PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack putter review: "locked & loaded for every putt"
Inspired by the brand's iconic 0311 irons, PXG has reimagined its range of putters with new S COR technology for supreme consistency and stability on every putt.
PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack Putter: Key Features
- Hollow body construction: repositions mass to the extreme perimeter of the putter to improve consistency on mis-hits
- S COR technology: a lightweight polymer injected into the body of the putter enhancing MOI while reducing vibrations for improved sound and feel
- Refined face pattern: pyramid face structure boasts aggressive face milling for improved ball roll characteristics
- Precision weighting: each putter can be fine-tuned by changing the location and mass of interchangeable weights
- Hosel customisation: a selection of hosels ensure optimal launch conditions based on your stroke and preference
Inspired by the brand's iconic 0311 irons, PXG's new range of Battle Ready II putters is engineered to deliver outstanding consistency across the face and a phenomenal feel at impact. We can confirm the brand achieved both, and it did so in such an emphatic fashion the putter has gone straight into our best putters guide.
The new range features nine different putters, with four blades and five mallets to choose from.
The inspiration for this new range of putters stems back to the introduction of the brand's 0311 irons that first hit shelves in 2015. The key piece of technology that has created the foundation for these putters is the injection-moulded, hollow body design.
Engineered to provide an unmatched feel at impact, the polymer injection also facilitated the creation of an ultra-thin face that results in improved forgiveness from off-centre strikes.
While all of this sounds very impressive, as always, the proof is in the pudding. So, with that in mind, we headed down to The Drift Golf Course in Surrey for a custom fitting to see how the new range performed.
PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack Putter: Looks and Feel
During our fitting at The Drift golf course in Surrey, we found the Blackjack head to be best suited to our stroke, thanks to the increased MOI and slight toe hang on offer. We were also fitted into a plumbers neck hosel to help return the putter face square at impact.
Two 7.5-gram weights were added to the rear of the putter, and two 2.5-gram weights were inserted closer to the face.
The result of this fascinating fitting was a putter that felt like a wand in our hands. Thanks to the incredibly detailed fitting process with PXG fitting specialist Brandon Bassett, we honestly felt like Luke Donald with the flat stick in hand.
Not only did we feel good with this putter in hand, but we also felt great just looking at it.
Featuring a two-tone silver and black design, when sat behind the ball, it looks glorious.
Simple yet sophisticated, the head looks positively menacing at address, and thanks to the one solid black alignment aid, it's incredibly easy to line up to target.
The large mallet head shape has grown in popularity over recent years, and all it takes is one look to see why. For those players who may lack a little confidence with the putter, this could be the ideal solution. It was the first head we were initially drawn to during our fitting, and after only a handful of putts, we knew it was the one for us.
The sole of the putter features PXG's famous skull and 26 insignia, which is a nod to PXG owner Bob Parsons' time as a rifleman in the 26th regiment of the United States Marine Corps.
Thanks to the polymer-injected body and an aggressive milled pyramid face pattern, the ball feels great at impact. leaving the face with a slightly cushioned feel, the head produces a satisfying, muted noise that will appeal to golfers who prefer a more subtle sound from their putter.
Thanks to the high MOI mallet head, the putter also feels reassuringly heavy in hand. Stood over the ball, you do get the sensation that a simple rock of the shoulders will be all that's needed to get the ball to the target, and on shorter putts, it feels like you can allow the club to do the work, removing any unwanted wrist movement in the backswing.
The Lamkin Sink Fit Pistol grip sat nicely in our hands, with the slightly thicker than standard size, feeling very secure throughout the stroke.
PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack Putter: Forgiveness and Performance
After an extensive period of adjustments and weight changes during our fitting, we settled on a configuration that honestly made us feel like we would never miss a putt again.
Holing putt after putt on the Drift's practice green, we were feeling exceptionally confident with this putter in hand. On medium-length putts, the ball was rolling beautifully off the face, with both alignment and distance control proving to be an effortless task with the Blackjack in hand.
On shorter downhill putts, the Blackjack's weight proved incredibly useful as all it took was the softest of touches, and the ball would trickle end over end down to the hole.
At the beginning of the session, Brandon asked us where we thought we were weakest with the putter, and like most amateur golfers, we confessed to being less than perfect with our lag putting.
With that in mind, Brandon set about tinkering with the weights in the head of the putter, and we began hitting a few putts from roughly 40 feet. While it took us a while to truly get our eye in from that distance, the single alignment aid and stability of the larger head size really helped us maintain a stable stroke even when extending it for long putts.
With our fitting now complete, we had to take the new putter out on the course to see if we could transfer our newfound confidence into more holed putts.
So out for 18 holes, we went. Stood on the first tee, we were 100% confident that we were going to one-putt every green. And while walking off the 18th green, reflecting that could have been a touch optimistic, we were absolutely delighted with how the putter performed.
The Blackjack was an excellent addition to the bag, especially on long putts. We found our weight control to be really solid thanks to the custom weighting, and where we would have typically left ourselves with tricky little five-footers for a two-putt, we were now leaving ourselves with tap-ins.
One three-putt aside, we walked off having one or two-putted 17/18 greens, which was an excellent return for a first run out with a new putter.
All in all, we couldn't have been much happier. With left misses and three putts now seemingly in the past, the Blackjack is looking like it's going to be a feature in our bag for some time.
Should you buy the PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack Putter?
If you want to quickly improve your putting, then we would highly recommend you go and get fit for a new PXG Battle Ready II putter.
The fitting process was outstanding, and while you may not walk away with the same model we did, a PXG fitter will be able to quickly and effectively pinpoint areas in your stroke that can be aided by a simple change in your putter's configuration.
Providing stunning looks, outstanding performance and five-star feel, the Battle Ready II range from PXG is a huge step forward for the brand, with its putters now firmly planted at the top end of the market to compete with the likes of Scotty Cameron and Odyssey.
With a fitting process to match the quality of its putters, we would highly recommend booking yourself in to experience the range for yourself.
