stroke, the EZPZ felt like it was guided on rails and would not move off its line. I tend to have just a little arc in my stroke, closer to straight back and straight through, and the putter worked really well with it. I didn’t feel like I had to fight the putter or adjust my stroke to get a nice smooth feel from it.
I think some of the beauty of Reverse Torque is that you might not know it is there and you just swing your swing. It doesn’t alter the feel of the putter through the stroke like some zero-torque putters; it just feels like a super-stable mallet. Now I didn’t make every single putt, but I can say that I putted very well with the EZPZ. I was on line with so many putts, and even when I felt like I didn’t put a good swing on it, the putter kept my ball online. I might not have gotten the speed right or misread the break, but if the putt didn’t go in, it was right next to the hole.
For me, this putter is so easy to use and gets my ball started on my intended line so consistently, just like the old “point ‘n shoot” cliché. Combine that with Evnroll’s Sweet Face 2.0, which creates a smooth forward roll and consistent ball speed for your best chance of making putts.
While the putter is a little busier in its looks, the Evnroll team did a good job with the alignment markings. The white sight lines and dot really pop against the larger black putter, and I found the EZPZ very easy to line up with my target. If the head was aimed a little left or right, it was recognizable immediately and then fixed before taking the putter back.
Sometimes multi-material heads don’t always sound and feel amazing, especially when the putter has wings protruding from the body. Rife and his team did a nice job of minimizing loud, harsh sounds or ringing sounds at impact. This putter actually had a slightly crisper feel than I expected. Usually, grooved faces, like Sweet Face 2.0, provide a softer feel because less metal contacts the ball at impact. The EZPZ offered a little click and a nice, but firmer, feel at impact that golfers who love responsiveness will appreciate. This isn’t a forgiving, dead-feeling mallet; you are going to get feedback in your hands and ears on every putt.
I have always been a big fan of the UST Mamiya All-In putter shaft, and I think it plays well with the EZPZ putter. The stiffer profile of the shaft gives you a nice feel of where the putter head is throughout the stroke, and the graphite usually dampens a touch of vibration. The final piece of the puzzle is Evnroll’s NEO pistol-style putter grip, as it gives a nice tacky feel, and I love the flat top with sharper edges. Even on hot, humid nights, the grip offers great traction, and those sharp edges just give my hands great face awareness.
Evnroll did a great job in creating a putter that gives golfers technology to help them be more consistent on the green. From precise milling and weight distribution to the more traditional hosel and setup, golfers who haven’t found success with zero-torque but still want help hitting better putts more frequently could find reverse torque to be the answer. I am impressed with the performance of the putter.
