EQUIPMENT: TESTING THE PXG 0311 GEN6 IRONS
I’ ve been a PXG iron fan for a while and being in the fortunate position to have access to any model you’d be surprised to see what I’ve kept in the bag. Being an amateur I was sucker punched into the distance game. You know, when you can suddenly hit a nine iron as far as your old seven iron without hitting the gym or spending hours with a coach. However, it didn’t take me long to see my scores weren’t improving despite the added distance with my irons, in fact my scores were worse. I’d lost the feeling of distance and performance with my irons wasn’t consistent in terms of dispersion.
Over the years, our PXG 0211 irons have been the a great benchmark in terms of gauging dispersion between other clubs and models.
The 0211 was one of the early prototypes and it wasn’t trying too hard to be flash in respect to technology. It wasn’t long in distance, but over the ball the mid-sized head sat well and the slightly offset gave some workability but also aided the poor strike. The shaft was probably too light, but that prevented me from forcing shots and kept things under control. All these elements meant my dispersion was tight and I could gap yardages from 120 to 210 yards.
So, when PXG invited me to test the latest GEN6 I thought, “here we go again”. Fastest face, advanced polymer inserts, strong lofts, and clever tungsten weighting. In other words, the distance combination that I’ve struggled with before.
PXG have kept it simple by just offering two models, the 0311 P and the 0311 XP. They dropped the T model, as the launch of their 0317 head has catered for the requirements of the elite player. This meant the Gen6 is aimed solely at the amateur.
The 0311 P – A mid-sized head with a slight offset enables you to work the ball with the bumper rails still in place. The thick top line reminds you this isn’t an outright players club, and its handicap appeal will be the greater out of the two heads. You could find these in the bag of a scratch golfer or a 24 handicapper.
The 0311 XF – As you would expect with their Xtreme Forgiveness head, it’s designed to be long and as the name suggests, forgiving. The larger profile and increased offset will look after players that use all the face. Unlike most clubs in this class, the feel is remarkable. You still get that “flushed” feedback in the hands from a clean strike but safe in the knowledge that heel, and toe strikes will not be punished.
Previously I struggled with the Gen5. As the P head was a little too thick and the T was too thin. The latest Gen6 has bridged the gap with the latest P head, as it sits better than any PXG head to date behind the ball. The new precision weighting in the centre of the cavity is a game changing feature when it comes to fitting. It gives the fitter a wider range of options when dialling in your spin and launch rates. This is an element I’ve only seen before with bespoke fits where you can adjust the swing weights of a club.
I prefer a heavier head, as being a “hands” player I like to feel where the clubhead is in the swing, especially in the transition. The custom fit meant I’ve gone from a AeroTech i95 shaft in my original 0211ST’s to a much heavier i110 due to the revised swing weight.
The heavier swing weighting and shaft meant the club felt more stable compared to my 0211 irons. In terms of distance, there wasn’t much between them, but the 0311 Gen6 P was tighter on dispersion and that was impressive. I hit 10 balls with a seven iron from each club and the Gen6 was 17% tighter in distance grouping and 12% in lateral dispersion.
I also tested the 0311 Gen6 in the XF head and they are long, very forgiving and feel great. I tested the seven iron which had a loft of just 27 degrees, but the tungsten weighting meant it still launched well, but my distance gapping was all over the place. A great club for players wanting extra carry yards with the feel of a players’ club. But forget any form of workability, they just go bullet straight.
I will be swapping the trusty 0211ST’s for the 0311 Gen6 P for one reason, tighter dispersion. The dialled in swing weighting has enhanced the feeling with my irons and I have the confidence to shape the ball knowing I’m going to be close to the carry distance I want.
I’ve ordered the 0311 GEN6 P in the Xtreme Dark finish with Aerotech Private Reserve i110 Black Series stiff shafts. I’ve also weakened the lofts one degree to increase spin from seven iron to wedge and to bridge the gapping up to 190 yards.
All I need now is to find a putter that builds the same confidence!
