Fujikura Member Trip and VeloCore Fitting Experience Live at Fujikura HQ! Follow Along Here!

[CactusGolf]

On 8/5/2023 at 6:08 PM, eric61 said:

For me, it’s still pretty high. Not really a flighted set that tries to lower short-iron launch.

I would definitely agree with that.  No ballooning, but definitely higher.  

 

Played a round in the wind this weekend and had to go up at least a club on a few shots.

[eric61]

You all might remember the mess with FedEx losing my shafts. Fujikura sent another set ... and then the orignals also showed up, weeks later, after FedEx somehow found them. I sent the second -- er, first, but arriving second -- set of Axioms back, but because the driver shaft had been personalized, the Fujikura folks were nice enough to let me keep it. 

 

Figured I'd put another brand's driver tip on it and use it to do some head-to-head testing. I swapped out the Ping adapter for a Titleist adapter, and tested the G430 LST 9 degree vs. the TSR2 8 degree. 

 

Here are the averages I got on Trackman, no deletions on the G430 LST and one deletion on the TSR2 that I just : 

 

G430 LST with Ventus TR Blue 6X at 45": 

Ball speed: 146

Carry: 245

Total: 267

Spin: 2200

Height: 102 feet

Dispersion: Absurdly tight, started left and drew just barely left of my target line.

 

TSR2 with Ventus TR Blue 6X at 45.25": 

Ball speed: 146

Carry: 240

Total: 266

Spin: 2250

Height: 85 feet

Dispersion: A bit wider, center to center-right of my target, which means I was turning it over a bit more.

 

The numbers were close, but the G430 LST has taken down another potential rival. I'd be curious how the TSR3 would stack up against it, but I think my inconsistency of strike would make that pretty penal head for me. Might produce some fun launch monitor numbers with lots of deletions, but I think the G430 LST is just a good golf course driver for me. I know this won't be a commonly shared opinion but I also liked the G430 LST's feel better. Great drives feel like a really solid punch, and mishits feel worse with the TSR2 than with the G430 LST. 

 

The Axioms were love at first swing, but it's taken me time to warm up to the Ventus TR Blue. I feel like I'm really turning a corner and finding some serious consistency with it now.

Edited August 9, 2023 by eric61

[Jbar]

I replaced the TM BRNR stock shaft with TR Red 6X. I had an unbelievable increase in distance and tighter dispersion. It becomes the primary club of my bag, replacing the TSI3 driver. I have X100 130g for Z-Forged II so I was told that 125X is similar to the X100 profile. I like how I feel with TR Red, especially with the handle/tip. How would I expect to feel with Axiom 125X?

[968cab]

In response to my “tell me what to do” post… I purchased a twin 921Forged 6iron head to my gamer set, and ordered both 105S and 75S Axiom Mid shafts

Built up the 105S to go head to head vs. my Recoil 110F4s. Tested over two sessions, two days apart; one at club range with Titleist practice balls, other on my Fiberbuilt mat with ProV1; both captured with BLP/Foresight.

 

Summary of results:

Ballspeed: Recoil +1mph

Launch: Axiom +2°

Backspin: Axiom +546

Carry: Identical

Total: Recoil +3yds

Peak: Axiom +8feet

Descent: Axiom +3°

 

If I understand what I’m seeing correctly, I’m getting a higher launch, higher flight and more Bspin with the Axiom.  Despite very slightly lower ballspeed, the carry is the same and the Recoil rolls out farther for a higher total.  So I’m giving up 3yds of distance for more precise “stopping power” (with a 6iron 🤷🏻‍♂️)

 

Dispersion average shifted left 2.7 yards with the Axiom. OTOH, I’ve been playing these Recoils since early 2020, so I’m sure there will be a familiarity bias that would go away with time. That might apply to all the results, truthfully. Hard to believe 5grams would be responsible for that big of a start line shift.  Also, the Std Dev was less with the Axiom (as expected), despite the left shift. 
 

I went through this drill a couple years ago with individual P760 7iron heads that I still have (that’s how I ended up with Recoil and MMT).  So I think I will pull the 105, take another 1/2” off the tip, and build it and the 75S into the P760 heads to compare.  
 

But so far, I’m pretty impressed.  Feels similar to the Recoil, probably just  a touch firmer/less mush.  Love the idea of a faster stopping approach shot…confidence inspiring.  Which was EXACTLY how I felt when I switched to the Ventus in my Driver/Fwys.  

 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by 968cab

[Puppetmaster]

13 hours ago, Jbar said:

I replaced the TM BRNR stock shaft with TR Red 6X. I had an unbelievable increase in distance and tighter dispersion. It becomes the primary club of my bag, replacing the TSI3 driver. I have X100 130g for Z-Forged II so I was told that 125X is similar to the X100 profile. I like how I feel with TR Red, especially with the handle/tip. How would I expect to feel with Axiom 125X?

 

I would try the 105-S and 105-X as well. It isn't a simple one-for-one just because you're coming from an X-100. You'd be surprised at how stable the 105 is.  

[Jbar]

2 hours ago, Puppetmaster said:

 

I would try the 105-S and 105-X as well. It isn't a simple one-for-one just because you're coming from an X-100. You'd be surprised at how stable the 105 is.  

I do like the feel of being heavy, which would control my tempo. It won't be easy to find a demo club with Axiom 105-X. Thanks!

[eric61]

Thought I'd put up another little course blog starring @Fujikura Golf Ventus and AXIOM ... plus special guest Speeder NX.

 

Playing 9 on the South course at Arrowhead in Wheaton, Illinois, late yesterday afternoon. Rating from the blues I play is 36.4, slope is 139. I was out as a single with foursomes stacked ahead of me, so I had some time to kill and took some pictures. 

