J13's WITB: Update- FUJIKURA AXIOM

[J13]

J13, may I ask....in your opinion, how many grams of melt does it take to slightly impact flight bias? I have the G400max in 9 and I'm looking to make it slightly more fade biased with some melt. Also thinking the sound could be improved a smidge as a side effect. More interested in the slight fade bias than the sound change. 3g out toward the toe? A local builder I believe is experienced in melt, but wanted to get your thoughts. Many thanks!!!! Great thread and fun to follow.

 

Yeah 3g won't do anything for bias. It will and can effect sound though. I would say if you want to add bias see if you can put a lighter weight in the rear then you would probably have to add around 6-10g depending on head and setup. Also make sure your local builder knows how to melt and uses REAL hotmelt. Can't tell you how many guys use a local builder who uses rat glue or rattle stop. REAL HOTMELT only otherwise you are going to experience drying, cracking, and rattle at some point. Ask him to show you what he uses. The reason i got a hotmelt setup was because 99% of builders have ZERO clue how to hotmelt or access to a real setup and melt.

[DNice26]

J13, may I ask....in your opinion, how many grams of melt does it take to slightly impact flight bias? I have the G400max in 9 and I'm looking to make it slightly more fade biased with some melt. Also thinking the sound could be improved a smidge as a side effect. More interested in the slight fade bias than the sound change. 3g out toward the toe? A local builder I believe is experienced in melt, but wanted to get your thoughts. Many thanks!!!! Great thread and fun to follow.

 

Yeah 3g won't do anything for bias. It will and can effect sound though. I would say if you want to add bias see if you can put a lighter weight in the rear then you would probably have to add around 6-10g depending on head and setup. Also make sure your local builder knows how to melt and uses REAL hotmelt. Can't tell you how many guys use a local builder who uses rat glue or rattle stop. REAL HOTMELT only otherwise you are going to experience drying, cracking, and rattle at some point. Ask him to show you what he uses. The reason i got a hotmelt setup was because 99% of builders have ZERO clue how to hotmelt or access to a real setup and melt.

 

Great tips! Silly question, is there a brand name for the real hot melt? So when he shows me, I know it is what I want to see? I would likely end up in the low end (6g) of your estimate, as I don’t really want to change the club much. Two local places do it I believe, on is Club Champion and the other is called Novo golf. Thank you for entertaining my questions! Cheers!

[JTD0314]

My Max with J13’s hotmelt treatment (10 grams) has kicked the standard G400 out of the bag to the BST. The feel and sound with the hotmelt surpasses the G400. I don’t have any #’s, but after several rounds at my course, the 10.5 Max with ADTP 7x is as long as any driver I have gamed (G Lst, Cobra LTD, G400 and Epic SZ), but my consistency is unreal. I can work it both ways, but it wants to just go straight. The only downside of the Max is that it is hard to hit a hard draw when needed. I cant thank J13 enough for his hotmelt expertise. I don’t think I would have stayed with the Max in stock form due to the sound and feel.

[J13]

J13, may I ask....in your opinion, how many grams of melt does it take to slightly impact flight bias? I have the G400max in 9 and I'm looking to make it slightly more fade biased with some melt. Also thinking the sound could be improved a smidge as a side effect. More interested in the slight fade bias than the sound change. 3g out toward the toe? A local builder I believe is experienced in melt, but wanted to get your thoughts. Many thanks!!!! Great thread and fun to follow.

 

Yeah 3g won't do anything for bias. It will and can effect sound though. I would say if you want to add bias see if you can put a lighter weight in the rear then you would probably have to add around 6-10g depending on head and setup. Also make sure your local builder knows how to melt and uses REAL hotmelt. Can't tell you how many guys use a local builder who uses rat glue or rattle stop. REAL HOTMELT only otherwise you are going to experience drying, cracking, and rattle at some point. Ask him to show you what he uses. The reason i got a hotmelt setup was because 99% of builders have ZERO clue how to hotmelt or access to a real setup and melt.

