By Kiel Christianson,
We took the new and improved Acer line of clubs out to our local practice range and put them to the test under difficult conditions, hitting directly into a 30-mph headwind.
The Acer XK Titanium driver (from $249 AUD assembled) 10.5 degrees, stiff Aldila NV shaft, sounded a bit hollow (as many 460cc drivers do these days), but produced a ball flight that was perfect for the conditions: low, piercing trajectory with a slight draw that held its line into the gale. On-center contact was rewarded with a soft, effortless feel and great distance. Off-center contact, though harsher in sound and feel, also produced acceptably long, fairly straight shots.
The Acer XK 3+ wood (from $159 AUD assembled, 13 degrees) and Acer XK #3-hybrid (from $139 AUD assembled, 19 degrees), also with Aldila NV shafts, were equally impressive. Considering that big-name companies can charge as much as $400 AUD each for these types of utility clubs - which most golfers don't use all that often - the Acer sticks are a bargain.
The hybrid did a particularly good job of getting the ball up into the air from a variety of lies, and well-struck shots ended up just about as far out on the range as they did with the fairway wood, which had a bit lower trajectory.
The Acer XK irons come in both standard and pro models (from $52 AUD per club, assembled), and of all the clubs tested, the Acer XK Pro was the biggest stand-out. The design incorporates player-improvement features such as a cavity back and slight offset, but the clubhead itself is more compact than the standard model. Even into such a strong wind, I was able to hit both low and high shots, with both a draw and a fade. Shots struck on the sweet spot were nearly as buttery soft as with many more expensive irons.
The Acer XK Standard irons (from $52 AUD per club assembled) feature a deeper cavity back, greater offset, larger clubhead and thicker top line. Designed to get the ball up into the air faster, these were particularly difficult to hit into a severe headwind, as the ball simply ballooned and fell straight down about 15 yards shorter than with the XK Pros. For high-handicappers under normal conditions, though, these irons would be well worth a look at as an alternative to big-name sets costing hundreds more.
Kiel Christianson has lived, worked, traveled and golfed extensively on three continents. As senior writer and equipment editor for WorldGolf.com, he has reviewed courses, resorts, and golf academies from California to Ireland. Read his golf blog here.
Editors Note: Both the Acer XK Driver and Acer XK Fairway Woods come in 'standard' and 'draw' configeration.
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