PXG – Page 8 – Syndication Server

PXG makes 0811 X Proto and 0811 X+ Proto drivers available

Loaded with technology and suited for different swing types, PXG’s hottest drivers had been for tour pros only, until now.

Each week there’s a PGA Tour event, there typically are a few players using some piece of prototype gear. Maybe it’s a new putter or a soon-to-be-released shaft, but manufacturers often give the green light to pros to use the club in competition before it reaches consumers but after it lands on the USGA and R&A conforming lists.

That’s the stuff regular consumers can’t get – at least, not yet – but PXG is making an exception.

Pat Perez's PXG driver — Pat Perez’s PXG 0811 X Proto driver at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Ryan Moore, Wyndham Clark and Pat Perez had been using prototype PXG drivers – the PXG 0811 X and 0811 X+ Tour – throughout the fall and winter, and now the Scottsdale, Ariz., brand is making them available to the public.

“We’re excited to offer a limited number of our 0811 X and X+ Tour Prototype drivers,” said Bob Parsons, PXG’s founder in a release. “We believe we’ve created something special and are looking forward to getting feedback from average golfers, like myself, in the coming weeks.”

The 0811 X Proto will only be available in a right-hand version with 9 degrees of loft, but it has an adjustable hosel mechanism that allows golfers and club fitters to change the stated loft by as many as 1.5 degrees. The club’s standard length is 45 inches.

PXG said the 0811 X Proto is designed to optimize a swing that approaches the ball on either level or slightly downward attack angle. It has a low center of gravity and is being touted as a low-spin club.

To help achieve that, the 0811 X Proto comes standard with four moveable weights, one heavier than the other three. Shifting the heavy weight’s location shifts the center of gravity and encourages different shot shapes. With the heavier weight in the heel, the club has a draw bias; moving the heavier weight to the toe encourages a fade.

PXG has given the 0811 X Proto a honeycomb-shaped thermoplastic elastomer insert that rests on the sole inside the club. It absorbs vibrations to soften the feel at impact and enhance the acoustics.

The 0811 X+ Proto also has four moveable weights, an adjustable hosel and an internal insert to improve sound and feel, but it was created for golfers who tend to have an upward, positive attack angle into the ball.

The 0811 X+ will be available in a right-handed, 10.5-degree version, and it should produce more spin than the 0811 X Proto.

Both drivers will cost $495 and are available on PXG’s website.

2020 gear guide: New wedges

Wedges have adjusted centers of gravity to zero in on specific trajectories with extra spin.

For whatever your game needs, equipment designers have been busy tweaking existing lines for better performance and often introducing entirely new clubs.

Wedges have adjusted centers of gravity to zero in on specific trajectories with extra spin. Check out some of the wedges that have been introduced for this season.

Callaway Jaws MD5

Price: $159.99

This wedge is cast from 8620 mild-carbon steel for a soft feel, and Callaway said the grooves are the most aggressive in the game. They are more V-shaped to grab the cover of the ball for greater spin on chips, pitches and approach shots.

Pages: 12345

Billy Horschel leaves PXG, enters equipment free agency

Billy Horschel is no longer sponsored by PXG. The PGA Tour pro is now testing new equipment.

[jwplayer 95tUs7b3-9JtFt04J]

ORLANDO – The target was a man about 400 yards away who was wearing a green shirt. Billy Horschel wanted his tee shot to finish in line with the unsuspecting man, and after a brief chat with swing guru Todd Anderson, Horschel slowly took his driver back, reached the top of his backswing and made a powerful move down to the ball. It rocketed into the steamy Florida sky, which at 10 a.m. was heating up quickly.

Horschel, who enters this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge ranked No. 35 on the Official World Golf Ranking, liked what he saw. That’s important, because Horschel broke ties with his sponsor, PXG, on Feb. 24 and became a free agent in the equipment world. Starting last week, the PXG logos on his hat and bag were gone, and that drive he hit Wednesday morning was with a new TaylorMade SIM driver.

“My team and I are always looking at how we can get better,” Horschel told Golfweek after his pro-am Wednesday. “At our level, the leaps and bounds are not as big as they are for recreational golfers and it can be hard to find that little quarter-shot or half-shot that we’re looking to improve. Over a little time, my team and I discussed it and felt there may be some possibilities with some other equipment that could help us improve my game.”

In addition to the TaylorMade driver, Horschel has been testing Titleist Vokey Design SM8 wedges this week. He plans to continue using his PXG irons and the Ping putter he has used for most of the last two seasons.

Billy Horschel’s golf bag at Bay Bill, with a TaylorMade driver, PXG irons and a Ping putter (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Pros change gear all the time. Putters come and go, new shafts are tested almost weekly and prototype clubs are often made available months before they show up at retail. What makes Horschel’s move unique is it comes just a week before the Players Championship and a month before the season’s first major, the 2020 Masters.

“I would rather have done this a couple of weeks ago,” Horschel said. But he added that making equipment changes now has some advantages too. This week he is playing his ninth consecutive Arnold Palmer Invitational, so he knows Bay Hill well. And next week at Pete Dye’s Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Horschel will be enjoying a home game.

“The Players is my home, I know that track and I’m comfortable with it,” said Horschel, who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Since turning pro in 2009, Horschel, 33, has never been an equipment free agent. He signed a deal with Ping immediately after he finished at the University of Florida and moved to PXG in 2016.

When reached for comment, a PXG representative texted, “Billy has been a tremendous partner for the company since joining the PXG Troops in 2016. We are pleased and proud to have had him on staff and wish him nothing but the best in this new chapter.”

Horschel is not a fan of testing gear at PGA Tour events because there are a lot of distractions, but having access to all the club brands, shaft manufacturers and accessories makers in one place makes it convenient.

