J13's WITB: Update- FUJIKURA AXIOM

[EntourageLife]

Nice pictures and insight, J. Was this year's show smaller or less expansive than usual? Seemed that way based on the coverage from WRX and other sources on social media. Of course, I could be totally off.

 

J, what did you think? Maybe it was smaller than last few years? Couldn't tell. There was definitely less icing and marketing flair, which is for the better. But I didn't mind if it was less. It's very difficult to see everything anyhow. I made a list of what I needed to do or what I wanted to see and then got out of that madness!

[J13]

Did you get a chance to hit the Rome 788 and the naked nickel one? Is the naked nickel one based off of the Roughneck profile?

 

Unfortunately the 788's arrived a day late so he didn't have them at demo day. The nake nickel shaft was there but for some odd reasons I didn't hit it. I was messing around the arcane in the epic SZ.

 

Nice pictures and insight, J. Was this year's show smaller or less expansive than usual? Seemed that way based on the coverage from WRX and other sources on social media. Of course, I could be totally off.

 

 

Your welcome and this year was a little smaller but I think it reflects the golf industry as a whole. There is some attrition happening which isn't a bad thing. Don't get me wrong it was still a million square feet of floor space but wasn't as crowded as years past.

 

Nice pictures and insight, J. Was this year's show smaller or less expansive than usual? Seemed that way based on the coverage from WRX and other sources on social media. Of course, I could be totally off.

 

J, what did you think? Maybe it was smaller than last few years? Couldn't tell. There was definitely less icing and marketing flair, which is for the better. But I didn't mind if it was less. It's very difficult to see everything anyhow. I made a list of what I needed to do or what I wanted to see and then got out of that madness!

 

A little smaller but still lots going on. I'm going to give a rundown of the show this week I've just been playing catch up since I got back with work and family.

[J13]

Work has been crazy so I'll summarize the show in a paragraph or two. Drivers ; Epic was the talk of the town with buzz also going towards the new M series and F7+. But Epic was the clear winner in the woods department. Irons I'd say Srixon booth had the most buzz along with TM with their new 750 and 770 series. Both lines look great you can't go wrong. Callaway and TM's booth was packed which is to be expected but Srixon being so crowded really surprised me. THeir demo day booth was rockin!

 

Putters- Toulon's stuff stood out for me especially the Indiapolis. Evnroll had some nice models as well. TM - Really like the new Spider and I'll be trying one, Ping's new stuff is really nice and feels better then previous years.

 

Balls - Lots of great offerings this year. Honestly everyone has a great ball so pick your poison. I've been doing a lot of ball testing lately in fact just did another which I'll post soon.

 

 

 

Overall if any one has questions please ask but that's it in a nutshell.

[cota0429]

M1 vs m2 thoughts? Wondering how they are fitting the pros in what and why? Just seems like the m1 is the way to go but seeing a lot of M2s as well.

[J13]

M1 vs m2 thoughts? Wondering how they are fitting the pros in what and why? Just seems like the m1 is the way to go but seeing a lot of M2s as well.

 

I asked that and they were really caught off guard last year (m2) which ended up being around a 50/50 split. This year they have adjusted their expectations to reflect 16' but also mentioned some guys aren't letting go of the 16' M2 easily.

[Warrick]

Thanks for sharing the pics!!!! Did you happen to get an address pic of the Toulon Long Island putter?

 

Sorry i didn't.

 

 

 

Warrick - 13.5 SZ is long ! I really liked the 13.5 in the Epic standard as well.

 

Damn, thing is long and wonderful with the black tie in it, definite gamer to start the year.

 

I just need to find a longer driver now....

[J13]

Thanks for sharing the pics!!!! Did you happen to get an address pic of the Toulon Long Island putter?

 

Sorry i didn't.

 

 

 

Warrick - 13.5 SZ is long ! I really liked the 13.5 in the Epic standard as well.

 

Damn, thing is long and wonderful with the black tie in it, definite gamer to start the year.

 

I just need to find a longer driver now....

