Pixl Golf Wedges and Putters

Pixl Golf releases their new technology of 'Pixels' to the golfing World.

Ted Finnerty

21 Mar 2001

An introduction to a new breed of golf clubs surfaces from Palo Alto, California. A company called Pixl Golf has released a line of putters, wedges, and irons that revolves around a new pixel technology. Their sales are conducted primarily on the web at their website: www.pixlgolf.com. After giving their putter and wedge a grueling test, I am here to inform the GOLFmagic crowd all about this new technology and how it affects our golf game.

	To the left are two diagrams: conventional clubfaces and pixel clubfaces. At impact, the pixels in contact with the surface of the ball transfer all of their energy to the ball. Looking at the lower picture, notice the red arrows routing the energy from the clubface to the golf ball: there is no energy lost. This technology works very well in the wedges, as I imagine it does in the irons, but I did not like the feel of the pixel face in the putter.
Conventional Clubfaces

The new Pixl Technology

The Pixl Wedge

The Wedge

How it works: Pixl wedges use over 200 independent pieces, called pixels, to make up the hitting area of the clubface. The pixels are not attached to each other and act independently at impact, much like the individual coils on a mattress. The result is a ball rebound that is extremely consistent regardless of the impact location. The independent pixel behavior combines with precision-machined grooves to create exceptional spin. Robot testing shows that the independent pixel behavior improves the energy transfer on mis-hits, resulting in a distance improvement of up to 5%.

Price: Pixl Golf currently offers three wedges at the current retail price of USD$159.00:


Wedge	Loft	Bounce
Gap Wedge	52º	8º
Sand Wedge	56º	14º
Lob Wedge	60º	5º

Reverse Angle

My review: The Pixl wedge has a unique feel to it. I tested the 56º Sand Wedge and liked the feel out of sand traps: the spin created was quite sharp and precise. With an old, smooth metal finish to it, the wedge knifes through sand as well as any other sand wedge. The ball reacts well to the clubface regardless of where the ball and clubface have contact. From the sand, I give it a rating of 9.

Chipping with the sand wedge was a bit different. The ball jumps off the face with more force than one might expect. After adjusting, I tried different types of chipping strokes. With a chip-putt stroke, the ball rockets forward with more steam than a regular wedge. With a punch chip, the ball carries more spin from impact to the green, ranging from side to back spin. When the ball landed, depending on the angle of the wedge at impact, the spin was much greater. From greenside, I give it a rating of 7.

The unique feel, which makes me want to try their irons, came with the full swing shots. Having the problem of inconsistent contact myself, I found my mis-hits to lose nearly no distance at all. This was a particular help when I tried carrying shots over trouble. Without losing the distance from a mis-hit, the ball still reached the green. The concept of the pixels seems to work very well. From the fairway, I give it a rating of 9.5.

The Pixl Putter

The Putter

How it works: All pixl putters feature the proprietary pixel face insert technology. Pixel technology uses over 100 independent pieces, called pixels, to make up the hitting area of the clubface. The pixels are not attached to each other and act independently at impact. The result is a ball rebound that is extremely consistent regardless of the impact location.

Price: Prices range from USD$159.00 to $250.00; their models consist of a variety of putters.

My review: I prefer a putter with a smooth face. Looking at this putter, I could tell that I would not fancy carrying it in my bag. However, I can see, after using it, how it can help players manage the length of their putts. Like the sand wedge, the pixels transfer more energy to the ball on mis-hits. In long putts, this feature is particularly important. For players that consistently three-putt, you might want to try hitting this putter. I give it a rating of 6.

Awards: In PGATour.com's "Best of the Best Golden Tee Awards" for year 2000, PGATour.com awarded the Pixl 1.8 Series the highest ranking, "birdie." Sharing the ranking with Pixl Golf was the Scotty Cameron Mil-Spec. Trailing behind Pixl and Cameron were such models as Odyssey White Hot, Ping Isoforce 2, Carbite, and Never Compromise, which were all ranked as "par."

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