PXG 0211 Z Golf Club Set Review

PXG 0211 Z Golf Club Set Review

Hi, I'm Joss Phillips and I'm a complete beginner. My golf career thus far, which only began 6 months ago, has comprised the occasional driving session, two lessons and infrequent 9-hole rounds with a set of clubs best described as relics of a bygone era. But I love the game and am keep to improve so when PXG offered me the chance to test its new 0211 Z package set for Golf Monthly, I jumped at the chance - especially given that I am exactly the type of golfer they are aimed at.

There are three options when buying these as a set. The 10 piece full bag costs $1,695/£1,599 and includes six hybrid irons (6-9 plus a pitching wedge and sand wedge), three woods (a 16° driver, 4 and 5 wood) and a 0211 Hellcat Putter along with the PXG Bag and a hat. This is what we were lucky enough to be testing. You can also buy just the three woods or six hybrid irons on their own for $795/£749 each.

In reality anything compared to my existing clubs were going to look incredible, but I have to say these really do look good. Even before unpacking them, the clean black packaging with the distinct white PXG logo said they meant business. 

The first thing that stood out to me was the “stealth” color. Very much in keeping with the PXG look, the black and white really popped. When standing behind the club, face to a ball, the driver in particular felt and looked amazing, the matte top with a simple X in white showing you the center of the face from the top.

First hit and the biggest thing I noticed was the noise. It's loud, really loud, but in a quite satisfying  “look at me I just hit the ball really hard” kind of way.  All the claims and marketing literature says these clubs are designed for true beginners “because golf is tough enough” and I can absolutely see what they mean. 

No matter how badly I seemed to swing it, shots never went too far offline. All of the tech seemed to almost instantly correct my errors in technique. The ball genuinely seemed to go straighter more consistently and further than I had ever hit before. And this carried on through the bag - it genuinely felt like the clubs were guiding me and the ball was going where it was supposed to.

On my first trip out on the course and the irons really came into their own. As a beginner we all know height can be elusive to say the least. So when confronted on the first hole with 150 yards to the green and a large tree in the way, I thought I was in big trouble. 

But instead, a satisfying thud saw the ball sore gracefully up and over, some might even call it a “proper” golf shot! And that was a sign of things to come. The weight, feel and hybrid-like profile of the head just seemed to effortlessly get the ball in the air no matter how much I topped it, thinned it or sliced it. 

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. My 9 hole course has a par of 35 and usually I would go round in mid 70’s. In my first outing with the 0211 Z set, I shot a 63. So what's the catch? The first is the sound - the driver is loud and for some it might even be off putting, personally I like it but it won't be to everybody's taste.

The second would be the cost. Asking a beginner for north of $1,600 means these fall firmly into the premium end of the market. Value is always subjective but it's a big investment for a category of player that may not be willing to spend so heavily with a low skill level, not knowing if they will improve enough to warrant it. 

You only have to take a look at our best clubs for beginners to see there are a number of options out there from the leading manufacturers, but we're confident in saying the 0211 Z is one of the best golf club sets for beginners on the market.