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2022 PXG 0211 Drivers, Fairway Woods and Hybrids
It wasn’t that long ago that $300 got you entry-level driver. Like the 2022 PXG 0211 driver, it didn’t have the bells and whistles of a “flagship” driver. Maybe it didn’t have an adjustable hosel. It definitely didn’t have movable weights—but performance was typically strong.
If your memory is a bit fuzzy, I’m talking about a class of drivers with names like Burner, X Hot and RocketBallz.
Over time, $300 became $400 and before you knew it (apart from big box exclusives and some stuff explicitly designed for low swing speed), the semi-affordable stuff for the masses was gone.
Whether you knew it or not, most of the industry had collectively decided they were all “premium-brands” and, as such, there was no reason to sell golf clubs below the high-water line.
Effectively, golf equipment manufacturers ran away from the middle and that inarguably left a void. Unfortunately, that also meant the chasm between premium and low-priced junk was wide. Some of you, no doubt, have your favorite discount brands and will dispute that last bit.
Fair enough. All I’d ask is that the next time you’re in the store, take a close look at value-priced products.
The paint is often the tell. You’ll note a general lack of refinement. You might even call it sloppy. Under the hood, material choices and manufacturing quality are often part of the discount story.
Why 0211?
The intent behind the 2022 PXG 0211 driver (fairway woods and hybrids, too) is to fill the void between premium and value with an affordable offering that offers plenty of performance without cutting back on material or manufacturing quality.
We saw some of that with previous 0211 (and a lot more with current closeout pricing) but with the new models PXG seeks to cement the 0211’s place in the market insomuch as anything at PXG is set in stone.
With PXG 2022 0211 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, the performance objective is simple: They’re designed to be “easy to hit and easy to love.”
The designs themselves are simple and straightforward as well. Chief Product Officer Brad Schweigert describes PXG’s 0211 lineup as “clean and classic” and, while those typically aren’t adjectives we’d associate with the brand, with the 2022 0211 lineup, there might just be something to it.
Call it a less-is-more approach if you’d like. Between the 0211 driver, fairway woods and hybrids, there’s not a single adjustable weight to be found. It’s an entirely screw-less line of PXG clubs.
While the driver offers the same adjustable hosel as PXG’s flagship 0311 lineup, the fairway woods and hybrids have fixed (glued) hosels.
While PXG is cutting back on various bits of bling (and with that, cost), it isn’t cutting corners on its materials and manufacturing standards.
The idea is that golfers will buy 0211, they’ll love 0211 and maybe one day upgrade to 0311—ideally by the bag full.
Still puzzled by PXG pricing?
Look at the big picture. There’s easily qualifiable profit margin and then there’s the value of happy (and, ideally, repeat) customers. Worth a mention: Not everything in the PXG lineup is priced well below market averages. It also doesn’t hurt that PXG doesn’t have to give traditional retail a cut of its margins.
There’s absolutely no guarantee, of course, that PXG’s strategy is going to work but if you’re wondering why PXG is selling some drivers for $299 and new fairway woods and hybrids for $229, the simple answer is that the company is playing the long game.
With your requisite bit of background out of the way, let’s look at the latest from PXG.
PXG 0211 Driver
Let’s start with the construction. The 2022 0211 pairs a Ti-811 body with Ti-412 face. You don’t get the carbon fiber crown of the 0311 series but PXG says its face material of choice is a bit more responsive than the industry standard and good bit of the reason why it was able to squeeze more ball speed (in PXG’s robot testing, the new 0211 was 1.6 mph faster at 100 mph swing speed.)
(As an admittedly snarky aside, the new 0211 driver better be faster. If you can’t beat a driver currently selling for $119, what are we even doing here?)
As with PXG’s more expensive offerings, 0211 heads are robotically polished. It’s a process that yields greater consistency both in terms of CT and the bulge-and-roll radii that are significant contributors to the accuracy equation. It’s the same process PXG uses on its more expensive clubs.
As far as the performance attributes of the 0211 driver are concerned, the company describes 0211 as having an optimized head design. I’d wager that’s a simple way of saying it’s a balanced design that favors the middle of the bell curve.
With that, it’s reasonable to assume the mass properties also fall somewhere in middle. Don’t expect the 0211 driver to be a spin killer and neither should you expect it to push the extremes of MOI like PXG’s 0311 XF. That’s not to say it’s unforgiving. PXG says the MOI is above 5,000 which, as it happens, is where a healthy percentage of the market falls.
Relative to previous 0211, in addition to the faster ball speeds, you can expect a little lower launch with a bit lower spin as well. All in, PXG’s numbers suggest that’s good for about five yards over the previous 0211. In addition to more distance, PXG says golfers should expect slightly tighter dispersion as well.
