If you’re an avid viewer of professional golf on TV, there’s reasonable chance you’ve already got PXG founder Bob Parsons’ voice in your head. In the flashy, Floyd-Mayweather-pummeling-the-speed-bag-paced ads for the premium direct-to-consumer golf equipment company’s coveted club line, Parsons’ enthusiastic, bravado-fueled growl catches viewers up on PXG’s latest offerings with reminders that no other company in the industry builds clubs quite like the Scottsdale-headquartered juggernaut.
To fully appreciate just how different PXG’s approach to designing, building, marketing and selling is from those of the golf industry establishment, it’s important to recall how PXG came to be. To hear the trailblazing Parsons – a United States Marine who served in the Vietnam War, an accountant, self-taught computer programmer, domain hosting trailblazer and ordained minister – tell it, PXG was founded as a “research, engineering and innovation company.”
The mission was to answer the question, “Can we make a better golf club if we take a different approach?” Parson’s approach? No hard deadlines based on one-year or two-year launch cycles and – thanks to billionaire Parsons’ unfettered commitment – limitless investment in time and resources. The sole objective was creating a better golf club with the best R&D team and engineers.
Once he and his team were convinced they could make groundbreaking golf equipment, they brought it to market. And, at a premium price point, due to the upfront costs of developing the line. And, also with a strict director to consumer (no retail accounts) model and early-adapting brand ambassadors on the PGA TOUR like Ryan Moore and two-time major winner Zach Johnson. The cost associated with PXG’s (which stands for Parsons Extreme Golf) first offerings worked in two ways.
The earliest adapters, in addition to a growing base of pros on major tours, were consumers comfortable paying luxury prices who fell for PXG’s performance, aesthetics and feel at a fitting experience. Meanwhile, the rest of the golf consumer market began to accept PXG as a trusted and performance driven line based on word of mouth, tour acceptance as well as consistently favorable consumer and media reviews. The experiment was bearing results. While a handful of other brands abide exclusively in the ultra-premium stratum, that’s just part of the PXG evolution.
Initially, we had to be able to establish ourselves as a brand of significance and integrity, an engineering and innovation brand, and show that our approach results in a high-quality, high, performance product. And, over the years we’ve been able to expand our product offerings to meet the needs of more golfers and make the game more fun for everyone through the delivery of product that performs,” Parsons says.
It’s important to note that Parsons is no stranger finding success in times of economic downturn. He started Parsons Technology amid recession in the early-mid 80s from his basement after teaching himself how to write computer programs. Parsons Technology was sold to Intuit in 1994 for $64 million. Three years later, Parsons launched Jomax Technologies which would later become GoDaddy – the world’s largest domain name registrar. He sold a majority stake in 2011 in a deal that valued the company at $2.3 billion.
So, when the earliest signs of supply chain disruption appeared in 2020, Parsons saw opportunity and stocked up multiple years’ worth of materials necessary to build and ship PXG’s full range of products. While, it’s not uncommon for other major OEMs to promise shipment on consumer orders in terms of weeks and months, PXG is promising about a one-week fulfillment on orders from its website, retail spaces and fitting experiences. The company’s equipment sales have more than doubled since the start of the pandemic.
It helps that PXG offers a full range of equipment options for players of essentially every skill level, from beginner to professional. The flagship iron lines, like the PXG 0311 Gen 4 line maintain premium price points due to the amount of technology and performance factors built into the clubs. The current-model 0311 Gen 4 irons have retailed between $275 to $375 per club. Meanwhile other lines and previous-generation models can be purchased for a more industry-standard range between $133 and $249 per club. To give a sense of how reasonably quality PXG irons can be purchased for currently, the 2021 0211 ST Blades are listed $88 per club.
Currently, PXG’s fairway wood, hybrid, wedge and putter prices are in-line with other top brands in the industry and the brand’s prices on several driver models have taken “passing on the savings” to unprecedented levels. The ultimate way to get acquainted with PXG is at a custom fitting by one of the company’s expert mobile fitters or at a PXG store. Ever fitter is a PXG employee and trained to match golfers with clubs optimized for their skill set and goals.
“Our employees all come from a shared understanding and mission so there is continuity at every touch point, from your fitting to your Player Support experience and across the way. That’s where a lot of the PXG brand loyalty and sense of belonging our team and brand foster.”
Currently, there are 12 PXG brick-and-mortar stores, including three in greater Phoenix/Scottsdale, with plans to open one store per month and have 24 locations by 2023. Each location features large fitting bays with guest seating and state-of-the-art golf simulators powered by Trackman technology, an expansive retail showroom with PXG’s latest apparel, accessories, bags and hats, plus a spacious lounge area for events or relaxing after a fitting experience.
At the PXG’s Scottsdale headquarters, golfers make themselves at home picking up orders, browsing the latest apparel and accessory lines or going through fitting sessions. Military, veterans and first responders are given the company’s best pricing through the PXG for Heroes program that Parsons makes a priority for the brand.
“I owe everything I’ve ever accomplished to my service in the United States Marine Corps. You can feel the military presence across PXG and all 14 companies we currently oversee,” Parsons says. “Golf is incredibly healing. There are incredible therapeutic qualities within golf. Veterans find great opportunities for camaraderie and competition and that feeds some of their needs as service members, especially those who might suffer from PTSD. It’s just a small ‘Thank you’ to help get more veterans into high-quality fitted equipment that allows them to play better and enjoy the game more.”
Top touring professionals who currently play and endorse PXG include Lydia Ko, Zach Johnson, Pat Perez, Wyndham Clark, Jason Kokrak, Joel Dahmen and Kyle Stanley, Danny Lee, Henrik Norlander, Hudson Swafford, Luke List, Sung Kang, Jim Herman and Paul Barjon plus another dozen LPGA stars and dozens of players on other pro tours.
Where Parsons, whose business portfolio also includes Scottsdale National Golf Club and multiple Harley Davidson dealerships, might take PXG in the future is anyone’s guess, but definitely expect the brand to continue to grow and become even more inclusive of every type of golfer. “How we do things looks a little bit different than what other companies do, and that’s okay. There is a place for everyone, and clearly what we do works and it resonates because we are growing at exponential pace, and we’re having a really good time along the way,” he says.
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