 

It wound up being a really good score for me (my handicap is currently sitting at 10.5): 

Bogey - Par - Par - Bogey - Bogey - Par - Par - Bogey - Birdie: 39 (+3)

 

Driver was on fire. Putter let me down on a couple short ones, but made up for it with a tricky 10-footer for birdie on the last hole. And irons were great. I continue to absolutely love my AXIOM 105X shafts. 

 

I took pictures on the second, third and fourth holes.

 

Here's the second hole -- 578-yard par 5. This is the longest this hole ever plays. Tee was as far back as it could go, and pin was in the back left. This is a pretty easy hole to navigate; it's just long, and the three-tier green can be tricky.

 

 

Driver all day here. G430 LST with my Ventus TR Blue 6X. The start line is that tree just left of the fairway bunker left of the green, trying to draw it back a little bit. There's a sort of speed slot in the fairway here -- the bunkers on the right are about 250 out, and if you can land it in the fairway just to the left of those bunkers, it'll rocket downhill. It had rained earlier in the day so the course was too wet for a ton of runout, but when the course was baked out in June, I was seeing 300+ yard drives with a good 60+ yards of rollout there.

 

 

I pounded this one. Good as I can hit it. It did catch that speed slot -- like I said, the course was too soggy for a ton of rollout, but I still got 289 off the tee ... exactly half the length of this hole. 

 

That left me this really good look at the green ... no forced carry, green light all day; unfortunately from a distance I can't reach, 289 to the pin: 

 

 

This is where my new favorite club came into play. I'd told you all about how much I'd loved the Speeder NX Blue when I tested it. I ordered one from @Peoples Golf (a Fujikura charter dealer) for my 3 wood. The Ping G430 sits perfectly for me in the -1 flat setting, but I wanted a shaft that would really get it up in the air without spinning too, too much.

 

FedEx dropped the shaft off about two hours before I headed to the course. I'd hit it on the range and already knew I liked it, but hadn't hit this on the course yet.

 

 

First on-course swing with my new Speeder NX Blue 70X ... and I smoked it. Exactly the high launch I'd been hoping for. I don't have the distance to get to this pin, but from 289 out, I got 249 yards, and wound up here:

 

 

It's a little hard to see the slopes in these photos, but this is a three-tier green -- front's lowest, then there's a middle section, and the pin's in the back, highest tier. 

 

I've been really liking playing bump and runs with my Ping i230 UW with the AXIOM 105X lately. That was the plan here: Carry it onto the second tier, let it run up the hill onto the third tier and hopefully settle by the pin.

 

 

I carried it basically where I wanted to, but it ran out of steam on the way up the hill to that third tier and rolled back a little bit. Right idea, but not a great shot. Still, you can see from this photo why I couldn't try to land it on the third tier. I'm not bad with my wedges but I do not have that kind of pinpoint accuracy!

 

 

Left that putt a little to the right of the hole and tapped in for par. 

 

On to the third hole ... this is a really short par 4 with a hard dog leg left and way downhill. It's feast or famine -- play the tee shot right and you've got a short pitch in and a good look at birdie; play it wrong and you're in a really bad spot with bunkers, severe slopes and water to deal with. 

 

Here's the look from the tee box. You really can't see anything at all about the hole, or even the pond that's by it, from here. But it's a little more than 200 yards to that bunker on the right, and the hole slopes HARD to the left -- toward the green, but also toward the water -- from there. As a lefty, what I want to do here is use the bunker as a start line and fade it off there. Land a little past the bunker and to its left with the ball moving leftward, and you have a chance of running all the way down the hill and close to the green.

 

 

I pulled my G430 Max 3 wood with the Speeder NX Blue 70X again, and hit it really well. Started it a touch too far left, so I knew it wasn't going to be perfect, but hoped I'd head down the hill and find it in a good spot.

 

Here's a photo that shows what it looks like from the top of the hill. Again, I'm having a hard time capturing how severe the slope is in these pictures, but it's steep.

 

 

Wound up in a pretty good spot. Farther left than I'd have liked, so I had to carry the water, but still in that little flat spot on the left side of the fairway. 81 yards to the hole.

 

 

From here, the miss is short, right. You don't want to go long or left because then you've got a downhill putt headed toward the water; easy to run it way past the hole.

 

Hit a little 60 from here and left it short right. Not very close, but fine, safe.

 

 

Got a little too aggressive on that putt, and had this left for par. Knocked it in.

 

 

Fourth hole now. Short par 3 over that same pond. 138 yards to the pin, and you have to make sure not to spin it too much or your ball will suck right back into the water on really dry days. It was wet and slow enough that that wasn't a big concern. 

 

 

i230 9 iron, AXIOM 105X for this shot.

 

 

Whoops. I got over the top and yanked this one -- pulled way, way right. On the green, but only because it's a wide green with a pin on the left. 

 

Huuuuuge swing on this putt. I put my putter in this picture -- my line here is my putter head!

 

 

Aaaaand somehow that still wasn't a high enough line. It wound up coming up short: 

 

 

This was my only really bad shot of this course blog. I pushed this little putt and left it on the left side of the hole. The kind of thing that'll drive you crazy. So, it's a three-putt bogey. One over for this little series, on my way to three over for the 9.

 

Takeaways from the round: 

 

-- Still loving AXIOM. Bad shots are because of my own lack of skill. But good and average shots are more accurate with AXIOM than they'd been before. And my body feels great, especially after practicing. No wrist pain whatsoever. The move to graphite iron shafts has been a huge help. 

