PXG 0311 GEN5 Drivers Review

The PXG 0311 Gen5 drivers boast of up to 37% more MOI, improved sound and feel, and better shot shape fitting potential.

Since breaking onto the scene in 2015 PXG have produced many of the best clubs on the market and have featured in many of our best driver tests throughout recent times.

PXG founder Bob Parsons made a rod for his own back saying ‘PXG will never launch new products unless they’re significantly better than previous models when the brand started out in 2015. It was an admirable comment at the time, and it was directed at pricking the ears of golfers who’d grown disillusioned with brands launching equipment that was just new, rather than actually being better.

Ever since though it’s meant PXG engineers have had to toil harder than most to figure out new improvements in ways others just haven’t been pressed to. On the plus side the philosophy has meant at launch Parsons has always been in a position to show and explain gains over previous generations, and golfers from day one have known exactly what they’re buying into.

We’ve tested PXG products for several years now and they’ve always been really strong performers. The irons in particular have been top-drawer performers, but if there’s a piece of the golf pie PXG would like a bigger slice of, it has to be the wood market.

Where PXG irons have hit home runs for tons of golfers, previous PXG driver generations, as good as they’ve been, have been far from having their day in the limelight. So with Bob Parsons insisting any new model has to be measurably better than its predecessor PXG aren’t joking when they say Gen5 boasts a higher MOI, improved sound and feel more shot shape fitting potential and an unusually good performance on high and high toe mishits.

Here’s their story.

What you need to know about the PXG 0311 Gen5 drivers

Crowning glory

PXG’s previous Gen4 drivers came with hybrid crowns, where a central carbon fiber section removed weight from high in the titanium head, but the new Gen5 now have a full-on carbon crown, just like major rivals. The carbon fiber crown is infused with aluminum vapor, which increases stiffness and reduces energy loss, and in true PXG style, they reckon they’re the only brand to use the material on a driver crown.

Weight a minute

Thanks to saving weight from a full carbon crown and removing the brand’s internal TPE polymer vibration dampening pad, PXG engineers have come up with a new three port weight set-up. Each port is pushed closer to the perimeter of the head than previous PXG drivers, which ensures maximum impact on shot shape, spin or forgiveness. Golfers then have the option of loading more weight into a single port (the standard set-up is 7.5g in both the heel and back ports with 2.5g on the toe side) or splitting it more evenly between all three.

Positioning more weight in the heel pulls the center of gravity to the heel side, making it easier to square the face at impact, and creates a draw-biased driver. Adding more weight to the toe port creates a fade bias or anti-hook driver, where most mass at the back of the head creates a higher MOI, more forgiving driver while nudging up the launch and shot trajectory.

No polymer TPE insert

To ensure golfers get great sounding drivers PXG have historically used a vibration-dampening polymer pad inside the sole of their woods, but the idea ties up 4 – 6g of mass, which could be put to better use elsewhere in the golf club.

After some serious Modal Analysis where PXG have looked at the frequencies created when different panels of the driver head vibrate, the brand say they’ve now been able to switch the Gen5 heads to higher frequencies (which golfers inherently like) than the Gen4 models. It means they can do away with the polymer pad and remove more inefficient mass.

0811 drivers are no more

PXG fans will know Bob Parsons likes to name products after military squadrons and regiments, they’ll also know from day one that PXG’s premium drivers (the 0211 was a lower-priced alternative) have been sold under the 0811 marquee. For Gen5 the thinking is changing, as the 0311 marquee will now span drivers, fairways, hybrid, and irons, and represent the best, most premium products the brand has to offer.     

Meet the PXG 0311 driver models        

PXG 0311 Driver

RRP: £399

Lofts: 7.5° / 9° / 10.5°   Lie: 59°   Length: 45.5”   Head mass: 203g

Stock shafts:

Regular Flex

Project X Evenflow Riptide CB 50g / 60g, Aldila NV Orange NXT 55g / 65g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g

Stiff Flex

Aldila NV Green NXT 65G / 75G, Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g / 60g, HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 60g / 70g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g / 70g

Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 1.5° of loft adjustment with three lie angle settings)

See the 0311 as the replacement for the preceding 0811 X Gen4 driver and you really won’t go too far wrong. The 0311 is designed to be a low-spinning driver and a new head shape optimizes the model to deliver a blend of distance and forgiveness.

