PXG 0311 GEN6 Drivers Review

The PXG 0311 GEN6 drivers boast more ball speed, better dispersion, and come decked out with the brand’s famous murdered-out matt black finish.

2023 feels like the year PXG come of age for through-the-bag desirability. For over half a decade, the brand has built an enviable reputation for making brilliant irons, but they’d be the first to admit their premium woods haven’t quite stacked up against the best golf drivers in the same way their irons have.

PXG founder Bob Parsons has always said he’ll never launch new products without first being convinced they outperform the company’s existing models. As PXG approach their 10^th anniversary and prepare to pull the covers from their 6^th generation of equipment, that promise must be getting harder and harder to fulfill.

But PXG aren’t like any other golf equipment brand. They don’t have scheduled launch dates to hit at the start of each year like most brands. Instead, they prefer to constantly develop new equipment and challenge boundaries with fresh new ideas until their crack team of engineers believe they’ve come up with a better-performing product. Only once it’s then signed off by multi-billionaire founder Bob Parsons do they go for launch as quickly as possible, which means new products appear at any time and don’t follow any set pattern.

When PXG do launch a new product, they like to ensure golfers are left in no doubt about how much better it is than its predecessor. For each new launch, through robot testing, they prove how each new generation stacks up against its older siblings, thus convincing consumers of their value. This means golfers can confidently buy PXG equipment knowing they’re investing in the brand’s latest and greatest game-improving tech.

For this new generation, focus has been heaped on brilliant off-center hit consistency, and the brains behind the brand are separating the GEN family away from the more ‘tour’ focused 0317 offering. This means the GEN6 family consists of two drivers (plus matching fairway woods and hybrids) and two irons, with the intention being that a couple of new products will appear later in the year to cater for more ‘tour’ focused golfers.

At a glance:

PXG 0311 GEN6 driver

RRP: $499 / £469

Lofts: 7.5° / 9° / 10.5°

Lie: 59°

Headweight: 203g

Standard shaft length: 45.5”

Stock shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue, Mitsubishi Diamana S+, Aldila Rogue Elite Blue, Project X Cypher, Project X Smoke Blue RDX, EvenFlow Riptide

Expect a traditional teardrop shape that offers a blend of distance and forgiveness, a setup that will compete with the best low spin drivers on the market.

There’s a taller face height than the previous GEN5 drivers, so expect 12% extra face area which helps maximize flex.

The model is optimized for excellent mis-hit performance, especially higher on the face.

There are three sole weight ports – heel, toe, and back, to allow golfers to dial in shot shape and alter launch and spin.

PXG 0311 XF driver

RRP: $499 / £469

Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Lie: 60°

Headweight: 203g

Standard shaft length: 45.5”

Stock shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue, Mitsubishi Diamana S+, Aldila Rogue Elite Blue, Project X Cypher, Project X Smoke Blue RDX, EvenFlow Riptide.

Expect a larger head with a more modern symmetrical profile, a setup that will compete with the most forgiving drivers on the market.

There’s a taller face height than the previous GEN5 drivers, so expect 12% area face area which helps maximize flex as the face is deeper.

The model is optimized for maximum mis-hit performance all over the face.

There are three sole weight ports – heel, toe, and back to allow golfers to dial in shot shape and alter launch and spin.

Everything you need to know about the PXG 0311 GEN6 drivers

0311 GEN 6 or 0311 XF GEN6?

PXG say the two GEN6 models are the best drivers they’ve ever made. Two driver models mean golfers get a choice of the more compact and traditional pear-shaped 0311, which is excellent for golfers with a miss tendency higher on the face, or the 0311 XF, which has a bigger front-to-back footprint and a more symmetrical shape that’s optimized for golfers with bigger mis-hit tendencies.

PXG say both models boast an MOI from toe to heel that’s over 5000g cm², which is 3.3% and 2.2% better than the preceding X and XF models. The 0311 GEN6 also has a higher and more curved crown, where the 0311 XF is a flatter, wider shape.      

There’s carbon in that crown

Like most modern major brand drivers, both the X and XF have carbon fiber crowns. The material is a quarter of the density of titanium, so it allows additional weight to be positioned around the head perimeter for additional stability. Unlike the last two generations, the crown coloring has reverted back to a matt black murdered-out finish, which elevates the driver back to the level of PXG’s original models, all of which were super clean and easy on the eye.

New Ti face

Thanks to working closely with their titanium supplier, PXG say they’ve developed a new Ti412 face material for both GEN6 drivers. The material is high-grade and manages to be both strong and flexible, which when combined with a new taller face height (12% larger than the previous model) increases face deflection and spring for additional ball speed.     

How much better are the 0311 GEN6 drivers?

PXG love backing up their new launches with robot data so it’s easy to see what advancements have been made over the previous GEN5 models. At a 100mph swing speed, the new 0311 produces 0.9 MPH more ball speed, 489 RPM less backspin and 11.2 yards more total distance than its predecessor, which means this model will compete with the longest golf drivers. And it does that whilst hitting shots into a 36% tighter dispersion area.

At the same speed, the 0311 XF produces 0.7mph more ball speed, 132 RPM less backspin, and 8.9 yards more total distance, and this model hits shots into a 26% tighter dispersion area, so there are decent gains to be had just by trading up from the previous model, let alone an older driver.    

