Prime Time

For you to become a XXIO player, two things need to be true: First, you need to be a person of means because, as we’ve seen several times before, XXIO clubs do not come cheap.

Second, you need to have come to terms with the fact you’re not getting any younger and aren’t swinging the club any faster – something that might take a while for you to acknowledge; just as it might be a slow process for the person with an arthritic hip to finally accept their need for a cane.

Of course, many (most?) people who do eventually permit themselves to use a walking aid or reluctantly retire the golf clubs they’ve used for five to ten years but which have become increasingly stiff, heavy, and unforgiving often wonder why it took them so long to make the necessary change. The almost instant benefits confirm they made the right choice and can now return to some sort of normalcy without the dark cloud of indecision hanging over them.

We realize the overlap in the Venn diagram showing people with the necessary moolah and those that have recognized their advancing years and retreating clubhead speed and decided to take action is a small one. And we understand the conversation you have with golf buddies after you’ve purchased a set of XXIOs might be awkward. One or two might rib you for your transition into what have been called “AARP clubs” while others might reference how much they cost you.

It’s all light-hearted stuff, though, and when they see you swinging your new clubs noticeably faster with less effort and regaining the yards you were losing, the game is back on.

XXIO clubs are designed to have this effect. Incredibly lightweight – the new Prime driver weighs just 257 grams total – 10-15% less than a typical driver – they are remarkably easy to swing for golfers whose clubhead speed with the driver has gradually dropped to about 85mph or less.

Founded in 2000 and part of the Dunlop Sports stable, which also includes Srixon and Cleveland Golf, XXIO has its U.S. headquarters in Huntington Beach, Calif., and names its launches in the order they are released (its most recent launch was ‘13’ in early 2024). Its Prime clubs, however, are an additional, even higher-end range that are lighter and more expensive than its ‘standard’ offerings.

As you’d expect of a club designed for golfers who have trouble squaring then closing the face, the driver is designed to prevent a slice. The Super-TIX 51AF titanium (like everything else on this club, the titanium is very light but strong) BiFLEX face features a Bulge and Roll design with a less prominent bulge near the toe and a more rounded bulge toward the heel. With Bulge and Roll faces, off-center strikes cause the clubhead to rotate fractionally, move around the center of mass and impart the sidespin that will help curve the ball back to the fairway.

Activewing, positioned at the heel-end of the crown, is a familiar Dunlop technology that has been used in Cleveland drivers and several XXIO clubs. It is designed to keep the clubhead stable on the downswing and help you deliver a square clubface at impact.

$900
Lofts – 10.5°, 11.5°
Shaft – 35-gram Prime SP-1300 proprietary shaft (built by Srixon, Cleveland, XXIO in its own facility) made with very thin, strong carbon fiber, and more flexible in the butt-end.
Right-hand only

In addition to the driver, the new Prime range features fairway woods, hybrids, and irons that repeat the lightweight theme with the super lightweight SP-1300 shaft. The faces on the fairway woods and hybrids are constructed from HT1770M stainless steel rather than titanium, and the sole has a cannon-shaped weight that moves the Center of Gravity (CG) extremely low, helping you get the ball in the air.

The irons have plenty of offset and a wide sole, as clubs designed for moderate clubhead speed golfers should. They also feature Rebound Frame, another Dunlop family technology XXIO users will know well, and which creates maximum face flex, boosting your ball speed. There are also 50 grams of tungsten near the bottom of the 5, 6, and 7 irons to lower the CG and airborne your ball.

Fairways
$600
Lofts – 15˚, 18˚, 21˚, 25˚  
Shaft – Prime SP-1300
Right-hand only

Hybrids
$419
Lofts – 19˚, 22˚, 25˚, 28˚, 31˚      
Shaft – Prime SP-1300
Right-hand only

Irons
$1,200 (7-PW; 5-iron, 6-iron, GW, SW also available for $300/club).
Lofts – 7-28˚, PW-42˚
Shaft – Prime SP-1300
Right-hand only

Pre-order at us.dunlopsports.com/xxio now. Available in stores Friday (March 14th).