J13's WITB: Update- FUJIKURA AXIOM

[J13]

My guess is they pull "X" amount of heads off the production line, test them, and send to the tour van. I'm sure they have a CT range that the heads need to fall within, plus a stock of heads at different lofts, and face and lie angles.

[Warrick]

I lost track of this thread with the move to the new forum, not as much going on in here as usual this time of year......lol.

I could not get over the SZ sound\feel, just not for me, but sure seems to be getting great reviews. I can't remember the last time I had no Callaway clubs in the bag (just putter).

 

Looking forward to hear how you get on with it. Are you testing fairway woods this Spring, or is old faithful staying on another season?

I was out in Palm Springs in February at the folks new place and played my 815 hybrids I sent out there with a bag, forgot how awesome they were, almost sent em back home.

 

Hope the body is in good shape for the season, hit em straight.

[J13]

Yeah the new forum so far has been rough but i know it's a work in progress. I have a lot of updates on my 2019 testing, mainly driver, some 3 woods. I've been busy and also waiting for the forum to settle a bit. It hasn't been the easiest to navigate since the switch.

[J13]

Info coming soon but here’s some pics of what I’ve been testing on course in real world situations. 2019 is definitely the year of the driver. So many good options

 

 

 

[Bobb3rdown]

Been doing some driver testing myself. The ts3 with evenflow white has been my favorite so far. Just so consistent with ball speed.

[J13]

> @Bobb3rdown said:

> Been doing some driver testing myself. The ts3 with evenflow white has been my favorite so far. Just so consistent with ball speed.

 

Thats a really good combo, especially for a stock setup. Evenflow series is really impressive.

 

My run down is coming soon. The board changes have really thrown a wrench into how much i'm on here but the functionality that i like is back. Anyway, this week for sure.

[J13]

Ok so short and sweet:

 

_**Tested ON COURSE**_

 

**Mizuno 190

Taylormade M5

Taylormade M5 Tour

Taylormade M6

Callaway Epic Flash SZ

Ping G400 LST (current driver)

Titleist TS3**

 

Initial thoughts: 2019 is the year of the driver. So many good options it was hard to know where to begin.

 

**Ping 400LST -** Been in the bag for over a year and love it. Low spin and forgiving enough. Only complaint would be launch is a little low

 

**TM M5** - Love the look but for whatever reason, I wasn't finding the center despite trying different shafts. Even had my trusty Agera in it and still had issues. It was out pretty quick.

**TM M6** - Great look and much better for me than the M5. IMO this is the better of the two. Higher launch and forgiving while still maintaining spin in the 2500 range. Not much to complain about.

**TM M5** Tour - Love the feel and look behind the ball. I set this up at 45" and 44" and I thought it performed better at 44". When caught on the screws is a rocket ship but if you miss, especially on the heel side, you are in for trouble. If you miss on the toe side you are fine. Overall great stick if setup properly but make sure you are on your game ballstriking wise.

**Mizuno ST190** - Mizuno finally made a great looking head without the blue. Overall great stick but too spinny for me even with a low spin shaft. Club feels and sounds good to my ear but ball speed wasn't as good as some of the other stuff I tested. Mizuno is on the verge of being "there" with woods.

**Callaway Flash SZ**- Great performance and topped my ball speed in the test. The SZ is surprisingly forgiving considering being in the low spin category and the perimeter weight adjustment is helpful to dial in the dispersion. Sound was something of a concern from a lot of early adopters but I didn't think it was that bad. Eventually i did add hotmelt which really helped create the more muted sound we all know and love. Downside is a little too much bulge and roll on the face for my liking. The Triple Diamond has such better lines and might give it a go.

**Titleist TS3-** Great driver offering from Titleist. Overall I feel Titleist stepped up their efforts in the ball speed department and the stock Even Flow White shaft is a great offering. Somethings I don't like about it is the Titleist adapter (why do they make it so hard to change settings without the chart?) and the shape is odd to me. I would LOVE a 460cc 905 shaped driver with TS tech.

 

 

So where does that leave me?

 

I am just about done with testing and the G400LST is still in the bag. Will it be replaced? Probably yes. So far out of all the drivers tested, The SZ is the front runner. With that said I want to test the G410LST and Triple Diamond before i make my final decision and shut down driver testing for the year. It's always fun to hit the new stuff but my game suffers as I end up going on the course and just hitting 12 drives a hole and not caring about irons or putting.

 

Stay tuned....

 

[JJK947]

Always appreciate the thoughts J. Do you plan on throwing the Cobra in the mix as well or have you already tried them out earlier? Also, what does the list of fairway woods look like?

