J13's WITB: Update- FUJIKURA AXIOM

[J13]

On 7/24/2021 at 10:49 AM, bjno1300 said:

How’s it going with driver? I held the max ls for first time other day and I do like the shape. Looks very forgiving to be low spin. Haven’t pulled trigger yet just because looking down at the tsi3 I think it looks perfect. The sim2 3 wood continues to impress me though. It’s a rocket. Since going to a cut I’m impressed with the different spin how strong the flights are. Cheers 

 

 

Driver is going well.  Max LS is an interesting head as it's forgiving but doesn't spin a ton.  I've been out of town (down in New Orleans) and played a round with a close friend whom some of you might know (Robopti) and hit the Max LS next to the Triple Diamond Epic Speed.  I've owned both already but first time I put them side by side on course like that.  The Triple launches so high comparatively and just wants to go right for me.  Really reinforced the fact that the Max LS is the better head for me.

[J13]

On 7/24/2021 at 11:36 AM, Wardonation said:

So went back to the Ventus Blue 6X tipped .5". I tried to get along with the TB 65TX and the RDX Blue 6.5, but they just felt "loose" to me. The TB felt like a "linear load" starting from under the handle. I had to really "time it" to make it work. I would also get the "Balloon" ball every once in awhile as well? The RDX felt "SUPER LOOSE" to me... The shaft felt like it folded to 90 degrees on the downswing if that makes sense? I really lost the feel of the head. It did however have the highest BS when i luckily timed it. I have been playing the VBlue since it came out. To me it has the "feel" of the blue profile mixed with a touch of the "black" profile. I am a "hard loader" and it just keeps up with me without getting "loose". I have had a hard time turning over drivers since the G400 max release, so I have it paird with Cobra XD set at -1.5. It is the best combo I have ever had and my first Cobra driver...

 

Nice update.  Yeah I heard the same from others in regards to the RDX blue.  Just too mushy.

 

 

23 hours ago, nitram said:

It does to someone allegedly "in the know".

 

haha right.  What a bonehead thing to say.  At some point maturity hopefully kicks in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BTW : New test coming this week 😎

Edited July 26, 2021 by J13

[J13]

New test:

 

Taylormade 300 mini 11.5* with Ventus Black 7X.  
 

Stay tuned

 

 

 

[Deuce78]

Yep curious if you can use this off the deck or not or if you have to play a fade to get it in the air type of a club...I bet it's pretty good from the tee...

[J13]

11 hours ago, Deuce78 said:

Yep curious if you can use this off the deck or not or if you have to play a fade to get it in the air type of a club...I bet it's pretty good from the tee...

 

So far I've had it on course for 9 holes.  I don't want to dive too deep just yet but it's definitely hittable off the deck but not nearly as easy as a 3 wood.   Keep in mind I have the 11.5* and a Ventus Black so it makes it even more of a challenge.  But I didn't buy this club for off the deck so I don't care as much about that.

 

First impressions:

 

Looks: Looks much better than the Original One.  Better footprint IMO.

Distance: It's long

Forgiveness: Much more forgiving than a 3 wood on off center strikes but dispersion seems the similar.  Definitely better than the Original One.

Edited July 27, 2021 by J13

[J_Tizzle]

Is it a potential driver replacement or 3w?  Or course dependent?

[J13]

6 hours ago, J_Tizzle said:

Is it a potential driver replacement or 3w?  Or course dependent?

 

It would be a 3w replacement and be added in as an alternate driver for tighter tee shots.  

[UnderPar18]

@J13 apologies for asking a question you may have already answered (I have read bits and pieces of your thread), but did you take the Epic Speed out for a test drive at all? I am coming from a Tsi3 and the Epic Speed seems to be closer shape. The adjustable weight in the Max LS gives it a leg up and I heard forgiveness too, but for me I like bulge and roll in a driver and the Max LS has a very flat face where the toe side looks very different from Tsi3 or Epic Speed. Appreciate your insights!

