What’s new? How much does it cost? And, what are the performance gains? Max McVittie brings you the lowdown on the new PXG Lightning metal woods.
Well if nothing else, this certainly takes the award for the best driver and fairway wood name. Lightning. It just sounds cool. When people ask me what driver I have in the bag I want to say that I am using a lightning.
I’m sure from the name alone you can guess what characteristic PXG has focused on here. Yep, speed. But these PXG lightning drivers and fairway woods are designed to offer so much more. They are also more forgiving and offer advanced versatility compared to previous PXG models.
To find out how, here’s everything you need to know about PXG’s latest driver and metal wood range…
PXG Lightning Drivers and Fairway Woods: The Technology
Let’s start off with how PXG has made their new drivers even faster. The brand has designed their new driver range to produce natural frequency aligning with compression of the ball during impact. In turn it means a more efficient transfer of energy in the club face which means more ball speed. This all comes from a new frequency tuned face.
A spinned sole design is also used to help increase speed. It stiffens the sole to remove unwanted modal frequencies and the thin wall carbon fibre design allows for added stiffness without added weight.
More carbon fibre is used in the crafted of this range than previous ones which allows for a higher strength to weight ratio. In fact, the whole weight structure has been strategically placed to promote more speed.
As far as fairway woods go, it is no wonder these are also named Lightning. The whole construct is a lot smaller than that of the previous PXG model. Their perimeter 12.5% thinner than Black Ops and their face Insert 6% thinner than Black Ops. They also have more flex in the face.
In terms of forgiveness, that has been increased, in part, thanks to the use of more carbon fibre in the drivers. There is a notable increase of carbon fibre in the sole area in comparison to the 0311 Black Ops. For example, the Max 10k option is 84%larger than Black Ops, whilst the Tour Mid is 74%larger than Black Ops.
Advertisement
There has also been a rearranging of weights. The back weight has also been moved further back to increase the MOI. Front weights have also been moved further forward and towards the centre of the sole.
Whereas the weighting in the fairway woods are pushed to the extreme edge of sole for maximum forgiveness. They are also fitted with a squared face design to increase the MOI. This design maintains low CG with perimeter weighting.
Versatility of these drivers has also been increased. They are designed to be fitted into with a clear commitment to adjustability in all models.
The fairway woods have an increased versatility from the two distinct shapes of the two woods in the range. The Tour option has a smaller footprint, taller face and a more rounded sole. For those of us who aren’t quite a tour level player, the more basic profile has a confidence-inspiring look.
PXG Lightning Drivers and Fairway Woods: The Line-Up
PXG has released four new drivers as part of their Lightning range; the Lightning Tour, Lightning Tour Mid, Lightning Max 10K and Lightning Max Lite.
Lightning Tour Driver
Looks: The smallest driver head out of the range. More of a player’s profile.
Main Attributes: To deliver quick ball speeds and plenty of distance.
Who is it for?: For golfers who are more confident and consistent ball strikers, as well as those who have a quicker swing speed.
Lightning Tour Mid Driver
Looks: Not as large of profile as the Max 10k but bigger than the Tour.
Main Attributes: A touch more forgiving than the standard Tour model.
Advertisement
Who is it for?: For golfers who want a higher launching driver than the Tour edition.
Lightning Max 10K Driver
Looks: The driver head is 84%larger than the previous PXG Black Ops fairway wood.
Main Attributes: Equipped with plenty of forgiveness for a tighter dispersion.
Who is it for?: For golfers with a slower swing speed and want a larger club head for a bit more confidence and forgiveness.
PXG has released two new fairway woods as part of their Lightning range; the Lightning Tour, and the Lightning
Lightning Tour Fairway Wood
Looks: Smaller footprint, taller face and more rounded face and sole.
Main Attributes: Features a thinner face design to be faster than previous line-ups.
Who is it for?: For players who prefer a more compact and smaller profile from their fairway woods.
Lightning Fairway Wood
Looks: It is built for club golfers so offers a confidence-inspiring look and a square face profile.
Main Attributes: More forgiving with a high MOI design.
Who is it for?: For golfers who require a bit more forgiveness and easier to hit profile from their fairway wood.
