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The PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack putter has a futuristic shape and the technology to match. Tremendous stability and forgiveness. Unmatched custom fitting options from weights to hosels.
Check out the zero torque PXG Allan putter HERE
Introduction
The Blackjack has been a staple for PXG, going all the way back to their first putter line [original Blackjack review HERE]. While it retains a very similar shape, the new PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack is miles from the original – and anything else on the market. With technology borrowed from PXG’s irons, it pushes stability and forgiveness to new heights.
Looks
The PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack putter is easily the most futuristic design in this new line. From the overall hexagonal shape to the cutouts to the “wings” to the contrasting neck and structural piece, nothing about this is traditional. But for all that’s going on with this design, my focus goes to the single alignment line, which is where it belongs.
Like all of the Battle Ready II putters, the Blackjack got a finish change from black to silver. I think the new finish makes the putter look a little larger – black is slimming – but I find that I prefer the black-on-silver alignment line.
Check out the PXG Battle Ready II Apache HERE
The sole of the PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack has a lot for your eye to take in. Surrounded by four movable weights, the center of the sole features a large PXG logo above the Blackjack and Battle Ready II branding. Nearest the face, you find PXG’s trademark skull with “26” on the forehead.
That same skull is found dancing across the excellent headcover. PXG continues to produce some of the highest quality covers available. This cover is very thick, providing excellent protection for your flat stick. The magnetic closure is strong, and it has the QuickStick Cart Magnet so you can attach it to your cart while you putt.
Sound & Feel
As I noted in my review of the Battle Ready II Closer [find it HERE], I was concerned about the feel of this putter when I read how thin the face is (0.055″). However, as I found with the Closer, this putter still feels traditional. The combination of the S COR polymer and pyramid face structure give the Blackjack a very soft feeling at impact. You can get some feedback through your hands, but it’s subtle because of the Blackjack’s stability.
The sound of impact is slightly at odds with the soft feel. Even with a urethane-covered ball, impact is a little louder than average and very lively. The sound is appealing – a normal “tock” – but it’s more assertive than I expected, given the feel. I did find strong feedback from the sound as mishits were quieter than pure strikes.
Performance
The original Battle Ready putters had tremendous stability thanks to a heavy dose of tungsten in key areas. With the Battle Ready II line, PXG took a more high tech approach, borrowed from their irons. They hollowed out the putters, gave them incredibly thin faces, and filled the cavity with S COR polymer. This pushed the MOI an average of 10% higher than the original Battle Series.
Having tested several of the Battle Ready putters, I had a hard time believing the PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack could be even more stable, but it is. This putter shrugs off small mishits. Short range putts can be struck almost-terribly and still find the bottom of the cup. At long range, if you leave yourself a knee-knocker, you can assuredly chalk it up to user error.
I tested the PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack with a plumber’s neck (more on the other options below). This created a very modest toe hang – roughly 3:15 or 3:30 – and a full shaft of offset. With the stock weight settings – four 10 gram weights – I thought the Blackjack felt very stable and heavy during the swing. If you like to feel the putter staying square-to-target, you’re likely to love the Blackjack. I prefer to feel the club face a bit more, and I was able to get closer to that sensation by putting 20 grams weights near the face and 2.5 gram weights in the rear.
Finally, the Blackjack that I tested was shafted with PXG’s proprietary M16 putter shaft [review HERE]. This comes at an $89 upcharge, but it noticeably improves stability. Per PXG, the M16 is 26% stiffer than traditional steel shafts and delivered a 37% improvement in accuracy in robot testing. If you want to truly minimize the effects of mishits, pair your Battle Ready II putter with the M16 shaft.
PXG Battle Ready II Putter Customization
The original PXG Battle Ready line was the unequivocal champion when it came to putter customization, and the Battle Ready II line looks like it will retain that belt. First, almost every one of the nine putters in this family has four hosel options – double bend, armlock (not available online), plumbers neck, and heel shaft – each offering a different amount of toe hang. Three models – Dagger, Blackjack, and Bat Attack – also have a center shafted option.
Your choice of hosel will also affect the head weight with center shafted being the lightest, double bend adding 5 grams, heel shafted 10 grams heavier than that, plumbers neck adding another 10 grams, and the arm lock version a full 45 grams heavier than the double bend. On the topic of weight, every PXG Battle Ready II putter comes with either two or four adjustable weights. The stock weight is 10 grams, but PXG offers weights from 2.5 to 20 grams so you can customize the feel.
New for the Battle Ready II line is a wealth of grip options. There are PXG Sink Fit Pistol and Skinny grips. Additionally, PXG has Pistol I, II, and III, and Straight I, II, III, and XL grips. The Pistol I is a fairly conventional pistol-style grip, where the Pistol II has a much larger profile and less pronounced flare at the butt. Pistol III is the largest with a pronounced pistol shape. PXG’s Straight grips all have the same flat topped, taper free shape. They get larger from I to II to III, and the XL is a longer grip specifically made for armlock putting.
Finally, though this might go without saying, every golfer is able to order their preferred length, lie angle, and loft when they purchase a Battle Ready II putter through PXG’s website.
Conclusion
The PXG Battle Ready II Blackjack putters looks the part of the high tech mallet, and it has the technology and performance to match. Finding a putter more stable and forgiving than this is incredibly difficult, and you certainly won’t find one with more fitting and customization options.
Visit PXG HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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3 Comments
Thanks for the review
Maybe I missed it in the article but I was wondering if the entire putter was Stainless steel or is the black part tungsten?
Thanks again
Scott,
The putter is entirely stainless.
-Matt
I have a PXG putter with this shaft, it does feel stable, however the big negative is I wanted to use a Stupor Stroke grip with the additional weight. This shaft will not accommodate the weight. It’s too narrow. PXG didn’t mention this when I ordered the putter. Just an FYI.