50 Words or Less
The Evnroll Carlsbad M1 is a more affordable mallet putter featuring the same technologies and similar premium look and feel of the company’s main line of putters.
Introduction
The Carlsbad line of putters is an entirely new offering from Evnroll in 2025. The company’s goal with these putters is to take its SweetFace™ technology from their existing premium offerings and package it in a more affordable putter. As of now, the Carlsbad line features two shapes: the M1 mallet, which I tested, and the B1 blade. While it is considerably less expensive than most of the company’s other offerings ($250 vs. $400) it doesn’t feel like they cut any corners.
Looks
The Evnroll Carlsbad M1 doesn’t look like a budget putter. In fact, in a lot of ways it looks just as good as putters in the more premium segment of the market. It has a black finish that is between glossy and matte and does a nice job of eliminating glare. The shape itself is reminiscent of one of the more popular and successful mallet putters on tour today and the Evnroll ZERO Z5S [review HERE]. It features a short slant neck hosel.
Size-wise, the clubhead appears quite large at address. While it’s a bit bigger than I prefer, I think it will inspire confidence in a lot of golfers. There’s also a simplicity to the look that I appreciate, with a singular white alignment aid running down the center of the putter. I think it can be distracting to look down at a putter with a lot going on – you end up focusing too much on that and not enough on the shot at hand.
There were a few other visual details that really impressed me and showed that Evnroll is serious about providing a great product with this line. Those are the black shaft, which just adds to the overall aesthetic of the club, as well as the grip and headcover, both of which feel excellent and feature custom “Carlsbad” script.
Sound & Feel
The feel of impact using a premium ball with the Evnroll Carlsbad M1 is soft, soft, soft. While the ball doesn’t feel like it’s getting stuck to the face or anything like that, good contact feels gentle and forgiving. I think it will please a huge segment of the market. As you stray from the center of the face, the feeling becomes a bit firmer and less deep but not as much as with some other putters I’ve tried.
The sound is unique among putters I’ve tried, a ‘tonk’ that sounds a bit hollow, almost like striking a tin can with a rubber mallet. This sound is most prevalent on center strikes and becomes less pronounced as you stray from the center of the face. In the absence of strong feedback through the hands, it’s a nice mechanism for judging quality of contact.
Performance
Evnroll was founded in 2016 by designer Guerin Rife, who’d already gained notoriety for designing the first cavity back mallets and the first grooved putter faces. The company, based in the golf OEM hub of Carlsbad, California (hence the name of this new line) is noted for its high quality offerings and especially for its proprietary putter face technology, referred to as SweetFace.
While it’s hard to tell by looking at it, the face of the Evnroll Carlsbad M1 has some small design elements that can have a pretty big impact. While you’ll notice right away that the putter face has grooves, you have to look closely to see that both the width and the depth of the grooves change as you move out from the center of the face. According to robot testing, these subtle changes affect the roll of the golf ball such that the ball will travel the same distance regardless of where on the face the ball was struck. It also helps the ball redirect down its intended starting line.
I got to see this firsthand during my testing. In addition to testing with my PuttOut mat indoors, I was able to get the Evnroll Carlsbad M1 mallet on the golf course for an early season round. While I consistently left putts short on the frozen and shaggy greens, they were almost exclusively on my intended line, and occasionally I hit one firm enough to get it to fall right in the heart of the cup.
The Evnroll Carlsbad M1 feels very easy to line up. It features a short slant neck hosel that feels like a good middle ground in terms of fit for stroke type. I tend to putt better with face balanced putters using a straight back and through stroke, and I think this putter works well with that stroke type. Because of the slant, it will also accommodate a gently arcing stroke. Players with a strong arc will want to look at the Carlsbad B1 blade.
As of now, the Evnroll Carlsbad M1 mallet putter is only available in a right handed model and cannot be customized beyond choosing 34″ or 35″ length.
Conclusion
The Evnroll Carlsbad M1 delivers something new and valuable to the high MOI mallet category. I was impressed with its ability to provide its revolutionary technology in an affordable package that still looks and feels premium. If you’re looking for a quality mallet on a budget, give it a look.
Buy the Evnroll Carlsbad M1 Putter HERE
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