[J13]

12 hours ago, UnderPar18 said:

@J13 apologies for asking a question you may have already answered (I have read bits and pieces of your thread), but did you take the Epic Speed out for a test drive at all? I am coming from a Tsi3 and the Epic Speed seems to be closer shape. The adjustable weight in the Max LS gives it a leg up and I heard forgiveness too, but for me I like bulge and roll in a driver and the Max LS has a very flat face where the toe side looks very different from Tsi3 or Epic Speed. Appreciate your insights!

 

I've hit the speed on trackman and although i do like the shape the spin was a little high for me, hence the Max LS.

[Mike_Honcho]

i put the tensei av raw blue 60s in mine to see if it matches the feel of my driver and 3W...not sure if i should try another shaft out in this one...maybe down the road.  nice reading your thoughts on it.

[J13]

Another round in the books.  Things are getting VERY interesting 🔥

 

 

[J13]

Update:

 

More testing today and possibly tomorrow then the final rundown.  We got some rain a few days ago which really softened things up so it will be interesting to see yardages and carry with the Mini compared to driver and 3w.  The mini is certainly low spin and so far it launches lower off the tee then driver and lower off the deck than the 3w.

[J13]

Round in the rain is complete. Soft conditions were ideal for testing carry.  Obviously I can control weather but I think I’m going to do my best in the future at including it in my testing.  Rundown this week as I want one more round before committing to an opinion.  
 

 

[freeze16172002]

I played the 975d back in the day, the best driver I ever had compared to what was available. And TM mini is 15% larger so its not really a stretch for a driver replacement except for the lofts available they should put a 10.5 in the mix

[J13]

1 hour ago, freeze16172002 said:

I played the 975d back in the day, the best driver I ever had compared to what was available. And TM mini is 15% larger so its not really a stretch for a driver replacement except for the lofts available they should put a 10.5 in the mix

 

 

You can adjust the 11.5 down to 9.5 and to be honest I can't imagine this in a 10.5 head.  It's already super low spin and low launch.

[freeze16172002]

1 hour ago, J13 said:

 

 

You can adjust the 11.5 down to 9.5 and to be honest I can't imagine this in a 10.5 head.  It's already super low spin and low launch.

Didnt know that. Might be a perfect fit for tight courses

[J13]

3 hours ago, freeze16172002 said:

Didnt know that. Might be a perfect fit for tight courses

 

Keep in mind I have a low/low shaft in as well.  It's one of those clubs that you can make into what you want depending on loft / shaft setup.

[MPAndreassi]

I’m really interested in how this shakes out. I’m on the fence about testing a 13.5* and going the other way with the build. Higher flying and softer landing than my driver. We have reachable par 4s that driver I just a bit too much, even from our blue tees, in the summer months. Have a TSi3 13.5* that launches pretty flat. I think the size and swing dynamics of the mini may be better for what I’m looking for in that slot. 

[J13]

Final Results for the Taylormade 300 Mini Driver  

 

Specs:

TM Mini Driver 11.5* w/ Fuji Ventus Black 7X 

Tipped 1"

Length 43.5"

Swing weight D3.5

3g of Hotmelt in toe

 

Max LS 9* / Fuji Ventus Black 7X

tipped 1/2"

Length 45"

Swing weight: D3.5

 

 

 

The mini driver is intriguing because to some it's a less forgiving driver that makes golf harder, to others its a more forgiving 3 wood that makes the game easier.  So which is it?   I've never been a great driver of the golf ball and would absolutely say it's a weak spot in my game.  I also use my 3 wood a fair bit off the tee and find like most, it's a more accurate club to hit a fairway.  Oddly, we all accept this because it has more loft thus increasing spin which is our friend and helps keep that little ball on our intended line.  We also don't complain or give anyone a hard time saying "why use that off the tee and make golf harder it's only a 170cc club head".  But with the mini driver you hear that criticism a lot.  

 

I could go on and on but again it's really for you to decide.  Is it a Less forgiving driver that makes golf harder OR A more forgiving 2/3 wood that makes the game easier?

 

 

 

 

Comparison: Mini 300 vs Epic Max LS (45") vs Epic Speed 15*

 

Mini vs Epic Speed 15*

 

Total Distance: Mini is 30+ yds longer (no surprise here)

Carry Distance: Mini is about 10yds longer on the fly

Feel : Mini has a crack to it especially once hotmelted, think original m2, i love this

Forgiveness:  The Mini is more forgiving as expected for a club that's 120cc larger.

