2over

I'm 62 years old, don't work for any golf company, been playing 57 years, don't play enough these days to have a current handicap, more a range rat, used to be a 2. I'll still shoot around par on a good day though I've moved up a tee box or two, usually play 6300-6500 tees. 100 mph driver ss, mid 80's with a 7 iron (I'm a sweeper, about -2 AA on trackman with a 7 iron). Have been suffering from golfer's elbow tendonitis the last year or so. The fitter at my usual shop (Continental Golf Raleigh NC, a great bunch of guys that have treated me well for 25 years) suggested I try graphite in my irons. I'm a traditionalist, have played forged muscle-back blades all my life, Hogan Apex '70s-'80s, Mizzy MP-14 in the '90s, MP-33 '00-'18, MP-18 in the bag the last 7 years, so I'm not an easy guy to get to switch (Nippon Modus 120 S currently). But anything that could let me hit more golf balls, pain-free, I'm willing to try! I demoed the MMC and Fujikura AXIOM shafts on GC Quad and it was no comparison between those two, for me! I hardly noticed much difference in feel or performance with the MMC to my Modus 120, but the Fujs were magic from the first swing. The vibration was nearly gone. Hit a bunch of balls and the elbow felt totally good. Installed them this week in my MP-18s and after a couple range sessions these seem like a game changer for me. I had two range sessions off pretty firm mats--a "hard" but fair test! 😉 hit 90 balls a couple days apart and zero elbow issues (with my Modus I would need 8 Advil for a couple days to just be functional after a session like that) and I was seeing the same numbers outdoors on the range that I did indoors on GC Quad. My dispersion was actually a bit tighter with the AXIOM 105 S than with the Modus 120. I hit the ball noticeably higher, probably 10-15 feet on average and picked up about 5 yards each iron--more like 7-8 with the short irons. Also had noticeably more spin. Was actually stopping dead or backing up short irons a foot or two on hard greens that usually release 10-20 feet with the same iron with Modus 120. (!) To say I'm quite happy with the change would be an understatement. It's still early and I'll see how it goes on course Monday at Tobacco Road Sanford NC, a pretty stern test. The only drawback I have noticed is what others have observed: that vibration does equal feel, to some extent. But I could still feel the difference between a slight toe or heel strike from a dead center hit, and a groove or two low is glaringly obvious through the hands, but 95% less harsh than with steel! This is something I'm quite picky about and why I play blades. If I can't tell where I hit the ball from the feel my auto-swing-correct function goes "offline" 😉 and I can get lost in the woods (literally and metaphorically) pretty quickly. Mizuno blades are exemplary in this respect, so YMMV if you put the AXIOMS in a big cavity back with less shot feel/feedback... But for anyone suffering from wrist or elbow issues, the Fuji AXIOMS are a game changer. The differences in performance for me between steel and AXIOM graphite were minor and all welcome improvements. The only other drawback besides a more muted feel, is the hit to the wallet. They retail for 100 bucks a shaft so it's a big investment. But for wounded warriors it's a small price to pay to still be able to play the game we love. I think any decent (and decently well-off) player would find the performance upgrade in distance, height, and spin a reason to seriously think about trying the Fujis. If nothing else, your joints will thank you a couple decades down the line, I would wager...

It's not just my problem, it's the 30% of viewers who don't watch professional golf on TV anymore. It's entertainment, as Russell Crowe's gladiator understood. "Are you not entertained?" No. I wasn't. And I bet the ratings for Sunday were way down from the last 2 Opens. Scheffler compounds his lack of charisma by frankly stating he really doesn't care that much about winning golf tournaments. It doesn't define him. It defined Tiger, Jack, Arnie, Watson, Rory, Bryson. And that's why I watch those guys. And clearly I've got a lot of golf fans who feel just the way I do. It's fine though, really. The popularity of golf on TV just brought more people out to the golf course, created the 4.5 hour round and Mr. Scheffler has chased plenty of the millions Tiger and Rory brought out to the course to the pickleball courts or the couch, which is fine by me. Ignorant Golf Digest article too. Boring golf doesn't sell golf magazines. He's going to have to find a real job if that keeps up and that also might be very good for him and the other scribes. Thank you flamers for helping me to realize that I need to be rooting for a Scheffler grand slam. Then the courses will be empty like they were when I was a kid in the '70s and the 3 hour round will come 'round again. Keep it up, keyboard warriors!

You're wrong. He never loses his balance, ever--swinging over 130 mph! I said it's not conventionally pretty but that it is graceful, sticks the landing every time, and is incredibly powerful and athletic and hits gorgeous tight baby draws. You'd really rather watch Scottie shoot 68 than Rory shoot 75? Seriously? How can you believe someone who says something like that?

I think he's boring (I'm a 2 hdcp, not sure why that matters but someone asked). The charisma thing as stated above, can't define it but know it when I see it and Scottie doesn't have it. Tiger, Rory, Bryson have it in spades. Guys like Justin Thomas, Fleetwood, Hovland, Lowry are extremely cool guys that are just fun to watch, not 100% sure why. I do know why Scottie is not fun to watch. His swing is awkward and ungainly looking. His feet are all over the place, he doesn't finish in balance half the time, looks like a 10 hdcp. I know he is elite in clubface control, low point, ball striking, but it isn't pretty and golf on TV is for entertainment and grace and beauty are entertaining. Rory's swing is pure poetry and I could watch it all day. I've never agreed with whoever said "It's not how, it's how many" (Karl Marx?). How matters. I could watch Rory hit it all over the lot and shoot 75 and be hanging on every shot! Bryson's swing isn't conventionally pretty but it is graceful, well-balanced, highly athletic and very pleasing to watch--especially when he hits it over his house for a hole in one. Scottie cuts nearly every shot (because he has a little "over the top" move) and that is not an aesthetically appealing move or ball flight. A draw with a little inside out swing path is pretty. Brushing the ball off the turf without a divot looks cool and is cool. Digging a trench looks like you're digging a trench. Not as cool. Most of your D 1 studs and club champs are natural drawers of the golf ball. 20 'caps all slice. He just plays the same cut 90% of the time. He's not the longest hitter, not the best putter, the only thing he's best at is distance control with his irons, which is great for making money, and something I wish I was that good at, but it doesn't make me go "WOW! Pin high again!" Even though the announcers were trying to rave about it, it's not great TV. Oh and he's a "great strategist" which another way of saying he plays very boring high percentage golf. That is good for making money and putting me to sleep. I want to see the risk takers and gamblers, the go-for-broke guys! Players like Tyrel Hatton and Lowry who show real emotion are very fun to watch. I like it when they destroy tee-markers. It shows they care and not just about making money. I hear what a cut-throat competitor Scottie is from his friends. But I don't see it on the course. So, to sum up: lacking charisma (whatever that is, that thing Tiger, Rory, and Bryson have in spades!), having an awkward and ungainly looking golf swing, hitting a mild slice most of the time, not being either an amazingly long hitter nor a fabulous putter, playing very conservatively all the time, and showing zero emotion on course adds up to BORING! Flame away.

Well the channel back guessers were correct. And the ones who said it wouldn't release this year were wrong. Looks like a flatter soled 241 like Keith Mitchell would like...

Gumpy: I think the tech behind the cut muscle is updated in the MP-5--the "channel back" thing appearing to my eye a similar take on that idea, but with more mass behind the center of the clubface. And yes, I think the 241 blades with the "tapered blade" are doing something very similar. I would guess the S1 will not have anything like that, but be "pure muscle back" but good chance the S2 has tapered blade/channel back in a slightly larger profile? I think that would be a winning 1-2!