PXG's 0311 XF Gen 6 4-wood filled a hole in the author's bag.
PXG
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Why this 4-wood was the best thing I used in 2024
Quick, name an iconic 4-wood shot.
If Gene Sarazen’s hole-out for albatross at the 1935 Masters is the first swing that comes to mind, well…that’s kind of the point: With a nod to Corey Pavin’s knockout punch at the 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, 4-woods don’t exactly have a rich history in the game.
That’s true in recreational golf, too. Do you carry a 4-wood? Guessing not. Do many, or any, of your golf buddies? You don’t see them often. But you’ll find one in my bag, and for good reason.
A couple of years ago, during a full-bag PXG fitting, I was telling my fitter, Nick, that I had been losing confidence in my 3-wood, especially when hitting it off the deck. Too much chunky contact. Nick’s diagnosis took all of about 7 seconds, or the time it took him to reach into his arsenal of clubs and extract a 4-wood — a 19-degree PXG 0311 XF Gen 6, to be exact.
A few days later, I officially relegated my 3-wood to the corner of my basement storage space where golf clubs go to die, and my shiny new 4-wood had joined my starting 14. This was in 2023, but it wasn’t until this year that my 4-wood’s usefulness and reliability really began to resonate with me.
With a larger data set of swings, it become evident to me that I hit the less spinny 4-wood with far greater consistency than I did the 3-wood. That better contact (thanks to the Gen 6’s squared-off face) has resulted not only in improved accuracy but, with two degrees more loft than my 3-wood, also a higher, softer ball flight. Sure, the swap may have cost me a few yards, but when I’m staring down a meaty approach, I’d much rather hit a 200-yard shot with tight dispersion than a 215-yard yank or, worse yet, 20-yard sod-layer.
I dig the Gen 6’s aesthetics, too. The black-and-silver paint job is sleek, and the railed sole helps decrease turf friction. To me, it feels less like a fairway wood than it does a juiced-up hybrid.
Here’s the larger point: We golfers tend to fall into habits — not just with our swings but also with our equipment. Just because most golfers play with some combination of a driver, 3-wood and 5-wood doesn’t mean you need to follow suit. Experiment in the seams. Try a 2-wood or 4-wood. Dabble with 7- and 9-woods. Carry four hybrids. Whatever. You might be surprised by the benefits. I know I was.
If you’re in the market for PXG’s latest generation of fairway woods, check out the 0311 Black Ops line below:
As GOLF.com’s executive editor, Bastable is responsible for the editorial direction and voice of one of the game’s most respected and highly trafficked news and service sites. He wears many hats — editing, writing, ideating, developing, daydreaming of one day breaking 80 — and feels privileged to work with such an insanely talented and hardworking group of writers, editors and producers. Before grabbing the reins at GOLF.com, he was the features editor at GOLF Magazine. A graduate of the University of Richmond and the Columbia School of Journalism, he lives in New Jersey with his wife and foursome of kids.
