Equipment
XXIO introduces XXIO9 driver, fairway woods
XXIO, leading seller of golf clubs in Japan for 16 consecutive years, revealed the details of the company’s ninth generation of woods. And from the looks of things, some truly innovative technology is about to hit the market.
The tag line from the Japanese market leader’s announcement: “Altering the head path increases head speed to achieve greater distance.”
Sounds great. But what does this mean practically?
The 9 series woods utilize a technology that facilitates longer wrist cock throughout the downswing, and thus a different club head path without a conscious alteration to the golf swing. The result of this, according to the company? A 5.5-yard increase in distance relative to the XXIO8 weaponry.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the metal wood offerings and component technology.
XXIO9 driver
The centerpiece of the XXIO9 series: Dunlop Sports’ Dual Speed Technology, which is designed to maximize distance.
Here’s how it works.
The XXIO 9 driver also features the company’s Wing Cup Face and the heaviest head in XXIO history.
And as you likely guessed, the heavier club head necessitates a lighter shaft: the new MP900, which features a balance point closer to the grip and several innovative materials, such as Toray T1100G: a graphite fiber developed for the aerospace industry.
The shaft doesn’t sacrifice strength, however, thanks to XXIO’s proprietary “hoop sandwich structure.”
With respect to the XXIO9 driver’s face, the company introduces Wing Cup Face design. And as the company indicates, “The heavier club head maximizes kinetic energy at the moment of impact, while the newly developed cup face with its expanded flare from toe to heel offers a 10 percent larger sweet spot than the previous model.”
Of course, no modern driver offering would be complete without some technology to manipulate center of gravity for the coveted high-launch, low-spin ball flight. XXIO repositions the weight in the driver’s sole this year, moving it 15 millimeters back to create a deeper, lower CG.
XXIO9 fairway woods
Similar to the driver, the XXIO9 fairway woods are equipped with the same shaft and a heavier club head. Thus, the purported results are the same: an improved club head path and longer-travelling shots.
XXIO9 fairway woods feature a new cup face of variable thickness (thicker at the sweet spot, thinner toward the edges). The face is also structured to improve COR performance in the lower regions of the face where many golfers make contact. Additionally, the sweet spot is 10 percent larger than previous models.
The sole’s “Power Wave Structure” (thinner center and thicker sides) creates the coveted lower, deeper CG to aid golfers in getting the ball into the air.
The XXIO9 series will be available starting Dec. 8. The XXIO9 driver will retail for $649.99, and the fairway woods for $429.99.
Specs
Driver
Fairway woods
Left-handed options
- Drivers (available January 16): 9.5 (S); 10.5 (S, SR); 11.5 (R)
- Woods: 3 (S, R); 5 (S, R); 7 (R)
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Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
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Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
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John
Nov 11, 2015 at 12:28 pm
Yonex was doing this 2 years ago and make their shafts in house. Very underrated woods in my opinion
Jeff
Nov 11, 2015 at 11:12 am
Would love to see these with better shaft options than the stock configuration…
Dumdum
Nov 11, 2015 at 8:30 pm
These are the better shafts, dummy!
Darren
Nov 11, 2015 at 9:16 am
Those torque properties are off the richter!
Large chris
Nov 11, 2015 at 4:36 am
What’s that club you are playing with?
A 9 wood.
A 9 wood? My Grandma players with a 9 wood.
No no it’s a driver called a number 9.
Oh.
Different weight distributions and MOIs could well change swing path and speed for the better, but I suspect it will be more helpful to 70mph swing speed senior Japanese executives than WRXers.
Joshuaplaysgolf
Nov 14, 2015 at 10:57 pm
Probably a fair statement. As we all know, those of us with fast swing speeds aren’t gaining 5 mph more just from picking up a club. The only way my swing speed is going from 113 (average) to 118 (working on it 😉 ) is with a crap load of work on strength, flexibility, quickness, and technique…just moving some weighting and aerodynamics around won’t.
Tom
Nov 10, 2015 at 10:20 pm
Yowwwwwzzzzaaa!