 

That's a good problem to have :D

 

 

 

 

[rymail00]

Work has been crazy so I'll summarize the show in a paragraph or two. Drivers ; Epic was the talk of the town with buzz also going towards the new M series and F7+. But Epic was the clear winner in the woods department. Irons I'd say Srixon booth had the most buzz along with TM with their new 750 and 770 series. Both lines look great you can't go wrong. Callaway and TM's booth was packed which is to be expected but Srixon being so crowded really surprised me. THeir demo day booth was rockin!

 

Putters- Toulon's stuff stood out for me especially the Indiapolis. Evnroll had some nice models as well. TM - Really like the new Spider and I'll be trying one, Ping's new stuff is really nice and feels better then previous years.

 

Balls - Lots of great offerings this year. Honestly everyone has a great ball so pick your poison. I've been doing a lot of ball testing lately in fact just did another which I'll post soon.

 

 

 

Overall if any one has questions please ask but that's it in a nutshell.

M1 vs m2 thoughts? Wondering how they are fitting the pros in what and why? Just seems like the m1 is the way to go but seeing a lot of M2s as well.

 

 

Can I add M1 430 vs 440 too?

 

You were playing the 2016 M2 too I think? Any thoughts on the M2 2016 vs 2017?

[J13]

Work has been crazy so I'll summarize the show in a paragraph or two. Drivers ; Epic was the talk of the town with buzz also going towards the new M series and F7+. But Epic was the clear winner in the woods department. Irons I'd say Srixon booth had the most buzz along with TM with their new 750 and 770 series. Both lines look great you can't go wrong. Callaway and TM's booth was packed which is to be expected but Srixon being so crowded really surprised me. THeir demo day booth was rockin!

 

Putters- Toulon's stuff stood out for me especially the Indiapolis. Evnroll had some nice models as well. TM - Really like the new Spider and I'll be trying one, Ping's new stuff is really nice and feels better then previous years.

 

Balls - Lots of great offerings this year. Honestly everyone has a great ball so pick your poison. I've been doing a lot of ball testing lately in fact just did another which I'll post soon.

 

 

 

Overall if any one has questions please ask but that's it in a nutshell.

M1 vs m2 thoughts? Wondering how they are fitting the pros in what and why? Just seems like the m1 is the way to go but seeing a lot of M2s as well.

 

 

Can I add M1 430 vs 440 too?

 

You were playing the 2016 M2 too I think? Any thoughts on the M2 2016 vs 2017?

 

440 is very similar to the 430. Low spin bombs when caught in the middle while misses are not nice. 2017 M2 and 2016 m2 are one in the same for me. Numbers wise thy are almost identical. The 17 M2 is supposed to be more forgiving but I don't know I didn't notice that.

[cota0429]

Work has been crazy so I'll summarize the show in a paragraph or two. Drivers ; Epic was the talk of the town with buzz also going towards the new M series and F7+. But Epic was the clear winner in the woods department. Irons I'd say Srixon booth had the most buzz along with TM with their new 750 and 770 series. Both lines look great you can't go wrong. Callaway and TM's booth was packed which is to be expected but Srixon being so crowded really surprised me. THeir demo day booth was rockin!

 

Putters- Toulon's stuff stood out for me especially the Indiapolis. Evnroll had some nice models as well. TM - Really like the new Spider and I'll be trying one, Ping's new stuff is really nice and feels better then previous years.

 

Balls - Lots of great offerings this year. Honestly everyone has a great ball so pick your poison. I've been doing a lot of ball testing lately in fact just did another which I'll post soon.

 

 

 

Overall if any one has questions please ask but that's it in a nutshell.

M1 vs m2 thoughts? Wondering how they are fitting the pros in what and why? Just seems like the m1 is the way to go but seeing a lot of M2s as well.

 

 

Can I add M1 430 vs 440 too?

 

You were playing the 2016 M2 too I think? Any thoughts on the M2 2016 vs 2017?

 

440 is very similar to the 430. Low spin bombs when caught in the middle while misses are not nice. 2017 M2 and 2016 m2 are one in the same for me. Numbers wise thy are almost identical. The 17 M2 is supposed to be more forgiving but I don't know I didn't notice that.

 

Would you say the biggest improvement is the 460 M1 with the longer track? I'm torn...