 

-- I'd mentioned before that the Ventus TR Blue 6X had been slower to come around. This round was the first time I felt like I was finally, fully there with it. It was just terrific. The kick from the mid-section feels powerful -- but I don't feel like I lose the club head at any point. And I can see in my ball flight on the course the same thing launch monitors show: Spin is very much in check. I'm getting a high ball flight, but it's penetrating. There's none of the climbing or floating look that you'd see from shots that are spinning up too much. I'm surprised how much time it took me to adjust to this shaft, but I'm starting to hit some of the best drives I've ever hit. If AXIOM was love at first swing, the Ventus TR Blue is a slow burn, but I really, really like it.

 

-- The Speeder NX Blue ... I mean, I hit two shots with it on the course in this round, and they were both exactly what I wanted out of my 3 wood. I love the way it feels. It feels softer than the Ventus TR Blue overall to me, and the kick is still in the mid-section, but it feels lower-mid than the TR Blue to me. And whereas the TR Blue's kick feels pretty concentrated in one area to me, there's a longer soft section in the Speeder NX Blue -- or at least, that's what I feel. Those two shots plus one range warm-up are all I have under my belt so far, so it's very much a honeymoon phase, but I have a feeling this will be my 3 wood shaft moving forward for a long time. It's easy to turn over, but at the same time it doesn't feel like I'm hooking it or anything -- the handle and the tip sections do feel stable; it's in no way out of control. I was able to hit a fade on that tee shot I mentioned where it's a must. I can totally see why @knudson81 has had this same shaft in the bag in his 3W! There's another 9 at my course where both par 5s are reachable in two with a decent drive and a good 3W, so I'll update with what I'm seeing in terms of stopping power once I play there. But the trajectory I was seeing was plenty high, so I'm optimistic! 

[CactusGolf]

Thought I'd post a little bit after my week-long golf trip that had a full set of clubs with the Axioms, TR Reds, and Pro 115s installed.

 

I was lucky to meet a group that has had an annual golf week for the past 30 years.  Two rounds a day Monday through Sunday at the local courses here.  First round is individual play and second round is a scramble.  Absolute blast of a time.  Also gives me some solid data to compare both the before and the after all shaft changes.  

 

There are a few big things.  My average score is down by over two full shots that is nearly entirely driven by the increase in my GIR percentage from 45% pre-install to 57% over the last 5 rounds.  That lower score is even with a lower FIR (mostly due to tighter courses on the trip) and poorer putting performance. 

 

And, honestly, the GIR is actually higher than the data shows as I do not count balls on the collar as GIR.  I would add an additional 1-2 greens per round for balls on the collar.  Holding greens is a bit easier as the windows are higher than I'm used to and not having to play curve is a positive.  Just took a little while to understand that is what was needed.

 

The biggest humble "brag" is that I've had more eagles in the last two rounds with the new set-up than I have in the last three years.  Two in the last 5 rounds and the number of birdies is higher per round than I've seen.  

 

From the data that I've seen, only showing a 2 yard increase in average drive is entirely driven by how much rain we've gotten in Kentucky over the last two weeks.  I'm trilled with the performance of the shafts and I absolutely wouldn't sleep on the idea of putting heavier graphite shafts in the wedges.

 

I have a few things to work on that is abundantly clear.  I can say that I have a back 9 scoring/finishing problem as even the 80s this trip were preceded by a +2 and +1 front nine.  My putting also needs a significant amount of work, but I'd love to blame the greens on some of these courses.  Some were in really rough shape.  Also, my par 5 scoring is a serious, serious issue (e.g. keeping the ball in play off the tee) mostly due to me tightening up on the tee shot and trying to guide it. 

 

EDIT:  Thought I'd use some of Arccos data that I've been using.  I've put Arccos into the bag since the install, so I'm going to try and monitor the Approach game most.  

 

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by CactusGolf

[hammergolf]

Just back from the course. I can only echo the words of @CactusGolf @eric61 and @Puppetmaster. Velocore tech is the real deal. Ventus in the driver and 3wd have been nothing short of awesome. I’ve seen a 10-15yd increase in carry off both my driver and 3 wd. In addition, the misses are so much tighter directionally. I have always been able to hit it pretty straight, but with Ventus even my misses are straighter now. 

With the Axioms, I’m just liking them more and more every time out. This is the first shaft I’ve had that lets me hit higher shots without making any adjustments to my setup or ball position. HUGE advantage for me, and something I’ve struggled with since my injury. However, it’s so easy for me to control my flight on knockdowns or 3/4 shots. As the other guys have stated, once I adjusted to less curvature and adjusted my aim it’s crazy how tight the left/right dispersion is. Another thing I’ve noticed is the front/back dispersion is better too. I think that has to do with a much more consistent spin and launch that eliminates that hot one or flier. While spin has definitely increased for me, it’s not crazy spin. Our bentgrass greens are really soft right now with the rain we’ve had. Even with the softer greens, full swing shorts irons were only backing up a few feet, so definitely controllable. 
 

These shaft changes have just really made my golf a lot more fun! Thanks again to @Fujikura Golf for the amazing experience and helping improve my game and enjoyment.

[eric61]

Welp, great @Fujikura Golf, looks like I might be about to pull apart a perfectly well-built set of irons just to change the ferrules! 😅

 

https://fujikuragolf.shop/product/bbf-co-axiom-ferrules-1?v=7516fd43adaa

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, eric61 said:

Welp, great @Fujikura Golf, looks like I might be about to pull apart a perfectly well-built set of irons just to change the ferrules! 😅

 

https://fujikuragolf.shop/product/bbf-co-axiom-ferrules-1?v=7516fd43adaa

As good as my irons are working now I’m not touching mine…. Lol

[968cab]

Curious if @Fujikura Golf said anything about the Axiom as a hybrid shaft when y’all sat thru the visit?  
 

I’ve never gotten on with the Hyb Ventus.

 

Thanks! 

