Some five years after Bob Parsons introduced Parsons Xtreme Golf to the world, PXG, as it's now almost exclusively called, has cemented itself as a real player in the golf world. Their business continues to grow, and they're continuing to evolve and innovate as a club company.
Now, PXG is introducing is 0311 Gen3 irons, suggesting this may be their biggest leap forward yet.
In the first two generations of the 0311 irons, PXG used -- and ardently defended the design of -- a TPE polymer behind the face insert in the irons to provide the feel and acoustics that rounded out the clubs' performance. However, PXG has been looking to come up with a material that not only rounds out the iron but also adds to it by augmenting the distance produced by the thin face insert. What they came up with is what they're dubbing Impact Reactor Technology.
Impact Reactor Technology is a concept that somewhat borrows from the design of the modern golf ball, many of which have multi-stage cores -- softer on the inside and firmer on the outside -- to deliver feel and stability without sacrificing distance. The Impact Reactor has what's dubbed a DualCOR system using a stronger polymer on the outer portion for stability, with a softer polymer on the inside to deliver energy to the ball at impact.
The Impact Reactor works with the 1.5 mm-thick HT1770 Maraging Steel face insert of the hollow-body iron -- which can be thinner thanks to improved support -- to deliver higher load time at impact for more ball speed. The company says the Gen3 irons don't sacrifice control, as can often happen with distance-first irons, suggesting the gains in distance aren't offset with an increase in fliers and difficult-to-predict yardages.
The internal face channel, cut around the perimeter, is designed to offer a further trampoline effect at impact and improve moment of inertia.
As has become their calling card, PXG continues the screw-weight Perimeter Weighting Technology into this new series, using titanium and tungsten screws to dial in weight properties.
The 0311 Gen3 line has three sets: Tour (T), Players (P) and Xtreme Performance (XP).
The XP is the most forgiving and has the line's widest sole and largest clubhead while keeping head weight reasonable and MOI high. The iron shafts are a bit longer than standard for more distance.
The T and P models are fundamentally the same as the prior generations, though the topline in the T model is thinner in Gen3. The P model is designed as a players club with more forgiveness than the T model.
They're all made from 8620 soft carbon forged steel, with a back surface and grooves that are CNC milled to dial in a precise design from club to club. The Gen3 irons are also finished with a robotic polishing process that is designed to further improve consistency from club to club, with a nickel-chrome plating at the finish to reduce glare and give the club a durable look. The company believes it is as close to removing human inconsistency from the build process as it can get without taking every human out of it.
The PXG 0311 Gen3 irons are available now for $425 per iron, and they're only sold through PXG fitters or their website.
