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Today, I’ll be reviewing the PXG 0311 XP GEN6 irons.
The 0311 XP GEN6 can be considered the super game-improvement iron in the 0311 GEN6 family, designed for maximum forgiveness and distance. It’s engineered to industry-leading standards and has an even thinner face than the previous generation, resulting in the highest COR and ball speeds PXG has ever produced.
How does the 0311 XP GEN6 iron actually perform when put to the test? How does it compare to the previous GEN5 model? Who is it best suited for? Is it worth putting in the bag?
Here’s what will be covered in the review:
Read on to learn what you need to know to make an informed purchase.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The PXG 0311 XP GEN6 irons have been received positively overall and are especially praised for their incredible distance across the face.
What People Like
- unmatched distance
- longer and faster off the face than the 0311 XP GEN5 irons
- soft forged feel
- classy, premium looks
- excellent forgiveness
What People Don’t Like
- some people experience poor dispersions
- strong lofts can cause gapping issues
- very pricey
The Features
The key technologies of the 0311 XP GEN6 irons are:
Variable Ultra-Thin Face
The face of the iron is just 0.05″ thick (15% thinner than the GEN5) and made from high-strength HT1770 maraging steel.
Combined with the new XCOR2, this leads to maximum COR and higher ball speeds in mis-hit areas.
XCOR2
XCOR2 is a proprietary polymer filling that is injected behind the face. It’s very soft, and its light weight reduces the mass of the core so that more weight can be placed low and around the perimeter for higher MOI.
Power Channel
This U-shaped imprint on the inside of the face improves face flexion in the top region, increasing ball speed and improving launch.
5X Forged
The 0311 XP GEN6 iron is forged five times from 8620 soft carbon steel, increasing strength, groove life, feel and looks.
It also has a milled back surface which is intended to improve iron aesthetics without compromising performance.
Stock Info
The 0311 XP GEN6 irons are available in 4-LW (18°-60°).
The stock shaft options are the True Temper Elevate MPH 95 (steel) and Project X Cypher 60i 5.5 (graphite). The stock grip is the PXG Z5 Black.
Below are the specs of the 0311 XP GEN6 irons. Click or zoom to enlarge.
The Performance
Distance
I can attest to what other reviewers have said about the 0311 XP GEN6 irons: the distance is just insane. I have not yet hit irons that have generated faster ball speed than these.
Make solid contact in the sweet spot and it’s like a bomb goes off. The strong lofts and lower spin certainly help with distance, but the only other iron that comes to mind that produces comparable distance is the Callaway Paradym.
Forgiveness
You would think that an iron this long would also be extremely forgiving, and for the most part, it is.
Ball speed is very well preserved in mis-hit regions, where you often only lose a couple yards of total distance. Dispersions are also great for a game-improvement iron and appear to be improved over the previous GEN5 irons.
The issue with the 0311 XP GEN6 irons is that I found them to be rather inconsistent. Repeatable swings with similar contact often yielded different results — maybe a few yards here or a very slight veer off to the left there.
In reality, this is not surprising considering the extremely thin face. When you engineer for maximum distance, something has to be sacrificed.
Playability/Trajectory
The trajectories I experienced with the 0311 XP GEN6 irons tended to be medium with mid spin. Stopping power coming into greens is probably a little below average for a GI iron; I’ve certainly seen better.
One of the drawbacks that you often see with very long/fast irons is poor gapping, and I do find that the 0311 XP GEN6 suffers from this a little bit, particularly with the short irons.
Average distances through the set are distributed quite widely, so you’ll need to get well-acquainted with various half shots and three-quarter swings to fill in the gaps.
These irons have some workability in them, but it’s limited. Shot shapers are better off looking at the P model or PXG’s players’ irons.
The Look
Compared to the previous GEN5 model, the 0311 XP GEN6 iron has a bolder aesthetic. The back of the iron pops more with a white outline around the PXG logo and a bigger black region opposite the bottom of the face.
The GEN5 model added an extra tungsten weight in the toe area, but the GEN6 goes back to the same “2 and 2” configuration found in the GEN4 model. The large center weight can be used to dial in swing weight.
The 0311 XP GEN6 has a large, long face from heel to toe, with a moderately thick top line. What I like is that is doesn’t look overly thick and chunky like some GI irons do.
You also have the exquisite milling on the back of the iron which really helps drive home the reality that this is a premium iron that doesn’t compromise on quality.
The Sound & Feel
You would expect a forged iron as expensive as the 0311 XP GEN6 to have a premium feel at impact, and indeed, it does not disappoint in this regard.
The most important part of this iron to keep in mind when discussing sound & feel is the XCOR2 polymer filling, which evidently is essential to the construction of the 0311 XP GEN6 and prevents the face from collapsing.
Combined with a very thin face, the end result is a feel that is both very soft and highly responsive. It’s a unique feel you can only find in PXG irons. The sound is consistent with the feel in that it’s quite muted and quiet.
Sound is pretty consistent across the face, while feel is a little less consistent when you mis-hit a shot. You certainly won’t get as much feedback as the 0311 P GEN6, which is to be expected, but perceptive players can understand the general area where they make contact.
Where To Buy These Irons Online
Online availability of PXG golf clubs is very limited compared to other manufacturers. Most online retail stores do not carry them.
Fortunately, PXG makes it easy to get everything you need on their online store. Not only can you custom order 0311 XP GEN6 irons in whatever set composition you want, but you can also book affordable PXG fittings directly from their site so you can figure out the exact configuration that works best for you.
Aside from the PXG store, the best place to get these irons at affordable prices is eBay. You can typically find deals there that you can’t find anywhere else.
PXG also offers a robust fitting process which may be available in your local area.
Final Thoughts
The high-quality, premium nature of the PXG 0311 XP GEN6 irons is apparent not just in its construction, but also in terms of performance.
When it comes to ball speed and distance, you won’t find anything better right now. Forgiveness is also up there as some of the best you’ll ever see in a game-improvement iron. Feel is soft and responsive.
However, while the 0311 XP GEN6 irons have a lot going for them, there are a couple things to keep in mind, namely: lofts are on the strong side which somewhat limits stopping power into greens, and the insane distance can lead to some inconsistency in results.
While the cost will be a barrier to many, all in all, this iron is a marked improvement over the GEN5 model, and it’s definitely worth it for higher handicappers to give it a try.
Are you interested in the 0311 XP GEN6 irons? Have you played them? What’s your experience? Tell us about it in the comments below.
