PXG 0311 GEN6 Irons Review
The PXG 0311 GEN6 irons are long, forgiving, fun to hit, and yes, expensive. We visited PXG Boston and tested them first-hand. Here’s everything you need to know.
PXG 0311 GEN6 Irons Top Takeaways
PXG 0311 GEN6 Xtreme Dark Edition
PXG 0311 GEN6 Irons: Starting at $1,539 | SHOP PXG
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Price |
$1,539 | SHOP PXG |
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Set Make-Up |
4-PW (7 clubs) |
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Lofts (4/7/PW) |
XP: 18°/27°/41° | P: 20.5°/30°/44° |
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Shaft Options |
Stock options from KBS, True Temper, Project X, Nippon |
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XP Profile |
Larger profile, slightly more offset for mid-to-high handicapper |
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P Profile |
Midsize head with moderate offset for mid-to-low handicap player |
The thing that stands out the most about the PXG 0311 GEN6 irons is just how pleasant they are to hit. The feeling at impact is a treat, and isn’t it that exact feeling, that moment the club meets the ball, that keeps us all hooked on this game?
The next thing that stands out about the PXG 0311 GEN6 irons is how forgiving they are. I tested the XP edition at PXG’s Boston location, and regardless of strike location, I was wildly impressed with their consistency. I’ll elaborate on this shortly.
The last thing that stands out about these irons is distance. The XP edition is the more distance-centric of the two, and yes, they are long. They feature stronger lofts and longer shafts – both of which translate to more distance assuming strike quality remains the same – than the P edition.
PXG 0311 GEN6 Irons Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Soft feel at impact, fun to hit
- Very forgiving - distance is incredibly consistent regardless of strike location
- Maximum distance
- Thinnest club face in golf
Cons:
- Difficult to gauge strike location
- Added distance could cause gapping issues between short irons and wedges or require an additional wedge
- Long irons in the XP set may be too long for the intended players (the 4-iron is creeping toward 40-inches)
- Top-tier price range for irons
PXG 0311 GEN6 Driver Review
Complete Review of the PXG 0311 GEN6 Irons
We’ve touched on the big takeaways and the overall pros & cons of these irons, now let's take a deeper dive into how they stack up in the most important areas: forgiveness, distance, launch, spin, looks, feel and value.
Forgiveness
When testing the 0311 GEN6 XP irons, the most impressive measurable performance was their forgiveness. Dropping one poor strike from a five-shot set, I got carry distances of 171.4, 169.2, 170.1, and 171.1 yards with the 7-iron. I don’t know any players who wouldn’t subscribe to that kind of consistency from their irons.
Granted, hitting off a perfect lie indoors on a simulator doesn’t exactly replicate the clover and crabgrass lies you might find at your local muni, but I digress.
Distance, Launch & Spin
If you didn’t notice, those 7-iron distances are pretty high for a mid-handicap player, and that’s just carry. My total distance with the 0311 GEN6 iron, granted I was hitting the more distance-focused XP edition, was a foot shy of 180 yards.
Personally, I don’t want my 7-iron to be my 180-yard club, because what’s going to happen when I have a 120-yard shot, but my pitching wedge goes 140 and my trusty gap wedge still churns out 110?
To combat this, you could opt for the weaker-lofted P version, have the lofts on the XP weakened slightly, or tap into the suite of 0311 XP wedges, which goes all the to a 60° lob wedge and includes a 54° sand wedge and 47° gap wedge.
My ball flight with the 0311 GEN6 irons was optimal. The 7-iron launched between 18 and 19 degrees and I saw a peak height of right around 100 feet.
The spin rate was consistent with my typical 7-iron spin, but the 0311 GEN6 produced a noticeably higher apex, meaning these irons pack extra stopping power.
Look & Feel
PXG 0311 GEN6 Iron
The super satisfying feeling we talked about earlier can be attributed to the ultra-thin club face – PXG has long boasted the thinnest faces in the game, and the face on the GEN6 irons is now 15 percent thinner – combined with PXG’s polymer core material, XCOR2.
Not surprisingly, the 0311 GEN6 irons have a distinct PXG look. Five circular weights – four smaller ports flanking the larger center port – sit behind the club face and the iron head has a two-tone finish. The lower portion of the back of the iron – which houses those weight ports – is black while the rest of the iron is chrome. You can, however, opt for the Xtreme Dark edition, which flip-flops the color scheme to a primarily black head with a chrome piece in the back.
Either way, nobody who sees your bag from within 20 yards will wonder what kind of irons you’re gaming.
Shafts
The best way to shop from PXG clubs is to visit one of their retail locations and get fit. That way you can test various specs and shaft options to find the optimal combination for you.
Those shaft options include several models from the most reputable shaft-makers in the game, including KBS, Nippon, True Temper and Project X. Some models are included in the sticker price, others cost extra. Such is life.
Value
Bargain hunters, look away. These are premium golf clubs and they come with the sticker price to prove it.
A stock, seven-club set – 4-iron through pitching wedge – of 0311 GEN6 irons, whether you opt for the XP or the P edition, checks in at $1,539. That’s $220 per club.
Don’t get us wrong, that price point is not unheard of – it’s fairly consistent with other major OEMs – and the 0311 GEN6 irons absolutely live up to that price. But if you look at value as getting more and paying less, these only satisfy half of that criteria.
Complete Specs
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4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
W |
G |
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XP Loft |
18° |
20° |
23° |
27° |
31° |
36° |
41° |
47° |
| XP Length | 39.375 | 38.75 | 38.125 | 37.5 | 37 | 36.5 | 36.25 | 36 |
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P Loft |
20.5° |
23° |
26° |
30° |
34° |
39° |
44° |
49° |
| P Length | 38.875 | 38.25 | 37.625 | 37 | 36.5 | 36 | 35.75 | 35.5 |
The Final Shot
Whether you've been on the PXG bandwagon since the beginning, or you've been eyeing them from afar, it's time to pay serious attention to the clubs PXG churns out. Performance-wise, they're as good as anything else out there.
If you're considering irons from any of the well-known manufacturers -- which assumes you want top-tier performance and you're willing to pay top-tier money -- the PXG 0311 GEN6 irons have to be among your considerations.