Trajectory: Epic Speed launches higher and is capable of holding a green, Mini not so much and not a club thats going to stop on a green)

Spin: Mini spins MUCH less hence the not holding a green part.  Epic Speed is much more traditional and you can hit a green and stay there

Accuracy: Both are very similar, lots of fairways hit, did not see a discernable difference

Off the deck: Not a deck club, Mini hits head high bullets that carried like 230yds then rolled out 40 yds, not holding a green.  Epic Speed is MUCH better and easier.

Off the tee: Mini is just a rocket launcher and a much better tee club than Epic Speed 3w.  Same dispersion but much longer, knife to a gun fight.

 

Mini vs Max LS driver

 

Total Distance: Honestly it was a wash, I hit some with the LS and thought no way is the Mini catching it, then got to the balls and sure enough the Mini was right there and when it was a little dryer on the course the Mini was actually longer 5-10yds.  This blew my mind.

Carry Distance: Max LS carries another 10yds in the air so in wet and or elevated tee box conditions the Max LS had more hang time thus more distance

Forgiveness: Max LS is without a doubt more forgiving, slight mishits not a big change but if you really throw up the Max LS is far superior

Feel: Mini is awesome, such a great cracking sound/feel

Trajectory: Despite being 2* more in loft, Mini mid flight all day, Max LS much higher.  In the wind the Mini is amazing, especially if you tee it lower.  

Spin: Mini spins on average 300-350rpms less than my Max LS.  Again shocking.  Very easy to see on the course as the Max LS has maybe 10-15yds of roll, Mini has like 30yds.  Crazy

Accuracy: Last testing round I played as 3 players in a group.  Player A used the Mini, Player B used Max LS, Player C used Max LS short (choke down 1") 

Max LS: 5 for 13 fwys

Short Max LS: 7 for 13 fwys

Mini 300 : 11 for 13 fwys

 

 

 

So where do we go from here:

I originally tested the mini with the intent on having an alternate tee club that replaced my 3 wood.  Problem is the Mini (at least my setup) is not conducive to hitting off the deck.  There is no way you are hitting this club into a green and stopping the ball, just not happening.   The other surprise was distance.  I started my testing with the mini going head to head against the Epic Speed 3 wood and quickly realized it was futile as the Mini was BLOWING by it.  Took all but 5 holes for that to stop and move to comparing to the Max LS driver. 

 

Once that happened I shifted my thinking to maybe having dual drivers and turn the Max LS into a longer, fade bias monster while making the mini a slightly draw bias wind cutting machine.  Then maybe drop 3 wood and add a 4 wood and lose another club in the bag, maybe 4 iron or something.  Anyway now it went against the driver and when I had normal conditions the Mini was actually going further.  Yes FURTHER.  Time and time again I'd drive up to the fairway and find the Mini beat the Max LS by 5-10yds.  Honestly shocked at this point.  I didn't want this to be the case as it threw my whole plan into the dumpster.

 

Final results:

I did one last round hoping the mini would lose to the Max LS just so the world made sense again.  If you look above at the Accuracy column, the results speak for themselves.  I cannot ignore the fact that the Mini is giving me better opportunities on the golf course.  It curves FAR less than any driver, max LS or whatever.  I tested a few other drivers and saw the same thing regardless of head.  Forgiveness with the Max LS is great and superior (no arguing that) but when I factor in the mini being 1.5" shorter I'm not missing the center nearly as much so the extra forgiveness wasn't needed or should i say being used.  It got me thinking, is a product feature important if it's rarely used? Anyway lets not go down that rabbit hole.  

 

What I learned:

Length of shaft is not that big of a deal to me and my swing in terms of distance.  I battle getting stuck so the shorter the club allows me to get the club in front of my body thus improving contact which is really the end all be all of maximizing distance.  I will at some point build a shorter/heavier driver setup to exactly match the Mini.  Same length, same headweight, same shaft, ect...  But for now the Max LS is out and the i'm moving forward with the Mini 300 as my driver followed by my Epic Speed 15*.  Might still grab a 4 wood, we will see.

