PXG 0211 XCOR2 Iron Review

The PXG 0211 COR2 iron is the brands 2nd generation ‘affordable’ iron aimed at everyone from 0-25 handicappers.

Having effectively created the super-premium iron market, where golfers are happy to pay £2K for a set of irons, PXG are now turning up the heat on the mainstream iron arena and competing with the best golf irons from the likes of Ping, Callaway and TaylorMade. To do it the brand have revealed a new 2^nd generation ‘affordable’ 0211 XCOR2 iron, with the intention of wowing price sensitive golfers, and giving those spending less than £1K on their irons some serious decisions to make.

PXG say the new 0211 XCOR2 are a simple, non-adjustable (except for loft and lie), cost-effective route into playing the brands irons. We think they are among the best PXG irons available and some of the best golf irons for mid-handicaps. This is their story.

What you need to know about the PXG 0211 XCOR2 iron

Same XCOR2 material inside

Inside you’ll find the same XCOR2 material that’s at the core of the brands premium 0311 GEN5 iron family. The material is lighter than the previous 0211 filling, which means additional weight (5 – 7g) is freed up to improve MOI forgiveness.

The material works in conjunction with the brands super-thin face technology (PXG make the thinnest iron face in golf) to improve face deflection and energy transfer, whilst also upping MOI forgiveness by 2% over the previous 0211 DC (DualCor) model.  

The thinnest face with Power Channel tech

PXG’s calling card since setting up business in 2015 has been creating the thinnest iron faces in the game, they reckon the tech gives a decent sound and feel advantage over the competition.

Just like the brands super premium 0311 GEN5 family the new 0211’s have 1.5mm thick HT1770 steel faces (with 431 cast stainless steel bodies, where the GEN5 family are forged) with a power channel around the perimeter to improve face flex and ball speed on shots hit off centre and high on the blade.

Progressive set design

The thinking behind PXG’s more affordable iron is making them accessible to the widest possible audience of golfers. Every detail across the set is tailored to giving the majority of golfers exactly what they want from their short, mid and long irons, which means the best bits of the brands 0311 GEN5 P and XP irons are brought together in a single set.

The long irons have longer more forgiving blade lengths to aid launch, playability and inspire confidence where golfers need it most. Where the short irons are much more compact like the 0311 GEN5 P iron model. Across the set there’s progressive hosel offset, which aids launch and gives more time to square the blade at impact. The idea also ensures shots are flighted correctly in the long (higher) and short irons (lower) to promote trajectory consistency and up distance control.

Sole width and bounce also vary throughout the set. Expect bounce less in the long irons to work in tandem with shallower attack angles, where the short irons have more to compliment the tendency to be steeper on shorter approaches.    

RELATED: Everything you need to know about the PXG 0317 ST Blades

Angled top rail

You won’t notice it at address but the new 0211’s have a tapered head shape, so the toe is wider than the heel, which is a very clever design trick that adds additional MOI. To ensure the topline doesn’t have a weird thin-thick look at address PXG’s engineers cleverly angle the top rail, so golfers get a familiar look.

PXG say the idea helps draw the centre of gravity to the centre of the face (where lots of competitors have a heel side centre of gravity) so golfers get optimal performance and feel when shots are hit from the centre of the face. 

Robot polishing

Hand grinding and polishing golf clubs leads to head-to-head inconsistencies, which means two irons, even though they’re the same model, are never quite the same shape or profile.

To deliver extra precision PXG irons are robotically polished. It means the geometry of every angle, edge and bevel is exactly the same, so you get exactly the same shapes and profiles as the demos you were fitted on.  

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Available in a Xtreme Dark finish

PXG are well known for producing ‘murdered out’ (black) golf equipment, and for the first time the ‘affordable’ 0211 iron is available in the brands Xtreme Black finish. The dark colour comes from a Diamond-like Carbon finish (DLC) which is much more durable than competitors PVD alternatives.

WATCH: How do the PXG 0211 XCOR2 irons compre to competitor models?

How the PXG 0211 XCOR2 iron compares to the previous 0211 DC model?

PXG robot test all their products before going to market and they say the new 0211 XCOR2 when compared to the previous model is faster and higher launching. Thanks to a little less spin the model carries shots 7 yards further than its older sibling (the 0211 DualCor) whilst reducing shot dispersion by 30% (202yds vs 141.8yds). And that data’s produced from clubs that are exactly the same loft and length.     

