Over the last two seasons, there has been a surge of fresh players to golf, but the equipment most “never-evers” wind up using is either borrowed or old, lacking modern technologies that can make learning to play the game a lot more fun.
PXG has focused on creating clubs that look like equipment made for accomplished golfers, but those feature hidden technologies that make the company’s game-improvement and max game-improvement products more powerful and forgiving.
With the release of the new 0211 Z set, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company is doing something completely different and trying to appeal to players who have decided to make their first investment in golf.
Everything about the 0211 Z woods and irons was designed with beginners in mind. For example, the set has 10 clubs in it instead of 14 to keep things simple for golfers who are just learning to play. There is a driver, a 4-wood, a 5-hybrid, a 6-iron through sand wedge and a putter. A golf bag and headcovers also come standard.
The driver, 4-wood and hybrid have adjustable hosels, but PXG knows most sets will be purchased online because beginners are often intimidated by the custom fitting process. On the company’s website, golfers only need to tell PXG their gender, age, height and whether they are right-handed or left-handed. Using that basic information, PXG will build a set and ship it.
At $1,695, this is not the cheapest way for beginners to get clubs. But for someone who has fallen in love with the game, who has the means and who is committed to playing, it is an uncomplicated way to get some state-of-the-art technology in their hands to make things easier. The driver, fairway wood and hybrid are available for $795, and the 6-iron through sand wedge are also available for $795.
PXG 0211 Z driver. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The 0211 Z driver is designed to be confidence-inducing and easy to hit. Drivers designed for experienced golfers display a loft, but this is a “1 Wood” to keep things simple. In truth, it has 16 degrees of loft, which for most golfers would be a 3-wood, but with 460 cubic centimeters of volume and titanium and face and chassis, it packs a punch for slower-swinging golfers who need to maximize carry distance.
The carbon fiber crown is much lighter than the titanium it replaces on the top of the club, so more weight could be positioned low and back in the head to increase stability and promote a higher launch angle. At the same time, an internal thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) piece in the back of the sole soaks up vibrations to enhance sound and feel. A second internal TPE piece has been added to the back of the crown to compliment it.
The carbon fiber crown in the 0211 Z driver has lowered areas in the heel and toe. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
PXG designers lowered the crown over the heel and toe areas to decrease the club’s volume, then made the face larger. That will make the sweet spot on the Ti412 hitting area larger and more forgiving.
The 0211 Z driver in the address position. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
PXG drivers are typically 45.5 inches long, but the 0211 Z driver comes standard at shorter lengths for both men and women. The men’s club is 44 inches and for women, it is 43 inches. With a lie angle of 61.5 degrees, the 0211 Z is also more upright than most drivers, to promote a distance-enhancing right to left ball flight.
PXG 0211 Z fairway wood. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
PXG includes one fairway wood with the 0211 Z set and it is labeled with a “4.” The club has 18 degrees of loft, and like the driver, is designed to be forgiving and get the ball into the air easily.
The stainless-steel face has a higher toe and boxy shape that broadens the sweet spot, and the addition of a carbon fiber crown helped PXG designers lower the center of gravity location. The club has a low profile, from sole to top, but it is long from back to front, so the center of gravity could be pushed as far back from the face as possible. Also, beginners tend to find that getting low-profile fairway woods under the ball is easier than deep-faced clubs, so they tend to make solid contact more often.
To enhance sound and feel, PXG added a honeycomb-shaped TPE piece inside the head, on the sole, to absorb excessive vibrations created at impact.
PXG 0211 Z hybrid. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The hybrid that comes with the 0211 Z set has 25 degrees of loft and is labeled with a “5.” It also has a carbon fiber crown, an internal piece of TPE to improve sound and feel, and a squared stainless-steel face that helps to broaden the sweet spot and shirt more weight to the perimeter of the head to increase stability.
PXG 0211 Z irons and wedges. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Manufacturers of game-improvement and max game-improvement irons do not make 3-irons, and 4-irons are becoming rare for golfers who struggle to shoot below the mid-80s. Making the 0211 Z irons with beginners in mind, PXG designers decided to set the set with a 6-iron and progress up to a sand wedge, so there are only six irons in the set. For people who are new to the game, it is plenty.
The 0211 Z irons are the first non-filled, hollow-bodied irons PXG has ever released. Other clubs like the 0311 GEN4 irons are hollow-bodied but filled with polymers or foams, but filling irons this large with those materials would add too much weight.
The PXG 0211 Z irons have a wide sole, lots of offset and low profile, but the chrome and black design makes them appear somewhat smaller at address. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Each club has an extremely-wide sole, to help golfers who hit the ground behind the ball first maintain speed through impact, and significant offset to help players who have developing swings square the face on the downswing more easily. The low-profile design should also help golfers avoid hitting thin shots.
In the address position, the golfer’s eyes clearly see the chrome behind the ball while the black, back portion of the heads fades into the background. The enormous size of the heads allowed PXG to drop the CG location and pull it away from the hitting area. It also boosts the moment of inertia (MOI) to increase stability on mis-hits.
The 0211 Z sand wedge has a massive bounce and is designed to be played from a square position instead of requiring the play to open the face. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The sand wedge is designed with 12-degrees of measured bounce, but the extremely-wide sole design gives it a more effective or “playing” bounce. It can be used in the sand without the player having to open the face.
PXG 0211 Hellcat putter. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The 0211 Z set comes standard with an 0211 Hellcat putter, identical to the 0211 putters that were released in August.
The 0211 putters have a unique alignment system called Runway Reticle that is based on the lights and paint scheme used on airplane runways. Along with a line on the topline, several lines in the back help players set the club down behind the ball perpendicular to the target line.
The Runway Reticle alignment system helps golfers aim the 0211 putters more effectively. (PXG)
The face also has a unique, milled Pyramid Face Pattern which features tiny diamond-shaped pieces across the hitting area. The pattern is formed by tiny pyramids that are designed to grab the back of the golf ball at impact and get it rolling instead of skidding after impact for better distance control and consistency.
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