Each year, PXG has created a line of woods that is faster and more forgiving than the previous generation. Now, it looks like the engineers did it again, as the new Lightning series of woods raises performance levels, with particular attention paid to the driver face.
Company founder and CEO Bob Parsons not only wanted the latest PXG clubs to perform at their highest level but also to be easier for fitters to dial in for all golfers.
“PXG Lightning represents a true leap forward for PXG. Packed with game-changing technology and built to be properly fit, these babies flat-out perform – no matter how you swing the club,” Parsons said.
PXG’s engineering team, led by Brad Schweigert, turned to advanced physics to add speed to the driver face. The golf ball is only on the face for a fraction of a second, so PXG designed its Frequency Tuned Face to synchronize with the impact vibration for more efficient energy transfer. This thin titanium face produces a frequency that replicates a compressing golf ball, so the face deflection peaks with the ball, making it more efficient.
You probably didn’t notice the sole design, but it is spined in order to stiffen the sole without adding weight. PXG added more lightweight carbon fiber to each driver model to reinforce them without dedicating precious grams of weight. Of course, launch and spin are also crucial parts of getting the most distance out of your swing, so Brad and his team looked at each driver model in order to optimize them for each player type.
Lightning Max-10K+: Players with club head speeds around 85 mph will see an increase in launch and spin for longer carry, while players who swing around 100mph should see a flatter launch with less spin compared to Black Ops.
Lightning Tour Mid: Compared to the Black Ops driver, this head will offer a lower launch and spin for a more penetrating and boring flight while still maintaining high forgiveness.
Lightning Tour: This head gets a slight increase in launch, and they bumped the spin up a little more to make the head more playable compared to the Black Ops Tour-1.
Spin retention was a big priority in the new Lightning drivers, and PXG tweaked the face to make sure that off-center shots didn’t produce big swings in spin numbers. So when you hit shots low on the face, you won’t see a spin rate that goes higher and reduces distance, while a shot hit high on the face won’t drop the spin rate too low. This enhanced face also tightens dispersion on those mishits, allowing off-center shots to still stay in play.
You might notice that the weights on the driver soles have shifted a little to ensure fitters are getting the maximum performance from weight changes. The front weights have been pushed farther forward and more toward the center of the club, while the rear weight has been pushed further back for better performance. If PXG moved the front weights farther from the center of the club, it would make the club too stable and non-conforming!
2025 PXG Lightning drivers: More on each model
The lineup does look a little different this year as PXG has added an additional model with the Lightning Max-10K+. This is the driver PXG thinks will be the bread and butter of the lineup. Not only does the Max-10K+ give golfers tons of stability and forgiveness for straighter misses, but it will still provide plenty of speed, without high spin, for distance. While this head will look the largest from address, fitters will also be able to move weights around to take even more spin off or lower the launch.
Next is the new kid on the block, Lightning Tour Mid, which combines speed and forgiveness. This model didn’t exist last year, but PXG found that some players had needs in between Black Ops and Black Ops Tour-1. Tour Mid will have a more traditional look from address, slightly lower trajectory, and slightly lower spin than the Max-10K+ head. The movable weights on the Tour Mid create a low-spin head for players with speed, but can be shifted to go for max forgiveness by moving more weight towards the rear.
Finally, we have the Lightning Tour, which will look the most compact from the address for those with a discerning eye. Skilled, high-speed players will love the launch and spin control, which let them shape their shots while still hitting it long. Lightning Tour isn’t as hardcore as Black Ops Tour-1, with some added spin and launch, so it should a wider range of players.
Pricing, specs, availability
Price: $650
Grip: PXG True Temper Icon Black
Available: Now
Lightning Max-10K+
Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12 (all LH)
Lightning Tour Mid
Lofts: 8, 9, 10.5 (9, 10.5 LH)
Lightning Tour
Lightning Max Lite
Lofts: 10.5, 11.5 (All LH)
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