 

Great tips! Silly question, is there a brand name for the real hot melt? So when he shows me, I know it is what I want to see? I would likely end up in the low end (6g) of your estimate, as I don’t really want to change the club much. Two local places do it I believe, on is Club Champion and the other is called Novo golf. Thank you for entertaining my questions! Cheers!

 

I know Club Champion does it at their HQ but local shops do not have hotmelt setups from my understanding. Don't know who Novo golf is. I do melt work for members of the board as well as a lot of locals so if you have trouble finding a spot just shoot me a pm and i'll help you out no problem.

 

My Max with J13’s hotmelt treatment (10 grams) has kicked the standard G400 out of the bag to the BST. The feel and sound with the hotmelt surpasses the G400. I don’t have any #’s, but after several rounds at my course, the 10.5 Max with ADTP 7x is as long as any driver I have gamed (G Lst, Cobra LTD, G400 and Epic SZ), but my consistency is unreal. I can work it both ways, but it wants to just go straight. The only downside of the Max is that it is hard to hit a hard draw when needed. I cant thank J13 enough for his hotmelt expertise. I don’t think I would have stayed with the Max in stock form due to the sound and feel.

 

Great to hear and glad you like it. Amazing how the right setup in a head can transform it :superman:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side note: after doing some more work to Rogue SZ 3 wood the club is working MUCH better for me. I removed the heavier forward weight and put back in the 2g and added melt to the rear of the club and center. Much more consistent and i'm really enjoying it. I still plan on bending it a few degrees upright so it setups better for me but all in all it's a great stick.

 

Also won 2nd round match today in HORRIBLE weather in the Maryland state team matches :golfer:

[DNice26]

J13, may I ask....in your opinion, how many grams of melt does it take to slightly impact flight bias? I have the G400max in 9 and I'm looking to make it slightly more fade biased with some melt. Also thinking the sound could be improved a smidge as a side effect. More interested in the slight fade bias than the sound change. 3g out toward the toe? A local builder I believe is experienced in melt, but wanted to get your thoughts. Many thanks!!!! Great thread and fun to follow.

 

Yeah 3g won't do anything for bias. It will and can effect sound though. I would say if you want to add bias see if you can put a lighter weight in the rear then you would probably have to add around 6-10g depending on head and setup. Also make sure your local builder knows how to melt and uses REAL hotmelt. Can't tell you how many guys use a local builder who uses rat glue or rattle stop. REAL HOTMELT only otherwise you are going to experience drying, cracking, and rattle at some point. Ask him to show you what he uses. The reason i got a hotmelt setup was because 99% of builders have ZERO clue how to hotmelt or access to a real setup and melt.

 

Great tips! Silly question, is there a brand name for the real hot melt? So when he shows me, I know it is what I want to see? I would likely end up in the low end (6g) of your estimate, as I don’t really want to change the club much. Two local places do it I believe, on is Club Champion and the other is called Novo golf. Thank you for entertaining my questions! Cheers!

 

I know Club Champion does it at their HQ but local shops do not have hotmelt setups from my understanding. Don't know who Novo golf is. I do melt work for members of the board as well as a lot of locals so if you have trouble finding a spot just shoot me a pm and i'll help you out no problem.

 

My Max with J13’s hotmelt treatment (10 grams) has kicked the standard G400 out of the bag to the BST. The feel and sound with the hotmelt surpasses the G400. I don’t have any #’s, but after several rounds at my course, the 10.5 Max with ADTP 7x is as long as any driver I have gamed (G Lst, Cobra LTD, G400 and Epic SZ), but my consistency is unreal. I can work it both ways, but it wants to just go straight. The only downside of the Max is that it is hard to hit a hard draw when needed. I cant thank J13 enough for his hotmelt expertise. I don’t think I would have stayed with the Max in stock form due to the sound and feel.

 

Great to hear and glad you like it. Amazing how the right setup in a head can transform it :superman:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side note: after doing some more work to Rogue SZ 3 wood the club is working MUCH better for me. I removed the heavier forward weight and put back in the 2g and added melt to the rear of the club and center. Much more consistent and i'm really enjoying it. I still plan on bending it a few degrees upright so it setups better for me but all in all it's a great stick.

