PXG 0811 X, XT & XF Gen4 Drivers Review

The PXG 0811 X, XT, and XF Gen4 drivers have a built in weighting system to allow golfers to experiment with lighter and heavier club weights, just like a tour pro.  

PXG have come out the blocks faster than Usain Bolt in 2021 and their guns are trained on grabbing more golfers eyes than ever this year. In January the brand revealed a new more affordable family. The 0211 range was designed to be so versatile that everyone from scratch to 25 handicappers could play them, but also thanks to a serious price cut, for the first time a PXG product family would rival the very best on value for money too.

PXG has always promised to only launch new products when they’re significantly better than their predecessors and thanks to new material and construction developments the brand reckon the timing is perfect to pull the covers from their brand new super premium Gen4 family.

The range consists of three new drivers, hoping they make the list of best drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids plus three new irons, and the focus throughout thanks to a brilliant new weight tech story, means golfers will be encouraged to try both lighter and heavier weighted equipment, for a more personalized fit than ever before. 

PXG 0811 Gen4 drivers at a glance

PXG 0811 X Gen4 driver

RRP: £285

Lofts: 7.5° / 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Stock shafts:

Regular Flex

Project X Evenflow Riptide CB 50g / 60g, Aldila NV Orange NXT 55g / 65g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g

Stiff Flex

Aldila NV Green NXT 65G / 75G, Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g / 60g, HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 60g / 70g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g / 70g

Like its’ predecessor the X is designed to be a low-spinning driver. A taller face height (it’s the tallest of all three drivers) means the center of gravity is lower in relation to the center of the face. An aggressively sloped crown from face to back helps create a high launch with low spin for extra distance (usually at above-average speeds).   

PXG 0811 XF Gen4 driver

RRP: £285

Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Stock shafts:

Regular Flex

Project X Evenflow Riptide CB 50g / 60g, Aldila NV Orange NXT 55g / 65g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g

Stiff Flex

Aldila NV Green NXT 65G / 75G, Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g / 60g, HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 60g / 70g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g / 70g

The XF has a larger profile which is optimized for forgiveness. The head is the largest from face to back and from toe to heel, and thanks to the size hike there’s 20% more MOI. A low and back center of gravity produces a high trajectory with excellent distance and forgiveness performance. 

PXG 0811 XT Gen4 driver

RRP: £285

Lofts: 7.5° / 9° / 10.5°

Stock shafts:

Regular Flex

Project X Evenflow Riptide CB 50g / 60g, Aldila NV Orange NXT 55g / 65g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g

Stiff Flex

Aldila NV Green NXT 65G / 75G, Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g / 60g, HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 60g / 70g, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60g / 70g

The XT is a brand new aerodynamically optimized model for 2021 and PXG say it’s tour inspired. A flatter head with the crown being much more parallel to the sole and a high skirt (think Callaway Mavrik type shape) reduce drag. Smaller toe to heel dimensions and a shallower face specifically target more head and ball speed for 105mph and above speed players.   

Watch: Best 2022 Driver video

Crowning glory

PXG are the only brand to use a hybrid crown. It’s a new idea for this year (you’ll find it on the 0211 driver too) and they say thanks to removing weight from the highest point (there’s a carbon fiber section in the center) but maintaining titanium in the toe and heel areas there’s a benefit in terms of weight efficiency and better MOI performance.

What’s new on the Gen4 drivers is a brand new, never used on a golf club head before, aluminum vapor carbon fiber. The aluminum-infused carbon fiber is stronger so it stiffens the crown (carbon fiber is a ¼ of the weight of titanium and a 1/8th of the weight of steel) which means more energy and deflection is kept within the face, making these new models more efficient.     

Face the facts

PXG were pioneers of designing without the limitations of cost, and that sort of thinking has led to exploring all sorts of new blends of materials. Each Gen4 driver has a titanium Ti412 high-speed face. The material is a special mix that’s incredibly strong but also flexible, which means golfers get lively ball speeds just through switching materials.   

Weight a minute

All three new Gen4 drivers have back, front, and heel weight ports. It means each can be set up with either more forgiveness (higher MOI) with weight at the back, a draw bias with weight in the heel, or as a low spin maximum distance option with weight in the front port.

As standard each head has 10g of movable weight but thanks to PXG’s brilliant multiple weight set up (2.5g – 20g in 2.5g increments), you can also choose to go under or over length (from 44” – 46”) because each head can be weighted up or down depending on the shaft and set up you want.   

