New sticks for my dad/pxg gen3 vs 0211

[jomatty]

My dad used to be a stick.  For over 30 years he played at between scratch to 2 hcp.  He hurt his back (and damn near everything else) and eventually was not able to play.  It’s been 10 years since he played with any sort of regularity.  He is now close to 80 and finally has had some surgeries that are enabling him to play some.  He is using some sort of cb with 120g steel shafts.

anyways, I’m going to get him some new irons for Christmas.  Budget is important.  The most important thing I want to accomplish is to get him in some lighter graphite shafts.  Graphite has helped me play close to pain free and it seems the obvious choice.  We will not be getting fit, for several reasons, so even though I know people can’t help but suggest it, it is not in the cards.  
I looked at Takomo, new level, sub 70 as well as PXG.  With all of the companies other than PXG the graphite offering were very limited.  The fact that I can get Recoil dart or MMT’s at no up charge make PXG the clear favorite, but I am open to other suggestions.  The gen 3’s or the new 0211’s line up with how much I’m willing to spend.

Anyways, do you guys like the Gen3 P or the new 0211’s better?  I like the lofts on the 0311’s a little better as the extreme low lofts of the 0211’s would take more getting used to, although it is not a huge deal either way.  They both look pretty good to me.  
Anyways, long winded post to ask the short question: do you guys prefer the gen 3 0311’s or the new 0211’s?

Thank you!

[WristySwing]

Gen3 0311P would be a stick almost anyone who has played or will play golf could use.  Its forgiving enough, lofts are not offensively strong, and the head size is about average from what you would see in a Player's Distance style iron these days (i.e. about the same size as a P790).  I have the 0211DC and like them well enough.  They feel great, launch high, spin is not a problem even in the burnt out, dry July and August days where it didn't rain almost all summer I was still able to mostly one-hop and stop them.  The lofts are not everyone's cup of tea and I have them 2* weak (off a 44* PW and 26* 6i, so "standard" for most GI now) but they are okay still.

 

I have to ask though, if you aren't going to get him fit, why does it matter the shaft selection? Its going to be your best guess as to what fits him anyways.  Why not throw something like Wilson, Tour Edge, or some prior generation models from Cobra, Callaway, Mizuno, and Ping into the mix as well?  All of these can easily be bent 2* for loft and lie, they have GI or PD irons, and they all offer graphite as a free or small upcharge option.

 

Just some food for thought.  At least that way he can actually go to a store, pick them up, wiggle them a bit and hit them first.  If I am getting someone golf clubs, the best option is to obviously get fit, but if that is not in the cards, the second best option is to at least let him go to a golf course, a retail store, a demo day, whatever, and hit a couple models and see which one he hits best even worst case, its into a net and you can see impact on the face.

 

I am just coming at it from a practical standpoint.  If budget is a concern, there are lots of budget models out there that can be tried before they are purchased and will work just as well than any of the DTC brands.

Edited September 30, 2022 by WristySwing

[MtlJeff]

By new 0211's do you mean the new players distance style Xcor?

[AKA_Double J]

I don't have any experience with either of the PXG models that you are asking about, but I'm sure both would be great choices and for sure put you in the running for "son of the year"!  My only contribution to this thread is to suggest at least taking a look at Golfworks if you haven't already.  Below is an example.  You can pick from several different heads, shafts, and grips in the custom shop, as well as several choices for "paks".  You can have everything assembled for you (usually for free) and also have playing length, loft, lie angle, etc. built to your specs.  You could save enough $$$ by going this route to also buy him a new PXG Gen4 driver.

 

[jomatty]

2 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

By new 0211's do you mean the new players distance style Xcor?

Yes the xcor.

[jomatty]

2 hours ago, WristySwing said:

Gen3 0311P would be a stick almost anyone who has played or will play golf could use.  Its forgiving enough, lofts are not offensively strong, and the head size is about average from what you would see in a Player's Distance style iron these days (i.e. about the same size as a P790).  I have the 0211DC and like them well enough.  They feel great, launch high, spin is not a problem even in the burnt out, dry July and August days where it didn't rain almost all summer I was still able to mostly one-hop and stop them.  The lofts are not everyone's cup of tea and I have them 2* weak (off a 44* PW and 26* 6i, so "standard" for most GI now) but they are okay still.

 

I have to ask though, if you aren't going to get him fit, why does it matter the shaft selection? Its going to be your best guess as to what fits him anyways.  Why not throw something like Wilson, Tour Edge, or some prior generation models from Cobra, Callaway, Mizuno, and Ping into the mix as well?  All of these can easily be bent 2* for loft and lie, they have GI or PD irons, and they all offer graphite as a free or small upcharge option.

 

Just some food for thought.  At least that way he can actually go to a store, pick them up, wiggle them a bit and hit them first.  If I am getting someone golf clubs, the best option is to obviously get fit, but if that is not in the cards, the second best option is to at least let him go to a golf course, a retail store, a demo day, whatever, and hit a couple models and see which one he hits best even worst case, its into a net and you can see impact on the face.

