PXG Driver Review: Is the New PXG 0811X Better Than It’s Predecessor?

This PXG Driver Review was written by Breaking Eighty Contributor Blake Doll.

Parsons eXtreme Golf (PXG) is one of the hottest and fastest growing brands in golf and have elbowed their way into becoming one of the top club manufacturers in golf.

The owner and founder is a straight shootin’ Texan businessman, Bob Parsons, who puts it in simple words “that PXG clubs are the Duck’s nuts” – Now I don’t necessarily get that reference, but in plain terms their clubs are the sexy, well performing, and have “a sweet spot the size of Texas”.

Their irons are some of, if not the very best in the game. Inside the Eighty Club, we’ve had a number of members who have been fit for them and are absolutely in love.

That said, I wanted to see how PXGs revolutionary technology applies to the long game…the driver.

I haven’t talked to nearly as many people who have been gaming their second generation driver, the PXG 0811X.

Luckily for you, I’ve been playing with it, and I realized it was high time I let you in on the results.

PXG 0811X Driver First Impressions

The first thing you’ll notice right away is the look.

It’s sexxxxxxy. It’s all black with a matte covering on the top.

PXG prides itself on the fact the driver is light weight and reduces spin – thus maximizing driving distance for players, while also correcting the sidespin and fade tendency that many players experienced in the first generation driver.

All told, the Club looks great, and sounds great on paper. So let’s dig in and see how the PXG driver performed.

PXG Driver Performance

What I noticed right away when hitting this driver was the sound.

It almost makes more of a “click” than a traditional “ping” noise after piping one down the fairway. Honestly, it was hard to get used to, and frankly…I’m not sure that I have a few months in.

While the club made that odd sound no matter what kind of shot I hit with the driver, I’d forgive it if the performance was there.

This club can really make the ball fly if you catch it on the screws. It was a lower ball flight than my traditional drivers but it traveled a solid distance when hit right.

Every time I hit it felt like I was barely getting it off the turf, and I expected it to fly right into the ground in a matter of moments. Fortunately, that hasn’t always been the case.

The problem I continued to encounter while playing with this driver was that I couldn’t really tell, what the ball was going to do based on feel. It’s one thing if I obviously toed or heeled it, but even with well struck shots, the feel was lacking.

There were many times I felt like I was hitting it perfectly, yet…I wasn’t.

The 0811X has a sweat spot “the size of texas”, making you feel like you’re piping adrive every time, though as I quickly learned, feelin’ good is not the same as lookin’ good.

I’d be up there on the tee, head down like you’re always taught and being like…“Oh I got all of that one” and I look up and there would be high huge slice or a low hook.

I, like most people on the course, am a head case, and this would mess with my head. I simply couldn’t figure out why drives that felt perfect, were so ugly.

As someone who likes to have a feel of the shot and where it’s going, it messed with me mentally not knowing where my ball was going. Now I’ll admit some of that has to do with me as a player and my personal swing, however, the driver was not as consistent as other drivers I’ve hit and it was harder to gauge the shot off the club than with other drivers.

But don’t get me wrong, as to be expected with an “it brand” like PXG there are some cool aspects of the driver I really like – one being the mini-weight technology on the bottom of the club.

The innovation of PXG is clearly seen on the bottom of the driver where there are ten mini-weight screws that can be moved an adjusted to the player to limit big slices or draws if you have one.

Very innovative technology that can help if you have one general miss with your driver.

As I spend more time with the club and make adjustments I can probably use these weights to compensate for some of the slice tendencies that I was still seeing with the 0811X.

Final Impressions of the PXG 0811X Driver

All in all, I really wanted to like this driver: PXG is a hot brand with amazing irons, I know players who swear by their irons and I believe PXG is a pioneer in the future of golf technology and player fitting.

However the sound bothered me a lot and it wasn’t as consistent as other drivers I’ve hit. And to be honest, it hurt my confidence off the tee a bit after half a dozen or so rounds with it.

Talking with some other people who love PXG and hit their driver, they also aren’t as impressed with the driver as they are with their irons.

For the price you pay, the high standard the company sets and the great reputation of their irons this driver was a little disappointing.

Needless to say if you’re spending the $850 to pick one of these up, make sure you take the time to get a proper fitting, and find the right shaft – as even more so than with other clubs, it will make a difference here.

So while in my experience the premium price you pay for with their irons? Well worth it.

The cost of the driver vs it’s performance on the other hand, make it difficult to recommend at this point.

I have no doubt they’ll get there eventually, but the 0811X feels a little lacking compared to the latest models from Taylormade, and Callaway – especially when it is double the price of its competitors.