Gear: PXG 0311 X GEN4 driving iron
Price: $275 (chrome) and $375 (Xtreme Dark)
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel body with HT1770 stainless steel face and polymer-filled inner chamber. 18 degrees of loft
On blustery days or when they are playing firm and fast course, many good players reach for driving irons off the tee because they offer accomplished players more control and produce a lower ball flight. PXG has offered driving irons in the past but has just released a new one to go along with the 0311 X GEN4 family of irons.
The 0311 X GEN4 driving iron looks like other GEN4 irons in the address position. It is slightly longer from heel to toe but has a relatively thin topline and little offset.
The chassis is forged using 8620 carbon steel. In fact, it is forged times, and then the back of the head is CNC milled using a high-speed bit controlled by a computer. The bit passes back and forth over the club’s back, shaving off tiny pieces of metal until the precise shape designers want is created. The advantage of CNC milling is that the process, while time-consuming, is exacting and repeatable, so every head is manufactured to the tightest possible tolerances.
The hitting area is made from HT1770 stainless steel, an exceptionally strong material. The strength of the steel allowed designers to make the face only 0.058-inches thick, so it flexes more easily at impact for increased ball speed and distance, yet it is durable.
The inner chamber of the 0311 X GEN4 driving iron has been filled with a polymer that PXG calls XCOR. It is very soft and soaks up excessive vibrations to improve sound and feel, but it does not impede or restrict the face from flexing, so distance is not sacrificed.
To help fitters obtain the ideal swing weight, PXG has designed the 0311 X GEN4 driving iron with a large weight in the center of the back of the head. The weight can be swapped to increase or decrease the head’s overall weight, so based on the club’s length or a player’s preferences, different swing weights can be obtained using the same head.
The PXG 0311 X GEN4 driving iron is available in both chrome and an Xtreme Dark finish.