PXG 0311 v G430 v Paradym v Rogue ST v Stealth

[BigMack]

I had the opportunity to spend about an hour at my local Dicks in their fitting bay by myself. I had purchased the PXG 0311 Gen 5 driver before Christmas but in looking at comments on forums, there were some that felt that PXG just wasn't competitive with the other big-name brands.

 

Here is the list of the maximum ball speeds achieved with all of the drivers. All were set to 9° with stiff shafts. The PXG is an inch shorter than the rest.

 

Paradym 142. 6

Pxg 141. 9

Ping 147. 5

Stealth 142

Rogue 144

 

Longest drive was the Ping at 277 but it was way off the planet left. Best couple of balls straight down the middle came from the Rogue at 266 total and about 2,000 backspin. The Stealth feels really hard off the face and is a slice machine. Only caught it flush with a draw a couple of times. Ping is extremely heavy in the head, was slicing it quite a bit until I came back to it and started straightening it out. As you can see, it had the highest ball speed. The PXG Gen 5 definitely holds its own against these other drivers, especially considering it is 1 inch shorter. The Rogue was completely anti-slice for me, I didn't have one to the right at all and it was probably my most enjoyable club. The one I would want to come back to again and again. Followed by the PXG and Paradygm. Ping would be fourth, followed by the Stealth. It's a shame they didn't have the Stealth 2 for me to hit. They are sitting in the back but TaylorMade has instructed them not to put them out for demo just yet. The Paradygm had a nice crack to it, but I don't see much of an improvement over the Rogue. It did however, have the lowest spin shots across the board. On some fairly obvious slices, the backspin was still in the 2200 to 2400 range. Which is very impressive.

 

As far as value goes, the PXG Gen 5 driver is absolutely at the top of the heap. At $299, which is half off its regular price, you absolutely cannot beat it. Additionally, they are adding stores and fitting vans around the country. The next best value would be the Rogue ST currently selling for $450. I liked it every bit as much as the Paradygm (if not more) and as I mentioned it was producing nice little draws for me on almost every swing. Definitely anti-right with a very solid feel. I wouldn't buy the Stealth at any price, even knowing that it is going on sale soon once they roll out the Stealth 2. Hard to justify paying $550 for the Ping or $600 for the Paradygm at this point.

 

 Let me know if anyone has any questions.

[RacineBoxer]

I've told this story once before. I got fitting at Club Champion for a Titleist TSi3 with an upgraded $400 or $500 HZDRUS shaft and the whole thing was like $1100. I wrote down all my numbers, told the dude I needed to think about it for a bit. Went to PXG about a week later, I think the ball speed was within 1 mph. 

 

Right now I'm considering ditching the hybrid for a 7 wood. I've gamed the 7 wood in the past and enjoyed the height & spin. PXG has their new 0211 fairways for $149. Considering I know which shaft I like I'm half considering buying sight unseen. 

[manima1]

The smother hook left with the Ping is the only reason it had the highest ball speed.  

[BigMack]

1 minute ago, manima1 said:

The smother hook left with the Ping is the only reason it had the highest ball speed.  

 

That's absolutely right. While the sound of the new Ping is much better than last year, it did not blow me away like I was hoping.

[capifico22]

8 minutes ago, RacineBoxer said:

I've told this story once before. I got fitting at Club Champion for a Titleist TSi3 with an upgraded $400 or $500 HZDRUS shaft and the whole thing was like $1100. I wrote down all my numbers, told the dude I needed to think about it for a bit. Went to PXG about a week later, I think the ball speed was within 1 mph. 

 

Right now I'm considering ditching the hybrid for a 7 wood. I've gamed the 7 wood in the past and enjoyed the height & spin. PXG has their new 0211 fairways for $149. Considering I know which shaft I like I'm half considering buying sight unseen. 

Did CC send a follow up email with all your specs/numbers?

[BigMack]

8 minutes ago, RacineBoxer said:

I've told this story once before. I got fitting at Club Champion for a Titleist TSi3 with an upgraded $400 or $500 HZDRUS shaft and the whole thing was like $1100. I wrote down all my numbers, told the dude I needed to think about it for a bit. Went to PXG about a week later, I think the ball speed was within 1 mph. 

 

Right now I'm considering ditching the hybrid for a 7 wood. I've gamed the 7 wood in the past and enjoyed the height & spin. PXG has their new 0211 fairways for $149. Considering I know which shaft I like I'm half considering buying sight unseen. 

I purchased the new 0211 3-wood when I was getting fit for my driver. I only had four swings with it and it was an immediate yes please. It's not adjustable, but it is a pretty low spin bomber. I'm really quite happy with it. Go get the 7wood now!

