PXG just gave its mini driver a speed boost

If you’ve been eyeing a mini driver as a way to ensure a fairway in regulation when the driver might not be the play, PXG has something new to consider. The company just rolled out an updated Secret Weapon, and the pitch is simple: big-stick pop, fairway-wood manners.

A lot of the thinking here came straight from PXG’s popular Lightning woods lineup. Three pieces of that tech made the jump: a thinner face, a refined internal sole structure, and optimized weighting. PXG packed all three into the same compact 300cc head as the previous generation, with the goal of faster ball speeds with tighter dispersion down range. The face is the headliner, at more than 4 percent thinner than the last generation Secret Weapon. That lets it flex more at impact, which should mean faster ball speeds on a larger share of the face, not just dead center.

Thinner faces can get fragile, so PXG’s engineers used finite element analysis (basically a way to simulate where the stress goes) to rework the structure inside the sole. It supports the face and spreads impact stress through the head. The saved weight moved to the perimeter, which boosts MOI and keeps the head from twisting on mishits. A lightweight carbon fiber crown frees up even more weight to sit low and deep.

Here’s how Caleb Kroloff, PXG’s director of woods research and development, put it: “The thinner face and refined sole structure work together,” he said. “We reinforced the areas that needed support and moved saved weight to the perimeter. That helps us deliver more speed with more consistent performance when golfers miss the center of the face.”

Now for the part the gear heads have been waiting for: PXG’s Precision Weighting Technology gives you four ports in the sole, at the heel, toe, front, and back, and the club ships with two 7.5-gram weights and two 2.5-gram weights. That 5-gram gap between the heavy and light plugs is where the tuning happens. Load up the heel and you’re nudging the club toward a draw, while weight in the toe leans it toward a fade. Shift mass forward and you can pull spin down and lower flight, while shifting it back adds forgiveness, launch, and spin.

Because you’re moving grams around a head that’s already short in the shaft, those swaps also change swing weight, so you can dial in feel as well as ball flight. Add the adjustable hosel and you’ve got a second, independent lever for launch and trajectory.

PGA Tour pro Jake Knapp, already a fan of the original, seems happy with the sequel.

“The original Secret Weapon was my favorite club in the bag, so I had high expectations for this one,” he said. “I absolutely love it. It has everything I liked about the original, with more speed and forgiveness. Putting it in the bag was an easy decision.”

I spent some time with it myself, and the off-center speed really does show up. It’s also a very workable club, so you can shape shots and find tricky fairways, and it sounds fantastic off the tee. Off the deck, it makes taking a divot easy. The catch is who it suits: if you want a beefed-up fairway wood, you’ll feel right at home, but if you’re hoping for a driver replacement, it may not be your club.

The new Secret Weapon comes in right and left-handed models, both at 13 degrees of loft and 43.25 inches long.

You can order online or book a fitting at PXG.com.