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, 968cab said:

Curious if @Fujikura Golf said anything about the Axiom as a hybrid shaft when y’all sat thru the visit?  
 

I’ve never gotten on with the Hyb Ventus.

 

Thanks! 

It didn’t come up, but I don’t see why an Axiom 75 Long wouldn’t work in a hybrid.

[Puppetmaster]

2 hours ago, 968cab said:

Curious if @Fujikura Golf said anything about the Axiom as a hybrid shaft when y’all sat thru the visit?  
 

I’ve never gotten on with the Hyb Ventus.

 

Thanks! 

I did ask. Definitely possible for utility irons and hybrids but you only have the 75, 105, and 125 options. 
 

That being said I’m in the process of ordering an Axiom 105 for a Cobra hybrid. If it doesn’t work out I’ll throw it into a U505 or something comparable. Loving my 4-iron right now, bet it would be great in a utility iron. 

[CactusGolf]

11 hours ago, Puppetmaster said:

I did ask. Definitely possible for utility irons and hybrids but you only have the 75, 105, and 125 options. 
 

That being said I’m in the process of ordering an Axiom 105 for a Cobra hybrid. If it doesn’t work out I’ll throw it into a U505 or something comparable. Loving my 4-iron right now, bet it would be great in a utility iron. 

I'm doing the same, but going with the 75S long for the Paradym hybrid that came yesterday.

 

Are you going with the 105 to match your iron set?  

[Puppetmaster]

1 hour ago, CactusGolf said:

I'm doing the same, but going with the 75S long for the Paradym hybrid that came yesterday.

 

Are you going with the 105 to match your iron set?  

 

Yup, a 105-S in a 17* hybrid, but I also play it slightly shorter than OEM lengths. My irons are hardstepped 105-S, but not tipping for the hybrid.

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, CactusGolf said:

I'm doing the same, but going with the 75S long for the Paradym hybrid that came yesterday.

 

Are you going with the 105 to match your iron set?  

Looking forward to hearing how well it works!

[hammergolf]

3 hours ago, Puppetmaster said:

 

Yup, a 105-S in a 17* hybrid, but I also play it slightly shorter than OEM lengths. My irons are hardstepped 105-S, but not tipping for the hybrid.

Can’t wait to read about it!

[Puppetmaster]

Spent 1.5+ hrs on a rented Trackman yesterday and 1) results didn't sync with my account and 2) the shared/emailed reports aren't coming through. So annoying. 

 

It's 30 mins away, but I guess I have to go back and see if I can retrieve the data some other way. 

[Puppetmaster]

On 8/18/2023 at 1:21 PM, hammergolf said:

Can’t wait to read about it!

 

Peoples Golf putting my order together as we speak 🙂 

 

Took the Cobra King Tec (2021 edition) with the stock MMT 80X out for a round and it is pretty nice. Will report back once I get to try it with the Axiom. 

[Puppetmaster]

I guess until I get my data I’ll distract y’all with some sexy pictures… 

 

[gvogel]

On 8/10/2023 at 10:47 AM, eric61 said:

Thought I'd put up another little course blog starring @Fujikura Golf Ventus and AXIOM ... plus special guest Speeder NX.

 

Playing 9 on the South course at Arrowhead in Wheaton, Illinois, late yesterday afternoon. Rating from the blues I play is 36.4, slope is 139. I was out as a single with foursomes stacked ahead of me, so I had some time to kill and took some pictures. 

 

It wound up being a really good score for me (my handicap is currently sitting at 10.5): 

Bogey - Par - Par - Bogey - Bogey - Par - Par - Bogey - Birdie: 39 (+3)

 

Driver was on fire. Putter let me down on a couple short ones, but made up for it with a tricky 10-footer for birdie on the last hole. And irons were great. I continue to absolutely love my AXIOM 105X shafts. 

 

I took pictures on the second, third and fourth holes.

 

Here's the second hole -- 578-yard par 5. This is the longest this hole ever plays. Tee was as far back as it could go, and pin was in the back left. This is a pretty easy hole to navigate; it's just long, and the three-tier green can be tricky.

 

 

Driver all day here. G430 LST with my Ventus TR Blue 6X. The start line is that tree just left of the fairway bunker left of the green, trying to draw it back a little bit. There's a sort of speed slot in the fairway here -- the bunkers on the right are about 250 out, and if you can land it in the fairway just to the left of those bunkers, it'll rocket downhill. It had rained earlier in the day so the course was too wet for a ton of runout, but when the course was baked out in June, I was seeing 300+ yard drives with a good 60+ yards of rollout there.

 

 

I pounded this one. Good as I can hit it. It did catch that speed slot -- like I said, the course was too soggy for a ton of rollout, but I still got 289 off the tee ... exactly half the length of this hole. 

 

That left me this really good look at the green ... no forced carry, green light all day; unfortunately from a distance I can't reach, 289 to the pin: 

 

 

This is where my new favorite club came into play. I'd told you all about how much I'd loved the Speeder NX Blue when I tested it. I ordered one from @Peoples Golf (a Fujikura charter dealer) for my 3 wood. The Ping G430 sits perfectly for me in the -1 flat setting, but I wanted a shaft that would really get it up in the air without spinning too, too much.

 

FedEx dropped the shaft off about two hours before I headed to the course. I'd hit it on the range and already knew I liked it, but hadn't hit this on the course yet.

 

 

First on-course swing with my new Speeder NX Blue 70X ... and I smoked it. Exactly the high launch I'd been hoping for. I don't have the distance to get to this pin, but from 289 out, I got 249 yards, and wound up here:

 

 

It's a little hard to see the slopes in these photos, but this is a three-tier green -- front's lowest, then there's a middle section, and the pin's in the back, highest tier. 

