Let’s dive in.
QuantumCOR, which is a proprietary polymer that essentially satisfies a few key things: (1) It pushes an iron’s COR to the razor’s edge of legal, and (2) It creates the sound and feel to match what players want.
Is this new? No. Quantum COR was present in GEN7; there is just more of it this time around, and it sits lower in the clubhead compared to its predecessors.
PXG has always made its irons fast first and backed them off from there. Some may think that this tactic is wise only for distance irons but, honestly, I think it makes sense across all platforms . . . even with muscle-back irons.
Why?
Because technology allows you to build spin and nuance after the fact; it’s harder to make clubs precise first and fast second. Make sense? This means leveraging proprietary internal substances to nail iron construction in sound, feel or speed — or all of the above. Using Quantum COR is another example of evolution.
In PXG’s case, a new internal tungsten weighting system pulls CG away from the hosel with tungsten slugs out on the toe (20G T, 25GP and 15G XP), given its irons one more opportunity to maximize priority No. 1, which is ball speed across the face and increased MOI.
This is not a speed story (at least not entirely). PXG irons have always lived as close to the legal border as any company in golf so speed is always part of the story, but it’s not the selling point of the GEN8 line. Forgiveness and efficiency and adjustability have now been pushed to the . . . X-Treme. So don’t worry: GEN8 brings all the speed vibes, but PXG just didn’t have to lead with that this time.
Deep Core Recoil Technology
Deep Core Recoil Technology is the mechanism that makes the face pop. In 4th-grader terms, PXG created more space behind the face to allow the face to flex back even further to create ball speed and feel. More space means more polymer (.200 of an inch behind and .300 of an inch lower) in the cavity and boom. This in combo with PXG’s ultra thin maraging steel face not only creates speed opportunities but also nails down spin efficiency and trajectory. The latter is the achieved goal here.
Dual perimeter weighting system
The most compelling advancement in the GEN8 lineup is the new dual perimeter weighting system that does a few things to an iron that I simply haven’t seen. First, by putting moveable weights to the extreme heel and toe sections, PXG fitters can influence and enhance strike point and, more important, start lines without adjusting the lie angle; it also allows them to dial in swing weight without adding weight to the heel. Moving weights to make CG constant isn’t a new idea, but the way PXG has done it is different.
“Edel did it first!”
Yes, we will hear this refrain from the serious gear heads, but GEN8 out paces any previous product. PXG is moving more weight, and that weight sits further out on the fringes of the clubhead than anything I’ve seen. And it’s actually something you can see in the air.
By putting weight out on the toe and heel and away from the center, PXG increased MOI substantially, making even the 0311 T iron extremely forgiving.
PXG said nearly all golfers were able to distinguish between different weight configurations in testing, with all of them seeing a measurable change in face-to-path at impact.
This advancement alone really piqued my interest, and I can say now that, after testing and playing rounds with these irons, this perimeter weighting package has noticeable value vs other irons.
The PXG GEN8 0311 iron lineup
GEN8 0311 P
What is it: Players Distance Irons on creatine. In this category (see: Apex Ai200, 790, T250, etc.), the 0311 P is the longest and highest launching I’ve hit, and the dual perimeter weighting adds a bit of nuance to the flight for better players who need this iron.
Who it’s for: 5-15 handicaps and good ballstrikers looking for help at any cost.
GEN8 0311 XP
What is it: Mack-truck ball-speed machine. Simple. Fast, forgiving, high launching. If the whole line is a big party, XP is Mardi Gras night.
Who it’s for: High handicaps looking to have fun, hit it all over the face and get away with it. PXG does extreme forgiveness better than anyone.
PXG GEN8 0311T
What is it: Historically a platform I’ve loved and played. Tour shaping with a speed package. Fast and forgiving for this category. These irons don’t spin as much as some of their competitors in this category, but they do launch higher than all of them so it becomes apples to apples. For the most part, stopping power comes from the landing angle, not from spin. A forgiving better-player package with speed. Lots of speed. Ideal for someone like me.
Who it’s for: Tour-level to 8 handicaps.
GEN8 0311 X Driving iron
What is it: The hottest driving iron (18 degrees) I’ve seen in years: 4-wood speed, 3-wood spin, with north-to-south trajectory control. It gets up and can go down.
Who it’s for: Really fast players that may be 3-wood challenged, hybrids don’t agree with them; also suitable for that player in Texas or Scotland who thrives on hitting bullets that run forever. In a nutshell, it’s a niche club that’s a really good time but you better have speed or it could be a problem. Think Jake Knapp not Joe Pesci.
My take: Playability in something I want to play
This was my first go-around with PXG since coming back to the brand-agnostic fold. Nothing has changed, and I love that this is true. I’ve always found the experience of a PXG clubs to be a ton of fun for a simple reason: They design golf clubs that will help anyone hit a bunch of good shots.
If I take the T iron, for example, yes, it’s a hot players iron, but for someone like me who wants that everyday playability with little to no effort, it’s a blessing. I can play an iron in a Tour package that has the speed of a player’s distance iron and the nuance of something closer to a Tour CB. I can’t say that about many irons these days, at least not ones that are as long as these. The Callaway Rogue ST Pro was the last set I could say mirrored this experience. That iron may not have been for the serious club connoisseur, but they were a party day in and day out. I played phenomenal golf with those things.
