Axis1 Rose Putter Review - My Honest Thoughts
- keithfmuir
- Jul 4
- 7 min read
Many of you will already recognise this putter and have likely seen Justin Rose using it to great effect in recent years. What's less likely is that you have ever had the chance to try one. That's especially the case in the UK, as I don't believe there are many, if any, stockists. Something else you might not know is that Axis1 were one of the pioneers of zero-torque putters when they started life back in 2009. So while you have likely heard of L.A.B., these guys brought zero-torque to market well before them.
If you get the chance, it is well worth checking out the Axis1 founder, Luis Pedraza, as his background working with the Mars Lunar Rover is fascinating. These are definitely putters designed by an engineer rather than an artist (and I say that as someone with an engineering degree myself). It would not be unfair to say that early Axis1 putters were far from attractive, but, thankfully, the technology has been fine-tuned over the years, and I think the current putter range is quite considerably nicer.
My First Impressions of the Axis1 Rose
I was lucky to get my hands on this Axis1 Rose putter for review, and I have to thank Adam Legg and Auchterlonies for helping me out. As mentioned above, I don't believe there are any UK stockists. This particular putter had been sitting in the back of the Auchterlonies pre-owned shop for about a year, just waiting for someone to come along and try it. What have customers been missing out on?
The first thing that strikes you is the neck. While it's a massive improvement over the early Joey model, it's still a bit cumbersome. But this is actually where the magic lies. It is the counterweighting in the heel that makes the putter zero-torque. In fact, it is the only zero-torque putter where the centre of gravity is exactly in the middle of the face and aligned with the shaft/grip axis (hence the Axis1 name, I guess). It's this lack of onset, and the performance I've experienced with the ZT blade putters (also minimal onset) that made me want to try an Axis1 putter.
All other zero-torque putters follow a pretty conventional mallet design where the CoG will be somewhere behind the face. To make them balanced, you then require the shaft to be attached at that point. You either do that directly, as with L.A.B., Bettinardi and Odyssey, or you use an unconventional neck design, like PXG. The beauty of Axis1 is that they have been able to bring the CoG forward, and to my eye, anyway, that makes it a better-looking putter at address. There are other benefits in terms of forgiveness on off-centre strikes that come from this CoG positioning, too.
It appears that Axis1 have listened to the criticism surrounding the neck and has been working with Justin Rose on a new prototype. If it comes to market with this neck style, it would provide a lot more flexibility to fit an aftermarket shaft, like the BGT Stability Tour, for example. To my eye, the new neck adds a slight touch of onset to the design, but it's not particularly significant. Reading an interview with Justin Rose about the prototype, he commented that "the one reason I switched away from the Axis in the first place, was I wasn’t that comfortable with my alignment". He used the old putter for almost 5 years and had great success with it, but I think the comment is fair. It took me a while to get comfortable with it too, and I initially felt the neck made the putter face seem aligned left.
The face of the putter is made of milled stainless steel, which gives it a fantastic feel and nice sound when you strike the ball. It also prevents the obvious water and dirt ingress from causing any rust. The back of the putter is made from a composite material which doesn't match the quality of the blade. The Elite series looks to be a much higher quality construction, but with a price to match. Having disassembled the putter in the shop, the construction consists of their blade putter with different alignment sections bolted onto the back. This is similar to what Edel does with their Array line of putters. It's a simple, flexible and cost-effective way to alter the putter and provide alternative alignment options.
The True Test - Putting Performance
Looks are subjective, but performance on the putting green is objective and ultimately the most important consideration. I used the standard set of tests that I've used for other putters, namely 6 putts, repeated 3 times from 3', 6', 9', 12' and 15 foot, followed by a lag test from 30' and a start-line test from 6'. My Toulon Atlanta was used as the benchmark, and I've included the Mark Brodie extract for comparison.
This putter, being second-hand, was not fitted to my specifications. It was the standard 34" shaft and standard 69° lie angle, so I found myself manipulating the lie a little when using it. If I were buying one, it would be 33" and 71° (maybe 33.5" if they can offer that).