 

I've been really liking playing bump and runs with my Ping i230 UW with the AXIOM 105X lately. That was the plan here: Carry it onto the second tier, let it run up the hill onto the third tier and hopefully settle by the pin.

 

 

I carried it basically where I wanted to, but it ran out of steam on the way up the hill to that third tier and rolled back a little bit. Right idea, but not a great shot. Still, you can see from this photo why I couldn't try to land it on the third tier. I'm not bad with my wedges but I do not have that kind of pinpoint accuracy!

 

 

Left that putt a little to the right of the hole and tapped in for par. 

 

On to the third hole ... this is a really short par 4 with a hard dog leg left and way downhill. It's feast or famine -- play the tee shot right and you've got a short pitch in and a good look at birdie; play it wrong and you're in a really bad spot with bunkers, severe slopes and water to deal with. 

 

Here's the look from the tee box. You really can't see anything at all about the hole, or even the pond that's by it, from here. But it's a little more than 200 yards to that bunker on the right, and the hole slopes HARD to the left -- toward the green, but also toward the water -- from there. As a lefty, what I want to do here is use the bunker as a start line and fade it off there. Land a little past the bunker and to its left with the ball moving leftward, and you have a chance of running all the way down the hill and close to the green.

 

 

I pulled my G430 Max 3 wood with the Speeder NX Blue 70X again, and hit it really well. Started it a touch too far left, so I knew it wasn't going to be perfect, but hoped I'd head down the hill and find it in a good spot.

 

Here's a photo that shows what it looks like from the top of the hill. Again, I'm having a hard time capturing how severe the slope is in these pictures, but it's steep.

 

 

Wound up in a pretty good spot. Farther left than I'd have liked, so I had to carry the water, but still in that little flat spot on the left side of the fairway. 81 yards to the hole.

 

 

From here, the miss is short, right. You don't want to go long or left because then you've got a downhill putt headed toward the water; easy to run it way past the hole.

 

Hit a little 60 from here and left it short right. Not very close, but fine, safe.

 

 

Got a little too aggressive on that putt, and had this left for par. Knocked it in.

 

 

Fourth hole now. Short par 3 over that same pond. 138 yards to the pin, and you have to make sure not to spin it too much or your ball will suck right back into the water on really dry days. It was wet and slow enough that that wasn't a big concern. 

 

 

i230 9 iron, AXIOM 105X for this shot.

 

 

Whoops. I got over the top and yanked this one -- pulled way, way right. On the green, but only because it's a wide green with a pin on the left. 

 

Huuuuuge swing on this putt. I put my putter in this picture -- my line here is my putter head!

 

 

Aaaaand somehow that still wasn't a high enough line. It wound up coming up short: 

 

 

This was my only really bad shot of this course blog. I pushed this little putt and left it on the left side of the hole. The kind of thing that'll drive you crazy. So, it's a three-putt bogey. One over for this little series, on my way to three over for the 9.

 

Takeaways from the round: 

 

-- Still loving AXIOM. Bad shots are because of my own lack of skill. But good and average shots are more accurate with AXIOM than they'd been before. And my body feels great, especially after practicing. No wrist pain whatsoever. The move to graphite iron shafts has been a huge help. 

 

-- I'd mentioned before that the Ventus TR Blue 6X had been slower to come around. This round was the first time I felt like I was finally, fully there with it. It was just terrific. The kick from the mid-section feels powerful -- but I don't feel like I lose the club head at any point. And I can see in my ball flight on the course the same thing launch monitors show: Spin is very much in check. I'm getting a high ball flight, but it's penetrating. There's none of the climbing or floating look that you'd see from shots that are spinning up too much. I'm surprised how much time it took me to adjust to this shaft, but I'm starting to hit some of the best drives I've ever hit. If AXIOM was love at first swing, the Ventus TR Blue is a slow burn, but I really, really like it.

 

-- The Speeder NX Blue ... I mean, I hit two shots with it on the course in this round, and they were both exactly what I wanted out of my 3 wood. I love the way it feels. It feels softer than the Ventus TR Blue overall to me, and the kick is still in the mid-section, but it feels lower-mid than the TR Blue to me. And whereas the TR Blue's kick feels pretty concentrated in one area to me, there's a longer soft section in the Speeder NX Blue -- or at least, that's what I feel. Those two shots plus one range warm-up are all I have under my belt so far, so it's very much a honeymoon phase, but I have a feeling this will be my 3 wood shaft moving forward for a long time. It's easy to turn over, but at the same time it doesn't feel like I'm hooking it or anything -- the handle and the tip sections do feel stable; it's in no way out of control. I was able to hit a fade on that tee shot I mentioned where it's a must. I can totally see why @knudson81 has had this same shaft in the bag in his 3W! There's another 9 at my course where both par 5s are reachable in two with a decent drive and a good 3W, so I'll update with what I'm seeing in terms of stopping power once I play there. But the trajectory I was seeing was plenty high, so I'm optimistic! 

One suggestion: next time you are short of a 3 tier green like the one pictured, take your 9-iron, get in a putting stance with the toe down, and use a putting stroke to chip the ball up to the hole.  It's an easier shot that a pitch with a wedge (unless you are on Tour and a genius with your wedge), and your results will be more consistent.

 

I really enjoyed your write up with your new weapons.

-Greg

[Puppetmaster]

41 minutes ago, gvogel said:

One suggestion: next time you are short of a 3 tier green like the one pictured, take your 9-iron, get in a putting stance with the toe down, and use a putting stroke to chip the ball up to the hole.  It's an easier shot that a pitch with a wedge (unless you are on Tour and a genius with your wedge), and your results will be more consistent.

 

I really enjoyed your write up with your new weapons.

