PXG built the 0311 X GEN8 to fill the hole between a long iron and a utility club. It feels better than anything else in its 2026 class and flies low and hard, provided you hit it near the middle.
What's new
This GEN8 driving iron comes in a single 18-degree loft at 40.125 inches, with a 60.25-degree lie, 0.135 inches of offset and 2 degrees of bounce. Under the tour-inspired shape sits a 5x forged 8620 soft carbon steel body wrapped around an ultra-thin maraging steel face.
PXG mills both the face and the grooves, and Dual Perimeter Weighting pushes mass to the edges to steady the head. Chrome is the cheaper finish, in line with the per-club price of a 0311 iron, and black costs a little more.
How it plays
Feel scores 9.5, which tops the class, and you notice it at impact: a forged body behind a thin face gives soft, clear feedback. Workability earns a 9.1, so moving the ball either way off the tee comes easily.
Launch-monitor testing put ball speed near 139 mph with carry close to 216 yards, launch around 11 degrees and spin in the mid 3,000s. Flight stays penetrating rather than ballooning, and an accuracy score of 8.4 backs up how tightly it groups.
Where it lacks
Forgiveness sits at 7.5, tied for the bottom of the class. This head rewards a centered strike far more than it protects a poor one, and its compact shape offers little visual comfort at address.
One loft also limits it. If 18 degrees does not gap cleanly with your fairway wood and longest iron, PXG has nothing else to offer yet.
“Nothing in this class feels better off the face, but it wants a confident swing behind it.”- The Club Stand gear team
Reasons to buy
- A 5x forged 8620 carbon steel body gives it the softest feel of any 2026 driving iron we scored
- Ball speed comes off low and penetrating, and dispersion stays tight for a club this long
- A full driving iron for the price of one club from a 0311 set
Reasons to think twice
- PXG offers it in one loft at launch, so gapping around 18 degrees is on you
- Forgiveness scores land at the bottom of its class
- Compact tour shaping asks for trust that higher handicappers may not have
Specs
| Body | 5x forged 8620 soft carbon steel |
|---|---|
| Face | Ultra-thin maraging steel, precision-milled face and grooves |
| Weighting | Dual Perimeter Weighting |
| Loft | 18 degrees |
| Length | 40.125 inches |
| Lie | 60.25 degrees |
| Offset | 0.135 inches |
| Bounce | 2 degrees |
| Finish | Chrome or Black |
| Best for | Players who want penetrating speed and tour-level control in one loft |
More irons we've scored
- Wilson DYNAPWR Forged 2026 - 9.1/10. Wilson's forged players distance iron led its class in a 2026 iron test, and it costs flagship money.
- PING i240 2026 - 9.0/10. A soft, workable players cavity back from PING that finished third of 15 in its 2026 class.
- Ballistic Forged CB Irons 2025 - 9.0/10. A small Canadian maker builds this forged players cavity back to order, far below OEM players prices.
- Tour Edge Hot Launch Max D 2026 - 8.9/10. A hollow ironwood set that won its super game-improvement test on accuracy, at value-tier money.
- Takomo Iron 101 MKII 2026 - 8.9/10. A hollow game improvement iron that won its 2026 class test without asking for big money.
- Tour Edge Exotics CB 2025 - 8.9/10. A forged cavity back from Tour Edge that beat 14 rivals to win the 2026 players iron test.