[J13]

Work has been crazy so I'll summarize the show in a paragraph or two. Drivers ; Epic was the talk of the town with buzz also going towards the new M series and F7+. But Epic was the clear winner in the woods department. Irons I'd say Srixon booth had the most buzz along with TM with their new 750 and 770 series. Both lines look great you can't go wrong. Callaway and TM's booth was packed which is to be expected but Srixon being so crowded really surprised me. THeir demo day booth was rockin!

 

Putters- Toulon's stuff stood out for me especially the Indiapolis. Evnroll had some nice models as well. TM - Really like the new Spider and I'll be trying one, Ping's new stuff is really nice and feels better then previous years.

 

Balls - Lots of great offerings this year. Honestly everyone has a great ball so pick your poison. I've been doing a lot of ball testing lately in fact just did another which I'll post soon.

 

 

 

Overall if any one has questions please ask but that's it in a nutshell.

M1 vs m2 thoughts? Wondering how they are fitting the pros in what and why? Just seems like the m1 is the way to go but seeing a lot of M2s as well.

 

 

Can I add M1 430 vs 440 too?

 

You were playing the 2016 M2 too I think? Any thoughts on the M2 2016 vs 2017?

 

440 is very similar to the 430. Low spin bombs when caught in the middle while misses are not nice. 2017 M2 and 2016 m2 are one in the same for me. Numbers wise thy are almost identical. The 17 M2 is supposed to be more forgiving but I don't know I didn't notice that.

 

Would you say the biggest improvement is the 460 M1 with the longer track? I'm torn...

 

I think the M1 460 is the best of the bunch this year but I'd say all 3 are improvements in the MOI area. It will come down to the Epic and M1 for me this year.

[CheckJV]

J, adding another thank you for posting all those pictures and commentary. Very interesting and informative.

[J13]

Glad to share.

 

 

So I've been able to sneak some holes in this week and wanted to share some balls I'm Messing around with, one being the "mystery ball". I played another 9 holes this morning and wanted to test a few others but conditions were no conducive enough so i decided not to. So the balls from this "test" were Srixon XV (my current ball of choice which beat out Prov1x), Chrome soft X, and Clear ball aka (mystery ball).

 

Out of the two new contenders the Clear ball is out and the Chrome soft X survives to fight another day. Clear ball was given to me by another member here so I have no idea how to get ahold of them but from what I'm told will be around $50/dozen.

 

Clear Ball

Overall the Clear ball performed well and reminded me a lot of the Kirkland ball. Lower spin, slightly longer, soft off the putter and other clubs. I was able to flight the ball better then the Kirkland while durability was about the same which isn't a good thing IMO. Overall I would say it's a good buy for $25-30 a dozen.

 

Chrome Soft X

Previous Chrome soft was terrible for me so I was optimistic that the X would be a better ball. I heard a lot of good reviews from people who played the prototype version (last year's main tour ball) so I was eager to try it out. With that said the ball feels and sounds much better then the Chrome soft to me. One problem I had with the Chrome soft was I couldn't feel it off the driver because of the compression, literally felt like I was hitting a marshmallow. CSX is firmer but still has a great feel with irons and the putter. Also spins a little more for me then the Chrome soft which I really like. All in all it performed almost identical to the XV , maybe even a little longer off the driver. In a nutshell it will be tested some more especially as it gets warmer next month.

 

Below are some pics. The individual pics of each ball are after 9 holes of play hitting various shots. You can see the Clear Ball didn't hold up nearly as well as the CSX or XV. I'm finding the big difference in some of these bargain balls and premium is the cover. Kirkland and some others I've tried just don't hold up nearly as well. Not saying that's a huge deal for some but I don't lose many balls so if I can play 36 with one ball I'd like to.

 

The pic of 3 balls on the green were shots from 122yds (full 54* for me). It was a tight grouping so it was perfect to illustrate the difference. The ball at the top and to the right are the CSX and XV. Notice where the ball mark is and where the ball ended up. Now notice the Clear ball on the left. You can see the spin difference and that's on cold greens that are running slow due to the season. It may not look like a lot but it is especially when it's warm and greens are normal speeds.

 

Next up I'll be testing out the TM TP5 and Honma 6 piece ball. Wanted to test these today but as I said it was too cold and greens were semi frozen. Not much I could do.

