If you find PXG confusing, the launch of the Sugar Daddy II wedge probably isn’t going to help un-muddy the waters. We’re talking about a golf company that sells $35 dog collars, $500 winter jackets and $220 drivers. And while dogs are inarguably awesome and (full disclosure) I would wear the absolute [expletive deleted] out of the Logo Tape Puffer Jacket (it’s cold here, man), making sense of PXG Founder Bob Parsons’ master plan for the brand is a challenge.
Detractors believe low prices are a sign the company is going under. PXG insiders say the company has thrived through the pandemic. The price slashing that many saw as evidence of the company’s inevitable failure was actually a course correction in response to opportunities created by COVID-19. For better or worse, it’s the kind of agility that’s only possible when the business model doesn’t depend on satisfying retail accounts.
So, when the world went south in early 2019, PXG went all-in on golf. Beholden to no one, it cut prices and bought an arguably excessive amount of inventory from suppliers.
The result? Not only is its golf equipment pricing the most golfer-friendly in the game right now, PXG has the fastest shipping times you’ll find industry-wide. That’s due in no small part to the fact that, in addition to its own parts, PXG has just about every shaft or grip you could want in inventory.
Budget-friendly and efficient. It’s an unexpected twist for a golf brand that was not so long ago the highest-priced ticket in town.
With the release of the Sugar Daddy II wedge, one could make the case that PXG is returning to its premium-priced roots. $450 is no small ask for a wedge … or even two wedges. Hell, most of us can remember when we could get three for that price.
I suppose I could point out that, at $200 less than the launch price of the current Sugar Daddy wedge, maybe Version 2 is kinda, sorta, a bargain.
Yeah, I know. That’s a stretch.
Like I said, not everything PXG does aligns with the golf equipment industry’s standard operating procedure. It is what it is and this time around, it’s version 2.0 of PXG’s milled wedge offering.
If Tour validation matters to you, allow me to point out that Hudson Swafford just won the American Express with PXG irons and a pair of Sugar Daddy II wedges in the bag.
If you don’t care about the PGA TOUR and just want to what’s in it for you, here you go.
PXG Sugar Daddy II Wedges – Features
100% Milled*
The original Sugar Daddy wedge was part of a collection of wedges wholly milled from a solid block of steel. Milling is a time-consuming process that helped to justify the original $650 price. With the Sugar Daddy II, PXG’s approach is a bit different. Instead of milling from a solid block of steel, it’s triple forging a billet of 8620 steel to a near-final shape.
From there, PXG mills the wedges to their final dimensions. The process still allows for exacting tolerances and likely provides better feel as well. As a quick aside, the final forged shape is raw enough that PXG is able to mill both grinds from the same mold, though it’s important to note that discrete molds are required for each loft.
Subtly High-Toe Shape
High-toe designs are becoming increasingly common but there’s a fine line between providing utility and looking silly. To that end, it’s fair to say the Sugar Daddy II offers more of a subdued take on high-toe design. There’s a little bit of extra material in the high-toe region to help with open-faced shots around the green but it’s not nearly as obnoxious at address as the more aggressive high-toe varieties.
Precision Milled Full-Face Grooves
Admittedly, you’re probably not going to hear anyone promoting imprecise haphazardly milled (or stamped) grooves so a good bit of this next part is exactly what you’d expect.
With respect to the Sugar Daddy, PXG says the milling process allows for exceedingly tight tolerances, which means dependable spin from one head to the next.
A small ripple in the milling story: unlike many of its competitors, PXG uses a single groove spec across all lofts. The company believes its design works well and the simplicity of a single spec further helps keep tolerances tight.
High-toe shapes and full-face grooves go hand in hand so it’s not any particular surprise that PXG Sugar Daddy II wedges feature full-face grooves. On lower lofts where shots are almost always full, they’re arguably just for show but for when the face is opened up around the green, the extra groove width can help maintain spin and consistency as impact shifts towards the toe.
Centered CG
I bring it up because center of gravity location is one of those brand philosophy things where nobody is likely to have the 100 percent right answer for every golfer. As I noted in my Vokey SM9 story, Vokey believes in a slightly heel-biased center of gravity. Others, including PXG, believe center is best while Edel offers the tools to move the center of gravity from heel to center to toe.
As with nearly everything in golf equipment, the right answer is golfer-dependent so I’d encourage you to do some experimenting to find what works for you and the type of shots you hit with your wedges.
Precision Weighting
This is an area where PXG doesn’t always get enough credit. Yeah, some of the early weighting strategies were perhaps a bit over the top but they weren’t without function. With the Sugar Daddy II, PXG is leveraging the big-weight design of the GEN4 irons to give its fitters plenty of flexibility to tune swing weight for the individual golfer. It’s a key tool in the fitting arsenal.
As part of the fitting process, golfers try heads outfitted with the stock weight as well as both heavier and lighter weights. The idea is to find a swing weight that works best and it’s far from uncommon to fit golfers into a non-stock weight.
PXG Sugar Daddy II Wedges – Two Grinds
The Sugar Daddy II will be available (at least initially) in two grinds.
The BP Grind is the wider-sole, higher-bounce option. If it’s not immediately clear where the name comes from, suffice it to say that when you own the company, you get to name stuff or, more to the point, put your name on stuff.
The nominal bounce on the BP Grind is 13 degrees, though I wouldn’t obsess over that too much. The grind is either going to work for you or it’s not.
The defining characteristic of the BP grind is the wide sole with a touch of heel and toe relief. As with most high-bounce wedges, PXG says the Sugar Daddy II BP Grind is best suited for lush conditions, soft sand and steeper attack angles.
A bit harder to quantify, I suppose, but the wider sole should also give you a bit wider margin for error. In that respect, the BP Grind can be thought of as the more forgiving of the two as well.
The C-Grind (crescent sole) is reasonably standard for the C-Grind space. The signature feature is an aggressive taper along with some trailing-edge relief. In that respect, it’s the more versatile of the Sugar Daddy offerings.
The Sugar Daddy C-Grind is listed as best suited for firmer conditions, shallower attack angles and, to an extent, better players.
PXG describes the C-Grind as a low-bounce option but that’s more a case of context. It has lower bounce than the BP grind but, across the market, it’s solidly a mid-bounce grind.
For those looking for a true low-bounce option, PXG has some secret menu stuff in the Tour van. There’s probably not a huge retail market for a low-bounce Sugar Daddy II wedge but I’d still love to see it.
PXG Sugar Daddy II Wedges – Specs and Pricing
PXG Sugar Daddy II wedges are available in two-degree increments from 50 to 62 degrees. Each loft is available in both C- and BP-grinds, Chrome and Xtreme Dark finish. Every combination is available for both right- and left-handed golfers.
Retail price for PXG Sugar Daddy II wedges is $450 each. Available at retail starting Feb. 1.
For more information, visit PXG.com.
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