Gear: PXG 0311 GEN6, 0311 XF GEN6 drivers
Price: $499 each
Specs: 460-cubic-centimeter heads with titanium face and body, carbon fiber crown, movable sole weights and adjustable hosels. Lofts: 7.5, 9 and 10 degrees (0311); 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees (0311 XF)
Who They’re For: Golfers who want maximum stability and forgiveness without sacrificing ball speed.
The Skinny: With three movable weights positioned around the edges of the sole, the sixth generation of the 0311 and 0311 XF drivers are more forgiving than their predecessors. The standard model emphasizes ball speed, while the XF model has the highest moment of inertia – for extra stability – of any driver PXG has made.
The Deep Dive: Before it became an inspirational quote you might find on the wall in an office lunch room, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. The idea is that you can make something better by removing unnecessary elements and focusing just on what is needed.
The engineers who developed PXG’s newest drivers – the 0311 GEN6 and 0311 XF GEN6 – appear to have taken that inspiration to heart, because several of the brand’s previously used technologies are gone. The internal honeycomb-structured, thermal plastic elastomer system that dampened vibration, goodbye. The aluminum-vapor coating that stiffened the carbon fiber crowns, nope. What remains are features meant to help golfers gain ball speed, stability and forgiveness.
The standard 0311 and 0311 XF GEN6 drivers have a 460-cubic-centimeter volume with a face of proprietary titanium alloy called Ti412. PXG said it is strong but has a low elastic modulus, which means it is flexible, making it an ideal material for a driver’s face. The variable-thickness hitting area is thinner in the perimeter to broaden the sweet spot and protect ball speed on off-center hits.
The large carbon fiber crown has a matte-black finish that should reduce glare on sunny days, but its most significant benefit is it saves weight on top of the club.
That allowed designers to add three weight ports in the sole of both the 0311 and 0311 XF. Each club comes standard with a 7.5-gram weight in the back and the heel ports, and a 2.5-gram weight in the toe, giving the clubs a draw bias.
However, fitters have access to eight different weights that go up to 20 grams. Putting more weight in the heel encourages face closure and a draw, while adding extra weight to the toe creates a fade bias. Putting more weight in the back of the head boosts the moment of inertia, increases stability and promotes a higher-flying shot.
The 0311 and 0311 XF GEN6 drivers have an adjustable hosel that allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the loft by as many as 1.5 degrees.
The standard 0311 GEN6 driver has a slightly higher crown, a taller face and a pear-shaped look in the address position that should make it appealing to golfers who prefer a traditional-looking driver. It is slightly more aerodynamic than the 0311 XF GEN6, so with the same effort, golfers can expect to obtain more clubhead speed and distance with it.
The 0311 XF GEN6 is larger from face to back with a flatter crown and a bigger overall face, making it appealing to many golfers who want extra forgiveness.