“Ideally, I’d be doing this stuff at home,” Horschel said. “I’ll do that going forward, but the driver testing is so crucial and you can do so much so quickly here with shafts and heads. Plus, these are all companies that I’ve never worked with before.”

Time will tell if Horschel’s gamble pays off. As the highest-ranked play in the PXG stable, he was paid well, but several golfers who play without equipment contracts have won recent major championships, including Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed.

“My team and I said, ‘Hey, if we can get something for Augusta that could possibly help us put on a green jacket, let’s not hesitate to do that.’ ”

[opinary poll=”where-do-you-think-tiger-woods-will-win–LXAgRI” customer=”golfweek”]

[jwplayer kWYQE367-9JtFt04J]

Check out the newest golf equipment: Drivers, irons and balls

Here’s a sampling of all the new equipment recently released from major manufacturers that should garner attention as golf season kicks off.

With the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando completed last week, most of the major equipment launches for early 2020 have been announced. From drivers to irons to golf balls, Golfweek has covered them all. Check out the following 10 products, a sampling of all the new equipment recently released from major manufacturers that should garner attention as golf season kicks off.

The Tour B balls have an updated cover that helps to produce more distance off the tee and greenside spin. (Bridgestone)

Bridgestone Tour B golf balls (2020)

Price: $44.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece urethane-covered balls
Available: Feb. 14

The key technology in the second generation of Tour B golf balls is a new type of urethane used in the cover. Bridgestone calls it Reactiv urethane, and it contains an impact modifier that helps the material do some unique things.

Off the tee, the urethane rebounds more quickly than other urethanes Bridgestone has used to help golfers generate more ball speed and distance. However, on softly hit pitches and chip shots around the green, it absorbs shock and helps the ball stay in contact with the face for a longer period of time. That should help the grooves in wedges generate more spin and greenside control.

More from Bridgestone

Pages: 12345678910

PXG GEN3 T, GEN3 P and GEN3 XP irons

Thanks to a new dual-core polymer design inside the head, PXG’s newest irons deliver more distance with enhanced feel.

Gear: PXG GEN3 T, PXG GEN3 P and PXG GEN3 XP irons
Price: $425 per iron
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel body with a HT1770 maraging steel face, dual-core polymer insert, and tungsten and titanium weights
Available: Jan. 15

The first irons released by PXG, the original 0311 that were made available in September 2015, were touted as clubs that looked like muscleback blades but performed like game-improvement clubs. Just over two years later, with the release of the 0311 GEN2 irons, the company said that by changing the material inside the hollow heads, it was able to create more ball speed and give players more distance.

Now, with the release of the 0311 GEN3 irons, PXG thinks it has cracked the code and can deliver significantly more distance and better performance for players who can afford the hefty sticker price.

Each 0311 GEN3 iron is forged from a piece of 8620 carbon steel, then the back of each club is milled by a computer using high-speed cutters to create the precise shape engineers envisioned. Like the previously released irons, a series of tungsten and titanium weights ring the back of the head, lowering the center of gravity and pulling it away from the hitting area to encourage higher-flying shots that stop faster on the green.

The face, forged from a harder stainless steel, is just 1.5 millimeters thick. An internal channel has been milled around its perimeter to broaden the sweet spot, and it is laser-welded to the body. However, instead of keeping the club hollow, PXG has filled the internal chamber in a new way.

PXG 0311 GEN3 iron — The size of the dual-core Impact Reactor is different in each of the three 0311 GEN3 irons. (PXG)

A soft polymer insert is added to the space, then it is surrounded by a second, firmer polymer. PXG refers to this dual-polymer system as an Impact Reactor, and the company said the soft material allows a greater portion of the hitting area to flex at impact to create more ball speed, while the firmer polymer boosts the stability of the club.

The 0311 GEN3 irons are available in three styles:

The 0311 GEN3 T is for accomplished players who want a compact head, short blade length, a thin topline and a narrow sole. It produces the most spin and offers the most workability.

The 0311 GEN3 P is a game-improvement club designed to provide some playability, but it has a slightly larger head and a bigger inner chamber, so it creates more ball speed than the T clubs. It also has a thicker topline and more offset.

The 0311 GEN3 XP is the largest and most powerful of the three new irons. It has the longest blade length, most offset, thickest topline and is the most forgiving. PXG said the XP generates 5 mph more ball speed than the P, with 900 rpm less spin, yet it produces the same height. As a result, it typically produces about 12 yards more distance than the P and 18 yards more than the T.

PXG signs Chez Reavie, Jason Kokrak, Joel Dahmen and Haley Moore

Parsons Xtreme Golf has added three more players to its PGA Tour staff, along with an LPGA rookie.

While the PGA Tour operates on a rolling calendar, endorsement contracts still tend to be based on a traditional calendar system, with deals ending on Dec. 31 and starting on Jan. 1.

Shortly after the clock struck 12 and 2020 began on Wednesday, PXG announced that it has added Chez Reavie, Jason Kokrak and Joel Dahmen to the company’s PGA Tour staff, as well as LPGA rookie Haley Moore.

The terms of each endorsement deal were not disclosed.

Reavie is coming off his best year as a professional. He won the 2019 Travelers Championship, earning him a spot in this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. According to PXG, he will be using the following clubs:

DRIVER: PXG 0811 Prototype
FAIRWAY WOODS: PXG 0341 X GEN2 (3, 5)
IRONS: PXG 0311 ST (4-PW)
WEDGES: PXG Milled Sugar Daddy (50, 54 and 60 degrees)
PUTTER: PXG GEN2 Mini Gunboat