-Greg

 

So true, going back to the basic chip n run in the right situations has been a tremendous help for me, both in terms of getting it close and preventing a bigger mistake. 

[eric61]

I'm working late tonight, but had the morning and early afternoon free -- and managed to turn it into a decent golf day, even though it's almost 100 degrees here. 

 

I played 9 holes this morning at Arrowhead in Wheaton, Ill. Blue tees, South course. Shot a 38 (+2). Driver was helping me out big-time -- it didn't look great on paper; I hit three out of seven fairways ... but three of the four I missed were JUST off, and in absolutely fine spots. I also hit what might've been my best shot of the year today. It was after my only bad drive of the day, on a long par 4. I had an uphill second shot, blind, 178 to the flag, ball above my feet, and a huge tree about 100 yards out, right in the way of the ideal line to the green. I hit a big, sweeping hook that wound up pin high -- I didn't realize it until I got up to the green -- and I made the birdie putt. (Gave it right back with a bogey on the next hole, but what can ya do, that's golf.)

 

I also went to Golf Galaxy and rented the Trackman for an hour. 

 

The G430 LST with the Ventus TR Blue 6X I was fitted into in Carlsbad has beaten back all challengers so far. But I mentioned earlier in the thread how much potential I'd seen out of the Speeder NX Blue, and I've been ranting and raving about how much I've loved it in my 3 wood. 

 

It didn't beat the G430 LST when I tried it in a TSR2. But I tried the Speeder NX 50X in a TSR3 today ... and for the first time, the G430 LST/Ventus TR Blue 6X combo might have something to worry about! 

 

Here are the numbers. These were at the very end of my session, so I didn't get a lot of swings in with either. I hit a low, heely one with both -- they're the last shots in the set. I left both of those in, and they bump the spin numbers up a little bit and mess up the dispersion because they both flared off to the left according to Trackman, but I think it's a fair comparison since they were very similar strikes.

 

(As always, remember that I'm a lefty, so some numbers have to be reversed ... negative club path = in to out, etc.)

 

Ping G430 LST 9 degrees at flat-plus to 10 degrees -- Ventus TR Blue 6X

 

 

TSR3 9 degrees, standard settings, with Speeder NX Blue 50X:

 

 

Just a few swings -- nowhere near enough to draw firm conclusions. But enough to pique my interest.

[eric61]

On 7/15/2023 at 3:42 PM, eric61 said:

AXIOM iron shafts: Initial review

 

My Axiom 105X shafts are installed in my i230s, 4-UW, and ready to play! 

 

First of all: HUGE shout-out to Tony Dirks, the general manager at the PGA Tour Superstore in Downers Grove, Illinois. My Axioms arrived on Thursday, and @Fujikura Golf had arranged to have my local PGA SS, the closest charter dealer, handle the build. Tony had me bring them in Friday morning and turned the whole build around in 24 hours. Very professional job -- everything looks great, and he hit my build specs of D4 going up to D5 in the wedges. Tony also regripped the rest of my clubs for free, so I'm now playing the same new CP2 Wraps on everything. Great guy, super easy to communicate with and excellent work. 

 

I picked them up today at 11 a.m. The forecast calls for thunderstorms all afternoon and evening, so I headed to Golf Galaxy to rent some Trackman time and test these out. 

 

An important piece of context for what you'll see in my numbers: I'm absolutely gassed today. If you read my driver post, you know I rented an hour on the Trackman and then went and hit 300 range balls on Thursday. I played a round yesterday (busted the MP-30s out since Tony had my i230s) and then did a bunch of housework last night. I debated whether it was really appropriate to post these numbers and comparisons, considering my speed was way down today, or if I should give it a day or two and go back when I'm feeling better and can get some data at normal speed. But I found some really interesting stuff I wanted to share with everybody, so I decided to go ahead. 

 

Recapping the fitting: Andrew Hoang at Fujikura fitted me into Axiom 105X shafts. I was surprised -- I was swinging 7 iron at 87-88 mph that day and am typically a stiff flex guy. But Andrew pointed out that it looked like I was losing the club head a little in the 105S, and it looked like I had much better control when he shifted me into the 105X. The numbers didn't lie: the dispersion data backed up Andrew's observation.

 

Actually, second-place for me was the 125X. I really fell in love with the 125X they had installed in a T100 7 iron as a demo. It's really not at all about the stiffness; it's about the weight -- I just seem to do well with heavier iron shafts. Andrew watched me hit that demo on course and said the 125X would work for me, too. We debated back and forth, but ultimately decided the 125X might be too much to handle in the long irons and decided to just go 105X throughout and have them built to a slightly heavier than standard swing weight. 

 

How the Axioms feel: They're great. Setting aside price, graphite vs. steel, all of that -- the Axioms are just a profile that really, really works for me. I would say they feel like they have a stiff handle, softer mid-section and stiff tip. It's not super dramatic, but they do have what feels to me like a mid/lower-mid kick. They feel very, very stable, but that softer mid-section does give them a nice feel. 

 

One thing that struck me as interesting: I was warming up with my 7 iron, just doing a little 3/4 swing drill at about 70 mph, and I noticed that I still felt a slight kick out of the Axioms even at that speed. It reminded me of an observation I had in Carlsbad, where we hit all the different weights: The 125X were surprisingly playable at my 87-ish mph speed, and the 75S were surprisingly stable at that same speed. Fujikura did a really impressive job of designing these shafts in a way that will allow people to play the weight they want to play without making sacrifices. 

 

I tested the 4 and 7 irons and PW, because because Fujikura designed the Axioms as basically three shafts -- "long" for 2, 3 and 4 irons; "mid" for 5 through 7 irons; "short" for 8 through wedge. I wanted to see if I felt any major differences. I really didn't. The short might feel a tiny fraction more stable/less kick? But that could also just be in my head; none of us are ever really trying to swing out of our shoes with a short iron. 

