Fujikura AXIOM Shaft review...

[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...

Edited July 25 by 2over

[dalillama47]

Can't really add much else to what you say about the Axiom's.  Besides the great dampening effect, these shafts are the tightest dispersion shafts I've swung.