Compared to the competition, PXG say their filled hollow body tech is so dialled in nowadays the new 0211 XCOR2 has 10% more MOI forgiveness than competitor cavity back irons of a similar size. As the model has no tungsten weighting like the premium 0311 GEN5 family, there is though 10% less MOI on offer compared to the brands current P and XP models.    

Specs: PXG 0211 XCOR2 iron

RRP: £119 (Chrome) £149 (Xtreme Dark) per club | VIEW UK OFFER | VIEW US OFFER
Stock shaft: True Temper Elevate MP and Elevate Tour, Nippon Modus Pro 125, UST Recoil Dart, Project X Cypher, Mitsubishi MMT | 7-iron loft: 28° | Forgiveness rating: 3.5

Verdict: PXG 0211 XCOR2 irons

The 2^nd generation 0211’s are a stunning set, and if they didn’t have PXG’s ‘premium’ 0311 family hovering over them they really would warrant top billing in most other brands line-ups. Bringing a set with this much tech inside to market for less than a £1K, in the current market, is a very impressive feat.

We love how the profile transitions from bigger more forgiving long irons to smaller less offset short irons, and like us we reckon many club golfers will appreciate the impressive sound, feel and feedback. Our data shows how the model stacks up brilliantly, not only against the brands more expensive 0311 GEN5 P and XP models but also whatever the leading competition has to throw at them. Remember this particular model also boasts 10% more MOI than a similar sized cavity back iron (Ping G425, Callaway Rogue ST Max, Mizuno JPX921 Hot Metal), which means the 0211 XCOR2 is super forgiving and easy to live with on the golf course.

Be under no illusion though, the lofts are strong so you will need decent levels of club speed to launch shots high enough with good levels of backspin to stop approaches quickly on the dancefloor. If your game doesn’t quite measure up, we’d seriously recommend looking at the slightly higher lofted 0311 GEN5 P along with a lighter and more flexible shaft.     

Data: How does the PXG 0211 XCOR2 iron compare to competitor irons?

Shots hit by TG Test Pro Neil Wain

How do PXG 0211 XCOR2 ‘affordable’ irons compare to the brands premium 0311 GEN5 models?

Super premium irons are a modern phenomenon, and PXG are partly responsible for creating the trend. Their original irons came in at over £2,000 a set and other manufacturers quickly followed suit.

From day one PXG wanted to create golf’s finest equipment, so every ounce of their focus has been spent on delivering golfers a premium experience. That meant a personalised fitting service that comes to you, with a vast array of upgrade shafts (that aren’t available elsewhere) along with the creation of 100% CNC milled irons and wedges for ultimate precision, no matter what the cost. 

But in the last year or so, PXG have launched irons that are half the price, which begs the question – what’s the difference?

To find out, we got TG pro Neil Wain to pit PXG’s premium £1,603-a-set 0311 GEN5 irons against the £763 0211 XCOR2. This is what happened.

What’s the difference?

Our testing’s proven before how PXG models combine powerful ball speeds and distance performance with impressive dispersion numbers in their respective categories. This time our data shows the effect different loft, head size and hosel offset has on ball speed, launch/spin, height and descent angle between the three models.

What the data doesn’t show is the extreme weight set-up and fitting capability of the GEN5 iron. Thanks to weight being positioned behind the centre of the face (which can be changed from 2.5g to 20g) it’s possible to fit golfers to lighter or heavier clubs (which can help with timing and ball speed gains), as well as longer or shorter shafts all without moving the centre of gravity; that just isn’t an option with other brands. 

And essentially that’s what you pay for by going premium with PXG. That ability to have the exact weight, feel or shaft length your game needs, all without shifting the centre of gravity (which affects feel and consistency).

With the 0211 XCOR2 weight adjustments go inside the shaft (like its rivals), and thanks to the cast head there’s no forged sound/feel, which good golfers often put a premium on. While on paper our data shows the 0211 stacks up brilliantly against the 0311s, it just doesn’t have the same personalised fitting capability.

It means the premium v affordable decision really comes down to whether a £1,600 super-fitted set with extra MOI (0311) is worth twice as much to you as the less customisable, but equally powerful, 0211s. It’s a choice only individuals can make.

READ NEXT: Which PXG iron best suits me?

 

PXG 0211 XCOR2 Irons

RRP: £119 (Chrome) £149 (Xtreme Dark) per club | VIEW UK OFFER | VIEW US OFFER
Stock shaft: True Temper Elevate MP and Elevate Tour, Nippon Modus Pro 125, UST Recoil Dart, Project X Cypher, Mitsubishi MMT | 7-iron loft: 28° | Forgiveness rating: 3.5

Visit the 0211 XCOR2 iron on the PXG website here