 

Do you have nagging injuries? Then I hope you've either moved to graphite iron shafts, or are very seriously considering it! I immediately noticed a HUGE improvement in how my wrists felt both during and after my Trackman session today. I have an old wrist injury that seems to get aggravated when I pound balls off a mat with my old Dynamic Golds, and my wrist is feeling perfectly fine right now, as if I didn't swing a golf club at all today. That's what I might be most pumped about! 

 

One difference that was especially stark for me today: Hitting the i230s thin with my old steel shafts definitely stung. It was a loud, nasty crack, and it sent vibrations up my arms. With the Axioms installed, it's hugely different. A thin strike still doesn't sound or feel good, obviously -- but the crack is more dull, and while I would feel it in my hands, it didn't send those vibrations up my arms. 

 

Now on to the numbers...

 

Quick reminder: I'm left-handed, so keep in mind that you have to invert some numbers. Minuses on club path are the same as positives are for righties, and so on.

 

Knowing that the Axioms were coming, I gathered data last month on my 4 and 7 irons and PW. Let's start with the 7 iron, because I found today's and how it compared to last month really interesting. 

 

7 iron data

 

i230 7 iron with previous Dynamic Gold 105 S300 shaft:

 

 

i230 7 iron with new Axiom 105X shaft:

 

 

Observations: Remember what I said about my speed being way down today? There's a difference of 4.6 mph in swing speed ... and yet, the i230 with the Axiom, which I was swinging slower, is actually carrying slightly farther. That stunned me. The Axiom knocked 700 RPMs of spin off and launched 1.4 degrees lower. If you look at my delivery numbers, you'll see I was a little more in-to-out today, so that could explain the difference. Regardless -- I was super impressed with how much I was getting out of these despite swinging slowly today. 

 

But that wasn't what impressed me the most. Check out the dispersion. 

 

Here's the i230 7 iron with my previous DG 105 S300 -- same set of shots I showed above. You'll see my normal tendency to miss right was on full display.

 

 

And here's the i230 7 iron with the Axiom 105X.

 

 

I mean, look how tight that circle is. My handicap right now is 11.7 -- I'm not a super-skilled player; there's variance in my delivery. But those shots were consecutive; I didn't delete stuff to make it look better. I know for the scratch players around here that circle might not be impressive, but for me, that's as good as I could ever realistically hope for. 

 

I also have trajectory graphs. 

 

This is the i230 7 iron with the DG 105 S300.

 

 

And here's the i230 7 iron with the Axiom 105X:

 

 

A bit more penetrating with the Axiom. It was still peaking in the 80s and coming down at about 45 degrees, though. I think when I can crank my speed back up to normal, I'll be closer to 100 feet and with a landing angle in the high 40s. What I notice here is just more consistency with the Axiom than with my previous DG 105.

 

Pitching wedge data

 

First, let's look at everything from my previous shafts -- i230 PW with Dynamic Gold 105 S300:  

 

 

 

 

Next, let's look at the numbers from my PW with the Axiom 105X:

 

 

 

 

Observations: Once again, speed is down today, so there are limits to the comparison. But my dispersion moving left with the Axioms seems to be a consistent trend, and it's one that is very, very welcome. And the carry difference of 2.7 yards when there's a 3 mph club speed difference is pretty eye-opening. My trajectory with the Axioms is lower. This doesn't really bother me -- again, I think at my normal speeds, that'll get up higher and stop fine. 

 

4 iron data: 

 

Finally, we have the one I was most worried about. Since I'm swinging slower today, I was afraid a 4 iron would just be unmanageable. I've been exploring replacing this club with a higher-lofted hybrid -- but I really like having it to hit low, controlled shots off the tee. Anyway, today, my fears were somewhat right. But, I'll share the data anyway. Here we go... 

 

First up, i230 4 iron with DG 105 S300: 

 

 

 

 

Next, i230 4 iron with Axiom 105X: 

 

 

 

 

Observations: Again, I'm amazed by how tight the dispersion is with the Axioms. I was not putting particularly good swings on this club. I don't know what more I can say -- I wasn't going in and aggressively deleting everything that didn't look like this; I was just hitting this exact shot, over and over. I'm really looking forward to seeing what I can get out of this Axiom 4 iron when I can hit it with a little more speed and off the tee, too. 

 

That's a wrap on the numbers. 

 

Final thoughts: I LOVE these shafts. I really do. I am just super, super impressed with the dispersion these Axioms are giving me. They feel fantastic -- like the bend profile was made for me. And they have effectively eliminated the nagging wrist pain my steel iron shafts used to give me. 

 

I was surprised that launch and spin were somewhat lower with the Axioms than it was with the DG 105s. That's the opposite of what I saw in Carlsbad. However, I've mentioned before that I've been working on my swing, and what I'm seeing could just be a result of a changed delivery. If the way things were clicking today despite my body being in bad shape is an indication, I think the Axioms being a terrific fit for me is going to help me implement those swing changes more effectively. And honestly, in terms of the lower spin and trajectory, I don't mind it one bit. It's windy here in Chicago. A ball change from Pro V1 to Pro V1X can fix it if it becomes a problem on the course. However, at my normal speed, I really don't think it'll be a problem at all. 

 

I cannot wait to get these out on the course. With thunderstorms here, it won't be today, unfortunately. Hopefully tomorrow though. 

 

I can gather more data if anybody has specific questions they'd like me to address. But honestly, what I'm mostly hoping to share with you all next are on-course reviews and observations! 

 

I was back at my normal speeds today, so I grabbed some new iron numbers. I mentioned that I've been seeing some extra distance on the course lately -- which these numbers reflect.

