You've seen the PXG commercials. You can't look away really. Whether it's about PXG clubs or PXG fittings the hype is immense. And the craziest thing? If you've played PXG clubs or went through a PXG fitting you know the reality actually exceeds even the hype.
You can add Darren (@steelstate18 on twitter) to the growing list of PXG Troops. Darren won my PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas (Letters from Santa) PXG Sugar Daddy II wedges and Battle Ready putter fitting and was blown away by the entire experience.
In Darren's own words he's found "the perfect distances (with wedges) he's always been looking for," and (with the putter) "couldn't believe how pure (he) was hitting it."
In his own words, here's what Darren (@steelstate18 on twitter) thought about his PXG fitting experience, and ultimately what wedges and putter he wound up getting:
PXG Sugar Daddy Wedges and Putter giveaway – Day 11 #releasethekringle
SNOW DAY! Being treated to a midweek snow day was icing on the cake! Having the Wednesday off, I decided to push my original PXG (Detroit) fitting appointment to the morning to hopefully get a better experience overall. And wow, I wasn’t let down at all!
The PXG Pro Shop in Detroit was great. Very organized and customers can try whatever putters they want. I met Marcus in the bay, and we got started right away.
We talked for several minutes about what I was looking for: my handicap, tendencies with my long irons and wedges, and my goal for the fitting. He then dove into the history of the company and the differences between GEN 2, 3, 4, and 5 irons.
Marcus' historical knowledge of the PXG company and the technical data about the metals and materials built into all their clubs was unmatched. It was really great information to start with. I asked him what the big difference was between the GEN4 and the GEN5 irons. He said the milled back and 5x forging was still the same, as was the ultra thin face. But that’s where the similarities ended.
There are several features in the GEN5 heads that stand out. First, Marcus told me about the COR2 technology that makes the fill material ultra lightweight. This helps produce higher ball speed and allows for lower weighting in the back of the clubhead to increase MOI and forgiveness. He then mentioned that extra tungsten weight in the back creates even more stability throughout the shot, and I told him I'd have to see it to believe it.
Marcus had me start with the 7 iron in my bag. After only six swings he was shocked and asked me how I could get my handicap to where it is using these things (my current irons)... I consistently missed right. Trajectory was all over the place. Ball speed was average at best.
So then Marcus puts a GEN5 iron in my hand and it was a MAJOR change for sure! He set me up with the GEN5 T irons after watching my swing. He saw that I have a shallow swing with a bit of an upright angle at address, and when we were done I finally got the right club and shaft combination and that produced was better overall results!
We then got to the Sugar Daddy II and Marcus had me keep identical shafts in the wedges, and that immediately just felt a lot more comfortable compared to my old wedges. We talked a lot about how I hit wedges. I told him I'm typically a pretty good player around the greens but have tendencies to hit the ball fat sometimes (whether because of the lie or because I’m trying to muscle a sand wedge longer than 90 yards).
I shared my frustration with Marcus that I can't get my sand wedge to go any further than 90 yards. And it's tough to go anything less than full swing with my gap wedge to get below 100 yards. I really have a hole in my game from 90 to 105 yards. So we went to work.
Marcus said that because I hit a very shallow iron in the previous group of shots he would start with the low bounce 56 degree wedge with the same shaft and go from there. And the first thing I noticed is I still had my normal swing plane and picking of the golf ball, but all of a sudden I was hitting every ball within two feet on the center line at 90-95 yards! It was the best I have felt over the ball with a wedge in my hand.
So after a dozen or so more swings Marcus explained how we could get even better, and explained how even just one degree difference in your wedges is going to be a key in creating ideal performance. So he suggested the 50, 54, and 58 degree wedges in bag instead of my normal set-up.
And when I hit the 54 degree wedge I finally found that perfect distance I've been looking for! Marcus also gave me a tip about my grip with my wedges and a way to create even a little more spin with a shallow entry into the golf ball.
But wait there’s more…
THE PUTTER BABY!
I can’t believe what I was missing until now. If you don’t read anything in this post, read this…GO GET FIT FOR A NEW PXG PUTTER!
I have been an Odyssey guy for over 20 years. And Marcus talked about the new putter line and I got a chance to hit most of them. I started with shapes I knew and felt comfortable with, and liked a few of them a lot but probably not enough to change. Then he said why don’t you try a Spitfire?
I can’t believe how pure I hit it! The only thing I wasn’t too excited about was the somewhat tingy sound but man, I was immediately putting so much better than I normally do. The tungsten weighting is amazing, and I loved that even if when didn’t hit it pure, the ball still got to the hole. It was great!
Marcus and the entire staff was very professional and incredibly knowledgeable about the PXG company. And it was really interesting to learn more about Bob Parsons and got that “26 Blackness” putter head cover as well! Thank you again Pete for this incredible experience!
Thanks for an awesome review Darren. It was fun reading and could tell you genuinely had a fantastic time. And how about that... you finally have wedges you can hit confidently to your numbers! Sounds like your short game got all the boxes checked after your PXG Detroit fitting!
You guys know how much I've enjoyed hitting what's become an entire bag of PXG clubs now. From driver and irons to wedges and putter, PXG equipment performance has been absolutely fantastic.
And as I mentioned last year in my own fitting, PXG fitter expertise and thoroughness of fitting is flat out exceptional. You just know you're getting the best. You know you're going to leave with the absolute best, most perfect PXG clubs for your swing and your game. And that kind of awesome is... (wait for it)...
KABOOM BABY!
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