XXIO 12 driver, fairway woods, hybrids and irons
Most golf equipment companies develop clubs by asking elite golfers to test prototypes and provide feedback. Designers take what they learn from those sessions, combine it with computer simulations and other development tools, then release new drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons to the golf world.
XXIO, the premium brand sibling of Cleveland and Srixon, does not make golf equipment for tour pros or elite golfers. You will not see it on the PGA Tour, the Korn Ferry Tour or the European Tour because the Japanese company does not make clubs for fast-swinging players. Instead, its research-and-development department concentrates on creating products that benefit moderate- and slower-swinging players.
The newest family of clubs from XXIO, 12, features several new technologies to go along with the brand’s ultra-light philosophy to help golfers generate more clubhead speed and distance. The woods and irons arrive in stores Feb. 11.
XXIO designers divided the hitting area into six regions and gave each its own unique curvature (bulge and roll). This should help normalize the launch angle and spin rate for more consistency.
XXIO 12 driver
XXIO 12 driver (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: XXIO 12 driver
Price: $699.99 with XXIO MP1200 shaft
Specs: 460-cubic-centimeter titanium chassis and face; 45.75 inches long and 282 grams total weight. Lofts of 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 degrees
XXIO drivers have been longer and significantly lighter than most drivers for the past several seasons to help golfers generate more clubhead speed. For 2022, with the release of the new XXIO 12 driver, the company is introducing a new technology to further help moderate-swinging players generate speed and distance while hitting the ball more squarely.
ActiveWing is a new raised piece on the heel side of the crown that helps alter the way air moves around the club on the first half of the downswing. As a player starts his or her downswing, the air around the head creates resistance. However, XXIO’s ActiveWing piece helps create lift, like an airplane wing, to help close the face and promote solid, efficient contact. As the clubhead lowers and reaches the impact area, the effect disappears, so golfers will not lose speed.
The Rebound Frame design enlarges the sweet spot and protects ball speed. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
XXIO borrowed a technology that debuted in Srixon drivers called Rebound Frame to obtain the best performance from that speed. It involves a strong Super-TX51AF titanium face designed to flex at impact, while the edges of the cup-face design that are welded to the titanium body remain rigid. A thinner, more-flexible section of titanium behind the cup face is supported by a rigid body to allow the whole hitting area to flex at impact and work more efficiently on mis-hits. XXIO said Rebound Frame’s alternating flexible and inflexible regions give the 12 driver a hitting area that is more springy than previous XXIO drivers
XXIO 12 fairway woods
XXIO 12 fairway woods (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: XXIO 12 fairway woods
Price: $399.99 with XXIO MP1200 shaft
Specs: Stainless steel heads with a low-profile design. 3-wood (15 degrees), 4-wood (16.5 degrees), 5-wood (18 degrees), 7-wood (20 degrees) and 9-wood (23 degrees) available.
As with the XXIO 12 driver, the 12 fairway woods help golfers generate more clubhead speed and distance. The clubs include XXIO’s new ActiveWing technology and Rebound Frame body design, along with a lightweight step-down crown design. Behind the topline, the top of the club lowers to help drop the center of gravity and encourage a higher launch. It’s an excellent design for moderate-swinging players because higher-flying shots have more carry distance and land softer on the greens for stopping power and distance control.
While the 12 fairway woods lack an adjustable hosel because it would add weight, they are offered in five loft options to help golfers and fitters find the ideal combination and fill distance gaps.
XXIO 12 hybrids
XXIO 12 hybrids (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: XXIO 12 hybrids
Price: $299.99 with XXIO MP1200 shaft
Specs: Stainless steel heads with a low-profile design. 3-hybrid (18 degrees), 4-hybrid (20 degrees), 5-hybrid (23 degrees) and 6-hybrid (26 degrees) versions available.
The last thing a player who struggles to generate speed should have in his or her bag is a long iron. The XXIO 12 hybrids were designed to be long-iron replacements that are easy to swing and get the ball up quickly.
Designed with ActiveWing to help players square the face and Rebound Frame to boost ball speed, they also have a step-down crown design to lower the center of gravity and encourage a higher launch.
XXIO 12 irons
XXIO 12 irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: XXIO 12 irons
Price: $219.99 each
Specs: Stainless steel bodies with titanium faces and internal tungsten-nickel weights; 5-iron through sand wedge available
The XXIO 12 irons have a massive undercut-cavity design and tungsten-nickel weights in the heel and toe areas, along with a shortened hosel, to help drive the center of gravity down and back, away from the hitting area. The extreme perimeter weighting also helps increase the moment of inertia and make the irons more stable on mis-hits.
The center of gravity varies with each iron’s loft. The longer irons (the 5- and 6-iron) have the lowest center of gravity to help golfers get shots up more quickly. The center of gravity elevates in the short irons and wedges to boost stability on shots hit low or high on the face, the company said.
XXIO 12 irons have significant offset to help golfers square the face at impact. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The grooves also vary by loft. As the lofts grow weaker, progressing from the long irons to the short irons, the grooves get deeper and wider, and they are packed more closely together on the face to increase spin and maximize control on approach shots.
To help generate more ball speed, XXIO designed the faces using titanium, which flexes more efficiently than stainless steel and reduces weight.