New processes

To ensure head-to-head consistency, PXG have been robotically polishing their iron heads for a while now to eliminate the inconsistencies associated with hand-finishing, and they’re utilizing the process for the new GEN6 woods too. It means the brand get tighter production tolerances, with greater CT control, so golfers can expect faster ball speeds over previous models.    

Precision Weighting

Extreme weight technology has been PXG’s calling card ever since the brand first started out in 2014. Both the standard 0311 and 0311 XF drivers come with three weight ports on the sole and the ability to install weights anywhere between 2.5 – 20g (in 2.5g increments).

As standard, each head comes with a 7.5g weight in the back and heel ports with an additional 2.5g in the toe. But depending on your personal shot shape or ball flight preference it’s possible to up MOI, dial in a draw bias or create an anti-hook driver, just through the sole weighting. PXG say the GEN6 weights are pushed closer towards the perimeter so golfers can expect more influence over ball flight. 

How do the PXG 0311 and 0311 XF drivers compare for MOI?

                        Toe-to-heel Vertical            Total                Compared to GEN5

0311                5213 g cm²      2854 g cm²      8067 g cm²      3.3% Increase

0311 XF           5512 g cm²      3151 g cm²      8663 g cm²      2.2% Increase

What can PXG’s adjustable hosel do for you?

PXG’s adjustable hosel, which comes as standard on all the brand’s premium woods and hybrids, allows golfers to dial in +/- 1.5° of loft adjustment. A further three PXG settings also let golfers dial in 2° or 3° flatter lie angles. See the system settings below.

Small –             = 1° less loft

Big –                 = 1.5° less loft

Small +            = 1° more loft

Big +                = 1.5° more loft

‘PXG’ setting    = +3° flat with stated loft

‘PXG – ’ setting = 2° flat and 1° less loft

‘PXG +’ setting = 2° flat and 1° more loft

Verdict: PXG 0311 GEN6 drivers

Whilst PXG’s premium irons have hit the sweetspot with well-heeled golfers, their matching woods have been much more of a challenge. PXG’s first 0811 driver was too spinny (a product founder Bob Parsons regrets launching to this day), the GEN2 X and XF chased being either the lowest spinning or most forgiving driver (highest MOI driver) on the market, where GEN4 and GEN5 editions had very polarising carbon fiber crown weaves.

The GEN6 drivers are the family that sees PXG hit the driver market for real. For this generation, both crowns have reverted to murdered-out, flat matt black, which in our eyes is a huge step towards tempting golfers to come and play the brand’s brilliant new woods.

Where with previous models there’s always been something to draw or distract the eye, making PXG drivers a marmite purchase, both the 0311 and 0311 XF GEN6 models are now great-looking drivers from the get-go.

We love how for a forgiving driver the XF just sits up at address and begs to be hit. The head sits super square to the target line (which isn’t always the case with forgiving drivers), whilst also managing to look super friendly and forgiving. Make no mistake, this is the model that lots of club golfers should gravitate towards, but PXG have also been surprised how elite players are putting this driver into play too. Feel, sound and distance potential are right up there with the leading forgiving drivers of 2023, and thanks to PXG’s ability to tailor driver length and weight to you personally, in ways that others struggle to match, the XF has to be on your shortlist to try in 2023. I’m so impressed with the blend of speed, distance and forgiveness performance, the XF has already replaced my five-year-old Ping G400 SFT.

Slightly higher-speed players will typically gravitate towards the standard 0311 GEN6 driver, as its setup has the ability to cut spin (rather than offering ultimate forgiveness), which adds distance. PXG drivers have a reputation for sounding really solid and both new models dine out on great acoustics, throw this into the mix alongside fantastic ball speed and distance performance and golfers have to see the standard model as a brilliant alternative to the TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus, Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond and Ping G430 LST. PXG’s no upcharge stock shaft offering is good but if you’re really looking to treat yourself we love how the brand will also fit you for, at not exorbitant rates, the hottest Fujikura Ventus and Graphite Design models available.

To maximize the impact of any new driver purchase, make sure you get fitted and make use of everything this premium brand brings to the table over its competitors. Welcome to the top table of drivers, PXG.                

Competitor comparison

PXG love showing how new products stack up against previous models, and their preferred method is usually in-house robot data. This time around though, PXG are so confident in the performance of their new GEN6 models they’ve had both drivers compared against the leading competitors independently, on a robot, at Golf Labs. Here’s what the numbers say.

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PXG 0311 GEN6 Driver

RRP: $499 / £469

Lofts: 7.5° / 9° / 10.5°

Lie: 59°

Headweight: 203g

Standard shaft length: 45.5”

Stock shaft options: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue, Mitsubishi Diamana S+, Aldila Rogue Elite Blue, Project X Cypher, Project X Smoke Blue RDX, EvenFlow Riptide

PXG 0311 GEN6 XF driver

RRP: $499 / £469

Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Lie: 60°

Headweight: 203g

Standard shaft length: 45.5”

Stock shaft options: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue, Mitsubishi Diamana S+, Aldila Rogue Elite Blue, Project X Cypher, Project X Smoke Blue RDX, EvenFlow Riptide

Visit the PXG website here