 

I am just coming at it from a practical standpoint.  If budget is a concern, there are lots of budget models out there that can be tried before they are purchased and will work just as well than any of the DTC brands.

If we were talking about steel shafts I would agree that it wouldn’t matter much without getting fit.  There are only a handful of graphite iron shafts I would consider though, and based on his play of Dynamic gold, I have narrowed it down to a very few options.  PXG has two of the options as stock offerings.  Graphite is mandatory to help relieve pain and avoid future injuries IMO.

I get your point about taking him to a store but there are two issues with that.  1.  It’s a Christmas gift and my step mom and I would like it to be a surprise.  2.  He would not “allow” me to buy him clubs.  I may be 44 years old but he would not want me to spend that much money on him.  3.  I know I said 2 reasons but number 3 is that I disagree I can get something of a similar quality, for a similar price, as PXG or some of the other DTC brands.  Just my opinion, but I just don’t think you an get the same quality in the 500-600 price range.

thank you for feedback though, I appreciate it.

[jomatty]

1 hour ago, AKA_Double J said:

I don't have any experience with either of the PXG models that you are asking about, but I'm sure both would be great choices and for sure put you in the running for "son of the year"!  My only contribution to this thread is to suggest at least taking a look at Golfworks if you haven't already.  Below is an example.  You can pick from several different heads, shafts, and grips in the custom shop, as well as several choices for "paks".  You can have everything assembled for you (usually for free) and also have playing length, loft, lie angle, etc. built to your specs.  You could save enough $$$ by going this route to also buy him a new PXG Gen4 driver.

 

Definitely something to consider.  I also thought about buying a set of Takomo or New Level heads and building them out.  The PXG shafts make it ato ugh to do much better though.  I would want to go with a shaft I’m familiar with and the MMT’s are pricey, so getting them stock is a pretty big plus.

[JAM01]

I’ll be somewhat unconventional here. 10 years and injuries? New 0211 with the lofts as is. Might need the distances. Cypher shaft, do 0211 hybrid and the 6, 8, pw, sw. 

[WristySwing]

21 minutes ago, jomatty said:

If we were talking about steel shafts I would agree that it wouldn’t matter much without getting fit.  There are only a handful of graphite iron shafts I would consider though, and based on his play of Dynamic gold, I have narrowed it down to a very few options.  PXG has two of the options as stock offerings.  Graphite is mandatory to help relieve pain and avoid future injuries IMO.

I get your point about taking him to a store but there are two issues with that.  1.  It’s a Christmas gift and my step mom and I would like it to be a surprise.  2.  He would not “allow” me to buy him clubs.  I may be 44 years old but he would not want me to spend that much money on him.  3.  I know I said 2 reasons but number 3 is that I disagree I can get something of a similar quality, for a similar price, as PXG or some of the other DTC brands.  Just my opinion, but I just don’t think you an get the same quality in the 500-600 price range.

thank you for feedback though, I appreciate it.

 

I agree with you on the last part, as that was my thinking last year around this time.  If you get the DC, there's even more savings to be had, they're like $80/club now and still come with the MMT.  The MMT would be the closest feel wise to a DG, IMO.

[johnspies]

I'll try to 'kill two birds' here....first, I just got Gen 3 PXG's and they are great; I got the XP version as I'm a 17 handicapper and when fitting, this was the best for me. Still hitting them alongside my Mizunos so the jury is still out whether I'm keeping or not but so far, I do like them.

 

I do think it wise to schedule a fitting and make THAT the surprise. As to him not allowing you to pay for them; a little white lie saying you've already paid for them won't hurt. You can likely get the PXG Fitter in on the story to back things up. I think the fitting is part of the PXG package overall and removes any sort of doubt when hitting them.

 

And maybe I'm an outlier but I ended up hitting regular flex steel KBS shafts the best. I tried several graphite shafts and was keen on them due to wrist and hand pain but in the end, the steel shafts didn't feel any worse than the graphite....your mileage may vary.

 

In any case, you're a good Son for the thoughtful gift.

[eddiebigeddie]

As someone who has played the Gen3 P’s and now has the Xcor2 0211’s…I say go with the ones he likes the looks of best. The Gen3 are slightly softer, but the 0211’s are more forgiving. Don’t get caught up in the lofts…essentially I went from a 5-G set in the Gen3 to a 6-G set in the 0211’s. My only weird gapping now is between the P-G, but so far it hasn’t been an “issue”.  I’m a 9 handicap and good ball striker, to me the 0211 are slightly smaller club head. 

[jomatty]

33 minutes ago, eddiebigeddie said:

As someone who has played the Gen3 P’s and now has the Xcor2 0211’s…I say go with the ones he likes the looks of best. The Gen3 are slightly softer, but the 0211’s are more forgiving. Don’t get caught up in the lofts…essentially I went from a 5-G set in the Gen3 to a 6-G set in the 0211’s. My only weird gapping now is between the P-G, but so far it hasn’t been an “issue”.  I’m a 9 handicap and good ball striker, to me the 0211 are slightly smaller club head. 

