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The PXG 0311 XF hybrid produces nuclear ball speed. Giant forgiveness boost over GEN5. Tons of adjustability.
Check out the new PXG 0311 Black Ops Hybrid HERE
Introduction
Regular readers are likely to know two things about me: I only carry one non-driver wood, and I don’t change my clubs that often. Last season, I found “the one” in the Callaway Apex UW [review HERE]. I thought that spot was locked down forever. Then I met the PXG 0311 XF GEN6 hybrid and everything was up for grabs again.
Looks
When I got my first look at the PXG 0311 XF GEN6 hybrid, my turned to my fitter and said, “This is the big one?” Compared to the majority of hybrids, the 0311 XF GEN6 hybrid is moderately sized at most, with a compact back-to-front dimension and a slim, symmetrical shape. The shape and size are a departure from the 0311 XF GEN5 hybrid [review HERE] which is smaller and more pear shaped. GEN6 also features a taller, more square face.
In the bag, this hybrid has classic PXG looks. It’s primarily black with silver highlighting the rails on the sole and “PXG” and “0311 XF” branding. The two sole weights are only noticeable due to their matte finish against the gloss black rear sole.
Finally, I want to applaud PXG’s stock headcovers. They have a rich, luxurious feel, and they’re broken in right out of the box for easy use. Each one also has a magnet at the top so you can stick it to your golf cart between shots.
Sound & Feel
On center, the PXG 0311 XF GEN6 hybrid lets your hands know that you’re going to have a long walk before your next shot. The feel of impact is a mix of solid and explosive that’s very satisfying. There is also good feedback as the feeling becomes duller the farther you get from the sweet spot.
The sound of impact complements the feel – a mid-pitched “snap” with moderate volume on center. Like the feel, the sound dulls and quiets slightly as you move away from the center of the face. The one exception is thin shots, which are met with a noisy rebuke.
Performance
My experience with PXG’s GEN6 hybrids mirrored my experience with their drivers, but in reverse. In both cases, I found an amazing club, just not the one I expected.
After getting my 0311 GEN6 driver dialed in [review HERE], my fitter and I worked to fill the gap between the driver and 4I. I let him know that I preferred hybrids to fairway woods, and I typically carried just one club for that gap. He handed me the 0311 GEN6 hybrid in 19 degree with the Mitsubishi TENSEI White to match what fit my driver. The results were good – the perfect distance to fill the gap – but I had a couple poor shots in the mix.
My fitter came back with the PXG 0311 XF GEN6 hybrid. After squinting hard to make sure it was actually a different club (it’s really good looking), I proceeded to hit a long series of great shots. Another common club fitter W. In this spot in my bag, I often steer toward a more player-ish club, but with the good looks of the 0311 XF, there’s no reason not to take the added forgiveness and higher launch.
Turning to PXG’s data, the 0311 XF GEN6 hybrid is longer than GEN5 by about 3 yards, but the big difference is dispersion and consistency. Across the face, it produces more distance. Heel strikes, for example, are about 8 yards longer with GEN6, losing only 6 yards off pure strikes instead of 10. Most impressive, the dispersion has been cut almost in half, from 540 sq. yards to 278!
These performance gains come primarily from two areas. First, the 0311 XF GEN6 is bigger than GEN5. That additional size helps to boost MOI. Second is the square face design. This face shape adds hitting area and makes the club more forgiving, per PXG. It’s also worth noting that the XF version has a railed sole which I found helpful for minimizing the pain of slightly fat shots.
Finally, like all of PXG’s woods, the 0311 XF GEN6 is extremely adjustable. There are two weight ports and an adjustable hosel for loft, lie, and face angle. What I love about this is that it allows golfers to choose the head size and level of forgiveness they want, regardless of their ball flight. As someone who hates the hook, I’m typically stuck playing smaller, less forgiving woods. However, with the PXG 0311 XF GEN6 hybrid, I can take the larger head and make it fade biased. You can also use this ability to make it draw biased, neutral, higher launching, heavier, or lighter.
Find even more adjustability in the 0311 GEN6 hybrid HERE
Conclusion
Between the raw performance numbers and the near-infinite adjustability, you would be a fool to ignore the PXG 0311 XF GEN6 hybrid. No matter how you use your hybrids, this can be a contender for your bag this year. I can’t wait for the season to start to see if this ends up in mine.
Visit PXG HERE
PXG 0311 XF Hybrid GEN6 Irons Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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12 Comments
That’s a pretty hybrid… what are your gaps from driver, hybrid and 4 iron? If I organized mine this way, I would have 25 yards on each side…
Keith,
Driver carries 250+. 4I carries 200ish. Hybrid is for everything in between. There are guys on Tour who hit the green 1/4 times from over 200 yards, so, for me, there’s no sense carrying a bunch of clubs in that range when I can focus on practicing with one and trying to hit a range of shots with it.
Best,
Matt
Matt, I wanted to follow up on this out of curiosity. Your approach makes sense to me. Do you just carry 13 clubs? Or do you have a fifth wedge? I didn’t see the specific lofts of your wedges listed in your WITB.
I also see a “backup driver” — is that your 14th club? If so, I’d love to know how you set them up. Is there a lower-lofted, longer “distance” driver and a higher-lofted, shorter “control” driver? (The 1K White in the “distance” driver and TB in the “control” driver would seem to make some sense, if so!) Or is one set up to fade and one set up to draw?
Finally, one more question. I know you’ll need to get them on the course to see, but did you get a general sense of how the Gen6 XF hybrid’s flight compared to your Apex UW? I know the UW is a relatively low-launching club, but just curious what your early observations were.
Your review here was great because I just got fitted into a set of Gen6 P irons and went 5-GW. Thinking about calling my fitter and seeing if I can come back and look at adding an XF 4 hybrid before getting into my fairway woods. (But the ST-Z 230 hybrids and the G430 hybrids are so great, too. Too many excellent options this year!)
Eric,
I haven’t carried 14 clubs in…a decade? I typically have 10 clubs in the bag.
Regarding the Apex UW vs. the PXG, I have no idea yet. I haven’t hit the Apex in months and only got the PXG outside for one round and a handful of range balls.
Best,
Matt
The magnet headcover idea is really cool. And from the face on view, the club looks like a sledgehammer. Love that!
Did you notice a spin difference between he normal version and the XF?
Josh,
For me, the difference was very small. PXG’s testing shows the XF spins about 200 RPM more.
Best,
Matt
I love PXG and they push tech in efforts to get better dispersion.
I have to say I don’t know if Matt tested this yet but I kept reading the sleeper hybrid/fairways woods item was the Cleveland 3+ halo hy-wood like a bigger 3 hybrid.
I don’t like fairway woods much and I bought this haven’t used in play yet due to spring golf opening but in sim it is stupid easy to hit and I’m getting about 220 to 230 with my 97 mph driver swing so for a hybrid that’s great distance.
Drew reviewed the Halo here: https://pluggedingolf.com/cleveland-launcher-xl-halo-fairway-wood-review/
The search function is your friend. :)
-Matt
Matt,
In the neutral position, did this hybrid sit square. I typically fight the dreaded hook with a hybrid.
Thanks,
Richard,
Yes, this sits square.
Best,
Matt
PXG is about to launch new driver fairway woods and hybrids. Black Ops. Cannot wait to test. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