[Nixhex524]

The Rogue ST is a great driver.  Gonna be hard for Callaway to top it.   I will say, the Stealth2 does feel better than the OG and I found it to be pretty fast off the face, without dabbling in shaft options.  Will need some time with the Paradym to see what it can do but if any of us are expecting huge gains with any driver, we are kidding ourselves.  PXG drivers seem to keep getting better but the goofy price points make them an absolute no go anymore.  They seem to just keep devaluing their own product as they try to compete.  

 

Some of the best drives I have hit during testing have been with the TSr2, should not be overlooked.

[Skrimpdelite]

Yep, I think we all expect the Paradym to do the same thing as the St Max does

[snagy2000]

8 hours ago, Nixhex524 said:

The Rogue ST is a great driver.  Gonna be hard for Callaway to top it.   I will say, the Stealth2 does feel better than the OG and I found it to be pretty fast off the face, without dabbling in shaft options.  Will need some time with the Paradym to see what it can do but if any of us are expecting huge gains with any driver, we are kidding ourselves.  PXG drivers seem to keep getting better but the goofy price points make them an absolute no go anymore.  They seem to just keep devaluing their own product as they try to compete.  

 

Some of the best drives I have hit during testing have been with the TSr2, should not be overlooked.

By goofy, you mean priced perfect for the consumer but tricky for the flipper, right? No one cares about flippers! If you can get a performance comparative at a bargain price, it's a huge win for the consumer. 

[RacineBoxer]

11 hours ago, capifico22 said:

Did CC send a follow up email with all your specs/numbers?

 

They sent me home with a folder with the specs. 

 

For my numbers, I just memorized SS, BS, spin and carry. Obviously all the numbers matter but those are kind of the big 4 I focus on for the driver.

[Nixhex524]

On 2/6/2023 at 4:18 PM, snagy2000 said:

By goofy, you mean priced perfect for the consumer but tricky for the flipper, right? No one cares about flippers! If you can get a performance comparative at a bargain price, it's a huge win for the consumer. 

 

Yes, that would be mostly accurate, but depends on what you mean by "flipper".   PXG doesn't make it easy to demo their product so most people have to order blindly.  What happens if you don't like it?  If you bought it for $499 and two weeks later the price drops to $299, now you're stuck taking a large hit.  Then they raise the price back up to $499... who would buy it at that price if you know there's a chance it could go down again?  No win for the consumer there.   The whole thing seems to devalue their own product.  I'm not saying they aren't good... there are just many other options out there that one can get into almost ANY fitting bay at their local shop and try out with a multitude of shafts to make sure their money is spent more wisely.  And most of those companies hold the pricing firm for the duration of the product cycle.  It can give the buyer peace of mind in a world where there are so many great options, that they aren't stuck and won't take a giant hit to the wallet.  I think it's just the reality of the golf equipment market right now... all you have to do is spend 15 minutes here and you know how much buying and swapping goes on.  Its a legitimate part of the golf market right now and the reason why so many second hand golf outlets are able to stay alive.  

[BigMack]

Interesting response. Because PXG is direct to consumer, they do allow returns for 30 days. So you are not stuck ever with a driver (or other golf club) that you don't like. I am seeing a LOT of PXG equipment out there because it's quality stuff on the cheap. It allows you to tinker with your bag without spending a fortune. It's the reason I bought the new 0211 3-wood on a whim because it's only $159! Not $349 like all the new ones are. I think it comes down to the individual and their risk tolerance. I agree, however, that no one should be buying the Gen 5 driver at full price of $599 when you know it will go on sale soon enough. 

[wam78]

Currently bagging the rogue st line of woods and have no reason to change whatsoever.  But new and shiny is always attractive.  That being said, when testing the paradym, outside of sound/feel, I still like the rogue st line better.  I think it’s one of Callaway’s best looking woods in a long while.  Balls speed is outstanding, especially with the fairway.

 

Being a Titleist woods player for so long, I’m always tempted to go back and the tsr line is fantastic.  So much good product nowadays its easy to get lost in it.

 

It’s really all about what looks good to you and what helps you feel confident you can hit the middle of the face.  Solid contact equals ball speed.

[mgoblue83]

You are singing the praises of PXG but it had the worst performance?

 

It's a $299 driver that has almost zero resale value.

 

All of the other drivers will sell for a high percentage of their new price (certainly more than $299) on the used market. They also perform better.

 

The choice is simple:

Decent driver for a cheap price that doesn't have much resale value or a higher performing driver that costs more but also holds it's resale value better. 

[BigMack]

The PXG is an inch shorter. I'm sure the ball speed would be there with the others were it same length. It had the best dispersion next to the Rogue. It has three weight ports for ultimate adjustability as my golf game improves. It's half price, and I plan to keep it for at least 5 years. That's a win in my book.

Edited February 9 by BigMack

[Chazb]

I just bought a PXG 0311 gen 5/and it is the bomb and it is better then the PXG gen 4 that I broke on accident.The PXGs drivers replaced my ping 425 after playing the ping for a year so club on sale for $299 can replace a club that I paid $500 for and be better for me.