Stix Golf Perform Series Set Review: Fantastic performance and unbeatable value
Stix offers a complete 14-club set designed to offer golfers an affordable alternative to premium brands without sacrificing quality. To see how they performed, we got them out on the course.
Stix Perform Series Set Key Features
- All-black minimalist design
- Available in both steel and graphite shafts in three different flexes
- Five different length options
- Highly durable black coating
Stix is a golf brand that was founded by a golfer who wanted to upgrade his starter set but didn't want to pay upwards of $2,000 to do so.
So instead of parting ways with his hard-earned cash, he decided to found a brand that could offer golfers the same premium quality and performance they desired, but at half the price.
The result of years of development was a complete set of high-quality, excellent-looking clubs that can be purchased directly from the brand for just over £1,000.
The set features a driver, three and five wood, four hybrid, irons (5-PW), three wedges at 52° 56° and 60° and a putter.
Eager to see how these clubs would compare to the big hitters in golf like Callaway and TaylorMade, we took them down to the range and then out on the course to see how they performed.
Let's get into it.
Stix Driver
Potentially the standout club in this set, this driver not only looks fantastic, but it performed incredibly well, too.
Starting off with looks, we love the all-black design. The matte two-tone crown looks lovely sat behind the ball, with a single red dot alignment aid. If we were being picky, we would have done away with the red dot to complete the totally black finish, but it does serve a purpose and comes in handy when squaring the ball with the centre of the club.
The classic tear-drop shape offers good depth, and the 460cc titanium head will provide golfers with plenty of confidence.
Flip the club over, and the sole features one of the coolest designs we've seen this year. If you are a fan of minimalism, then this driver will be right up your street.
Featuring a mixed gloss/matte finish, the sole looks very futuristic and does away with the graphic clutter we sometimes see from modern drivers. The Stix logo is placed nicely near the back of the head for an overall stunning aesthetic that we think is the best in the package set business.
The sole also features loft, material and head-size detailing in an unusual position behind the face, but it actually works quite nicely. We've not seen another manufacturer utilise this space for specs, but due to the small font size and black colour, it ties in nicely with the rest of the design.
In terms of performance, we were really impressed with this driver. The Stix website doesn't offer a huge amount of clues when it comes to the tech incorporated into the head, but what we do know is it is a worthy adversary for the most established models on the market.
Coming in at 10.5 degrees in loft, the driver produces an excellent towering ball flight that manages to maintain distance effectively.
We were able to carry the ball 250 yards through the air, which is right around what we would hope to achieve from our current gamer.
The head also feels very solid at impact and produces a healthy crack when struck from the middle. As is key for any driver aimed at mid to high-handicappers, it also offers an excellent level of forgiveness.
Even when struck out of the toe or heel, the titanium head did a good job of keeping our ball relatively straight while also maintaining reasonable distance.
The one downside we did experience with the driver, woods and hybrid was the quality of the headcovers. While we know this set is designed to keep the price point low, the covers are very thin and cheap looking, which brings down the overall appeal.
While this isn't cause for major concern, if the headcovers could be improved, it would add a cherry on top of what is an excellent set of clubs.
All in all, we were really impressed with this driver. Considering each club in this set averages out at just over £82, you won't find a better combination of looks, performance and value anywhere else on the market.
Stix Woods and Hybrid
At the top end of the bag, Stix offers a generous arsenal of options, including a three-wood, five-wood and four hybrid.
All three clubs feature an identical look to the driver, remaining consistent with the black-on-black minimal design.
Both the three and five-wood were very easy to hit, and the added loft on the five-wood made it an excellent tool for reaching tucked-away pins on par-5s.
The three-wood also has a nice deep head that sits relatively low to the ground, which is our preferred profile as it tends to make sweeping the ball off the turf that much easier.
The four hybrid was also an excellent replacement for a four iron and one that we think perfectly suits the audience these clubs are aimed at. The extra forgiveness and distance on offer made it a handy fairway finder that was dependable time and time again.
Stix Irons & Wedges
Typically, with package sets, the first sacrifice made in order to bring down the price is aesthetics. That couldn't be further from the truth, though, with Stix irons. Despite the relatively thick topline, the all-black design manages to give the clubs a very sleek and appealing look when sat behind the ball.
The back of the clubs is also delightful to look at, with the shallow cavity featuring only a small Stix logo in order to maintain the minimalist style.
In terms of performance, the irons produce a high ball flight thanks to the strong lofts, which contributed to the excellent carry distances we were able to record on the range. We were so pleased with how these irons performed, they've gone straight in our best irons guide.
The feeling of impact is quite punchy, as you would expect from a club designed to be easy to hit, and the forgiveness on offer was also top-notch.
The wedges also offer a very premium look that we enjoyed, and thanks to the good selection of lofts, they were also very versatile for a number of full shots and more delicate shorter chips and pitches around the greens.
We found we were able to achieve good spin rates with all three of the wedges, and the level of grip and rip we received on the admittedly soft greens was really impressive to see from package set wedges.
While the wedges don't quite offer the same level of tech as more expensive wedges on the market, they still perform admirably while also producing a nice soft feel when struck out the middle.
Stix Putter
The final piece of the puzzle, the putter, is arguably the most important club in the bag. Thankfully Stix put as much time and effort into this putter as it did the rest of the clubs.
Featuring the same black-on-black matte/gloss finish as the woods in the set, this mallet design features a step on the top, which isn't quite like anything we've seen on the market. The sleek design looks great sat behind the ball and the milled face also produces a nice soft feel at impact.
The highest compliment we could pay this putter is that after our first putt with it, we felt like we would make everything.
The well-balanced head and shaft combined with the premium thick pistol grip made for a very enjoyable putting experience, and during the nine holes we played with it, we were honestly sinking putts from everywhere.
All in all, we were really impressed with the quality of the putter, and the results spoke for themselves.
Should you buy the Stix Golf Perform Series Set?
If you want a quality set of golf clubs but don't want to break the bank to do so, then this 14-club set could be the perfect purchase for you.
Let's face it: not everyone can afford a £500 driver, but that shouldn't mean you can't enjoy the benefits of a well-built and beautifully designed one. Stix has entered the golf market in an attempt to shake it up, and it's absolutely delivered on its aims.
These clubs not only look fantastic, but they also perform incredibly well.
When you take into consideration that the full set costs roughly half or even, in some cases, a third of what a full set could cost you, these clubs are without a doubt one of the best value products on the market.
