PXG 0311 XF Gen6 Driver Review
As impressed as we were with its affordable 0211 range, PXG’s bread and butter has always been in creating premium, highly adjustable and expertly fitted clubs since it was founded eight years ago. The latest iteration of this, the Gen6 range of metalwoods and irons, boasts new materials and manufacturing techniques that claim to offer sizeable performance gains over the Gen5 range - something I was keen to put to the test.
The 0311 XF Gen6 is one of two new drivers for 2023 and beyond. The XF stands for Xtreme Forgiveness, so we know it designed for a wider range of golfers that prefer a slightly larger profile and stability and straightness versus workability. It is also a model aimed at players who fight a slice and need a helping hand to square the face up at impact. There are a number of improvements from the predecessor, starting with the robotic polishing process used during the manufacturing process which creates tighter CT tolerances, generating faster ball speeds across the entire face. The faces are also taller, creating 12 percent more surface area, and the MOI measures in at over 5500 cm2, close to the legal limit of 5900cm2 and 3.3 percent higher than the Gen5 driver.
At address, the XF model has more of a symmetrical, C-shape to it versus the compact, tear drop profile of the standard 0311 Gen6 driver. There isn’t a whole lot of alignment assistance but the X marks the spot graphic certainly helps position the ball centrally. The carbon fibre crown reinforces that premium look and feel, helped by the subtle white graphics around the perimeter.
When I first hit the 0311 XF Gen6 driver, what instantly impressed me was the rapid repulsion off the face. My shots were all traced by the Trackman launch monitor in calm conditions on the range and my ball speed gain, and resulting distance, was amazing. The 0311 XF gave me a 10 yard boost over my current driver, instantly placing it among the best PXG golf clubs on the market. At my ability level this is a real game-changer. Of course, extra distance alone is useless if you are missing fairways left or right and that’s where this particular model really comes into its own.
It has a high strength yet lightweight crown that’s made from carbon fibre in multiple layers, which increases the overall stiffness of the clubhead. This saves mass, allowing it to be redistributed low and to the perimeter, delivering the high launch, low spin conditions that are the recipe for long drives. The XF head has been shaped to help you naturally rotate the club far easier to square too, making it one of the most forgiving drivers. When I took my fitted sample on to a tight golf course, armed with the 0311 XF in my hands I hardly missed a fairway.
It’s impossible not to love the fiery feel off the face. The 0311 XF Gen6 driver is made from a new Ti412 face material that gives a pleasing zip sound to the hit. This high-grade material is very high strength yet flexible, giving that all-important fast face deflection - a real ‘spring-like’ effect off the face. By varying the thickness of the material across the face PXG’s engineers have been able to increase the club’s durability, while reducing weight, which is another ball speed and forgiveness booster.
The critical difference of the PXG 0311 Gen6 driver over other brands is the ability to really fine-tune it to suit your swing type, swing weight and shot-shape preferences. The PXG 0311 has three weight ports and eight weights to tinker with, ranging from a little 2.5 grams weight to a heavy 20 grams in 2.5g increments. There’s also the adjustable hosel, which can vary the loft up or down by up to 1.5° plus there’s some flat lie angle settings too for golfers that need more fade bias. PXG has always been best-in-class when it comes to custom-fitting, encouraging all of its customers to be correctly fitted for their clubs, and having this wide range of weights available can really eke out extra yards and a few more fairways.
I applaud the fact that PXG don’t make gender-specific clubs, just product that is built to exactly the specifications that work with your own unique golf DNA. Splitting mass in multiple port locations around the head, favouring the low back position, worked brilliantly at stabilising the head for me, encouraging a lovely draw-biased shot shape and making it super forgiving right from the very first hit.
PXG has created most detailed adjustable weighting system I’ve seen in the driver category and I saw the benefits of this first hand. You can even purchase the weight kit alongside the driver, giving you the option to adjust your own driver to suit course and playing conditions throughout the season. In truth, this driver is hard to fault. With the $499 starting price tag, it doesn’t come cheap but it certainly has the potential to compete with the very best golf drivers in 2023.