Atlanta | Axis1 Rose | |
3 feet | 6/6/6 | 6/6/6 |
6 feet | 6/5/6 | 6/6/6 |
9 feet | 4/5/5 | 4/5/5 |
12 feet | 3/3/3 | 4/6/4 |
15 feet | 2/2/3 | 3/2/4 |
30 foot lag putt | 6 (one holed!) | 6 |
Start line drill | 5 | 6 |
This was another great performance by a zero-torque putter, but it was given a good run for its money by my Atlanta. The 12' and 15' performance from both putters was impressive today, but the Axis1 holing 6 from 6 from 12' was extreme. I was definitely nervous with the last putt!
Likes and Dislikes
Head shape and size (+ve): I think the head itself is absolutely fine, not any different to any other fang-style putter. It's the neck you need to get used to. An earlier photo compares the size of the head with my Atlanta.
Feel and sound (+ve): This putter feels and sounds great off the face. I'm a big fan of milled face putters rather than inserts, and this one doesn't disappoint. It's a slightly different sound from my Atlanta, but I liked it.
Pace and distance control (+ve): I loved the roll this put on the ball and found it easy to control my distance with it. With my Atlanta, I can often find myself racing the ball past the hole on longer putts, but I felt that I had more control with the Axis1. That was a surprise.
Forgiveness (+ve): As I've said earlier, this is a really forgiving head. While toe or heel strikes provided distinct audible feedback, there was little impact on the outcome of the putt. TaylorMade markets the 5K MOI they have achieved with their new Spider putter and how it aids forgiveness. Despite being several years older, the Axis1 Rose also has an MOI of 5K.
Shaft and neck (neutral): I quickly got used to the look of the neck, and it stopped bothering me after a few putts. The standard shaft seemed fine, but I've noticed they have introduced KBS CT Tour shafts on some of their new designs, which I view as a positive upgrade.
Look from address (neutral): I've not used the best photo here as it's a bit twisted, but when setting up to the ball, I definitely felt I was aiming left with this putter. I don't know if that's because of the lines on the fangs, the shape of the head or the fact that SAM data shows that I aim my Atlanta 1.1° to the right! The reality is that, given the performance data, I'm aiming and hitting this putter well, so the issue probably lies with my Atlanta rather than the Axis1 Rose.
Headcover and grip: Unfortunately, I can't comment on these as the cover was missing and the grip had been changed. But the standard grip is a Lamkin deep etched, which is a grip I've used for years and is very good, although I've recently switched to a SuperStroke Tour 1.0, which I like even more. The head cover looks good on the website.
Final Thoughts On The Axis1 Rose Putter
It was great to get my hands on this putter and try it out. Reviewing so many zero-torque putters without putting Axis1 in the mix would have been a real shame. It's just unfortunate there are no stockists in the UK, as this is not the model I would have ideally reviewed.
It would be fantastic if I could get my hands on the three models above, the Elyte, the Shadow Laser and the Shadow B 2.0. Sadly, though, unless someone from Axis1 reads this and sends me some demo clubs, it looks unlikely to happen.
While it is not my preferred head shape, I genuinely think I could use the Axis1 Rose putter. Unlike its looks, its feel and performance were excellent, and it was certainly as good, if not better, than any of the other zero-torque putters I have tried recently (feel is subjective, performance is objective). For my overseas readers, you owe it to yourself to try Axis1 options if you are looking for a zero-torque putter.
So would I buy one? Yes, I think I would, just not this model. This one is well priced in the second-hand store, but it's the wrong length and lie angle, so it's not for me. Before buying, I'd love to get my hands on the other models to try, and I'm intrigued to see what comes of the prototype they are working on with Justin Rose. If they change the neck design, I could end up regretting the purchase of a current model. If you can live with the look of the neck, these are very good putters indeed. I'll keep an eBay search open for the other models!
I'd love to hear your views in the comments section below.
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Links to other recent zero-torque putter reviews:
L.A.B.Link.1 - here
BGT Paradox - here
TaylorMade Spider 5K - here
L.A.B. DF3 - here
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