How this LPGA powerhouse chooses what goes in the bag

PXG staff Austin Kimwho averages 290 yards per drive, is one of the LPGA’s longest hitters. And its power dictates a special fit. I recently had a chance to get some time with Kim and PXG LPGA Tour Manager Scotty Kim and get a look at their process when it comes to getting clubs in her bag.

Here’s what I learned.

The bottom of the bag

Auston Kim started the bag with a 58-degree lob wedge, choosing to play PXG’s 3x Forged Sugar Daddy III wedges and opting for a C-Grind offering with a lower bounce on the lobber. She said she has never used a 60-degree wedge because she prefers to chip with a 58-degree. At one point, she only played 52-degree and 56-degree wedges until a round with Hollis Stacey in a junior tournament.

“She looked at my wedges,” Kim said, “and said, ‘What are you doing?’ So she told me to go 50, 54, 58, and I just stuck with it.” Wise advice.

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She continued the wedge set with a 54 and 50 degree S-Grind, also on Sugar Daddy III wedges. I thought it was interesting that she chose C-grind with lower bounce on the lobber, but Scotty Kim provided some insight.

“You know I think about, with the shots that Auston hits around the green, the C-Grind provides a versatility for him,” he said. “Being able to open it up and have the right bounce again to get through the field and not get stuck.”

lattice

Auston Kim had the PXG 0317ST irons, which are easily some of the best looking irons PXG has ever made. It’s an iron that has stood the test of time over the years and hasn’t been replaced by PXG yet, but we hear there may be something new coming soon. The 0317ST heads are what I would consider a “player’s knife”. It is a narrow sole option that is intended to release a little lower and spin a little more providing optimal control for the player.

Since Kim is a cutting player who works the ball with a lot of spin, something like the ST gives her the feel, response and launch she wants to feel under control. “I’m a cutter – I have to see the ball work from left to right.” she said. She also talked about a recent iron switch that happened simply because Accra no longer makes their old Accra Tour 90 shafts. She’s now on the Accra TZi 95 iron shafts — a fantastic graphite offering for stronger players looking for more of a ProjectX kind of feel.

Long game

Kim really shines once you put some metallic woods in her hands and it starts with the hybrid, the hero of our story here. PXG has always made a really good hybrid. Even during a few years of some terrible metal woods, the hybrids were always a good standout in the lineup. Kim, however, is not exactly the normal hybrid candidate. Hybrids are extremely popular on the LPGA, but many of them come from a need for speed and launch, not something Kim is concerned with. For him, it’s more about trust.

“Personally, I think I struggle to hit the ball high sometimes,” she said. “I know I can get it up there, but the 4-iron just doesn’t feel right to me. I’ve tried it a lot before and I just – I believe a hybrid has more versatility. I just like the look of this one.”

We had Kim take some fun shots with her PXG Lightning 4-Hybrid, and she hit the nail on the head when she talked about how versatile the club is. Hitting it through all the windows is stress-free for Kim and gives her the confidence behind the ball she needs to perform on the course. With ball speeds reaching 143 mph, she gets plenty of distance off the club. With her putting up to 80 feet in the air, I challenged her to hit the ball up to 100 feet and then hit it as low as possible. She hit one up to 100.9 feet in the air and hit a low spike at 21.4 feet. Skill? Check.

She then followed up the Lightning 4-hybrid with a Lightning Tour 5W and Lighting Tour 3W before jumping into her Lighting Tour driver.

PXG Lightning Custom Hybrid

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The big stick

Auston Kim and Scotty Kim worked together last fall when the new Lightning product came out and ended up putting it into a 9-degree Lightning Tour driver in the PXG FLAT setting with a Fujikura Ventus Velocore + Black 5-S. Auston Kim works with a lot of spin, so using their Lightning Tour model helps to better control her mistakes and ensures that she doesn’t overdo her spin. The Ventus Velocore+ Black shaft helps continue its aggressive transition and helps stabilize the head through impact. It’s an organization she has a lot of faith in and has a lot of speed. Ranked fourth in driving distance on the LPGA is no easy feat, but Scotty Kim has clearly helped her create a workhorse here.

“I already really liked Black Ops, and when I first tried the Lightning tournament that was — I mean I saw an immediate jump in speed and ball handling, so it was a no-brainer,” Auston Kim said.