 

I'm kind of in the same boat, driver and 3 wood open and everything else has been set for a while, over a year now actually. Callaway more than anyone else seems to have kind of pushed the envelope in the woods department to the point we are seeing meaningful improvements each year for the last few years from every manufacturer. They're all competing in the same space now where just being low spin, or just being super forgiving, or relying on brand loyalty isn't going to cut it anymore. It's a good time to be a consumer, other than the price increases in some cases.

[J13]

> @JJK947 said:

> Always appreciate the thoughts J. Do you plan on throwing the Cobra in the mix as well or have you already tried them out earlier? Also, what does the list of fairway woods look like?

>

> I'm kind of in the same boat, driver and 3 wood open and everything else has been set for a while, over a year now actually. Callaway more than anyone else seems to have kind of pushed the envelope in the woods department to the point we are seeing meaningful improvements each year for the last few years from every manufacturer. They're all competing in the same space now where just being low spin, or just being super forgiving, or relying on brand loyalty isn't going to cut it anymore. It's a good time to be a consumer, other than the price increases in some cases.

 

I really like the Cobra F9 and was supposed to get one but it never got sent so I kinda said screw it. Im kinda at the point now where i'm running on fumes for driver testing. I have a triple diamond on the way and then probably the G410 LST if initial testing is good on the LM. Usually for me the testing is over by May but Ping is doing this late release nonsense.

[J13]

I keep getting this pm so i'll answer it here. I play Srixon XV as it states in my sig.

 

Also have a new driver on the way that I'll add to the test. Pics soon :-D

[freeze16172002]

Tomorrow your playing in the Byron, what driver goes in the bag?

[J13]

> @freeze16172002 said:

> Tomorrow your playing in the Byron, what driver goes in the bag?

 

Ping G400 LST. I have the most time with it and know what it will and won't do.

[J13]

The Triple diamond looks great. Testing to begin

 

[denvergolf]

So many good choices! For some reason the tensei pro white and m5 is a fairway machine for me, but the Ping’s are awesome as well. I’ve never gotten on with the look of Callaway’s new drivers. Good luck!

[J13]

> @denvergolf said:

> So many good choices! For some reason the tensei pro white and m5 is a fairway machine for me, but the Ping’s are awesome as well. I’ve never gotten on with the look of Callaway’s new drivers. Good luck!

 

I understand the shape issue but this is one of the best looking drivers I’ve ever seen. Looks this gets a 10 out of 10. Performance? Not sure as I just got it in. The Ping g410lst will no doubt be good

 

 

[shoot4par]

This is kind of a weird question... Is the sound on the Epic SZ that horrendous? I hear the numbers are typically crazy good.

[J13]

> @shoot4par said:

> This is kind of a weird question... Is the sound on the Epic SZ that horrendous? I hear the numbers are typically crazy good.

From what i heard there was a first initial release that had some acoustic issues. My SZ is not muted but it's not offensively loud either. The Triple Diamond, on the other hand, is built light so players can dial in head weight so mine was torn apart last night in the shop and hotmelted.

[sbjinx]

Curious if the TD is really fade bias as everyone says. I like the look of the TD over the regular but the last thing I need is a fade bias club. Looking forward to your results.

[J13]

> @sbjinx said:

> Curious if the TD is really fade bias as everyone says. I like the look of the TD over the regular but the last thing I need is a fade bias club. Looking forward to your results.

 

I think it depends on how you set the club up. For example, the tour heads start out very light so weight can be strategically added to create a bias. My head started out at like 192.4gs (to be exact) so I had plenty of room to dial it in with hotmelt or weights. So last night I actually took it apart and melted it in my shop. Ended up adding a little over 7g's to get my desired swing weight. But the positioning of that weight matters and can help offset a bias. For reference, I positioned my weight (melt) neutral and slightly to the heel. I hit the driver again today in the -1U position with the rear weight being slightly onto fade. My ball flight was straight with very little movement right or left.

[J13]

Quick update:

 

Triple Diamond testing is slow due to NON-F **** STOP rain. The little time I have gotten I really like what I see. I also have a few shafts I'm playing around with so this should be interesting.

 

Shafts i'm trying in the Triple D:

Accra TZ6 M5 65 @ 44.75" tipped 1"

Project X HZRDUS Smoke 70 6.5 @ 44.5" Tipped 1"

Project X HZRDUS Black 75 6.5 @ 45" tipped 1"

Xphlexxx Agera 76g Xstiff @ 44.75" Tipped 1/2"

 

 

 

 

[Deuce78]

I cant recall but if you haven't you should try the T1100. Shaft just works, feels fantastic. Not sure how some say its stiff or boardy...

[J13]

> @Deuce78 said:

> I cant recall but if you haven't you should try the T1100. Shaft just works, feels fantastic. Not sure how some say its stiff or boardy...

