Axis1 Justin Rose Putter Review

The Axis1 Justin Rose is the only putter on the market to have the centre of gravity positioned in the middle of the face. A patented counterweighted heel means the head is perfectly balanced and twist-free, unlike other golf putters.

Inventors, engineers and general golfing crack pots are all prone to bright ideas for ground-breaking new products. We’ve seen plenty of wannabe entrepreneurs stake their fortune on radical new ideas, but most inevitably fail. So when Luis Pedraza, founder of Axis1 Golf, told us “all putters are unbalanced”, we smiled politely and took the statement with a pinch of salt. But what he’d come up with was the Axis1 – a brand new putter theory.

What Pedraza has in his favour though is that in 2018 he convinced then world #1 Justin Rose, to use his radical new perfectly balanced, torque free Axis1 putter. And if that’s not impressive enough, Pedraza also boasts of how Rose went onto to have his best putting season ever, whilst using an Axis1 model in 2019.

So with Axis1 Rose putters now available in the UK, the time felt right to find out why Justin Rose thinks they’re the perfect fit for his game.

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The Axis1 story

Axis1 founder Luis Pedraza has a background in designing medical equipment, computer products and consumer goods, his area of expertise is ergonomics, and he played a role in developing the control system that steered the Mars rover. His eyes and brain are programmed to ensure products are easy and intuitive to use, as well as being aesthetically pleasing.

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It wasn’t until Pedraza sat his Ping Anser putter down that he noticed how it naturally fell open. That’s when he started questioning traditional putter design and tried to fathom a way to make a putter that just sat behind the ball and didn’t have any forces pulling the blade open.

After making a few rough prototypes Pedraza felt he was onto something. His counterweighted hosel idea (now patented) allowed him to position the centre of gravity in the centre of the face, which isn’t the case with other putters. He also ensured the shafts axis ran through the centre of gravity, so unlike other putters you don’t fight the head twisting open, a fight that’s exaggerated when hitting putts.

Essentially Axis1 putters remove twist (torque) from the putter, and that’s the physics story that hooked reigning Olympic Gold Medallist Justin Rose. It’s a concept that makes perfect sense, even though the new hosel design that makes the putter balance is pretty unconventional.

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Details: Axis1 Justin Rose putter

Axis1 Rose putter £449

Weight: 355g

Construction: CNC Milled 303 Stainless Steel

Stock grip: Lamkin Deep Etched Paddle

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Verdict: Axis1 Justin Rose putter

It’s often really difficult to convince finickity old golfers that new product ideas represent a major step forward in terms of performance. Usually most of the reservations thrown up by seasoned players boil down to how new products need to look different in order to see any sort of improvement in performance. So don’t be surprised that the Axis1 looks very different to any putter you’ve ever seen before.

The counter weighted hosel was for us, like it will be for many, initially distracting, but the most important thing is the theory is absolutely rock solid.

It doesn’t matter which way you look at it, traditional toe hang and face balanced putters have forces trying to rotate them open to the target line, and they’re exaggerated when hitting putts. So while face-balanced putters that point to the sky (when balanced on an index finger) might look like a good idea, as Axis1 founder Luiz Padraza puts it “we don’t putt to mysterious holes in the sky”. So there’s no argument to be had over whether the physics behind Axis1 work.

After our test session we played 18 holes and even though I’m a good putter, I missed a ton of putts, especially those inside 10 feet, on the left side of the hole. Which didn’t seem to be a great start. It wasn’t until later though I realised it’s likely because the putter wasn’t opening like my usual model, putts actually went directly where they were aimed.

TG test pro Neil Wain tried the Axis1 Rose putter too and his thinking was similar to mine. The theory is water tight. We both loved how the putter is beautifully CNC Milled, we like the fanged back, the super sharp angles/detailing, the contrasting black and silver body and the simple but effective single sightline with two longer alignment lines which are a golf balls width apart. A lot of thought has clearly gone into this putter.

When it comes to feel and roll the Axis1 absolutely rocks. It just seems daft golfers try to hit shots on the centre of a putter face (it’s the same with irons and wedges) but the centre of gravity isn’t inline with the middle. By having the centre of gravity inline with the centre of the face and hitting putts on it, you get a real sweet feel, lovely roll and of course additional consistency.

So should you buy one? Well if you’re truly interested in a new way to putt, and Justin Rose is well known for making incremental gains across his entire game, the Axis1 represents a whole new angle on putting, and we can see it’s merits. Obviously the price tag is prohibitive, not too many golfers are willing to part with over £400 for a driver, let alone a putter.

If though you can try one for yourself and like us, see the torque-free light, don’t expect immediate results, this putter will behave differently to any current model. The hosel/shaft configuration will take some bedding in on the putting green, before you see serious results. But if you do find yourself committing to making the switch we reckon like Justin Rose you might just find yourself having your best putting season ever.

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Review written by: Simon Daddow   

Job title: Today’s Golfer – Equipment Editor

      

Axis1 Justin Rose Putter

355g head weight

CNC Milled from 303 stainless steel

Ceramic bead blast finish

Each putter is individually balanced

Stepless steel shaft

Lamkin Deep Etched paddle grip