I recently went through a PXG fitting for the new 0317 irons and Battle Ready II putters. I hit every iron, the 0317 ST, 0317 CB, and 0317 T as well as many of the new Battle Ready II putters. And the entire fitting was ignite, sizzle, blaze, and repeat. A legit mood enhancing experience.
Hitting the 0317 irons was like an all you can eat shotmaking buffet with a side of razzle dazzle. Rolling the Battle Ready II putters made me feel like I was on some kind of dopamine and adrenaline drip. PXG is clearly not holding anything back with these new releases.
This PXG 0317 and Battle Ready II fitting review will go over what I experienced hitting the new irons and putters with an emphasis on differences between the models and different performance I saw with each.
I'll also touch on some of the iron tech stories to help distinguish and explain performance differences and even compare them to the GEN6 P irons I've been playing this year. Some pretty interesting surprises.
I've been fit by Dustin Lieber at PXG before. He knows my game, my swing, and is absolutely one of the best in the business. I'll talk a bit more about Dustin and the PXG fitting benefits later.
But right now will say if you're looking to get fit for anything PXG in the Northeast Ohio area (I think Dustin even fits as far west as Toledo), definitely look this man up. Smart, thorough, prepared, and just a really friendly person. You'll have one of the best fitting experiences imaginable.
I arrived for my fitting with a good idea of what the new PXG 0317 irons and Battle Ready II putters were all about. And I was pretty certain which irons would be the best for me. I've told you about the new 0317 irons in a few different articles already. And have previewed the new Battle Ready II putters for you as well.
My fitting took everything I thought I knew about these clubs to an entirely new level. To borrow a line from Buzz Lightyear, PXG should be hyping these new irons and putters To Infinity and Beyond.
We Come in Different Shapes and Sizes
One of the great things about the entire 0317 irons lineup is having the ability to seamlessly combine heads into ideal mixed sets. Both in terms of appearance and performance the ST, CB, and T heads each have their own unique performance benefits.
They're also designed to be blended so you can optimize spin, launch, and distance gapping no matter how you swing or what your skill is. So you might go 0317 ST for PW to 9-iron or 8-iron in your attack clubs, CB in your mid-irons, and T in your long-irons. And PXG can match lofts for you as well if you want or need it.
Coming in I thought a blended set was a strong possibility for me. And yes the 0317 irons are intended to be played by lower handicap or good ball striker kinds of players. But as my fitting showed these can also appeal to and play well for other kinds of players who might not necessarily fit these target categories.
You can check out all the exact 0317 irons specs here on the PXG site, but I want to mention a few general things about the shape and size of each model before getting into my fitting.
We're always curious to know how models differ and compare in this regard, even if just from an appearance standpoint (picture above shows ST to CB to T top to bottom). As you'd expect there's a progression of size, shape, and offset running smaller to larger as you move from 0317 ST to 0317 CB to 0317 T (with a few things that don't fit this pattern).
The ST blade length is the shortest, with CB almost identical. And T is slightly longer than both but still a compact shape. ST and CB have identical offset, with T having a little more.
0317 ST and CB irons both have deeper (taller) faces than T with a more pronounced (higher) toe. Topline thickness gets progressively wider from ST to CB to T (to my eye ST and CB more closely resemble each other).
The pattern changes a bit however in sole width with ST and T having more similar thin soles, and the CB (while still thin) is slightly wider. ST and CB are solid 3 times forged 8620 carbon steel, while T is a hollow body, multi-material forged 8620 carbon steel body with an HT1770 maraging steel face (the same face used in PXG's 0311 GEN6 irons).
0317 ST Irons - Welcome to the STripe Show
My fitting started with the PXG 0317 ST irons. I wanted to see and feel 0317 forgiveness levels from least to most (at least on paper). The 0317 ST is the fully milled 8620 carbon steel blade, which is what most of PXG Tour players are using (at least in their short irons).
Of course in no way do I resemble a Tour pro but after only a handful of swings with the ST it was obvious this head was scary forgiving for a blade. Call it my first big surprise.
I'm not talking the same kind of forgiveness as the GEN6 P irons (which are more forgiving over a larger area of the face). But I immediately thought I can go with the 0317 ST in 7-iron through PW. I had my highest absolute spin rates and highest absolute launch with ST compared to the other two irons (which is useful for a low spin, low launch player like myself).
The sweet spot was bigger than I expected, slightly larger than a nickel-sized impact area. And when I missed just outside this area my launch and spin dropped marginally. ST spin remained so good on small mishits I was only losing about 300 rpm.
