Equipment

The shafts are how light? XXIO’s new Prime drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons

Published

10 years ago

Nov 14, 2016

XXIO (pronounced zek-si-oh), the No. 1 golf brand in Japan year-in and year-out, has unveiled to America new XXIO Forged irons, as well as a new line of Prime clubs — drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons — that take drastic measures to help golfers hit longer, straighter shots.

The feathery-light club heads have an inherent draw bias to help fix a slice, as well as a high moment of inertia (MOI, a measure of forgiveness) to help improve performance on mishits. To achieve a lower and deeper center of gravity (CG), which translates to a higher launch and more forgiveness, the rear portions of the crowns in the driver, fairway woods and hybrids were made more shallow, helping to push weight down and back in the heads.

Extremely light, XXIO Prime SP-900 graphite shafts are the stock option throughout the line. The shafts are made with premium materials, including Toray T110G, and use different constructions in the tip, mid and butt sections to improve performance. Key to their design are shock-absorbing, flexible tip sections, which can help golfers create more club-face closure at impact to increase draw bias. The weight of the shafts is just as critical. The XIOO Prime SP-900 driver shaft measures 46 inches, yet it weighs just 36 grams. The 3-wood shaft measures 43 inches and weighs a mere 38 grams. The 5-hybrid shaft measures 39 inches and tips the scales at only 48 grams. All of the stock shafts in the woods are available in SR- and R-Flex.

The new releases are priced at the higher end of the American golf equipment market, as you may have guessed from the ostentatious gold color schemes.

Driver: $849.99 each
Fairway Woods: $579.99 each
Hybrids: $379.99 each

The XXIO Forged irons will be available on Dec. 10, while the Prime clubs will be available on Dec. 17. See what GolfWRX members are saying about the clubs in our forums.

XXIO Prime Driver

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The XXIO Prime drivers, which have a total weight of 252 grams, are designed to quell the common slice that average golfers fight. In addition to its draw-enhancing weighting and shaft design, the club heads also have a smaller toe section and an expanded heel section. The heel section of the club face is thicker to reduce a slice on open-face, heel strikes, according to the company.

Also, a very thin crown that measures just 0.35 millimeters in most spots helps lower the center of gravity (CG). For even more forgiveness, the drivers have what the company calls a “Wing Cup Face,” which uses variable face thickness and a channel in the sole — both to produce faster ball speeds across the forged faces.

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Compared to XXIO’s previous driver model, the club head is 4 grams lighter, the shaft is 0.25 inches longer, the swing weight is two points heavier (D3), the shaft is 2 grams lighter and the grip is 2 grams lighter. The changes, as well as the driver’s higher average COR area, will create an increase of 4.3 more yards on average, according to XXIO.

The XXIO Prime driver comes in lofts of 10.5 and 11.5 degrees.

XXIO Prime Fairway Woods

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Like the XXIO Prime drivers, the fairway woods have a cup face with variable thickness for more forgiveness and speed across the face. They also use an extremely light shaft and lower CG from the head construction to pick up 3.4 yards on average compared to their predecessors, according to XXIO. The total weight of the clubs range from 273 gram (3 wood) to 285 grams (7 wood), making them some of the lightest fairway wood offerings on the market.

The fairway woods — 3 (15 degrees), 5 (18 degrees) and 7 (21 degrees) — will sell for $579.99 each.

XXIO Prime Hybrids

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The XXIO Prime hybrids have a HT17709 maraging steel cup face for forgiveness on off-center hits, and have a taller face to increase the sweet spot, according to the company. Compared to the predecessors, they also have a more shallow rear crown — like the drivers and fairway woods — for lower and deeper CG. A single weight in the heel portion of the sole is made from tungsten-nickel and weighs 4 grams.

The clubs are available in U5 (23 degrees), U6 (26 degrees) and U7 (29 degrees), and will each sell for $379.99 each.

XXIO Prime irons

4d93d97ca22883fbc6ccc43aefaac3c0 According to XXIO, its Prime irons irons boast the lowest and deepest CG ever used in a XXIO iron, leading to a higher launch and more forgiveness, partially a result of faces that have been lengthened near the sole.

Their soles are also made with a tungsten-nickel weight — it weighs 28 grams in the 7-iron — and a high-density, tungsten-nickel inner weight in the long irons, as well. The iron bodies are made from 630 stainless steel with a mirror, satin and high-gloss, bead-blast finish. Total weight of the clubs, like the rest of the line, are very light, coming in at 339 grams (5 and 6 iron) and 349 grams (7-9 iron).

XXIO Prime irons come stock in either SR or R Flex and are available as a set for $1,039 (7-9, PW), and individually for $260 each (5, 6, AW, SW).

XXIO Forged irons

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The XXIO Forged irons have bodies made from mild carbon steel and a HT1770 maraging steel face. The V.T. Soles have slightly higher bounce than previous models to prevent digging and improve turf interaction, ultimately tightening dispersion. The faces are made thin for high ball speeds, and the thin area has been expanded by 20 percent compared to the previous model to expand the sweet spot, according to the company.

The irons are available in either N.S. Pro 930GH DST steel, XXIO MX-6000 graphite, or Miyazaki Kusala 8 shafts available at custom, each offered in SR or R Flex. Pricing is as follows:

$1,019 (Steel: 5-9, PW), $1,259 (Graphite: 5-9, PW)
Individual clubs (4, AW, SW) can be purchased for $170 each in steel and $210 each in graphite.

Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

7 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.