50 Words or Less
The PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver has tremendous forgiveness. High, consistent ball speed. Arguably the best adjustability/fitting system in golf.
Introduction
In early October, I was invited to Scottsdale National Golf Club to celebrate PXG’s 10 year anniversary. I suspected there would be new clubs unveiled but was given no advanced notice of what they might be. When I arrived, I was greeted by Lightning, PXG’s new family of woods. Featuring innovative new tech alongside their proven adjustability systems, I was excited to see if the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver could take over the top spot in my bag.
Looks
In the address, position, the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver has the look of a super forgiving, max-style driver. It’s stretched from front to back, though PXG’s designers did a good job rounding out the shape rather than making it a triangle. There’s a slight lean toward the heel, though I didn’t notice this until I really stared at it for this review. Through my fitting, a range session, and a round of golf, it didn’t stand out to me at all. The Lightning drivers feature the same glossy, carbon fiber crown that PXG used on Black Ops, but the graphics at the trailing edge have been dialed way down.
In the photo above, you can see the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver (right) next to the Lightning Tour Mid driver. The Max-10K+ is slightly longer from front to back, and the face is a bit shallower. It’s not a dramatic difference, even when they’re side by side, but there’s enough that many gear heads will have a clear preference. Going from the Max-10K+ all the way to the Lightning Tour is a much more noticeable leap.
In the bag, the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver has a very clean look. The sole is almost entirely carbon fiber. The branding is minimal and pushed to the edges of the sole. As with all PXG clubs, the Lightning driver is entirely black, white, and silver
Sound & Feel
The major focus of the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver is the Frequency Tuned Face. While the tuning was done for performance reasons, it also positively impacted the sound and feel. Striking a premium ball produces a staccato “pop” that’s more woody than metallic. It’s average in volume and mid-low in pitch. The Lightning Max-10K+ sings a little more on centered shots than mishits, providing a hint of audio feedback.
Through the hands, you’ll find above average feedback for a driver this stable. Though the results were consistent across the face, I could easily tell when I’d hit a pure shot versus a stinker. The feel complements the sound, leaning toward solid and traditional. Perfect shots produce a little extra bounce that lets you know the ball got every possible mile per hour.
Tech Talk
There’s a lot of interesting technology behind the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver, so we’re going to discuss that separately from what it did on the range and on the course. This section is for the gear nerds. If the tech doesn’t interest you, feel free to skip ahead.
Take a look at the picture above. Notice the sharp ridge in the center of the sole. This is what PXG calls “Spined Sole Design.” It’s a key part in the Lightning’s Frequency Tuned Face. We have heard some OEMs talk about frequency before, but it’s always been in the context of dialing in the sound. PXG is using frequency to enhance performance. By tuning the frequency of the head to 4500hz to match the impact interval of the golf ball (how long it’s on the club face), PXG’s engineers have been able to increase face deflection, leading to more ball speed.
As always, PXG is willing to offer hard data to back their claim. Compared to the Black Ops driver [review HERE], the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver produces an extra 1.5 MPH of ball speed with an 85 MPH swing and an added 1.3 MPH with a 100 MPH swing.
The other big tech feature is the titular 10K+ MOI. MOI stands for Moment of Inertia, a measure of the club’s stability or resistance to twisting. In the last couple of years, going over 10,000 combined MOI (adding the vertical MOI and the horizontal MOI) has been the gold standard for “Max” style drivers. PXG was able to achieve this high level of forgiveness by boosting the size of the carbon fiber plate on the sole by 84% and moving the rear weight further back. In fact, to remain within USGA limits, PXG can’t put a weight heavier than 17.5 grams in the back port.
One final tech note: PXG etched the face of the Lightning drivers. This was done at the behest of PXG’s Tour players to make the face more visible. While looks may have been the driving force, testing showed that the etching also had performance benefits: dispersion area decreased by over 100 square yards in both wet and dry conditions.
Performance
Fun fact about me: in the last few years, I’ve been incapable of having a “normal” club fitting. Sometimes I look like I could consider a run at professional golf, sometimes I look like I don’t know which end of the club to hold. There is almost no in between. At my most recent PXG visit, I had one of each, on consecutive days. The bad day came during the driver fitting, which allowed the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver to show off just how forgiving it can be.
The fitting started with the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver. I hit a series of shots – mediocre swings but very solid results. The numbers were good, too, the launch just a little short of optimal. I told my fitter, Terry Trammel, that I have no ego when it comes to driver selection – I want all the forgiveness. Nonetheless, we tried the other two models before he gently agreed that I would benefit from the 10K+ MOI. We spent a little time dialing in the shaft and experimenting with the weights before writing up my build sheet.
I was able to take my new driver onto Scottsdale National’s Other Course the next day. Mercifully, my swing was in slightly better shape than during the fitting, and the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver did everything I wanted. On poor contact, I was still putting the ball in range of the green. With good contact, I was hitting it as far as I ever have. And, most importantly, my mishits stayed on the course.
When I got the Lightning Max-10K+ driver home, I took it out for some launch monitor time and extended range sessions to see if it could end up in my bag. I started out hitting it side-by-side with my Black Ops [review HERE]. While I still like that driver, the Lightning Max-10K+ was the clear choice. I prefer the sound, the ball flight was stronger, and it was more forgiving.
Every time I took it out, the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver did what I saw in my fitting: forgave my bad strikes and elevated my good ones. The flight has been mid-high launch with fairly low spin when paired with the Fujikura Ventus Black [review HERE]. I can move the ball around a little, but, as regular readers know, that’s something I rarely do on the course. What I value in the Lightning Max-10K+ is its ability to keep the curvature in check and the ball in play. Knowing I’ll be able to find my drive gives me the confidence to swing aggressively and set up shorter approach shots.
Conclusion
Did the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ driver end up in my bag? To paraphrase Judge Marinacci in Rounders, “I don’t make decisions like that in December…let’s just say I’ll put it on the top of the list.” For the player that wants all the forgiveness and high end performance alongside limitless adjustability options, it doesn’t get better than this.
Buy the PXG Lightning Max-10K+ Driver HERE
PXG Lightning Max-10K+ Driver Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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One Comment
Nice review here. I’ve always enjoyed when PXG launches new products. I’ve been a firm believer that they don’t release new products unless the new is better than the old unlike others. I get a little nervous walking into a PXG store however because I always have to break out my wallet. When they had their promo going on when you can bring your current gamer into the store and put it up against theirs I would walk out shocked. I’m nervous if they do this again with this launch. Regardlesss, I’m excited to test this new line up including Fariway Woods to see how they compare. As mentioned above, not sure if December is the right time for me but will surely test all of the new products and see how they stack up against m current set up. Exciting times for golfers for sure.