Axis1 Rose Putter Review

Axis1 Rose Putter Review

Axis1 putters came to prominence in 2019 when Justin Rose started using them. His stats on the greens improved significantly after the switch and this Rose model is the design that he uses.

The thing that makes all Axis1 putters stand out from the crowd is the heel counterweight that sticks out ahead of the face. This patented heel weight makes it perfectly balanced - with the centre of gravity right in the centre of the clubface and perfectly aligned with the axis of the shaft - so it doesn’t naturally open up.

It’s essentially a no-torque putter designed to make it easier to keep the face square and therefore produce more consistent results. When you balance the shaft in your fingers, it actually hangs toe up where most putters will hang face up or toe down.

It’s an unusual concept and takes a bit of getting used to visually, as well as in terms of performance. The first few putts went a bit left because the natural inclination is to open and close the putter slightly as you swing.

But this putter doesn’t swing open on the way back, so closing it slightly on the way through will make the face point left at impact. Once you get used to this and simply keep the head square throughout the entire stroke it becomes very easy to start the ball on your intended line.

The fanged shape extending back from the face is very popular these days and the central white line on the leading edge and two outer lines on the fangs frame the ball well at address. Surprisingly, the fangs themselves are made of a hollow plastic piece that is screwed onto the metal blade at the front,  which creates an unusually echoey sound and feel.

The milling on the face is pretty shallow and the sound and feel is certainly on the duller side - even to the point of feeling a little dead off the face. This could be an advantage on fast greens, but it might not be ideally suited to playing on slower surfaces.

The roll of the ball in general was pleasing and consistent with the Axis1 Rose putter, and we certainly holed more than our fair share of putts once we got familiar with how it flows during the stroke.