Sounds like an iron

PXG are well known for how good their irons sound, and they want golfers to get a similar sensation when hitting their drivers, fairways and hybrids. Inside each head there’s a Honeycomb TPE which dampens vibration around the weight ports whilst helping to accurately position the center of gravity too. To golfers that means great sound and feel.  

Over the top

To make sure the Gen4 are part of the conversation when it comes to distance PXG have opted to make the Gen4 model’s standard length 0.5” longer (that’s a 45.5” shaft length) than their predecessors. It means the head weight has decreased to 201g but thanks to PXG’s weight and fitting capability you can always revert to a shorter length if desired.

Why no fade setting?

PXG fans will notice there’s no toe weight port like the previous 0811 Proto drivers. PXG say thanks to listening to tour player feedback the toe weight port was never used so for the new models it’s been removed to free up extra weight to further improve forgiveness.

How do PXG say the 0811 X, XF and XT Gen4 drivers differ in performance?

Review: PXG 0811 X, XF, and XT Gen4 drivers

Whether it’s £800 for a driver or £3000 for a set of irons, PXG are well-known as a brand of choice for well-heeled golfers.

But 2021 is a year of change for PXG, as they’re on a mission to change perceptions. They’ve introduced the “affordable” 0211 family and thanks to a new build facility in the UK (which cuts shipping costs), prices have come down across the board. So much so that PXG equipment is now available for less than some major competitors.

With PXG revealing the three-model 0811 Gen4 driver family (which come in for £285 each, as the 0211 has dropped to £205) since our Best Drivers Test in March, we wanted to see how these models compare to each other, as well as the leading competition.

Verdict: PXG 0811 XT Gen4 driver

The XT has the most tour-inspired shape of any driver currently available; pear-shaped and more bulbous behind the toe than the heel. The head’s natural tendency is to fall a fraction open at address which very good strong players often like but means this isn’t a driver for average swing speed players or slicers.

Our sample came with a 10g weight in the port behind the face (with 2g in the back and heel ports) and up against our test pro’s longest driver of the year (Callaway’s Epic Speed) it outmuscled the seriously powerful competition.

We’re only talking 0.6mph more ball speed and two yards more carry, but in anyone’s book that’s seriously impressive for a £285 driver.  

Verdict: PXG 0811 X Gen4 driver 

Low-spinning, less forgiving drivers aren’t usually our test pro’s favorites as his game is based around finding fairways to score, but the X performed very well. Our data has the model more than holding its own against the likes of the SIM2 Max, G425 Max, and Epic Speed, all of which are superstar drivers in 2021.

If there is a slight fly in the ointment for the Gen4 drivers then it’s the contrasting aluminum-infused carbon crown, which will divide opinion. Previously like Ping, PXG have put out matt black heads without much decoration. This new silver-coloured hybrid crown changes everything. Some will love it, for others it will be a deal breaker.

But if you’re looking for a great sounding (as are all three Gen4 drivers), low spin driver for sensible money, which is also customizable for length and head weight, and comes with a good choice of quality shaft options, the 0811 X totally delivers. 

Verdict: PXG 0811 XF Gen4 driver

PXG’s previous Gen2 XF was the highest MOI driver available back in 2019, but chasing such extremes of forgiveness means a bigger footprint, which is slower through the air. That’s not such a huge deal at slower swing speeds, so high MOI drivers are often a brilliant choice for club golfers who spray shots around the face.

Like the X and XT the XF is more than capable of holding its own against the competition; for our pro it was five yards in front of the brilliant Ping G425 Max. Realistically, lots of club golfers will choose between this and the more affordable 0211, as at average speeds the pair are very well matched.

The benefit we see of opting for the Gen4 XF is the ability to dial in the ball flight or draw bias you want, which you can’t do with the single sole weight 0211.

How the PXG 0811 X, XF, and XT compare to leading competitor drivers in data

WATCH: Should you use a 47″ driver shaft?

READ NEXT:
– How good are the PXG 0311 Gen4 irons?
– How good is the affordable PXG 0211 driver?

PXG 0811 X Gen4 driver

RRP: £285

Lofts: 7.5° / 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Lie: 60°

Length: 45.5"

Head mass: 201g

PXG 0811 XF Gen4 driver

RRP: £285

Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Lie: 60°

Length: 45.5"

Head mass: 201g

PXG 0811 XT Gen4 driver

RRP: £285

Lofts: 7.5° / 9° / 10.5°

Lie: 60°

Length: 45.5"

Head mass: 201g