Paul Liberatore is the founder of Golfers Authority, which reviews the world's best golf products and gear.
I recently returned from PXG's 10-year anniversary event in Scottsdale, and I'm pretty excited about what I saw. They've done something that shouldn't be possible, created their fastest driver that's also their most forgiving.
Here's the thing: you can't normally produce both. Golf equipment has always been about compromise. You want distance? You'll sacrifice forgiveness. You want forgiveness? Say goodbye to those extra yards.
PXG's new Lightning series throws that rulebook out the window.
To test everything firsthand, I visited Scottsdale National, PXG's pristine private playground where they test all their gear.
I spent the day getting properly fit for their Lightning driver, fairway woods and a hybrid. PXG is making bold claims about these clubs as their best metalwoods ever for both distance and forgiveness. After putting them through their paces on that incredible course, I'm convinced they're created something special here.
This isn't just another product launch for PXG. The Lightning series feels like they're shifting into a whole new gear after a decade in the business.
The PXG Lightning Driver: Four Drivers, Four Personalities
We'll dive into the Lightning Driver first since it's generating major buzz. PXG calls their main tech "Frequency Tuned Face," and while it might sound like marketing fluff, there's fresh engineering behind it. They've borrowed aerospace testing methods, similar to what engineers use to check vibrations in aircraft parts, to perfectly sync how the clubface vibrates with the golf ball's compression at impact.
So, when your clubface and ball work together at impact, you'll get better energy transfer—not just more ball speed on perfect strikes, but across most of the entire face. Those toe and heel strikes that usually kill your distance? They won't hurt nearly as much anymore.
PXG's also built in something called a Spined Sole Design that makes the bottom of the club stiffer and cuts down on bad vibrations, all without making the club heavier. They've used 84% more carbon fiber than their last model, which let them move weight out to the edges where it really helps with stability. The result is a driver that feels rock-solid in your hands, makes a satisfying sound at impact, and doesn't twist when you catch one off the sweet spot.
Four different versions are available for different types of golfers.
If you're a fast swinger who wants that low, boring ball flight, the Lightning Tour is the lowest-spinning option. The Tour Mid delivers that sweet spot of medium launch and spin that works for most players. Need maximum forgiveness? The Max-10K+ hits the legal stability limit with its 10,000+ g·cm² MOI rating. And if you're looking to boost your swing speed with something lighter that launches higher, there's the Max Lite.
During my fitting session at Scottsdale National, the Tour Mid turned out to be my perfect match. It delivered exactly what I needed, low spin with a high launch, plus plenty of forgiveness for mishits. The sound it makes is pure PXG: a signature pop, kind of like a refined thwack that just feels right.
Fairway Woods and Hybrids: The Supporting Cast Steals the Show
Nobody wants just one amazing club in their bag, so I also checked out the fairway woods.
PXG built their Lightning Fairway Woods with that "speed without sacrifice" idea at the core. They've engineered each loft differently, tweaking the thin face design from the 3-wood through the 7-wood. This provides consistent launch characteristics no matter which one you pull.
The carbon fiber crown construction mirrors the driver. By keeping the top lightweight, PXG repositions weight lower in the head, so you'll see shots launch easier, fly higher and stay straighter even on mishits.
There are two options to choose from: the standard Lightning forgives mistakes and sends the ball high without much effort. Or, if you want more control, the Tour model's compact head and lower spin could be your pick.
During my fitting, I couldn't believe how simple these were to hit off the ground. Some fairway woods make you nervous just looking down at them, but not these. They practically beg you to swing away, and the ball just climbs effortlessly into the air.
High-launching woods are nice, but here's where things get tricky for most of us, awkward distance between your longest iron and shortest fairway wood. Enter the Lightning Hybrid, which might just steal the show.
The squared-off shape is a confidence boost right at setup. That design isn't just for looks, as it cranks up the MOI for PXG's most forgiving hybrid yet.
Following the same carbon-fiber playbook, the lightweight crown frees up weight to relocate low and back. Your shots climb quickly, track straight and drop softly on the green. Whether you're hitting from a perfect lie, thick rough or using it off the tee, this club can deliver. I
Should You Buy It?
I've spent enough time at PXG's Scottsdale National headquarters to know when marketing hype meets real performance—and the new Lightning lineup delivers where it counts.
What struck me most wasn't just the technology itself, but how they've dialed in the fitting process to an art form. The fitters there don't just hand you a club and hope for the best. They're methodically working through every variable while watching your ball flight change with each adjustment, finding that sweet spot where launch angle, spin rate and shot shape all come together.
The adjustable weight system is where things get interesting for recreational golfers. Small changes make noticeable differences you can actually see right away in your ball flight. Move a weight here, watch your fade straighten out. Shift it there, and suddenly you're launching it higher with less effort. It's not smoke and mirrors—you see it immediately.
Whether you're fighting a slice off the tee or struggling to get fairway woods airborne, there's a setup that works.
PXG's early reputation for wild designs has evolved into something more sophisticated. The Frequency Tuned Face tech, the precision weighting, the overall feel—everything works in harmony instead of competing for attention.
Each club has its own personality while clearly fitting within the same family. The driver has explosive energy at impact that's addictive. Those fairway woods? They practically launch themselves, making those long approach shots less intimidating. The hybrid sits perfectly at address and delivers exactly what you'd expect.
Standing on their practice range with the Arizona mountains as a backdrop, watching shot after shot fly exactly as intended, one thing became clear: PXG isn't coasting on past success. They're accelerating into their second decade with clubs that prove they've been listening to golfers and learning from every iteration.
The Lightning series shows what happens when a company takes everything they've discovered and packages it without compromise. If this is year 10, I can't wait to see what they're cooking up next.
More Golf from Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as PXG’s New Lightning Driver Is a Major Leap Forward.
