Equipment

Should you be playing game improvement irons? Testing PXG’s Black Ops irons

Published

5 months ago

Mar 17, 2025

According to the National Golf Foundation, the average score of golfers who regularly keep score is 94. The same study shows 32 percent of golfers report average scores between 90-99, with 29 percent of golfers reporting average scores between 80-89.

While many of us want to play players irons, the reality is that most of us should be using more game improvement-style irons, or at least strongly considering this category. PXG wants to show you that just because you need game improvement irons doesn’t mean you have to give up soft feel, great sound, and classic looks.

Where we come in

GolfWRX took to our forum to find two gearheads who not only wanted, but needed to make a chance when it came to the irons in their bag. That’s where Dan and Joe come in. Two longtime GolfWRX forum members and Scottsdale, Arizona, golfers who were looking for added distance, forgiveness, and were interested in the tech behind the PXG Black Ops irons.

About the members

Dan aka dahn (Member since 2008)	Joe aka puttnforthe8 (Member since 2009)
13.2 handicap	10 handicap
Current Irons: Callaway Paradym	Current Irons: Srixon ZX5 & Ping S56

.. and how the PXG Black Ops irons could benefit them:

Dan: “The dual cavity will hopefully give me the added distance while maintaining the aesthetics that we all want from a players/players distance iron.”

Joe: “I personally could benefit on a number of fronts. Firstly, the forgiveness the Black Ops technology is providing will be truly welcome. The mishits have increased right along with age – so need some irons that reverse aging! The distance provided of course is going to be beneficial, but if I am going to get forgiveness and length back – sign me up. Mentally, the look is going to be a big win – some of the GI/SGI irons look like a shovel and my head gets wrecked looking at those. These look streamlined and thinner at the top so as not to cause a mental breakdown.”

Getting fit

PXG welcomed each member to their Scottsdale location for a fitting. Remember, getting fit is a vital step to find what clubs will work best for you and uncovering the most optimal setup to unlock your full potential as a golfer. Dan was fit into a set of Black Ops irons (4-gw) with Aerotech SteelFiber 95s shafts. Dan picked improvement in distance (approximately 5 yards), but his “dispersion and ball descent was much better.”

Joe had never been fit for irons. He came into this fitting looking for better distance, more forgiveness and to hit the ball higher. After working through a few different options, Joe and his fitter settled on the PXG Black Ops irons with the Accra I-series Graphite shaft. Joe stated that this setup was “balanced, the head felt great and it really inspired confidence“. With this setup, Joe was able to achieve a faster swing speed, more distance, and a 30 percent increase in height.

Hitting the course

By this time we had seen the improvement in their numbers following their fitting, but we wanted to see how it impacted their game on-course in a location that they frequent, one they’re familiar with, and perhaps have proved challenging to them in the past. We hit Camelback Golf Club’s beautiful Ambiente Course, a 7,225-yard, par 72 course that challenges players with several striking features: eye-catching elevation changes and rolling fairways with significant drops.

No. 4, a long par-5 on Ambiente, is one that has particularly proven to be one that is tough to overcome for Joe. This time, though, it was different. He came equipped with the PXG Black Ops irons, a set of irons that was more suitable for his game and packed with technology, ultimate forgiveness, and maximum distance for a mid-handicap player like Joe.

Tune in below to see how both Dan and Joe fared.

For more information on the PXG Black Ops irons, visit the PXG website here and be sure to schedule a fitting at one of their 200+ fitting locations. Read more about this experience from Dan and Joe, and get in on the action by visting our forum.

This article is presented in partnership with PXG.

Equipment

BK’s Breakdowns: Cameron Young’s winning WITB, 2025 Wyndham Championship

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

Brian Knudson

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

Whats in the Bag

Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

GolfWRX Staff

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

Check out more in-hand photos Malnati’s clubs here.

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

Check out more in-hand photos Malnati’s clubs here.

Equipment

GolfWRX Members Choice presented by 2nd Swing: Best driver of 2025

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 4, 2025

GolfWRX Staff

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%