Equipment
2021 PXG Gen4 drivers and fairway woods: More technology, greater adjustability, improved performance
After some serious teasing, PXG is delivering all the tech details of its new Gen4 metals series featuring the 0811 XF, 0811 X, and 0811 XT drivers, along with the new Gen4 0341 X fairway woods, and 0317 X hybrids.
Gen4 series goals
- Utilize all available technology to improve performance
- Offer greater adjustability
- Make the clubs easier to dial in for each individual golfer
PXG Gen4 driver technology
The Gen4 series of drivers have been re-engineered from the top down to boost MOI and ball speed with the most noticeable change being the two-tone crown comprised of carbon fiber with an aluminum vapor (AV) coating.
This AV process has been used in the past on a select number of high-end shafts to increase material stiffness—most notably, the Mitsubishi AV Raw series—but in true PXG fashion, this is the first time this type of material and process has been used in clubhead design.
“The AV technology (in the crown)adds a big performance element thanks to the stiffening of the carbon fiber and mass savings.” –Brad Schweigert, Chief Product Officer
This AV carbon fiber panel is stronger and lighter than traditional carbon fiber and helps lower the center of gravity. It also serves the secondary purpose of creating perimeter weighting like a cavity back iron, since the crown features titanium on the heel and toe sections.
For the internals of the driver, we are greeted with the familiar PXG honeycomb TPE insert to dampen acoustics and increase feel, which brings us to the final parts of the puzzle—the face and sole.
The new PXG Gen4 driver uses an exclusive high-speed titanium 421 face, which allows the engineers to push the envelope of variable face thickness to save mass and increase the COR outside of the sweet spot. This material was first introduced in the 0211 driver and has carried forward into Gen4.
“The Ti412 is the perfect material for a driver face.” -Brad Schweigert
The reason this titanium material works so well is that it has a high yield strength with low elastic modulus—in layman’s terms, the Ti412 is strong when placed under stress to hold its shape but is also springy/elastic to create ball speed.
Now to the sole. Much like the Prototype drivers that came before it, PXG is officially ditching the smaller adjustable weights in the Gen4 in favor of larger, more condensed points of mass adjustability. This makes adjusting the driver faster and easier and helps create more discretionary weight to be positioned around the driver’s head since the smaller housing (places within the head that hold the weight) are now much lighter.
Driver Models
PXG 0811 XF
The 0811 XF is the largest profile from address and is longer heel to toe to increase stability in the hitting area, making it the most forgiving driver in the PXG line.
The available lofts are 7.5, 9, and 10.5 degrees (right and left-handed)
PXG 0811 X
The 0811 X has a taller face height and shortened length from front to back. This helps lower the CG relative to the face to help produce higher-launching, lower-spinning shots, while still maintaining forgiveness. This is the lowest-spinning driver in the new Gen4 lineup and spins on average just over 400 rpm less than the XF.
The available lofts are 7.5, 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees (right and left-handed)
PXG 0811 XT
The 0811 XT is the “outlier” compared to the other drivers in the Gen4 line because it has been completely optimized for golfers who swing the driver over 105 mph. It offers a more aerodynamic shape, along with a smaller profile to increase workability.
The available loft are 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees (right and left-handed)
Order date and price
The Gen4 0811 series drivers are available for order now through PXG.com and are priced at $549.
PXG Gen4 fairways and hybrids
The PXG Gen4 fairway woods and hybrids feature much of the same technology and design philosophies as the Gen4 driver, but in packages optimized for their unique functions using materials better suited for the job—the most noted being HT 17170 maraging steel face inserts.
Technology and design
The fairway woods and hybrids utilize the same concept from the crown of the Gen4 driver to lower CG and boost MOI by removing the middle section and replacing it with the new AV carbon composite. Although the carbon panel on the crown is smaller compared to the driver, the steel it replaces is almost eight times heavier, which makes it extremely effective for saving weight.
The 0341 X fairway woods feature a deeper face design with a low center of gravity to help optimize spin performance. For a fairway wood that means creating a stable flight that is also stoppable in the higher lofts since those clubs are used more often from the rough and to approaches greens.
The hybrids feature the same construction of the fairway woods, but unlike PXG hybrids of the past that are traditionally more rounded and “wood” shaped, the new 0317 X have a longer look from heel to toe with a deeper squared-off toe profile to make them appear slightly more iron-like from address, which helps increase high-low MOI (which is the measurement of forgiveness up and down the face).
Both the soles of the fairway woods and hybrids now use the larger weights to make adjusting faster and rely on a dual weight system to create either a neutral or draw bias. In the fairway woods, this is an evolution from the earlier released Prototype which featured a third toe weight port but based on player testing and feedback it was felt that the extra weight saved from the third weight port could be better utilized to optimize spin versus offering a rarely used fade bias.
The change in the weight system came directly from our fitters. The previous system was underutilized and we wanted golfers to see as much benefit as possible and the larger weights offer greater CG customization. -Mike Nicolette
Although not a technology feature, one key thing to point out about the Gen4 lineup—along with all PXG clubs—is since every club is custom built from scratch, they are completely unisex. This is a design characteristic PXG has had since the beginning and is an often overlooked part of their design philosophy. From the club designers all the way to PXG fitters, they don’t believe in “men’s and women’s” clubs —they believe in golf clubs designed to fit any player and the Gen4 reinforces that philosophy.
Fairway wood specs, price, and availability
The fairway woods will be available in the lofts of 13, 15, 18, and 21 degrees (right and left-handed), and are available now for custom order – they are priced at $429 each.
Hybrid specs, price, and availability
The hybrids will be available in the lofts of 17, 19, 22, 25, and 28 degrees (right and left-handed), and are available now for custom order – they are priced at $379 each.
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Whats in the Bag
Rory McIlroy’s winning WITB: 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X 7.0 (4-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB) Buy here, Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-K @59) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X3 Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour
Ball: 2024 TaylorMade TP5x Buy here.
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s WITB in the forums.
View this post on Instagram
The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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