 

Also won 2nd round match today in HORRIBLE weather in the Maryland state team matches :golfer:

 

Thank you J13, might take you up on that.

 

Funny, I also have a Rogue SZ EF6.5 15 degree that I think could use some weight back.

[J13]

DNice no prob just want to make sure people avoid the knucklehead local builders that have no clue on real hotmelt or what it actually is thinking rat glue is the same thing. Rogue SZ with some weight in the head feels really good and makes the head more stable IMO. I tried a 6g weight in the front and it was just ok. Slapped the 2g back in and added that weight to the rear and i'm in business :D

[collje26]

Well i got to practice more with the Rogue SZ 3 wood and i think it's going to be in the bag a LONG time. Great shape, great feel, and perfect size. Overall i love the trajectory from both the deck and tee. Very rarely do i find a 3 wood that i can hit the same window whether it's on the ground or tee, the last 3 wood to do that for me was a 2016 Tour issue M2. Time on the course has been cut short thanks to the winter storm that just ripped through the north east. Hopefully courses will reopen in a week or two :(

 

Ping G400 MAX

 

Stopped at the shop today after a trip to the doc's for a cortisone shot (tennis elbow) so i was feeling good. Hit the GMAX next to my stick and the Rogue SZ. Have to say the GMax is pretty damn good. Spin is about 200-300rpm's higher then my LST but the forgiveness factor was noticeable. Rogue SZ continues to impress me and just hits BOMBS. I'm planning on getting on trackman in a few weeks outdoors to do more testing so we will see :D

 

Compared to my LST quick comparison

 

Trajectory - About the same as my LST

Spin - LST lower on average by about 200-300rpm

Dispersion - MAX was on par with LST which has been great

Forgiveness - MAX is crazy

Look - Noticeably bigger and just looks like you can smash it

Sound- LIttle higher then LST stock but hotmelt is easy enough

 

Are you still currently gaming the LST or the Max? Currently gaming a LST 10 however always looking for something very forgiving and if it's only 500rpm more spin that's something I'm really interested in.

[J13]

Well i got to practice more with the Rogue SZ 3 wood and i think it's going to be in the bag a LONG time. Great shape, great feel, and perfect size. Overall i love the trajectory from both the deck and tee. Very rarely do i find a 3 wood that i can hit the same window whether it's on the ground or tee, the last 3 wood to do that for me was a 2016 Tour issue M2. Time on the course has been cut short thanks to the winter storm that just ripped through the north east. Hopefully courses will reopen in a week or two :(

 

Ping G400 MAX

 

Stopped at the shop today after a trip to the doc's for a cortisone shot (tennis elbow) so i was feeling good. Hit the GMAX next to my stick and the Rogue SZ. Have to say the GMax is pretty damn good. Spin is about 200-300rpm's higher then my LST but the forgiveness factor was noticeable. Rogue SZ continues to impress me and just hits BOMBS. I'm planning on getting on trackman in a few weeks outdoors to do more testing so we will see :D

 

Compared to my LST quick comparison

 

Trajectory - About the same as my LST

Spin - LST lower on average by about 200-300rpm

Dispersion - MAX was on par with LST which has been great

Forgiveness - MAX is crazy

Look - Noticeably bigger and just looks like you can smash it

Sound- LIttle higher then LST stock but hotmelt is easy enough

 

Are you still currently gaming the LST or the Max? Currently gaming a LST 10 however always looking for something very forgiving and if it's only 500rpm more spin that's something I'm really interested in.

 

I'm still playing the LST. I think it's the best head available from Ping. It's already extremely forgiving and spin hovers around 2500-2600 for me. Max in my testing is another few hundred rpm's higher which starts to peel away distance. Maybe if i tinkered with it I could make it work but don't see any reason to do that experiment as I would just be recreating the LST.

[collje26]

Thanks for the insight! I see about the same. Launch at around 12, spin 2200-2400 and ball speed around 167-170.

[J13]

Thanks for the insight! I see about the same. Launch at around 12, spin 2200-2400 and ball speed around 167-170.

 

No problem. Can't go wrong with either but only way to really find out is to get them on a launch monitor and or on course.

