50 Words or Less
The PXG 0311 XF GEN6 fairway wood has a larger footprint and less adjustability than the standard 0311. More forgiveness.
Introduction
Getting a great fitting is about having options. You can have the best fitter and bring your A+ swing, but if there aren’t a meaningful variety of heads and shafts to choose from, you won’t get a good fit. The new PXG GEN6 lineup delivers a meaningfully differentiated selection of clubs throughout the bag. In this review, I’ll focus on one of the most forgiving options, the PXG 0311 XF GEN6 fairway wood.
Looks
Much like the two 0311 GEN6 drivers, the two fairway woods look quite similar at a glance. Both have the same matte black crown – a big departure from last year’s silver [0311 XF GEN5 review HERE]. They also share the “X” alignment aid. When you put them side-by-side, however, the differences in size are obvious. The PXG 0311 XF GEN6 fairway wood is .25″ longer from heel-to-toe and .3″ longer from front-to-back compared to the 0311 GEN6 FW. That gives the XF a noticeably larger footprint. Whether or not that’s a plus is up to each golfer, but it’s nice to have both options.
On the sole, there is an important distinction between the two fairway wood models. The 0311 XF GEN6 has its two silver stripes set closer together, separating two removable weights. On the 0311 GEN6, the two stripes are wider set, separating three weights. Less obvious is the fact that the stripes on the XF are actually raised rails that run from face to trailing edge where the 0311 has a flat sole.
Sound & Feel
While the PXG 0311 XF GEN6 fairway wood and the standard 0311 GEN6 fairway wood [review HERE] are different sizes, they share the same impact experience. The face doesn’t feel thin, but the ball still feels very fast coming off of it. Despite this being a larger, more stable head, you can get good feedback through your hands.
Striking a tour quality ball produces a mid-pitched “snap” at moderate volume that’s akin to the sound of the GEN6 hybrids. Centered strikes sound lively and crisp; shots toward the heel or toe are more dull.
Performance
Where the differences between the two PXG GEN6 drivers [reviews HERE] are quite modest, the two GEN5 fairway woods have more noticeable divergence. One of the more obvious differences is in the adjustability. The standard 0311 FW has three weight ports on the sole, the PXG 0311 XF GEN6 fairway wood has two. Additionally, the two ports on the XF are further back and closer together. This has some cost and some benefit. On the plus side, any weight configuration you choose is going to retain the XF’s high level of forgiveness. The cost is that there isn’t as much flexibility – you can’t get as extreme with the draw or fade bias, nor can push the CG forward for lower spin.
The other key difference is also on the sole: the XF has rails on the sole, the 0311 has a flat sole. The purpose of the rails is to help the club glide more easily through the turf. Rails are tough for me to evaluate. With this club – and many others – it seems like I can feel their benefit, but I’m always concerned that it’s a placebo effect. So while I can’t say definitively that they provide a huge benefit, at a minimum they are not detrimental to the club’s turf interaction.
One difference that you can’t see is the added forgiveness of the XF. In PXG’s testing. the 0311 XF GEN6 produces a substantially tighter dispersion than the 0311. It’s also about 20% more consistent than the GEN5 version. Most notable to me is that thin strikes preserve 0.6 more launch angle than GEN5 – a critical improvement for low launchers like myself. If your priority is keeping mishits straighter and longer, the XF is the easy choice.
Finally, the XF GEN6 FW has gotten faster and longer, just like all the other PXG GEN6 clubs. A thinner face with Square Face Design has boosted ball speed by almost 1 MPH, making it 1.5 yards longer. Where the XF FW is unique is that it actually spins more (~200 RPM) than GEN5 – the only GEN6 wood to add spin.
*Launch monitor numbers were gathered with the 16 degree 3W, the 4W was just used for photos.
Conclusion
For players that put a premium on forgiveness in their long game, the new PXG 0311 XF GEN6 fairway wood is a great choice. PXG continues to push the limits of ball speed and distance while also making this one of the most stable, predictable fairway woods available.
Visit PXG HERE
PXG 0311 XF GEN6 Fairway Wood Price & Specs
Matt Saternus
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Great review Matt ! I’ll need to hit both the XF and the 0311 and see if can get one in the bag ! I do like the 16 degree. I have that in my 0341X now.
Nice looking club I’ll stop by my golf store an take a look.
I been thinking about a 7 wood.