 

Feel is so subjective. People say that about the HZRDUS Black but to me it's not boardy as well in fact i think it's smooth compared to a lot of low spin shafts. Smoke has a little more feel to it than the black but both are great. I'm more interested now with the T1100 Green.

[FAbb]

It'll be interesting to see if you actually do replace the G400 LST. I've been on Callaway drivers the past few years, but came late to the G400 LST party, picking one up this off season. I'll be damned if it's not the best driver I've ever played. I don't do any launch monitor testing, so I have no idea how optimized it is. It's been nothing short of incredible on the course, though. The distance seems on par with the Callaway heads I've played in recent years, but I feel like I'm hitting it much more accurately. It's like I can't miss this thing. I don't even feel tempted to swing the 410 LST when it comes out.

[J13]

> @FAbb said:

> It'll be interesting to see if you actually do replace the G400 LST. I've been on Callaway drivers the past few years, but came late to the G400 LST party, picking one up this off season. I'll be damned if it's not the best driver I've ever played. I don't do any launch monitor testing, so I have no idea how optimized it is. It's been nothing short of incredible on the course, though. The distance seems on par with the Callaway heads I've played in recent years, but I feel like I'm hitting it much more accurately. It's like I can't miss this thing. I don't even feel tempted to swing the 410 LST when it comes out.

 

For sure. I'm not sure if it's beating out the LST yet but it's on the way. Im supposed to play at least one round this weekend so I should have a pretty good idea of whether it's staying in the bag. Over the years I've tested just about everything on course and I have yet to find a driver that was noticeably longer unless your comparing something like a Ping GMax to M5430. For me it's about optimizing launch conditions while tightening dispersion. My goal has really shifted to finding a driver that is low enough in spin but doesn't punish my misses. It's more elusive than some might think. This is why the 400LST is so good.

[J13]

So played yesterday afternoon in a money game and played this morning.

 

 

**Callaway SZ Triple Diamond** is officially the new stick. It's longer and more forgiving than my G400LST and the anti-left design is great for me. I acutally have two 9* heads (so i could try different setups) but I didn't end up even needing to do that. I dropped about 7g of melt into the 1st head and have it matched up with a Hzrdus Black Smoke 70 6.5 @ 44.5". The 2nd head is still in the wrapper!!! haha My plan was 2 heads and play with the weighting and shaft combinations at the same time but in the end it wasn't necessary.

 

Overall

-The feel and shape is great, and the straight top line and face is what i like to see. What surprised me most is the length. It's without a doubt longer than my G400LST which I didn't expect considering the G400LST is 45.25". Is my contact better? I'm sure it is, but even when I center both the Triple Diamond is longer. I haven't gotten it on trackman yet but my guess is the spin is lower.

 

 

 

 

[J13]

I'll post these answers instead of answering pm's, it's just easier

1. The Smoke shaft is not a handcrafted but i do have one and notice no difference.

2. I have a few other shafts i will try but honestly i'm extremely happy with this combo

3. Yes i'm still going to hit the G410LST

4. I will be selling the extra's soon

[ProjectX_Mizuno]

I have played the PING LST drivers in the past, but recently have had some good success with the Rogue SZ which was a surprise for me. I have been REALLY tempted to try the Flash Triple Diamond and the new 410 LST. Sounds like the triple diamond is a winner!!! Can’t wait to give it a go.

[J13]

> @ProjectX_Mizuno said:

> I have played the PING LST drivers in the past, but recently have had some good success with the Rogue SZ which was a surprise for me. I have been REALLY tempted to try the Flash Triple Diamond and the new 410 LST. Sounds like the triple diamond is a winner!!! Can’t wait to give it a go.

 

Rogue SZ is a good stick but a little higher spinning than i'd like and wasn't nearly as good for me as the G400LST. Ping just did a great job with that head. If you want to try a Triple Diamond i just added the unused head on BST. Either way give it a try it's a GREAT stick and glad Callaway offered it to the public.

[pdiddy3]

Where is the modena, and is it for sale?

[J13]

Now that I got driver sorted out I've moved onto 3 woods. Just got a Callaway Epic Flash 3+ and I'm very impressed. Been using an m6 which has served me well but not being able to adjust it has me a little annoyed as I'd like to crank it open a bit more. Anyway so far the EF 3+ is helping me eliminate the miss left and it's low spin especially considering I added about 7g's of melt pushed forward and slightly towards the toe. Also to note I did have an Epic Flash SZ 3 wood that was good but wasn't the right fit. Not sure why but the Epic Flash Standard 3+ is insanely good and from what I hear quite popular on tour. I see why.