 

One last note:

 

The Mini 300 is just a fun club.  I can work the ball both ways which I struggle to do with larger heads.  My mindset is i'm losing a driver due to a lack of accuracy and instead choosing to add a more forgiving and longer 3 wood to get the accuracy of my fairway wood with distance closer to that of a driver.  It's a positive thought and you need that in golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2021 by J13

[radiman]

16 minutes ago, J13 said:

Final Results for the Taylormade 300 Mini Driver  

 

Specs:

TM Mini Driver 11.5* w/ Fuji Ventus Black 7X 

Tipped 1"

Length 43.5"

Swing weight D3.5

3g of Hotmelt in toe

 

Max LS 9* / Fuji Ventus Black 7X

tipped 1/2"

Length 45"

Swing weight: D3.5

 

 

 

The mini driver is intriguing because to some it's a less forgiving driver that makes golf harder, to others its a more forgiving 3 wood that makes the game easier.  So which is it?  This is what I wanted to find out.  I've never been a great driver of the golf ball and would absolutely say it's a weak spot in my game.  I also use my 3 wood a fair bit off the tee and find like most, it's a more accurate club to hit a fairway.  Oddly, we all accept this because it has more loft thus increasing spin which is our friend and helps keep that little ball on our intended line.  We also don't complain or give anyone a hard time saying "why use that off the tee and make golf harder it's only a 170cc club head".  But with the mini driver you hear that criticism a lot.  

 

I could go on and on but again it's really for you to decide.  Is it a Less forgiving driver that makes golf harder OR A more forgiving 2/3 wood that makes the game easier?

 

 

 

 

Comparison: Mini 300 vs Epic Max LS (45") vs Epic Speed 15*

 

Mini vs Epic Speed 15*

 

Total Distance: Mini is 30+ yds longer (no surprise here)

Carry Distance: Mini is about 10yds longer on the fly

Feel : Mini has a crack to it especially once hotmelted, think original m2, i love this

Forgiveness:  The Mini is more forgiving as expected for a club that's 120cc larger.

Trajectory: Epic Speed launches higher and is capable of holding a green, Mini not so much and not a club thats going to stop on a green)

Spin: Mini spins MUCH less hence the not holding a green part.  Epic Speed is much more traditional and you can hit a green and stay there

Accuracy: Both are very similar, lots of fairways hit, did not see a discernable difference

Off the deck: Not a deck club, Mini hits head high bullets that carried like 230yds then rolled out 40 yds, not holding a green.  Epic Speed is MUCH better and easier.

Off the tee: Mini is just a rocket launcher and a much better tee club than Epic Speed 3w.  Same dispersion but much longer, knife to a gun fight.

 

Mini vs Max LS driver

 

Total Distance: Honestly it was a wash, I hit some with the LS and thought no way is the Mini catching it, then got to the balls and sure enough the Mini was right there and when it was a little drying on the course the Mini was actually longer 5-10yds.  This blew my mind.

Carry Distance: Max LS carries another 10yds in the air so in wet and or elevated tee box conditions the Max LS had more hang time thus more distance

Forgiveness: Max LS is without a doubt more forgiving, slight mishits not a big change but if you really throw up the Max LS is far superior

Feel: Mini is awesome, such a great cracking sound/feel

Trajectory: Despite being 2* more in loft, Mini mid flight all day, Max LS much higher.  In the wind the Mini is amazing, especially if you tee it lower.  

Spin: Mini spins on average 300-350rpms less than my Max LS.  Again shocking.  Very easy to see on the course as the Max LS has maybe 10-15yds of roll, Mini has like 30yds.  Crazy

Accuracy: Last testing round I played as 3 players in a group.  Player A used the Mini, Player B used Max LS, Player C used Max LS short (choke down 1") 

Max LS: 5 for 13 fwys

Short Max LS: 7 for 13 fwys

Mini 300 : 11 for 13 fwys

 

 

 

So where do we go from here:

I originally tested the mini with the intent on having an alternate tee club that replaced my 3 wood.  Problem is the Mini (at least my setup) is not conducive to hitting off the deck.  There is no way you are hitting this club into a green and stopping the ball, just not happening.   The other surprise was distance.  I started my testing with the mini going head to head against the Epic Speed 3 wood and quickly realized it was futile as the Mini was BLOWING by it.  Took all but 5 holes for that to stop and move to comparing to the Max LS driver. 