A taller face height helps add ball speed and means the center of gravity is lower in relation to the center of the face. A higher and more curved crown structure improves consistency for high-face hits. PXG say the model boasts a 25% higher MOI than the previous 0811 X Gen4 model. And at 100mph swing speed, the brand reckon the 0311 is 5.8 yards longer than the previous model.

How the new PXG 0311 Gen5 driver compares to the previous 0811 Gen4 and 0811 X Proto models

PXG 0311 XF Driver

RRP: £399

Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Lie: 59°   Length: 45.5”   Head mass: 203g

Stock shafts:

Regular Flex

Project X Evenflow Riptide CB 50g / 60g, Aldila NV Orange NXT 55g / 65g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g

Stiff Flex

Aldila NV Green NXT 65G / 75G, Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g / 60g, HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 60g / 70g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g / 70g

Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 1.5° of loft adjustment with three lie angle settings)

The XF has a larger profile which is optimised for forgiveness. The head’s larger from face to back and from toe to heel (than the standard 0311), and thanks to the size hike there’s 22% more MOI on offer than the previous 0811 XF Gen4, and 6% more than the standard 0311 Gen5.

A low and back centre of gravity produces a high trajectory with excellent distance and forgiveness performance, no matter where shots hit the face. At 100mph swing speed reckon the 0311 XF Gen5 is 4.8 longer than the previous model.

RELATED: How good are the ‘affordable’ PXG 0211 XCOR2 irons?

How the new PXG 0311 XF Gen5 driver compares to the previous 0811 XF Gen4 model

PXG on the 0311 Gen5 drivers

We’ve upped our wood game again, taking forgiveness to the extreme with the Gen5 drivers. Wrapped in a brand new strikingly clean design, Gen5 delivers up to 37-percent higher MOI thanks to advances in head shape and internal structures. 

Shared technology across the PXG Gen5 woods family includes a full Aluminum Vapor (AV) carbon fibre crown, an internal supported weight structure, precision weighting technology, and robotic polishing. The lightweight crown, is made from high-grade carbon fiber, helps save critical mass, while the AV Technology stiffens the structure and reduces energy loss.

Our supported weight structure dampens harsh vibrations at impact and produces higher modal frequencies to deliver a dynamic feel and gratifying sound to set these golf clubs worlds apart. Precision weighting technology pushes mass to the extreme perimeter to drastically increase MOI while robotic polishing, a high-precision process, helps ensure face bulge and roll radii are held to the tightest tolerances to produce ideal ball flight even on off-center hits. 

Which PXG 0311 Gen5 driver suits you?

How the new PXG 0311 Gen5 drivers compare to previous models for shot dispersion

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PXG 0311 Gen5 Drivers

PXG 0311 Driver

RRP: £399

Lofts: 7.5° / 9° / 10.5°   Lie: 59°   Length: 45.5”   Head mass: 203g

Stock shafts:

Regular Flex

Project X Evenflow Riptide CB 50g / 60g, Aldila NV Orange NXT 55g / 65g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g

Stiff Flex

Aldila NV Green NXT 65G / 75G, Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g / 60g, HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 60g / 70g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g / 70g

Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 1.5° of loft adjustment with three lie angle settings)

PXG 0311 XF Driver

RRP: £399

Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Lie: 59°   Length: 45.5”   Head mass: 203g

Stock shafts:

Regular Flex

Project X Evenflow Riptide CB 50g / 60g, Aldila NV Orange NXT 55g / 65g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g

Stiff Flex

Aldila NV Green NXT 65G / 75G, Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g / 60g, HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 60g / 70g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g / 70g

Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 1.5° of loft adjustment with three lie angle settings)

Visit the PXG website here