XXIO (pronounced zek-si-oh), the No. 1 golf brand in Japan year-in and year-out, has unveiled to America new XXIO Forged irons, as well as a new line of Prime clubs — drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons — that take drastic measures to help golfers hit longer, straighter shots.

The feathery-light club heads have an inherent draw bias to help fix a slice, as well as a high moment of inertia (MOI, a measure of forgiveness) to help improve performance on mishits. To achieve a lower and deeper center of gravity (CG), which translates to a higher launch and more forgiveness, the rear portions of the crowns in the driver, fairway woods and hybrids were made more shallow, helping to push weight down and back in the heads.

Extremely light, XXIO Prime SP-900 graphite shafts are the stock option throughout the line. The shafts are made with premium materials, including Toray T110G, and use different constructions in the tip, mid and butt sections to improve performance. Key to their design are shock-absorbing, flexible tip sections, which can help golfers create more club-face closure at impact to increase draw bias. The weight of the shafts is just as critical. The XIOO Prime SP-900 driver shaft measures 46 inches, yet it weighs just 36 grams. The 3-wood shaft measures 43 inches and weighs a mere 38 grams. The 5-hybrid shaft measures 39 inches and tips the scales at only 48 grams. All of the stock shafts in the woods are available in SR- and R-Flex.

The new releases are priced at the higher end of the American golf equipment market, as you may have guessed from the ostentatious gold color schemes.

• Driver: $849.99 each
• Fairway Woods: $579.99 each
• Hybrids: $379.99 each

The XXIO Forged irons will be available on Dec. 10, while the Prime clubs will be available on Dec. 17. See what GolfWRX members are saying about the clubs in our forums.

XXIO Prime Driver 

The XXIO Prime drivers, which have a total weight of 252 grams, are designed to quell the common slice that average golfers fight. In addition to its draw-enhancing weighting and shaft design, the club heads also have a smaller toe section and an expanded heel section. The heel section of the club face is thicker to reduce a slice on open-face, heel strikes, according to the company.

Also, a very thin crown that measures just 0.35 millimeters in most spots helps lower the center of gravity (CG). For even more forgiveness, the drivers have what the company calls a “Wing Cup Face,” which uses variable face thickness and a channel in the sole — both to produce faster ball speeds across the forged faces.

Compared to XXIO’s previous driver model, the club head is 4 grams lighter, the shaft is 0.25 inches longer, the swing weight is two points heavier (D3), the shaft is 2 grams lighter and the grip is 2 grams lighter. The changes, as well as the driver’s higher average COR area, will create an increase of 4.3 more yards on average, according to XXIO.

The XXIO Prime driver comes in lofts of 10.5 and 11.5 degrees.

XXIO Prime Fairway Woods

Like the XXIO Prime drivers, the fairway woods have a cup face with variable thickness for more forgiveness and speed across the face. They also use an extremely light shaft and lower CG from the head construction to pick up 3.4 yards on average compared to their predecessors, according to XXIO. The total weight of the clubs range from 273 gram (3 wood) to 285 grams (7 wood), making them some of the lightest fairway wood offerings on the market.

The fairway woods — 3 (15 degrees), 5 (18 degrees) and 7 (21 degrees) — will sell for $579.99 each.

XXIO Prime Hybrids

The XXIO Prime hybrids have a HT17709 maraging steel cup face for forgiveness on off-center hits, and have a taller face to increase the sweet spot, according to the company. Compared to the predecessors, they also have a more shallow rear crown — like the drivers and fairway woods — for lower and deeper CG. A single weight in the heel portion of the sole is made from tungsten-nickel and weighs 4 grams.

The clubs are available in U5 (23 degrees), U6 (26 degrees) and U7 (29 degrees), and will each sell for $379.99 each.

XXIO Prime irons

According to XXIO, its Prime irons irons boast the lowest and deepest CG ever used in a XXIO iron, leading to a higher launch and more forgiveness, partially a result of faces that have been lengthened near the sole.

Their soles are also made with a tungsten-nickel weight — it weighs 28 grams in the 7-iron — and a high-density, tungsten-nickel inner weight in the long irons, as well. The iron bodies are made from 630 stainless steel with a mirror, satin and high-gloss, bead-blast finish. Total weight of the clubs, like the rest of the line, are very light, coming in at 339 grams (5 and 6 iron) and 349 grams (7-9 iron).

XXIO Prime irons come stock in either SR or R Flex and are available as a set for $1,039 (7-9, PW), and individually for $260 each (5, 6, AW, SW).

XXIO Forged irons 

The XXIO Forged irons have bodies made from mild carbon steel and a HT1770 maraging steel face. The V.T. Soles have slightly higher bounce than previous models to prevent digging and improve turf interaction, ultimately tightening dispersion. The faces are made thin for high ball speeds, and the thin area has been expanded by 20 percent compared to the previous model to expand the sweet spot, according to the company.

The irons are available in either N.S. Pro 930GH DST steel, XXIO MX-6000 graphite, or Miyazaki Kusala 8 shafts available at custom, each offered in SR or R Flex. Pricing is as follows:

• $1,019 (Steel: 5-9, PW), $1,259 (Graphite: 5-9, PW)
• Individual clubs (4, AW, SW) can be purchased for $170 each in steel and $210 each in graphite.

Related: See what GolfWRX members are saying about the photos in our forums.