 

Pitching wedge -- i230 with AXIOM 105X:

 

 

 

7 iron -- i230 with AXIOM 105X:

 

 

 

4 iron -- i230 with AXIOM 105X (the 4 iron isn't long for my bag ... I'm just too inconsistent with it. But wanted to post the numbers anyway.):

 

 

 

 

[eric61]

Since I've been raving about it, I thought I'd jump back in here with some numbers that show why I'm loving the Fujikura Speeder NX Blue 70X so much in my Ping G430 Max 3 wood. 

 

As a starting point, note that the driver carry distances I posted yesterday showed me at average of 255 and 262, depending on the set-up. 

 

For me, I've always found about 12 degrees launch, 3200 spin are great target numbers for 3W in terms of maximizing carry, getting a trajectory that allows me to stop it on greens on the rare occasion I can hit one in two on a par 5. 

 

Check this out: It hits those numbers almost on the nose, and is about 15-25 yards behind my driver, which is also ideal. 

 

 

I had an average peak height of 92.4 feet, which is a few feet higher than my irons' average peak height. 

 

Even better is the dispersion. This is a club that I do NOT want to go very far right on me (lefty). I can draw it if I want, but I need this to be a reliable tee club, which means no out-of-control pull-hooks. I have the G430 head set on the flat-minus setting, which really helps with that. 

 

In this little set, I got exactly what I wanted -- straight or falling off just to the left. I counted up the tee shots I hit at my home course -- I'd use 3W off 7 of the 27 holes. Five out of those seven shots, I have to hit it straight or fade it. So, this is exactly what I need.

 

 

[hammergolf]

46 minutes ago, eric61 said:

Since I've been raving about it, I thought I'd jump back in here with some numbers that show why I'm loving the Fujikura Speeder NX Blue 70X so much in my Ping G430 Max 3 wood. 

 

As a starting point, note that the driver carry distances I posted yesterday showed me at average of 255 and 262, depending on the set-up. 

 

For me, I've always found about 12 degrees launch, 3200 spin are great target numbers for 3W in terms of maximizing carry, getting a trajectory that allows me to stop it on greens on the rare occasion I can hit one in two on a par 5. 

 

Check this out: It hits those numbers almost on the nose, and is about 15-25 yards behind my driver, which is also ideal. 

 

 

I had an average peak height of 92.4 feet, which is a few feet higher than my irons' average peak height. 

 

Even better is the dispersion. This is a club that I do NOT want to go very far right on me (lefty). I can draw it if I want, but I need this to be a reliable tee club, which means no out-of-control pull-hooks. I have the G430 head set on the flat-minus setting, which really helps with that. 

 

In this little set, I got exactly what I wanted -- straight or falling off just to the left. I counted up the tee shots I hit at my home course -- I'd use 3W off 7 of the 27 holes. Five out of those seven shots, I have to hit it straight or fade it. So, this is exactly what I need.

 

 

Good stuff!

[Longballjock]

On 8/24/2023 at 12:20 AM, eric61 said:

 

I was back at my normal speeds today, so I grabbed some new iron numbers. I mentioned that I've been seeing some extra distance on the course lately -- which these numbers reflect.

 

Pitching wedge -- i230 with AXIOM 105X:

 

 

 

7 iron -- i230 with AXIOM 105X:

 

 

 

4 iron -- i230 with AXIOM 105X (the 4 iron isn't long for my bag ... I'm just too inconsistent with it. But wanted to post the numbers anyway.):

 

 

 

 

The standard deviation on your carry and spin are excellent with this Combo. And dispersion is pretty tight aswell.

I put some Axioms in my wedges recently and love them. Still trying to convince myself to put them in my irons and get out my Accra tour 100i.

[gvogel]

On 8/10/2023 at 10:11 PM, hammergolf said:

Just back from the course. I can only echo the words of @CactusGolf @eric61 and @Puppetmaster. Velocore tech is the real deal. Ventus in the driver and 3wd have been nothing short of awesome. I’ve seen a 10-15yd increase in carry off both my driver and 3 wd. In addition, the misses are so much tighter directionally. I have always been able to hit it pretty straight, but with Ventus even my misses are straighter now. 

With the Axioms, I’m just liking them more and more every time out. This is the first shaft I’ve had that lets me hit higher shots without making any adjustments to my setup or ball position. HUGE advantage for me, and something I’ve struggled with since my injury. However, it’s so easy for me to control my flight on knockdowns or 3/4 shots. As the other guys have stated, once I adjusted to less curvature and adjusted my aim it’s crazy how tight the left/right dispersion is. Another thing I’ve noticed is the front/back dispersion is better too. I think that has to do with a much more consistent spin and launch that eliminates that hot one or flier. While spin has definitely increased for me, it’s not crazy spin. Our bentgrass greens are really soft right now with the rain we’ve had. Even with the softer greens, full swing shorts irons were only backing up a few feet, so definitely controllable. 
 

These shaft changes have just really made my golf a lot more fun! Thanks again to @Fujikura Golf for the amazing experience and helping improve my game and enjoyment.

I am really interested in upgrading either my G425 or TSR2 with either a Ventus TR Red or Blue.  How would I go about determining which one is better, and determine whether the Reg or R2 would be right?

[gsrjc]

On 8/24/2023 at 9:21 PM, Longballjock said:

The standard deviation on your carry and spin are excellent with this Combo. And dispersion is pretty tight aswell.

I put some Axioms in my wedges recently and love them. Still trying to convince myself to put them in my irons and get out my Accra tour 100i.

I’m curious how you selected your shafts for wedges and what did you do. I’m using LA golf wedge shafts but been intrigued about the axiom but they don’t have wedge shafts. Did you need to tip any of the short shafts?