GEN2 Drivers Coming Soon from PXG? Two New Models are USGA Approved.

Two new PXG drivers have landed on the USGA’s conforming club list. Just approved are the 0811X Gen2 and the 0811XF Gen2. Given that both models contain “GEN2” nomenclature, you can be reasonably confident that these two are coming to retail…or at least the PXG equivalent of retail.

PXG hasn’t said anything yet, so take everything that follows as educated speculation. The current models (0811X and 0811XF) are both excellent, though neither stands out in any appreciable way from the myriad of other excellent drivers on the market. My hunch is that the new models are about trying to create some quantifiable space between PXG and a good bit of the competition. Whether or not that will translate to actual performance on the golf course remains to be seen, but here’s what I expect we’ll see.

0811X GEN2 Driver

The 0811X GEN2 is almost certainly the end product of what started as the XX prototype. The USGA photos don’t suggest any significant differences. With that in mind, I’d wager it will prove to be the lowest CG driver PXG has created to date, and if the design evolution holds, MOI should be high as well (my guess is ~5300). I’ll go so far as to predict it will be the lowest CG driver of 2019. That’s not a spec that’s ideal for everyone, but it should make PXG a serious player in the low spin driver category…at least among those who can afford it.

0811XF GEN2 Driver

I expect the 0811XF GEN2 will challenge the PING G400 MAX is the ultra-high MOI category. There’s plenty of PING DNA (in an almost literal sense) in the PXG line, so it’s not shocking that PXG would be among the quit leaders in MOI. If we assume boosting MOI was part of the engineering plan (and the extreme rear weights suggest it was), heel/toe MOI will likely be above 5700 and perhaps close to the USGA limit of 5900. If PXG can boost top/bottom MOI a bit, a combined MOI of over 10,000 isn’t completely out of the question. If that happens, it will be the highest total MOI driver on the market…at least for a little while.

Once again, this isn’t a spec that’s right for everyone, and there’s some evidence that ultra-high MOI clubs can cause swing speed to drop, but for those chasing the ultimate in forgiveness, it could be a compelling offering that would leave PXG with at least two well-differentiated offerings.

But again…we’re just speculating here. As for cost, Bob Parsons hasn’t shown any reluctance to increase prices, so while it’s possible the new models could hold at $850, $1000 isn’t out of the question, especially with Titleist expected to announce a new Concept line soon.

PXG has typically released new models in March, but Bob Parsons has made it clear he isn’t tied to any sort of release cycles so that it could be March, or it could be sooner. New fairway woods and hybrids will also likely be part of the GEN2 metalwoods release.

Stay tuned.