Because you are reading this review, I’m betting that you have already heard of XXIO (pronounced ZEXY-OH apparently). But if you haven’t let me give you a quick little rundown.
XXIO is a high-end brand that focuses on forgiving, lightweight, graphite-shafted clubs. The prices are not for the faint of heart. Typically the clubs are used the most by seniors – most commonly those that are not from the US originally. They have a much more global presence than most people realize. XXIO is brothers with Srixon/Cleveland, as they are all owned by the same company.
Glad that we got that out of the way. Here’s our unbiased review of the XXIO Prime 11 driver for 2021.
Performance & Appearance
Overall, the club looks suspiciously like the Cobra F-Max Black/Gold Driver, but that’s not a bad thing. I really like the gold/black contrast. Based on the price, I can only assume that the gold is actually 24k gold! That’s pretty awesome (kidding). I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the club face shape. It appears as though the tallest part of the club face is towards the toe. Typically the tallest part of the club face will be centered for obvious reasons.
To be completely honest, the club simply looks cheap and like an off-brand model at address. The titanium club face seems outdated, and it’s difficult to justify the price tag based solely on appearance. Thankfully, performance is really what sells drivers, not looks!
Performance is where this driver truly shines, as long as the right golfer has the club in his/her hands. For me, this driver would be a disaster. I simply swing too fast and aggressively to benefit from the XXIO Prime 11 driver.
For the average senior golfer, though, this is the ideal driver for maximizing distance and forgiveness. Here’s how:
- The club head is just 184g (average driver head is around 330g for comparison).
- The stock shaft is just 33.5g (average driver shaft weight is around 50-60g).
- The club head is draw-biased making it easier to turn the club face over at impact without too much hand action. This should limit (not stop completely) your short banana slices.
- According to XXIO, this has been their most successful improvement in forgiveness across the entire club face. So if you tend to mishit the center of the club face pretty regularly, definitely give the XXIO Prime Eleven driver a try.
Lighter club head + lighter shaft + added forgiveness = an incredible driver for senior golfers (as long as they can afford the price).
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- the most lightweight driver head that you can buy
- the most lightweight stock shaft that you’ll find
- if you have a very slow swing, this will be the longest driver for you
- incredibly forgiving across the entire club face
- draw biased, which is a feature most senior golfers benefit from
Cons:
- not for everyone – you may outgrow your driver if you significantly increase your swing speed over time
- cheap, off-brand look overall, which makes it hard to shell out so much money for it
- Literally the highest priced driver that I’ve ever seen ($900)
- very small market if you wanted to resell in the future. Would likely end up selling for FAR less than you bought it for
Compared to Previous Model
The XXIO Prime 11 Driver is about 30 grams lighter than the previous XXIO Prime X driver. Practically all of this weight saving is found in the club head. Less weight = more speed = more distance. However, you may find a small decrease in consistency due to the significant weight difference. You’ll have to pick your poison here. Do you want more distance and less consistency, or less distance and more consistency?
Other than the weight difference, the XXIO Prime 11 driver is a little more forgiving than the Prime X model, due to a variable thickness face.
Who The XXIO Prime 11 Driver Is Best For
No question about it: the XXIO Prime 11 Driver is best for slow swinging, senior golfers that want to add distance and forgiveness to their drives. Due to the lightweight club head, lightweight club face, draw bias, and forgiving club face, this is truly one of the best drivers for senior golfers in 2021 that I’ve ever reviewed. You’d have a hard time finding a lighter overall club that you can swing as fast as the XXIO Prime driver.
Keep in mind that this driver is not just for seniors though. Seniors are the most common audience. However, any slow swinging golfer (for whatever reason) would benefit from a lightweight driver like the XXIO Prime 11. For example, if you have bad flexibility, are vertically challenged (short), not super physically active, etc, then the XXIO Prime Eleven will definitely help you swing faster.
There is another criteria that you have to meet to buy the XXIO Prime though: you need a buttload of money. This driver will set you back $900 + taxes + shipping + possible club fitting fees + possible shaft upgrades. There is no driver like this one when it comes to price, unfortunately.
I typically rag on drivers that cost $400+, so yeah I have to rag on this one too. That’s simply far too much money for the majority of golfers. For that reason, I’d highly recommend that you check out my “better value” option below.
Better Priced Option That Won’t Empty Your Wallet
If you want a similarly performing driver as the XXIO Prime 11 driver, then I suggest you look into Wilson and Cobra models. Wilson D series drivers have always prided themselves on reducing weight to increase your swing speed. However, their drivers don’t typically perform as well as more popular brands. Cobra, on the other hand, has found a way to reduce weight without sacrificing overall performance and feel. The Cobra F-Max Superlite series offers great, lightweight drivers.
The Cobra F-Max Superlite Draw driver is lightweight, forgiving, and draw biased just like the XXIO Prime 11. It may not be quite as light as the XXIO Prime 11, but it’s close. And considering that you can save $750+ by gaming the Superlite, I’d say you can probably make it work.