 

 

[cota0429]

The XV is the 2017?

[J13]

The XV is the 2017?

 

No 16.

[bcflyguy1]

J-

 

The main issue I had with the '16 CS was that it would produce random screamers with full short irons and wedges. Few things worse than having an ideal number to a flag, hitting a shot right on line, and then watching said shot air-mail the whole green. Did you ever see similar issues? Hoping the CS(X) will be a solution to that issue as my stash of Chrome + is running low.

[EntourageLife]

Glad to share.

 

 

So I've been able to sneak some holes in this week and wanted to share some balls I'm Messing around with, one being the "mystery ball". I played another 9 holes this morning and wanted to test a few others but conditions were no conducive enough so i decided not to. So the balls from this "test" were Srixon XV (my current ball of choice which beat out Prov1x), Chrome soft X, and Clear ball aka (mystery ball).

 

Out of the two new contenders the Clear ball is out and the Chrome soft X survives to fight another day. Clear ball was given to me by another member here so I have no idea how to get ahold of them but from what I'm told will be around $50/dozen.

 

Clear Ball

Overall the Clear ball performed well and reminded me a lot of the Kirkland ball. Lower spin, slightly longer, soft off the putter and other clubs. I was able to flight the ball better then the Kirkland while durability was about the same which isn't a good thing IMO. Overall I would say it's a good buy for $25-30 a dozen.

 

Chrome Soft X

Previous Chrome soft was terrible for me so I was optimistic that the X would be a better ball. I heard a lot of good reviews from people who played the prototype version (last year's main tour ball) so I was eager to try it out. With that said the ball feels and sounds much better then the Chrome soft to me. One problem I had with the Chrome soft was I couldn't feel it off the driver because of the compression, literally felt like I was hitting a marshmallow. CSX is firmer but still has a great feel with irons and the putter. Also spins a little more for me then the Chrome soft which I really like. All in all it performed almost identical to the XV , maybe even a little longer off the driver. In a nutshell it will be tested some more especially as it gets warmer next month.

 

Below are some pics. The individual pics of each ball are after 9 holes of play hitting various shots. You can see the Clear Ball didn't hold up nearly as well as the CSX or XV. I'm finding the big difference in some of these bargain balls and premium is the cover. Kirkland and some others I've tried just don't hold up nearly as well. Not saying that's a huge deal for some but I don't lose many balls so if I can play 36 with one ball I'd like to.

 

The pic of 3 balls on the green were shots from 122yds (full 54* for me). It was a tight grouping so it was perfect to illustrate the difference. The ball at the top and to the right are the CSX and XV. Notice where the ball mark is and where the ball ended up. Now notice the Clear ball on the left. You can see the spin difference and that's on cold greens that are running slow due to the season. It may not look like a lot but it is especially when it's warm and greens are normal speeds.

 

Next up I'll be testing out the TM TP5 and Honma 6 piece ball. Wanted to test these today but as I said it was too cold and greens were semi frozen. Not much I could do.

 

 

 

J, you need to move the family to Florida! Test equipment all-day every day!

[EntourageLife]

Great info. Just finished round with new Callaway X 2017. Very good with irons. Holds well on greens and flight is consistent. Reasonably good distance with driver. Not as long for me as Tour330.

[J13]

J-

 

The main issue I had with the '16 CS was that it would produce random screamers with full short irons and wedges. Few things worse than having an ideal number to a flag, hitting a shot right on line, and then watching said shot air-mail the whole green. Did you ever see similar issues? Hoping the CS(X) will be a solution to that issue as my stash of Chrome + is running low.

 

The little testing I did with the previous Chrome soft didn't go well. Off the tee I couldn't feel the ball And with irons I had trouble controlling distance and direction. The new CSX on the other hand is a serious contender. Great in the wind, spins more around greens and half shots, better distance control, and I can feel it off the driver haha.

[J13]

Great info. Just finished round with new Callaway X 2017. Very good with irons. Holds well on greens and flight is consistent. Reasonably good distance with driver. Not as long for me as Tour330.

 

Would love to move to Florida but would need a job lol. Hate cold weather believe me.

 

Tour 330 is a ball I want to test more. I lke the new "B" logo on the ball I hope they stick with it.

