Meet the PXG Black Ops Irons: Here is everything you need to know

Are the PXG Black Ops Irons set to take the market by storm? Everything you need to know about the new PXG Black Ops Irons

After storming onto the market just over 10 years ago now, PXG have released some of the best golf irons money can buy and with that, they’ve learned a lot of lessons. As the cover comes off for the reveal of their 7^th generation of equipment the brand are as optimistic as ever that this launch is the most exciting to date.

For the Black Ops Irons, the military coding has been dropped and Parsons Xtreme Golf have gone with simpler branding to follow the Black Ops woods from earlier in the year. It may be slightly later to the party but the Black Ops irons not only look promising but as the name suggests, this covert operation is hiding some secrets underneath. Although we can now unveil the secrets which make up this golf club I think the iron is suitably named for the job at hand.

As a company, PXG don’t run to a timeline! In Scottsdale, a schedule does not exist and that is because founder Bob Parsons has always said he’d never launch new products without first being convinced they outperform the company’s existing models. This means new products appear at any time and don’t follow any set pattern. This is why you’re seeing the Black Ops Irons in August rather than with the woods in January.

As they join the rest of the Black Ops family the objective is still the same: clubs built to deliver a high-quality product that maximizes forgiveness without compromise. Built for the mid to high handicap market these irons offer something different to PXG’s usual line-up. Seemingly a blend of the budget-friendly 0211’s and the 0311 XP irons, The Black Ops take the look and feel of a forgiving iron but the solid feel you’d expect from a better player’s iron.

What you need to know about the PXG Black Ops Irons

Proprietary core and ultra-thin face design

Resulting from years of research and development, PXG developed XCOR2 technology which we saw introduced a couple of generations ago and now just keeps getting better and better. A lightweight polymer helps reduce the mass from the core of the club head to dramatically increase MOI and forgiveness.

This polymer is strong enough to support PXG’s ultra-thin face technology and results in decreased face deflection and explosive ball speed. For the 0311 GEN7 irons, a new XCOR2 polymer has been developed and according to PXG is outperforming previous models and is their best version to date. With the Black Ops, it shares the same technology with the GEN6 line of irons.

One thing the Black Ops shares with both the GEN6 and GEN7 irons, however, is the ultra-thin HT1770 maraging steel face. PXG have always raved about how they make the thinnest face on the market and it’s true. Offering great feel and excellent ball speeds, it’s nearly twice as strong as a traditional 17-4 stainless steel face. Thanks to an even thinner power channel running around the perimeter of the face this setup is barely legal. It creates additional face flex that delivers a high launching, more optimal trajectory.

DUAL CAVITY Design

The Black Ops iron features a hollow body as well as an outer badge cavity. The body is filled with our industry-leading XCOR2 technology while the outer cavity is occupied by a weight savings insert. This helps remove mass from the center of the club and redistribute it to the perimeter of the club to boost MOI and improve overall forgiveness.

This means that PXG can improve the MOI on the horizontal axis which increases forgiveness on heel-toe mishits, they can also greatly increase the MOI on the vertical axis which increases forgiveness on high and low strikes. This makes the club super playable and helps with the off-center hits.

Offset & Top Rail

The Black Ops irons are designed for Mid to High handicap players looking for a club that offers a lot of forgiveness. They’ve been designed with a similar offset as the 0311 GEN6 XP irons and with a slightly thicker top rail.          

Face & Sole size

The Black Ops iron face is 4.3% larger in profile area on average across the set when compared to 0311 XP GEN6. This allows the club to produce faster ball speeds due to a greater trampoline effect which works in conjunction with the XCOR2 technology. It also helps increase forgiveness on off-center hits and gives a more confidence-inspiring look to the club at address.

As this is a super forgiving iron the wider sole width is great for consistent turf interaction and ball contact. The Black Ops is designed for Mid to High handicap players looking for a club that offers exceptional distance performance with excellent forgiveness. The larger size head with more offset will suit the eye of the target golfer too.

PXG Black Ops Iron Specs

About the Author

Will Shreeve-Peacock – Golf Equipment Writer

Will is an expert in golf shoes, GPS watches, rangefinders, and training aids.

He has a degree in journalism from Sheffield Hallam University and four years’ experience working in golf retail with American Golf where he was trained by a host of the big-name manufacturers.

A six-handicapper, Will has played golf for more than a decade and is a member at Burghley Park Golf Club in Stamford, Lincolnshire.