XXIO (pronounced "Zek-see-oh") is the ultra-luxury offering from the parent company also behind Cleveland Golf and Srixon, and the line has made some inroads in the US market in recent years after largely being an Asian offering. The idea behind XXIO is pretty simple: offer high-end golf clubs geared to perform best for players with moderate and slower swing speeds, helping them maximize distance and keep the ball in the fairway.
In other words, if you're a 105 mph swinger, XXIO is probably not for you. However, if you're anyone else -- and that's an overwhelming number of golfers -- then XXIO's 10th generation model, XXIO X, could be for you.
The proposition with XXIO X is True-Focus Impact technology, which is a combination of extremely lightweight, custom, high-caliber components, including a high balance-point shaft, combining with a head with a larger sweet spot to deliver maximum performance. The Smart Impact shaft is perhaps most key to the concept at play here, offering a kick point, the company says, that gives moderate-speed golfers the most benefit from the action they have while offering a better balance for the golfer's swing.
On the driver and fairway woods, the Hi-Energy Impact head is billed as offering high moment of inertia particularly for moderate-speed players to give them more room to get benefits more like hitting the center of the cup face. This is done with a higher coefficient of restitution (COR) -- a measure of the efficiency of energy transfer from the head to the ball at impact -- at the common misses for these types of players: on the toe or low on the heel. A thin titanium crown offers the expected weight savings used for a high-density rear weight to deliver a center of gravity location for higher launch. A sole channel on the heel half of the driver further enhances ball speeds on that common miss point.
In the fairway woods, the larger profile inspires confidence while a shorter sole is designed as a weight savings. The bulge-and-roll face you'd expect delivers high-MOI performance almost regardless of where the ball is struck.
On the XXIO X irons, tungsten-nickel sole weights deliver a low and deep CG for higher launch, while progressive shaping ensures ideal performance as lofts and shaft lengths change. The titanium face creates a larger sweet spot.
XXIO is a luxury brand, so buying these clubs is not cheap. But, if you're a golfer -- male or female -- in the category of player who would look at a high-end component maker and has a moderate swing speed, XXIO is a brand to strongly consider. The driver will go for $650, with the fairway woods at $400 each and hybrids at $300 each. The XXIO X irons go for $160 each in a custom steel shaft or $200 each in a custom graphite shaft.