Dispersion with 0317 ST was excellent, and (at the time) I thought as good as I could expect or ask from any irons I might play. Maybe seven yards from center in either direction left or right (with more of a right bias miss). And consistency of spin, launch, and distance was outstanding on loop.
I felt I could hit these through any window, take aim at any target, and stop them on a dime almost at will. The feel of ST was the most solid of all three irons in the 0317 line. I'd even go so far as saying ST are one of the most stone-cold solid feeling irons I've ever hit.
When I missed further outside that nickel-size sweet spot however (let's call it slightly larger than a quarter-size impact area), my ball speeds and launch with 0317 ST dropped more than they did on similar mishits with both 0317 CB and 0317 T.
And this is a good place to mention that even on center strikes my average ball speeds with CB and T irons were three to five mph faster than with ST.
With that being said the 0317 ST irons aren't optimized for the most forgiveness and maximum distance, I know this. They are however optimized for distance control, which comes from getting a consistent spin rate on good shots and small mishits.
In this regard ST absolutely shined. The last thing I want is to hit an iron as good as I can and fly the green or mishit one a tad and come up 15 yards short. Because of ST's consistency I could live with these not being as long as the CB and T irons.
For players who live around that nickel-size impact area or don't need forgiveness that blankets the face 0317 ST are going to be the kind of irons you hit once and throw straight in your bag. The consistency, dispersion, and feel of ST had a very strong pull for me. Even down to my last few shots with ST a full set was on the table.
Dustin told me the 0317 T were already extremely popular despite only being released just a few months ago. And the T irons were really what brought me to this fitting. Maybe I'd go with an ST and T combo set?
Then the 0317 CB irons pretty much said "hold my beer."
0317 CB Irons - I'm Your Huckleberry
The golf gods were with me on this one friends. When I tell you I was wow'd with the 0317 CB irons, I mean I was freaking WOW'd. The 0317 CB is still a players head like the ST.
Tour players often start with CB in their long irons (if that's something you care about). But if I'm being completely honest, when my fitting was originally scheduled it was just for an 0317 T fitting.
Everything about the 0317 T told me those would be my wheelhouse irons. They reminded me of the Mizuno Pro 223 and 225 irons, both of which I hit well. I figured it was just a matter of PXG dialing me in to the best 0317 T irons build.
But a day before my fitting for whatever reason I texted Dustin and said, "You know what? I'm going to be there anyway, can you bring the 0317 ST and 0317 CB heads as well? I want to write a big comprehensive irons review on them all."
And I'll spare you the suspense, the CB irons had be living La Vida Loco. I'm not kidding you when I say it was good shot after good shot after good shot with the 0317 CB irons from the very first swing. I was absolutely grooving these babies. The CB irons are fully milled 8620 carbon steel like the ST but slightly longer heel to toe.
Working the ball with CB was every bit as easy as with ST. And just like with the ST, spin control was exceptionally consistent with CB. In fact (and I'll explain why in a moment), CB spin was actually more consistent (and about 200 rpm higher) than ST.
Ball speeds with the 0317 CB irons went up considerably (on average almost five mph higher on both center strikes and mishits) compared to ST. With the CB irons I had my best average ball speeds and distance, most consistent and highest average spin and launch angles, and steepest average decent angles of all three heads. These irons pretty much had me at hello.
But the 0317 CB party didn't end there. CB also gave me my highest smash factor, and dispersion was even tighter than with ST (no right bias miss like ST, these just hugged the center line). The CB is extremely solid feeling like the ST, but also delivers a softer, slightly crisper, and more explosive feel at impact. I preferred CB feel over ST.
It was also readily apparent the 0317 CB irons were more forgiving than the ST. Remember that nickel-size sweet spot talk back with the ST irons? Well the sweet spot with the 0317 CB irons is more like a quarter-size area.
And again, not all over the face forgiveness here. But if you don't think this is significant go find a nickel and quarter and place them on the face of one of your irons. It's a lot more room to maneuver.
Strikes hit low and high on the face with the 0317 CB irons produced the best results of all three heads. Thin shots a few grooves down (as well as a few grooves up) with the CB retained spin, launch, distance, and accuracy better than the ST.
In a nutshell the CB irons just let me get away with mishits more than the ST irons. I was telling Dustin I wouldn't be afraid to miss with CB over forced carries, where I might be a little afraid to miss with ST. Forgiveness you want, precision you need, everything just seemed to come together with the CB irons.
A Quick 0317 Fitting Perspective
Let me say right now the 0317 CB irons are not in any absolute sense the best irons in the 0317 lineup. But they were the absolute best irons in the 0317 lineup for me.
