XXIO is a primo, high-end golf club brand in Japan (also part of the Cleveland/Srixon group) that’s making a serious push in the US market with a whole crop of new gear.
The XXIO Prime line includes woods and irons and is aimed at players looking for lightweight performance, increased clubhead speed and distance, and a bit of a draw bias to straighten out the old banana ball.
The XXIO Prime driver ($849) is available in 10.5° and 11.5° lofts and features a super lightweight (36g), 46″ shaft designed to maximize speed for players with moderate-rate swings. A larger sweetspot comes from a cup face design with a bigger, thin area in the clubface as well as a wider footprint from heel to toe. Extra ballspeed and a bit more forgiveness come from a sole channel that increases face flex on strikes away from the center of the clubface.
In addition to all the impressive technology is the placement of a 4g stainless steel weight in the heel portion of the sole, making it easier to square the clubface through impact and promoting a draw bias for lower spinning right-to-left shots.
XXIO Prime fairway woods ($579/each) and hybrids ($379/each) are also available, both packed with their share of design features that promote faster ballspeed and distance. Like the driver the fairway woods (15°, 18°, 21°) are built with a cup face design for faster ballspeed at impact and a lightweight shaft (38g) for quicker swings. A shallow-back design leads to a lower, deeper CG for improved launch angles and higher MOI while a 2.5g stainless steel weight in the sole promotes a draw bias.
The hybrids (23°, 26°, 29°) also feature cup faces for more distance, lightweight shafts (46g) and 4g tungsten-nickel sole weights.
The new XXIO Prime irons ($2080/5-SW) feature extremely low, deep CG locations though the use of heavy tungsten-nickel sole weights (5-7 feature 56g). The result is improved launch, more forgiveness, and longer overall carry versus previous XXIO irons. In addition, increased COR due to thin, titanium clubfaces produce faster ballspeed while 49g graphite shafts lead to increased clubhead speed.
Also new are the XXIO Forged irons ($1019 six-piece steel, $1259 six-piece graphite). Forged from mild carbon steel for a soft, traditional feel, the game-improvement designs also feature a V-shaped sole for improved turf interaction and thin clubfaces for improved ballspeed.
XXIO Prime woods and irons will be available at retail on December 17, while XXIO Forged irons will be available on December 10.
