50 Words or Less
The innovative design of the Axis1 Rose putter gives it excellent consistency in both direction and distance. Unique sound and look may take some getting used to.
Introduction
How does a small putter company like Axis1 gain global recognition? Have a high profile player like Justin Rose play one of their models. Obviously that’s not an easy endeavor, but after getting Justin to try one of his putters putter back in 2016, founder Luis Pedraza was able to keep Rose engaged until his 14 club contract with TaylorMade expired at the end of 2018. Having worked on design features with Justin during that period, Axis1 debuted the Axis1 Rose putter in 2019. And in storybook fashion, Justin went out and won the second tournament he played with it – the 2019 Farmers at Torrey Pines.
Looks
At first glance, the Axis1 Rose looks like many “fang” mallet putters. It’s when the shaft and hosel on the front of the putter register that you might say, “What’s up with that?” Despite that oddity, the putter has a clean, clinical look. The medium thick topline with single black alignment line transitions almost seamlessly to the black carbon fiber body. There, the long, parallel, white alignment lines frame the golf ball nicely, and the thickness of the lines is comfortable to my eyes.
The face of the Axis1 Rose has wonderful arcing mill lines, and although the heel is dominated by the hosel, it’s masterfully milled. The sleek sole with its crisp text is very appealing.
Sound & Feel
The Axis1 Rose produces a quiet plastic ‘tink’ – a sound I equate to that of a high tension tennis racquet hitting a pebble. It’s very odd from an expectation standpoint, but I found it easy to get comfortable with.
One distinctive aspect of the Rose is that the toe points up when balancing the shaft on your finger. This “perfect balance” is achieved by Axis1’s patented heel counterweighting. I could definitely feel the extra weight in the heel during the putting stroke. Even though the shaft bend puts my hands in line with the top flange, the visual processing of the hosel in front of the face and heel weighting gave me the sensation that my hands were way in front of the putter. A physiological obstacle.
The unique hosel design puts the center of gravity in the center of the putter, aligned with the shaft. Combined with the heel weighting, the putter becomes “torque free” – no twisting. The engineer in me has to point out that only applies to center struck putts. The golfer in me describes those putts as feeling pure. Moving away from the sweet spot, my hands could sense some twisting, but it’s minimal. To amplify the sensation, Axis1 touts the Lamkin Deep Etched grip as offering “maximum feel and shot feedback.”
Performance
More on that twisting aspect – the dispersion left or right from target was tight on non-centered putts. Distance was also very consistent between strikes with the Rose. Looking over my field testing notes I had written down “beautiful roll.” The alignment lines had my aim accuracy very high – one of the benefits common to mallet designs.
Check out the zero torque PXG Allan putter HERE
I want to revisit the balance aspect of the Axis1 Rose. That toe up balance on my finger captured in the photo above is the same orientation that occurs when recreated in the address position. With a face balanced putter or one with toe hang, in the address position, the face wants to rotate open. You are physically holding it square. Not that it’s a revolutionary concept that renders all other putters inferior, but the science is thought-provoking.
Conclusion
Spending time with the Axis1 Rose has been an interesting experience. The directional consistency, forgiveness, and roll of the putter are really good. I think I could get accustomed to the unique sound, but the heel weight and visual incongruity would take a while to get comfortable with. For anyone willing to invest $449 in an Axis1 Rose, the commitment in time would be rewarding.
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17 Comments
You had me right up until $449.
I agree
150 now
Axis better hope that Rose does not leave them at the altar like he did with Honma. Yikes……
I’m interested, but not sure there’s enough there to justify $450.
I used it today and found it impressive ! $450 well that’s more than Scotty but im sure made putts and side bets on the course will put this club in your bag for free by seasons end .
Funny story
I was trying some putters at local PGA superstore when a random guy asks me to check out a putter
It was the axis
I tried it and really found it a bit awkward with unpleasant sound
I handed it back and said ” i really don’t care for it ”
He said ” Oh. I am the designer for Axis””
Oh well- I still prefer my Seemore
I’m not rich . But I know $500 is the norm in golf money unless you buy it on eBay.
Nice putter. I love ideas that are outside the box , when it comes to small boutique putter Company.
Luke List just one on the KF Tour with this putter.
No torque! But only when you hit it in the middle – so just like every other putter then.
You’ll need to try one to truly understand Andrew.
– Meeks
I’m a three handicap here in Missouri. I was intrigued with the putter ever since I have seen rose pot with it. I decided to buy one. And I don’t find the look that unusual. I really find a gray on lag putting and it is tremendous on short pitts. Bottom line, the putter is extremely solid and worth the investment. It’s the most important part of the game as we all know.
People spend $400 to $500 on a driver for use 10 to 12 times per round. Your putter you use on average of 24 to 40 times a round. The putter is a better investment to lower your scores than a driver – not too mention the money you will save from lost balls as a result of using your driver.
The old saying Drive for show and putt for dough. This putter will pay for itself when you settle up on the 19th hole.
I have this putter, an EDEL mallet, and a LAB Golf DF 2.1 putter and am totally sold on the torque balanced concept of putter weighting. The ability of the putter to maintain its face angle square to the path of the stroke is really helpful in starting your putts on line. I think this has helped me make more putts. My putting avg./round has gone down by almost 3 shots since I switched to this type of putter. The look is different but easy for me to get used to, as the hosel/heel transition is the only different look from this and any Odyssey 7 type mallet style putter. The roll of the ball is fantastic and it is easy to aim at your target line. The sound is pure when struck in the middle of the face, slightly tingy on toe and heel strikes. The price is high at $450, but the putter is very high quality and arguably will improve your score more than a $500 driver. Hope this helps anyone thinking about trying this putter. Happy Holidays!
I would game immediately but they’ve never released to lefties. Given appearances at superstore and larger retailers now, I find that incredibly frustrating.
I bought the putter because of the ease of alignment with the putter. The sound of the putter is different and yes when you hit the sweet spot, you can tell the difference from an off center hit. To me that just teaches you to learn to hit the sweet spot. The interesting thing to me was that when I hit an off center put, the ball would still keep the line and would end up going in the hole or close to it. It does take getting used to it, but the line and distance is very consistent. That to me makes the putter worth the money and of course, making more puts.
I got one yesterday feels strange standing over it but I found I see I had a better line putting the ball it showed me how bad I been having the club open and comes off face really good after 27 holes it grew on me so I bought it