[EntourageLife]

Great info. Just finished round with new Callaway X 2017. Very good with irons. Holds well on greens and flight is consistent. Reasonably good distance with driver. Not as long for me as Tour330.

 

Would love to move to Florida but would need a job lol. Hate cold weather believe me.

 

Tour 330 is a ball I want to test more. I lke the new "B" logo on the ball I hope they stick with it.

 

Tour 330 is great ball. Probably my all-around favorite to start the year. Need 1-2 more rounds with new Callaway X to know for sure.

[moonshine]

Great info. Just finished round with new Callaway X 2017. Very good with irons. Holds well on greens and flight is consistent. Reasonably good distance with driver. Not as long for me as Tour330.

 

Would love to move to Florida but would need a job lol. Hate cold weather believe me.

 

Tour 330 is a ball I want to test more. I lke the new "B" logo on the ball I hope they stick with it.

 

Tour 330 is great ball. Probably my all-around favorite to start the year. Need 1-2 more rounds with new Callaway X to know for sure.

I agree can't even get myself to try XV 330 has been priced well and plays better.

[rymail00]

Interested to hear more about the TP5.

 

I have heard some pretty large claims about distance, and its being called a game changer like the original Pro V1 was.

[Mob]

Interested in your TP5 review as well. Early claims seem to be pretty impressive if they are true.

 

I had a 2016 M2, and wasted half of last season trying to get it to work for me. The problem is when you hit it perfectly, it is second to none, but my misses were unmanageable. I remember the perfect shots, so I tried to make it work. I am finally off that carousel, and glad to be off it. I took the Epic SZ out on the course today (45 degrees and temporary greens) and it seemed to be pretty good. I really want to limit my testing this year, and get my bag settled early. I am limiting testing this year to the Epic SZ vs my Cobra King LTD, plus or minus the Cobra F7+.

[cota0429]

Great info. Just finished round with new Callaway X 2017. Very good with irons. Holds well on greens and flight is consistent. Reasonably good distance with driver. Not as long for me as Tour330.

 

Would love to move to Florida but would need a job lol. Hate cold weather believe me.

 

Tour 330 is a ball I want to test more. I lke the new "B" logo on the ball I hope they stick with it.

 

I really love the b330s. It pretty much has everything I would want in a ball. B logo is sick.

[J13]

Interested in your TP5 review as well. Early claims seem to be pretty impressive if they are true.

 

I had a 2016 M2, and wasted half of last season trying to get it to work for me. The problem is when you hit it perfectly, it is second to none, but my misses were unmanageable. I remember the perfect shots, so I tried to make it work. I am finally off that carousel, and glad to be off it. I took the Epic SZ out on the course today (45 degrees and temporary greens) and it seemed to be pretty good. I really want to limit my testing this year, and get my bag settled early. I am limiting testing this year to the Epic SZ vs my Cobra King LTD, plus or minus the Cobra F7+.

 

For me the M2 has been a great driver with my only complaint being it's a little too fade bias at times. My miss is a block right so when I really malfunction the ball can sail WAY right. Overall though it's been a really really good driver for me.

 

Next up

[Smitty120]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the TP5X. Was hoping to try that and the new XV but will be back in south FL again the week before the release.

[J13]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the TP5X. Was hoping to try that and the new XV but will be back in south FL again the week before the release.

 

Yeah i've heard a lot of good things about the TP5 so i'm anxious to try it out. This week hopefully.

[FAbb]

Are you testing the '17 V1/V1X as well?

 

I'm really not sure what direction I'm going this year. I played the V1X last season, but have really been enjoying the '16 B330s this winter.

[EntourageLife]

I recently tested new "CLEAR" ball. It feels a bit soft and does launch higher. I hit a few with driver that I thought I crushed but they were still behind ProV1x and Tour 330 in distance (could just be a spin issue).

 

The "Clear" feels good around greens and with putter.

 

Probably not my top pick but I'd have to play a few rounds to know for sure.

 

However, new 2017 Callaway Soft X performing very well. Again, not longer than Tour 330 but very solid ball.

 

TM Tour Preferred X does nothing for me. Doesn't fly as far with driver and can't rely on iron distance. Never liked TM balls and probably never will.