If you’ve seen a mini driver as a way to ensure a fairway in regulation when the driver might not be the game, PXG has something new to consider. The company just released an updated Secret Weapon, and the pitch is simple: big-stick pop, fairway-wood manners.
Most of the thinking here came directly from the popular PXG Lightning line of woods. Three pieces of that technology have made the leap: a thinner face, a refined inner 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 speed with tighter dispersion. The face is the headliner, more than 4 percent thinner than the last generation Secret Weapon. That allows it to flex more at impact, which should mean faster ball speed over a larger portion of the face, not just dead center.
Thinner faces can be brittle, so PXG engineers used finite element analysis (basically a way to simulate where the stress goes) to rework the structure in the sole. It supports the face and spreads the impact stress through the head. The saved weight moved to the perimeter, which increases MOI and keeps the head from twisting into 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 transferred the saved weight to the perimeter. That helps us deliver faster with a more consistent performance when golfers miss the center of the face.”
Now for the part gear heads have been waiting for: PXG’s Precision Weighting Technology gives you four ports in the sole, 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 caps is where the deal happens. Load the heel and push the club towards a draw, while the weight in the toe tilts it towards a fade. Move the mass forward and you can pull spin down and lower flight, while turning back adds forgiveness, launch and spin.
Because it moves grams around a head that is already short in the shaft, those exchanges also change the swing weight, so you can score in the feeling and flight of the ball. Add the adjustable hosel and you have a second independent lever for launch and trajectory.
PXG
PGA Tour pro Jake Knapp, already a fan of the original, seems pleased 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 loved 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 speed off center really shows. It’s also a very playable club, so you can shape shots and find difficult fairways, and it sounds great off the tee. Off the bridge, it makes it easy to make a divot. The catch is that it fits: if you want a reinforced fairway wood, you’ll feel right at home, but if you’re hoping for a driver replacement, this may not be your club.
The new Arma Secreta comes in right-handed and left-handed models, both at 13 degrees of loft and 43.25 inches long.