PXG 0211 Driver Aesthetics
Aesthetically, the shape is traditional enough. The crown features flat black paint. It’s definitely not as eye-catching as the 0311 stuff but the crown detail along the trailing edge provides a bit of visual interest without being distracting.
The previous model was an admittedly surprisingly strong performer in 2021 Most Wanted testing. Even with the discount price tag, we expect more of the same.
The 2022 PXG 0211 driver is available in 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees.
Upcharges may apply but the 0211 driver can be paired with shaft in PXG’s catalog.
At the risk of redundancy, the retail price for 2022 0211 driver is $299 with an initial launch price of $219.
PXG 0211 Fairway Woods
Simplicity is again the story with the 2022 PXG 0211 fairway woods and hybrids. As noted above, both are glued hosel designs and neither has any form of adjustable weight.
For the golfer, that means fewer things to adjust (or even thinking about adjusting). Depending on your level of comfort with such things, that can be seen as a welcome simplification or unwelcome minimization of features.
From PXG’s side of the equation, there’s a cost savings associated with eliminating moving parts and the often-complex structures needed to support them.
Both the fairway and hybrid pair an AM355 steel body with an HT1770 face. I don’t expect much of that will matter to you but the takeaway, I suppose, is that the company isn’t cutting corners with materials here. HT1770 is the same face material it uses in its GEN5 fairways and hybrids (as well as its irons).
Like the driver, 0211 fairway woods and 0211 hybrids are robotically polished to ensure tight tolerances.
You might recall (you probably won’t) that with the GEN5 fairway woods, PXG rolled out (I think they’d like me to say “deployed”) a new face profile. Face-on, the fairway wood looks significantly more squared than a traditional fairway wood. The design results in more vertical (less curved) sidewalls which serve to push more mass to the heel and toe.
It’s your basic MOI/forgiveness story. The design also results in a wider sole which has the added benefit of driving the center of gravity low to create higher or, I suppose, easier launch.
The glued hosel also saves a bit of weight high in the head where it typically isn’t desirable.
In addition to the requisite bits about excellent sound and feel, PXG says you should expect the 0211 fairway wood to produce “controlled” spin rates. Again, we’re talking about finding a happy place in the middle of the market.
0211 Fairway Wood Performance
According to PXG’s data, ball speed and launch angle are nearly identical to the previous model. Spin is a bit lower which yields more total distance. Where golfers may notice a more significant difference is in dispersion where PXG’s testing found the 2022 0211 fairway wood to be noticeably more consistent, particularly between the longest and shortest shots.
Specifications and Fitting
The 2022 0211 fairway woods will be available at PXG fitting locations. While the retail heads are glued, fitting heads are adjustable so golfers can easily try a variety of shafts.
As far as aesthetics, the overall shape of the 0211 fairway wood trends a bit rounded (as opposed to the “classic pear” that the industry loves) at address. In that respect, it’s similar to the 0311. There’s nothing particularly off-putting about it but it may not be what every golfer is looking for.
To my eye, the 5-wood, in particular, sits a bit upright. Whether that’s real or my eyeballs are betraying me, it would certainly make sense for any product that’s designed to work for as many golfers as possible.
The 2022 PXG 0211 fairway woods are available in 3- (15 degrees), 5- (18 degrees) and 7-woods (21 degrees).
Retail price for the 2022 0211 fairway wood is $249 with an initial launch price of $169.
PXG 0211 Hybrids
As is typically the case, the story of the PXG 0211 hybrids closely mirrors that of the fairway woods. You get the same construction, the same robotic polishing and a square-face design.
That gets you forgiveness with controlled spin along with excellent sound and feel. That last bit is entirely subjective but as far as the quantifiable aspects are concerned, PXG’s robot testing found the new 0211 to be about one mph faster with higher launch and lower spin.
That’s good for nearly six yards of additional distance. That could be reason enough to ditch your long irons.
Overall, I’d classify the 2022 PXG 0211 hybrid as a midsize design. It’s definitely not in the same category as a super hybrid nor is it noticeably smaller than anything else. It’s perhaps a bit larger than suits my tastes but I’ve always been more of a small hybrid kind of guy. For golfers looking for something easier to hit, it likely fits the bill.
Specifications and Fitting
As with everything else in the 0211 lineup, the new hybrids will be available during PXG fittings and, like the fairway wood, an adjustable head will allow golfers to test the hybrid with different shafts.
The 2022 PXG 0211 will be available from a 3-hybrid to a 7-hybrid. For those keeping score at home, that’s 19, 22, 25, 29, and 31 degrees.
Retail price for the 2022 0211 hybrid is $249 with an initial launch price of $149.
All 2022 PXG 0211 metalwoods are available now.
For more information, visit PXG.com.
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