 

Once that happened I shifted my thinking to maybe having dual drivers and turn the Max LS into a longer, fade bias monster while making the mini a slightly draw bias wind cutting machine.  Then maybe drop 3 wood and add a 4 wood and lose another club in the bag, maybe 4 iron or something.  Anyway now it went against the driver and when I had normal conditions the Mini was actually going further.  Yes FURTHER.  Time and time again I'd drive up to the fairway and find the Mini beat the Max LS by 5-10yds.  Honestly shocked at this point.  I didn't want this to be the case as it threw my whole plan into the dumpster.

 

Final results:

I did one last round, wanting the mini to lose to the Max LS just so the world made sense again.  If you look above at the Accuracy column, the results speak for themselves.  I cannot ignore the fact that the Mini is giving me better opportunities on the golf course.  It curves FAR less than any driver, max LS or whatever.  I tested a few other drivers during this just to compare and it and saw the same thing regardless of head.  Forgiveness with the Max LS is great and superior (no arguing that) but when I factor in the mini being 1.5" shorter I'm not missing the center nearly as much so the extra forgiveness wasn't needed or should i say being used.  It got me thinking, is a product feature important if it's rarely used? Anyway lets not go down that rabbit hole.  

 

What I learned:

Length of shaft is not that big of a deal to me and my swing in terms of distance.  I battle getting stuck so the shorter the club allows me to get the club in front of my body thus improving contact which is really the end all be all of maximizing distance.  I will at some point build a shorter/heavier driver setup to exactly match the Mini.  Same length, same headweight, same shaft, ect...  But for now the Max LS is out and the i'm moving forward with the Mini 300 as my driver followed by my Epic Speed 15*.  Might still grab a 4 wood, we will see.

 

One last note:

 

The Mini 300 is just a fun club.  I can work the ball both ways which I struggle to do with larger heads.  My mindset is i'm losing a driver due to a lack of accuracy and instead choosing to add a more forgiving and longer 3 wood to get the accuracy of my fairway wood with distance closer to that of a driver.  It's a positive thought and you need that in golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Damn it.  This isn't what I needed to read.  You mentioned getting stuck and I get the same way but probably a lot more often than you haha.  My 3 wood has been a go to this year with the shorter shaft.  Swing just feels better with it and honestly it's not far behind my driver.  So, the mini is back on the radar.  For next year though.  I don't have enough time left in my season where I want to shake the bag up too much.  However, I may contemplate getting a shorter test shaft and a heavier weight for my 425.  We'll see if I can mentally overcome the look of a very large head at that shorter length.

[GoldenBellGW]

Any thoughts on turning the Mini down a degree or two and seeing how that plays out? Any idea on the RPM off the tee at 11.5? Almost sounds like bagging a low spinning 975D when it comes to size and profile. 

 

I'm in the Sim2 now. Sounds like the only you are sacrificing it the forgiveness factor on severe mishits...

[J13]

1 hour ago, radiman said:

Damn it.  This isn't what I needed to read.  You mentioned getting stuck and I get the same way but probably a lot more often than you haha.  My 3 wood has been a go to this year with the shorter shaft.  Swing just feels better with it and honestly it's not far behind my driver.  So, the mini is back on the radar.  For next year though.  I don't have enough time left in my season where I want to shake the bag up too much.  However, I may contemplate getting a shorter test shaft and a heavier weight for my 425.  We'll see if I can mentally overcome the look of a very large head at that shorter length.

 

 

My apologies haha.  It wasn't what I wanted either but round after round I hit WAY more fairways with very little sacrifice.  It just works for me as a more forgiving 3 wood type option off the tee.

 

 

54 minutes ago, TheButteryCut said:

Any thoughts on turning the Mini down a degree or two and seeing how that plays out? Any idea on the RPM off the tee at 11.5? Almost sounds like bagging a low spinning 975D when it comes to size and profile. 

