PXG 0311 Black Ops Iron Review
Irons tester Joe Ferguson gives his thoughts on the first true game improvement iron release from PXG
PXGs first real venture into true game improvement iron territory and it is an impressive one. All boxes have been ticked in terms of head size, and forgiveness, and they certainly pack a punch distance-wise. A fairly reasonable price point and some premium looks will make this an attractive proposition for many
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Explosive distance
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Premium looks
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Really enjoyable soft impact feel
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The shorter irons look a little cumbersome behind the ball
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For all of the various iron models PXG has released since its inception, there has never really been a pure game improvement iron offering. That is until now. Today sees the release of the PXG Black Ops iron, which completes the family alongside the Black Ops driver, and Black Ops fairway woods. I was curious to see whether these could sit alongside the best game improvement irons, so I took them out on the course for a thorough workout…
The technology story here is a fairly comprehensive one. Firstly, to significantly boost MOI, PXG Black Ops irons introduces a Dual Cavity Design that is engineered to remove mass from the center of the club and redistribute that weight to the perimeter. The weight-saving insert on the outer cavity allows the CG to be placed lower and further back in the quest for optimal launch and forgiveness properties.
The inner cavity is filled with the proprietary XCOR2 Technology, which we have become familiar with on other PXG irons. This lightweight polymer is designed to increase forgiveness on heel-toe and high-low mishits. The Black Ops irons also feature a high-strength maraging steel face that allows the face geometry to be extremely thin and as such bolster ball speeds. Additionally, the face employs PXG’s flagship Power Channel Technology which is basically a U-shaped corridor built into the internal surface of the club face to increase deflection.
In terms of the looks, I thoroughly enjoyed what the Black Ops iron had to offer. From a shelf appeal point of view, this is my favorite iron of the latest PXG releases, which includes the 0311 P Gen 7 iron. The brushed steel finish is fantastic and the carbon effect badge on the rear (that forms part of the dual cavity design) adds a really premium feel to the aesthetic like so many of the best golf irons.
Down behind the ball, it is difficult to feel anything but extreme confidence from the Black Ops. The footprint is fairly substantial, the top line is chunky and there is plenty of offset, but it all comes together well to produce an attractive iron for the higher-handicap player. I would say that the short irons do feel a little cumbersome to me just in terms of the look, but the target player may well still appreciate the extra size on short approach shots.
Performance was excellent throughout my testing, with particular stand-out areas being the impressively soft feel combined with high ball speed and distance output as well as monumental levels of forgiveness. It was difficult to find any area of the face that produced an inferior feel or had any real adverse effect on ball speed or dispersion.
I don’t know what pre-conceived ideas I had in terms of the feel, but I remember being very pleasantly surprised by the initial few swipes with the Black Ops irons. Even some very high-quality irons in this category such as the TaylorMade Qi irons, and the Callaway Ai Smoke irons cannot match the Black Ops for softness of strike.
The 28˚ 7-iron loft isn’t too extreme given modern standards and produced some nice mid-high ball flights that will suit the majority of the demographic shopping in this market. My only criticism in regards to the performance would be that they are almost too forgiving, and what I mean by that is that it is actually quite difficult to fathom out where on the face you have struck your shot so from a feedback point of view, frankly, there isn’t much to help your development. However, if you are someone purely looking to make the game as easy as possible by using one of the most forgiving irons on the market, then you are certainly looking in the right place.
These are some of the most impressive game improvement irons I have tested. High-quality aesthetics, tons of forgiveness, and plenty of distance. If you are in the market for irons with those qualities, then the Black Ops iron from PXG is a good starting point.
Black Ops irons will be available in 4-9, plus W, G, S, and L wedges, and will be retailing for $149.99 or £139 per club.
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Joe has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles. After a successful amateur career being involved in England squads at every age group, Joe completed his PGA degree qualification in 2014 as one of the top ten graduates in his training year and subsequently went on to become Head PGA Professional at Ryder Cup venue The Celtic Manor Resort. Equipment has always been a huge passion of Joe’s, and during his time at Celtic Manor, he headed up the National Fitting Centres for both Titleist and Taylormade. He’s excited to bring his knowledge of hardware to Golf Monthly in the form of equipment reviews and buying advice.
Joe lives in North Devon and still plays sporadically on the PGA West region circuit. His best round in recent years came earlier in 2023 where he managed a 9 under par 63 at Trevose GC in a Devon & Cornwall PGA Tournament.
Joe's current What's In The Bag?
Driver: Switch between Ping G430 Max 10K & TaylorMade Qi10 - both with Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X
Fairway wood 1: TaylorMade BRNR Copper Mini Driver - Fujikura Ventus Black 7-X
Fairway wood 2: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD 5 Wood - Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB 3-PW with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
Wedges: Callaway Opus 50, 54, and 60 degrees - Project X LS 6.0 shafts
Putter: Odyssey Toe Up #9
Ball: TaylorMade 2024 TP5x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 60R
Bag: Vessel Player IV Pro DXR Stand
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