PXG 0311 P Gen 7 Iron Review
Joe Ferguson tests the latest players' distance iron from PXG to see how it stacks up versus the competition…
The Gen 7 P irons from PXG offer high levels of performance wrapped up in an attractive playing profile. From a shelf appeal point of view, they are predictably bold and won’t be to everyone's taste, but all of the important performance elements of a mid-to-low handicap iron are undeniably present.
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Look great in the playing position
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Solid, lively impact sensation
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Very consistent yardage numbers
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Slightly fussy aesthetic from the back
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The best players' distance irons have to fulfill a number of requirements. An attractive playing profile, good distance output, but above all else - consistency. The 0311Gen 7 P is one of three new irons from PXG launched this summer so I wanted to see if they have what it takes to sit amongst the best golf irons in the game.
From a technology perspective, PXG has tried to push the C.O.R. (coefficient of restitution) number to the limit to produce its longest and most forgiving irons yet. With what PXG claims to be the thinnest face in golf and a new internal polymer called QuantamCOR, I was interested to see how they would perform. Furthermore, there is both internal and external tungsten weighting and a lightweight titanium insert to increase MOI and optimize CG positioning.
Down in the playing position, the P model looks excellent. Minimal offset in the shorter irons graduates up to a more noticeable level in the mid-long irons but is far from offensive. The profile of the head is fairly generous without looking cumbersome, and they frame the ball nicely at the address. I think you would be hard-pushed to find many players that didn’t like the look from that perspective, however, I think the look of the back of these irons may be a little more divisive. As is the PXG way, they are quite bold in their branding and the adjustable titanium weight behind the strike zone is quite noticeable. Aside from that, there are some nice premium touches with the etched lines and the brushed finish is superb, placing it among the best PXG golf clubs for looks.
I tested the PXG 0311 P Gen 7 irons at Saunton Golf Club using my Full Swing KIT launch monitor and TaylorMade TP5 golf balls and the performance numbers were everything I would hope for with an iron in this category. The 7 iron has a base loft of 30˚ which is fairly standard for compact distance irons, although they can be built plus or minus 2° should you need more or less distance or a higher or lower flight.
In the standard loft, it produced a consistent mid-level flight window for me, and very importantly some seriously consistent carry numbers off the face. I offered up some fairly questionable strikes to the P model during testing and it coped extremely well, barely batting an eyelid in terms of ball speed and carry. I also noticed how straight the ball flights were, even when the strike pattern moved around - these irons do an excellent job of masking your misses!
Whatever internal work has been done here is working well, although I will say the feel isn’t as soft as some PXG models I have used in the past. This isn’t a criticism, I actually really enjoyed the more solid, robust feeling of the strike, just something to note if you are a player that leans towards the more buttery sensation of something like the Titleist T100 or even the new TaylorMade P770.
The titanium weight on the back that I mentioned earlier, is interchangeable during a PXG fitting which provides the fitter with the opportunity to fine-tune and test swing weight variations during the fitting session. This is not something on offer with many irons currently, and I think is a valuable option.
On the whole, I genuinely enjoyed the PXG 0311 P Gen 7 Irons, and anticipate them being a success at retail. PXG enthusiasts will enjoy the character and looks of this iron and even those that don’t may be swayed by the consistency and forgiveness on offer.
The Gen 7 irons are available in two finishes, Chrome and Xtreme Dark with a slight price difference between the two. The chrome option comes in at $229.99/£209 per club, while the Xtreme Dark is slightly more at $239.99/£219.
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Joe has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles. After a successful amateur career being involved in England squads at every age group, Joe completed his PGA degree qualification in 2014 as one of the top ten graduates in his training year and subsequently went on to become Head PGA Professional at Ryder Cup venue The Celtic Manor Resort. Equipment has always been a huge passion of Joe’s, and during his time at Celtic Manor, he headed up the National Fitting Centres for both Titleist and Taylormade. He’s excited to bring his knowledge of hardware to Golf Monthly in the form of equipment reviews and buying advice.
Joe lives in North Devon and still plays sporadically on the PGA West region circuit. His best round in recent years came earlier in 2023 where he managed a 9 under par 63 at Trevose GC in a Devon & Cornwall PGA Tournament.
Joe's current What's In The Bag?
Driver: Switch between Ping G430 Max 10K & TaylorMade Qi10 - both with Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X
Fairway wood 1: TaylorMade BRNR Copper Mini Driver - Fujikura Ventus Black 7-X
Fairway wood 2: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD 5 Wood - Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB 3-PW with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
Wedges: Callaway Opus 50, 54, and 60 degrees - Project X LS 6.0 shafts
Putter: Odyssey Toe Up #9
Ball: TaylorMade 2024 TP5x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 60R
Bag: Vessel Player IV Pro DXR Stand
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