PXG 0311 GEN4 ST irons
Gear: PXG 0311 GEN4 ST irons
Price: $349 per iron ($2,443 for seven-club set)
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel with milled areas and adjustable swing weights. 3-iron through gap wedge available.
Since Parsons Xtreme Golf was founded in 2014, the company has made irons that look like muscleback blades but have the game-improvement features most golfers need.
At the same time, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company has offered an actual muscleback blade for a very select group of players. These clubs do not have the distance-enhancing technologies or forgiveness that the 0311 T, 0311 P and 0311 XP feature. The blades, referred to as the ST (for super tour), are all about feel and control, and now PXG has released a new version, the 0311 GEN4 ST, to deliver more of what elite golfers want.
The previous ST was 100-percent milled, which means a computer-controlled, high-speed tool went back and forth over a block of metal and shaved away tiny ribbons of material until the club was formed. The GEN4 ST is forged instead, which means a superheated metal bar is pressed under extreme pressure to form the club’s shape. In fact, the clubs are forged three times to create the precise shape PXG engineers want, then the leading edge, sole and back are milled to make those spots as consistent as possible.
A small cavity in the long irons lowers the center of gravity location in the PXG 0311 GEN4 ST irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The GEN4 0311 ST 3-iron through 5-iron have a small amount of material removed from the top-back section, effectively creating a cavity. This helps distribute more weight to the bottom of the club, lowering the center of gravity and encouraging a higher ball flight. The ST does not create as much lift as the P or the XP, but that is not what player’s of this type are looking for. However, the ST’s higher-flighted long irons should create a steeper angle of descent for more stopping power on the greens.
The 0311 ST has a thin topline, virtually no offset and a narrow sole. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The blade length and topline thicknesses vary through the set, with the long irons being slightly larger from heel to toe and the short irons (8-W) having a more compact blade length. The short irons also have the thinnest toplines. All of the clubs have less offset than the previous 0311 ST.
The large, adjustable center weight allows fitters to change the swing weight. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Two pairs of small weights bracket a large weight on the back of the 0311 GEN4 ST. Like the previously released GEN4 irons, the new ST’s large weight is not designed to be adjusted by golfers. Instead, club fitters can remove it and put in heavier or lighter weights to alter the club’s swing weight based on its length or a player’s preference.
The 0311 GEN4 ST is available in both chrome and Xtreme Dark, a diamond-like coating that PXG said is harder and more durable than black finishes used on irons.
