Over the past year, the topic of zero torque putters has dominated the conversation around golf equipment and given the added interest, the majority of established putter makers have launched their own iterations, with Evnroll being one of the latest adopters. To see how the brand's Zero Z5s putter fares compared to some of the best zero-torque putters, I took it out on the golf course to put it through its paces and analyze the performance.
One of the first things that caught my attention about the Zero Z5s was the fact that, unlike the majority of other zero-torque models, this putter isn’t center-shafted. Instead, this putter is designed with a patented reverse offset hosel, which is essentially a plumbers or ‘L’ neck hosel the opposite way around. This then sees the angle of the shaft run directly through the center of gravity (CG) rather than entering the head through it . It does create a slightly odd look down at the address but it’s something your eyes become accustomed to when transitioning between any of the best putters into a zero-torque putter.
The whole idea behind a zero-torque putter is to eliminate twisting and face rotation, keeping the putter face square to the path of your stroke throughout its journey as opposed to opening and closing like most conventional mallet or blade putters. The result should be that putts that start on your intended line more often.
This winged, full-size mallet putter is connected with a back alignment bar, which reminds me a lot of the the Odyssey Jailbird - another putter now offered in a zero-torque option. As you would expect from an Evnroll putter, the Zero Z5s is 100 percent milled from 303 stainless steel and features the brand's SweetFace technology, which sees closely spaced V-shape channels applied across the hitting area so ball speeds remain consistent even on miss-struck putts. However, all of the technology in this putter is reflected in the lofty price tag of $449, so it’s worth testing these putters before you fully commit to making a purchase.
After hitting multiple long-distance putts on the golf course, I was impressed with the consistency of the roll this putter produced and would argue the stability was on par with some of the most forgiving putters on the market. The milled nature of this putter produced an extremely soft feel through impact, which I loved, although the acoustics were slightly louder and more high-pitched than I prefer. I found this to be an odd combination of sound and feel, which took me a while to get used to as I would normally associate a soft feel with a more muted sound but that was not the case with the Zero Z5s.
The Evnroll Zero Z5s is a great option for those seeking a more traditional-feeling putter with the added stability a zero torque putter offers. While I don’t feel as though the alignment features were as strong and prominent as some of the best L.A.B Golf putters, for example, the larger head will certainly inspire confidence when down behind the ball at address.