That’s interesting.  I had kinda assumed the 0311 P’ would be smaller.  Thanks for feedback.

[OnTheBag]

13 hours ago, jomatty said:

My dad used to be a stick.  For over 30 years he played at between scratch to 2 hcp.  He hurt his back (and damn near everything else) and eventually was not able to play.  It’s been 10 years since he played with any sort of regularity.  He is now close to 80 and finally has had some surgeries that are enabling him to play some.  He is using some sort of cb with 120g steel shafts.

anyways, I’m going to get him some new irons for Christmas.  Budget is important.  The most important thing I want to accomplish is to get him in some lighter graphite shafts.  Graphite has helped me play close to pain free and it seems the obvious choice.  We will not be getting fit, for several reasons, so even though I know people can’t help but suggest it, it is not in the cards.  
I looked at Takomo, new level, sub 70 as well as PXG.  With all of the companies other than PXG the graphite offering were very limited.  The fact that I can get Recoil dart or MMT’s at no up charge make PXG the clear favorite, but I am open to other suggestions.  The gen 3’s or the new 0211’s line up with how much I’m willing to spend.

Anyways, do you guys like the Gen3 P or the new 0211’s better?  I like the lofts on the 0311’s a little better as the extreme low lofts of the 0211’s would take more getting used to, although it is not a huge deal either way.  They both look pretty good to me.  
Anyways, long winded post to ask the short question: do you guys prefer the gen 3 0311’s or the new 0211’s?

Thank you!

As someone from your dad's generation, may I make a suggestion?  Find him a quality blade or CB 8-PW and then some hybrids and fairway woods.  He's probably used to playing 2 wedges at most (52/56) but given his flexibility and strength limitations, 1 will be enough (56).

 

If budget is important you can glean the bay for all of those things in R or Senior flex and find good quality.  I also recommend UST shafts for old farts like us.  They are soft, load easily and most importantly have almost no vibration back through the elbows and shoulders.  

 

I use UST Recoil 780/760 in my irons and their Proto shaft in my hybrids.  7w and 9w are his friends and make the game more fun.  Forget about anything more than 7i as he will struggle to get it airborne.

 

Good on you for getting him setup.  I almost guarantee that spending time with you on the course is more important to him than the sticks he's playing with.  

 

Have fun.

[eddiebigeddie]

20 minutes ago, jomatty said:

That’s interesting.  I had kinda assumed the 0311 P’ would be smaller.  Thanks for feedback.

Welcome. I think it’s the way they did the top line on the 0211 that makes them slightly smaller then the P’s. Plus I got the black ones so makes them appear smaller too. 

[SEP1006]

My 2 cents. Go with the Gen 3 XP's with the graphite MMT 70R shafts. Can't go wrong with that combo!!!!!!

[sunbeltgolfer]

I'm closing in on 70, have neck and back issues that slowed my swing considerably over the last few years. I have a set of the 0311XP with Cypher graphite, and two sets of 0211DC. One of the 0211 has MMT 60 graphite in senior flex and the other True Temper elevate. The 0211 with MMT are clearly the best fit for me. Didn't care for the 0311 at all for some reason as I don't hit them very well. I prefer the look of the 0211 behind the ball and find them very forgiving on off center strikes. The strong loft has not been an issue and I would consider myself a low launch, lower spin player. At the price they are selling them for with the MMT I don't think you or he will be disappointed.

[phil75070]

I am 75 and have the 0211DC irons, the previous generation, with the MMT 60 shafts, "A" flex. I love 'em even though I have had Recoil shafts in my last three sets of irons! Furthermore, I prefer the look of the 0211s vs the 0311s.

 

The newer XCOR, if in the budget, would be a nice choice, but don't rule out the 0211DC set and save even more money. I doubt that he would be able to detect any performance increase between the DC and XCOR sets, given his age and being away from the game for so long. Also, I believe the Recoil shafts in senior flex are currently out of stock. I see the Project X Cypher shafts are also available, but I have no knowledge of how they would perform.

[596]

I play the 0211dc and like them a lot.  However my other set is Cobra T Rail hybrid irons.  They are very easy to launch and fun to play.  Hybrid (4,5,6,7) and hybrid irons (8,9,pw,gw,SW) with  Recoil shafts. 

[CROUSE99]

I just got a set of PXG Gen 5 XP’s. I got a great price or wouldn’t have bought them. I’ve also hit the new XCOR2 in a 7 iron. I really saw no difference in performance of the 2 models. The XP’s are slightly better feeling and sounding. Bottom line is you can’t go wrong with the XCOR2. Depending on how high he hits the ball, you may be able to skip the 4, 5, and 6 irons.