[Rosco1216]

I’m thinking this will be the next driving iron shaft experiment in my rabbit hole of a search.

[J13]

haha they are dirt cheap so it should make for a perfect experiment. Good luck with it :victory:

[J13]

Finally did some testing with my G400LST setup vs Rogue SZ on course. My G400LST has the KK DC 70TX and the Rogue SZ had my Xphlexxx Agera 74X. Both shafts are great for me and I know them well so it was a good comparison. I hit them on trackman and on course where i hit 3 tee shots a piece with each driver on each hole (yes i was exhausted after 18 holes)

 

Anyway I'm not going to bore you with lots of details so i'll keep it short and sweet.

 

Below are averages with some trackman info and on course info.

 

Ballspeed - Rogue SZ by 1mph

Launch Angle - G400LST 14* , Rogue SZ 12*

Spin - G400LST 2500rpm, Rogue SZ 2100

Carry - G400LST 8yds further

Total Distance - Rogue SZ by 7yds

Dispersion - G400LST hit 70% of fwy's with Rogue SZ hitting 57%

Looks - I favor the G400LST as i like matte black and the straight top line

 

 

Winner for me was the G400LST due to the fact that i hit more fairways with it and I like the carry distance i get with it. The Rogue SZ hits BOMBS but in the end I am very used to the LST and love the control i have with it. I tried to get the Rogue SZ to keep spin in the low 2000's while taking up my LA but just couldn't get it. I'm sure with patience and time i could have figured it out but who has that kind of time? :D Epic SZ seemed to be a better fit for me and kind wish i didn't sell mine. I hit that head really well and would like to have seen how it stacked up against the Ping.

[J13]

I'll answer some questions in here from pm's so i don't have to respond the same thing to multiple peole,

 

1. Feel is more muted and better with the Rogue SZ. I added melt to my LST and it's MUCH better but still not quite as good as the SZ.

 

2. When i say straight top line I think the gloss vs matte paint makes it more pronounced. The matte paint makes the driver appear less bulbous which i like.

 

3. I tried higher loft in the SZ with heavy weight forward but consistency was not nearly as good.

[QMany]

2. When i say straight top line I think the gloss vs matte paint makes it more pronounced. The matte paint makes the driver appear less bulbous which i like.

 

I couldn’t agree more. That is what I ran into with the Epic too. It seemed like the bulge was more pronounced and the shiny black on black made it a little harder to line up. Ping and TM seem to have less bulge visible at address.

[J13]

2. When i say straight top line I think the gloss vs matte paint makes it more pronounced. The matte paint makes the driver appear less bulbous which i like.

 

I couldn't agree more. That is what I ran into with the Epic too. It seemed like the bulge was more pronounced and the shiny black on black made it a little harder to line up. Ping and TM seem to have less bulge visible at address.

 

Agree on the TM as well. I like my irons with straighter lines as well but realized everyone has different tastes.

[jshuff]

2. When i say straight top line I think the gloss vs matte paint makes it more pronounced. The matte paint makes the driver appear less bulbous which i like.

 

I couldnt agree more. That is what I ran into with the Epic too. It seemed like the bulge was more pronounced and the shiny black on black made it a little harder to line up. Ping and TM seem to have less bulge visible at address.

 

The gloss finish bothers me too, which is why I sent my Epic SZ to Wicked Golf for a black matte makeover. I’ve sent many messages to Callaway asking them to add a matte finish option to their Customs program, but no luck getting a response so far.

[J13]

2. When i say straight top line I think the gloss vs matte paint makes it more pronounced. The matte paint makes the driver appear less bulbous which i like.

 

I couldn’t agree more. That is what I ran into with the Epic too. It seemed like the bulge was more pronounced and the shiny black on black made it a little harder to line up. Ping and TM seem to have less bulge visible at address.

 

The gloss finish bothers me too, which is why I sent my Epic SZ to Wicked Golf for a black matte makeover. I’ve sent many messages to Callaway asking them to add a matte finish option to their Customs program, but no luck getting a response so far.