 

I'm in the Sim2 now. Sounds like the only you are sacrificing it the forgiveness factor on severe mishits...

 

I messed with loft and found the optimal launch and spin window to be around 11.5 or one tick lower.  When I went down to 9.5* it was too low and knuckle balls.  Severe mishits you pay a price but I don't have too many of those in a round.  Maybe 1 tee shot a round where I just lose my mind and hit some weird hook.  If i can hit significantly more fairways per round then i'm going to score better.  Simple as that.  Maybe in a month i'll switch back to a driver, don't know.  For now I'm going with whats putting my in the short grass.

[radiman]

34 minutes ago, J13 said:

 

 

My apologies haha.  It wasn't what I wanted either but round after round I hit WAY more fairways with very little sacrifice.  It just works for me as a more forgiving 3 wood type option off the tee.

 

 

 

I messed with loft and found the optimal launch and spin window to be around 11.5 or one tick lower.  When I went down to 9.5* it was too low and knuckle balls.  Severe mishits you pay a price but I don't have too many of those in a round.  Maybe 1 tee shot a round where I just lose my mind and hit some weird hook.  If i can hit significantly more fairways per round then i'm going to score better.  Simple as that.  Maybe in a month i'll switch back to a driver, don't know.  For now I'm going with whats putting my in the short grass.

So the plan going forward? Second driving option? Drop the 3 wood?

[dmac4g]

Have you thought about trying the 13.5 model to see if it gaps better for your set-up?  

[J13]

48 minutes ago, radiman said:

So the plan going forward? Second driving option? Drop the 3 wood?

 

 

Plan forward is use the Mini as my main tee club.  If it works out long term then i'll probably move to a 16.5* wood as my next club.

 

 

15 minutes ago, dmac4g said:

Have you thought about trying the 13.5 model to see if it gaps better for your set-up?  

 

 

The 13.5* would be moving in the opposite direction so no.  The mini driver is not an off the deck club despite what some people think or say, it's just not.  The only reason someone would opt for the 13.5 is if they couldn't generate enough launch and spin to manage the 11.5* off the tee.  Can you hit the mini off the deck? sure i guess but it's not good off the deck.

[radiman]

28 minutes ago, J13 said:

 

 

Plan forward is use the Mini as my main tee club.  If it works out long term then i'll probably move to a 16.5* wood as my next club.

 

If your results remain consistent, hitting more fairways should give you some more scoring opportunities.  I will be keeping an eye out for your long term thoughts should you choose to keep updating on it.  Great write up man.  Was a fun read. 

[J13]

1 minute ago, radiman said:

If your results remain consistent, hitting more fairways should give you some more scoring opportunities.  I will be keeping an eye out for your long term thoughts should you choose to keep updating on it.  Great write up man.  Was a fun read. 

 

Glad you enjoyed it and I hope it remains consistent.  The biggest difference between the mini and normal driver is how much less the ball curves.  Kinda like what you see from a 3 wood.  I'll keep things updated from time to time, especially if something changes but now I'm looking forward to having fun on the course with the new setup.

[SMUGamer]

7 hours ago, J13 said:

 

Glad you enjoyed it and I hope it remains consistent.  The biggest difference between the mini and normal driver is how much less the ball curves.  Kinda like what you see from a 3 wood.  I'll keep things updated from time to time, especially if something changes but now I'm looking forward to having fun on the course with the new setup.

Thanks a bunch for the thorough update, J!

Very helpful for us fellow WRX'rs that understand the "driver" (mini or otherwise) is the ultimate positioning tool to score well. 

[Seattlegolfnut]

Curious, how did you setup tee shots? Teed forward like a driver and an upward AoA strike, or teed back a bit a more level strike ala 3W?

[J13]

21 hours ago, Seattlegolfnut said:

Curious, how did you setup tee shots? Teed forward like a driver and an upward AoA strike, or teed back a bit a more level strike ala 3W?

im still playing around with tee height but if you tee it too high you can get some knuckle balls and the ball falls out of the sky.   I’m playing it about the same place as my driver (in stance) and teeing it maybe 1/2” higher than 3 wood.  You do not want to tee it too high trust me.