New irons
XXIO Prime and Royal Edition irons: What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Three new irons from XXIO are designed to appeal to those in need of a swing speed boost. The Prime and men’s and women’s Royal Edition models share similar technologies that include lightweight, counter-balanced shafts and a clubhead design intended to maximize rebound on shot hit low on the face.
PRICE/AVAILABILITY: Cost is $300 per iron for Prime; $350 per iron for Men’s Royal Edition and Ladies Royal Edition, available April 14.
A thin titanium face plate maximizes speed for the most leisurely of swingers. The face and an L-shaped structure within the body create a flexible area in the lower part of the face for extra spring where shots are struck most often. The shaft uses 18 percent resin to lighten the weight to promote a faster swing. A weight in the butt end of the shaft takes advantage of that speed by promoting a better swing path. Yes, these irons are pricier than most in this category, but there’s a lot of good technology here.
THE DEEP DIVE: XXIO’s Prime and Prime Royal Edition lineup of clubs are perhaps best known for being clubs that sell at big-ticket prices. While that’s true, sometimes you get what you pay for. In this case, extreme and unique technologies aimed at making average-golfer swings more efficient and more productive.
Rather than trying to design clubs that attempt to fit all players, the new XXIO Prime and men’s and women’s Royal Edition clubs don’t compromise on ways to attack the specific swing flaws of slower swings. That means lightweight construction and faces designed to flex as much as possible.
All three of the new irons feature a zippy titanium face with a structure the company refers to as “rebound frame,” a soft-rigid structure with a flexible zone in the lower body and a rigid area in the rear of the body. The combination enhances energy transfer in the lower half of the face, which is where most iron impacts occur.
Armand Barragan
A larger tungsten-nickel weight in the sole of the 5- through 7-irons lowers the center of gravity while increasing moment of inertia. In the Prime, the weight is beefed up, with 50 grams of weight in the 7-iron compared to the 24 grams in the previous Prime model. The extra weight not only aids forgiveness on off-center strikes but assists with enhancing launch as well. The sole of the Prime also received attention, with it being slimmed down for a cleaner look at address.
The shaft for all three irons is a proprietary lightweight graphite shaft that weighs between 43.5 and 46.5 grams for the men’s irons and approximately 10 grams less for the women’s model depending on flex. It’s not just the lighter weight, however, that makes it work. The shafts utilize the same “weight plus” technology in which weights are placed in the butt end of the club to hike the balance point closer to the hands, promoting a better hand position at the top of the backswing.
Cost is $300 per iron for Prime; $350 per iron for Men’s Royal Edition and Ladies Royal Edition, available April 14.