Looking for New Clubs? Here’s Two Brands You Should Consider

As the Masters approach, the golfing world continues to focus on Tiger Woods’ chances of winning and solidifying his return to the PGA TOUR.  I mean, despite falling short at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, Tiger is now the favorite to win the Masters (8-1), even topping Dustin Johnson (9-1) and Justin Thomas (9-1).

As a result, a lot of other golfing news has fallen in between the cracks.

PXG Gen. 2

Last week, PXG released its second generation of its 0311 series irons. To start, while the GEN 1 had three different models, the GEN 2 has four: (1) 0311 T for the Tour Player (thinnest topline and the least amount of offset); (2) 0311 P for the Better Player (thinner topline, minimal offset); (3) 0311 XF for the Game-Improvement Player; and (4) 0311 SGI for the Super Game-Improvement Player (lots of offset and super forgiving sole width).

But that’s not the biggest update.

In fact, PXG founder Bob Parson has stated, “Our GEN 2 irons are better than our GEN 1 irons in every respect. We believe it’s the best iron ever made.”  So what changes were made?

A post shared by Parsons Xtreme Golf (@pxg) on Mar 15, 2018 at 9:08am PDT

First, PXG is saying that they’ve learned a lot over the 3 years and also from the impersonators (cough**TaylorMader SpeedFoam**cough**Callaway Urethane Microspheres), which has allowed the engineers to significantly improve the thermoplastic elastomer (“TPE”) filling from the GEN 1 0311 irons. In fact, the PXG engineers are saying that the new COR2 filling is “unlike anything else out there” when it comes to feel, sound, and performance.

But how much could you improve on a proprietary clubhead filling over 3 years? Well, COR2 is supposedly generating 20% faster ball speeds, or 1-2 MPH, than the original TPE.

To further capitalize on the new the PXG secret sauce, the engineers have also redesigned the GEN 2 clubheads so each iron can hold more COR2 than the GEN 1. Also, the GEN 2’s club face now wraps around and is welded to the club head, instead of directly to the face (like in the GEN 1).

These two changes have resulted in a much larger, and more forgiving sweet space that should help golfers see distance and dispersion benefits.

In sum, the GEN 2 should provide more distance (via faster ball speeds), lower spin, and improved dispersion over the GEN 1.

The catch: each GEN2 iron is $400, or $50 more than the GEN 1s, and $500 if you opt for the Xtreme Dark finish.

Fortunately, if the GEN 2 0311s are in your budget, it’s worth noting that PXG provides over 100 different graphite and steel shaft options for no additional fee, so it’s highly unlikely that you’ll need to go with something off the menu.

Return of Lynx Golf

Not everyone might remember Lynx Golf, but in the 1990s Golfsmith was selling its own clubs under the Lynx Golf brand. In fact, Fred Couples and Ernie Els were both staffers and won majors with their Lynx Golf clubs.

Instead, more of us will probably remember that Golfsmith filed for bankruptcy in late-2016. But now that the dust has settled, the Lynx Golf brand is under new ownership who is very committed to revitalizing the brand and demonstrating that quality golf equipment can be sold at a reasonable price point. In fact, since acquiring the Lynx Golf brand in 2011, co-owners Steve Elford and Stephanie Zinser have been laying the foundation for the UK-based company and, in 2017, launched the new Lynx Golf product line. And while Lynx has established itself in the UK Market, Elford and Zinser took the first steps to grow the brand globally earlier this year at the 2018 PGA Merchandise Show. T

o ensure market-wide appeal, Lynx offers something for everyone, but here’s a brief overview of some of their more popular iron offerings:

• For approximately $500, the Lynx Black Cat irons (5 to SW); comfortably positioned in the Game Improvement segment.
• For approximately $700, the #BB Irons irons (5 to PW) (pictured below); Lynx’s flagship model and single piece casting.
• For approximately $700, the Prowler VT irons; a 2-piece construction (forged face and cast steel body) with a muscle back design that should help keep ball speeds and ball flight up.  This is probably a great option for the mid-handicapper who wants something with a better player appearance.
• For approximately $900, the Prowler Forged cavity back irons (5 to PW) (pictured); a fully forged, cavity back better player’s iron that provides great feedback, but also some perimeter weighting forgiveness.
• For approximately $600, the Lynx Tour Blades forged irons (5 to PW) (pictured); the classic, thin topline, minimal offset blade iron that every golfer aspires to master.

A post shared by Hozel Rocket 🚀 (@hozel_rocket) on Mar 19, 2018 at 8:26am PDT

Yep… Regardless of which Lynx offering you’re interested in, it’ll still cost less than three PXG GEN 2 irons.

Notably, the Prowler Forged and Tour Blades are both forged from 1020 carbon steel, just like the Srixon Z765 CBs and 975 blades, Bridgeston Tour B X-CBs, and Callaway Apex Forged, which should result in a high quality iron that provides great feedback.

In fact, I currently game Srixon Z765s (with KBS C Taper shafts) and, as a result, the Lynx Tour Blades particularly catch my attention as something incredibly affordable that I can experiment with and hone my game (and probably also keep my ego in check).

The only “drawback” to Lynx Golf right now is since they’re just starting in the US market, it’ll be difficult to try out their clubs.

In sum, regardless of your budget, these are two brands worth checking out. While the PXG stuff certainly commands a pretty penny, Lynx Golf has certainly provided an incredible opportunity for people who are just starting to play golf, are looking for an affordable set of clubs, or are just looking for a backup or spare set of clubs to play with.

Cover Image via Instagram