 

I'd love it if they added a matte option, not sure why they don't. Can you post a pic of your Epic SZ? I'd like to see it

[jshuff]

2. When i say straight top line I think the gloss vs matte paint makes it more pronounced. The matte paint makes the driver appear less bulbous which i like.

 

I couldn’t agree more. That is what I ran into with the Epic too. It seemed like the bulge was more pronounced and the shiny black on black made it a little harder to line up. Ping and TM seem to have less bulge visible at address.

 

The gloss finish bothers me too, which is why I sent my Epic SZ to Wicked Golf for a black matte makeover. I’ve sent many messages to Callaway asking them to add a matte finish option to their Customs program, but no luck getting a response so far.

 

I'd love it if they added a matte option, not sure why they don't. Can you post a pic of your Epic SZ? I'd like to see it

[J13]

Thanks for sharing those. Have to say it looks WAY better then the gloss.

[J13]

On a side note I just caught up on the Wells Fargo. Tiger's putter doesn't seem to be what it once was. Anyone think we might see him start to experiment a little?

[QMany]

On a side note I just caught up on the Wells Fargo. Tiger's putter doesn't seem to be what it once was. Anyone think we might see him start to experiment a little?

 

I’m not sure. Before this terrible week, he was 8th Strokes Gained Putting.

[bcflyguy1]

If he has two more tournaments where he putts that poorly, then we MIGHT see the old faithful might go back on the bench. More than likely it's just a blip, but we'll see.

[J13]

On a side note I just caught up on the Wells Fargo. Tiger's putter doesn't seem to be what it once was. Anyone think we might see him start to experiment a little?

 

I'm not sure. Before this terrible week, he was 8th Strokes Gained Putting.

If he has two more tournaments where he putts that poorly, then we MIGHT see the old faithful might go back on the bench. More than likely it's just a blip, but we'll see.

 

 

He just seems inconsistent with the putter. He either has a great round or horrible one. Doesn't seem like he knows from one day to the next what he's going to get. I know the SC is legend and I'd hate to see it not in the bag but man i can't remember the last time I saw him putt so poorly for 3 out of 4 rounds.

 

 

 

 

 

On a side note - Have some new toys that just arrived, i dropped a few pics in my insta. I'll post pics here soon just have to take decent shots Testing will begin shortly

[J13]

Testing has begun............. :busted_cop: :busted_cop: :busted_cop:

 

And yes that butt sticker does say "Pure745 doesn't have it" :taunt: :taunt: Inside joke

 

The boys at Veylix and Xphlexxx have decided they need my expert opinion before they go any further with development (smartest thing they could have done :D ). So without much warning I got a package in the mail with a few prototypes and the new Veylix Rome 888 (Matte Finish) which looks amazing. More info coming soon but I hit them for the first time today can honestly say I saw a first in my driver in one specific category. I won't say too much as I need to trim to length and get on a real course with real balls but let the games begin :superman:

[oldhamer25]

That is awesome. Happy testing.

[Peanut191]

Any chance any of those are the new ones that have the graphene in them?

[Mula]

Testing has begun............. :busted_cop: :busted_cop: :busted_cop:

 

And yes that butt sticker does say "Pure745 doesn't have it" :taunt: :taunt: Inside joke

 

The boys at Veylix and Xphlexxx have decided they need my expert opinion before they go any further with development (smartest thing they could have done :D ). So without much warning I got a package in the mail with a few prototypes and the new Veylix Rome 888 (Matte Finish) which looks amazing. More info coming soon but I hit them for the first time today can honestly say I saw a first in my driver in one specific category. I won't say too much as I need to trim to length and get on a real course with real balls but let the games begin :superman:

 

DANGGGGGGG G

 

Need to call Paco ASAP

[J13]

Any chance any of those are the new ones that have the graphene in them?

 

To be honest i'm not exactly sure. They want me to hit them and report my results without have any preconceived ideas. Only thing i really know is the flex/cpm.

[Mula]

Any chance any of those are the new ones that have the graphene in them?

 

To be honest i'm not exactly sure. They want me to hit them and report my results without have any preconceived ideas. Only thing i really know is the flex/cpm.

 

Modena does I believe