The 0317 ST irons are designed to be the most accurate. The 0317 T irons designed to be the most forgiving. And the 0317 CB irons checked both of these boxes for me better than the others. That's something you really just won't discover without a fitting.
There are many variables to a handicap and swing tendencies. And PXG gets a good idea of these early on in your warm up and where to guide you from there. You'll always have the option and be encouraged to try multiple heads.
Dustin said he never assumes a particular handicap will inevitably fit into a particular model head (i.e., a 15 handicap has to play the irons with the most forgiveness) because he knows it doesn't always work this way.
Theoretically my ideal fit should have been the 0317 T irons. But in some instances smaller heads give me a completely different feel and I actually put more good swings on these kinds of smaller irons than larger more forgiving ones. If I have a tendency to miss with most irons it's low or out towards the toe (like many players).
With the 0317 CB (and ST) however, my misses were more center based and concentric (the quarter-size impact and tighter nickel-size impact areas). And that's because the CB and ST design, weighting, and certainly appearance just fit better with my eye, my swing plane, my angle at impact, even my transition and entire motion of swing.
In this particular fitting for example I'd hit four good shots, four average shots, and two stinkers out of every 10 swings with the 0317 T. Yet with the smaller 0317 CB I hit seven good shots, two average shots, and one stinker (the kind of shot where it doesn't matter what iron you're hitting because disaster is inevitable).
And this in part is why I had better average pretty much everything across the board with CB (smash factor, distance, spin rate, launch angle, dispersion, all of it). The point is you might hit an iron designed with less forgiveness better than the one you hit designed with more forgiveness. And you just won't know without the guidance of a fitter like Dustin.
0317 T Irons - Magic Wands for Every Shot
I can see how the 0317 T might be the most popular irons in this new lineup. In fact I'd call them the most unique irons of all three models. T is slightly larger than the ST and CB irons which will appeal to players who associate a bigger profile with forgiveness. Yet they're still small enough for players who want a very clean, compact look at address.
There's no question a larger area of this T face is more forgiving (particularly toe to heel) compared to the ST and CB. In the same way sweet spot forgiveness grew from a nickel-size area in the ST to a quarter-size area in the CB, sweet spot size with the T irons was probably closer to something like a half-dollar size area.
0317 T is the only multi-material iron in this lineup that utilizes PXG's new polymer fill S-COR. Combined with internal tungsten weighting this gives the T irons 14-percent more MOI than ST and 11-percent more MOI than CB. 0317 T without a doubt serves up heaping portions of both forgiveness and stability with this head.
The S-COR polymer is essentially a stability core that reacts at impact to help bring spin rate up to and consistent with the ST and CB irons. And while this is a different core than the XCOR2 PXG uses in their 0311 GEN6 irons I promise you there's also a ball speed boost aspect to this polymer as well.
I did have my lowest spin rates with the 0317 T irons, but only a few hundred rpm less on average than the CB. Obviously I couldn't compare these head-to-head at my fitting with other OEM hollow body offerings but I'd be willing to bet these deliver more spin than most similarly designed irons. Spin is definitely up there.
0317 T actually retained balls speed, spin rate, and direction better than ST and CB on misses furthest away from center left and right. If your typical wear pattern looks like blood splatter at a crime scene or you just want the comfort of a miss-all-over-the-face kind of iron the 0317 T irons will be your champion.
What I found most compelling about the 0317 T irons was how well they performed in really every statistical category. And in that sense 0317 T is a very unique animal. I had my highest absolute ball speeds with T but also a tight dispersion that nearly mirrored the ST irons. It's almost like PXG is taking the best attributes of two different kinds of irons models and uniting them into this T head.
I couldn't help but think during my fitting about how 0317 T is a composite hollow head with great forgiveness and distance like a Mizuno Pro 225. And yet it's also like a Mizuno Pro 223 with its compact shape delivering more spin and distance control.
Another surprise was the 0317 T irons feel at impact being more similar to the ST irons than the CB. Both ST and T were extremely solid (though T felt hotter). Honestly I would not have known T was a hollow body if I didn't already know that coming into my fitting. Descent angles and peak heights with T were only slightly lower than ST.
And with these two heads also being most similar in appearance I again began wondering if an 0317 ST and T combo set might be in my future. Maybe T heads in my long-irons and mid-irons and then ST in the short-irons? Dustin said he could always strengthen the lofts on the ST to bring distances up and more in line with the T.
Finally, I told you earlier I was going to give you some 0311 P GEN6 comparisons and here's why. The 0311 GEN5 irons had a T model but the GEN6 do not (T moved into this new 0317 elite players line). And if you're the player who loves the P GEN6 but would like more spin, more height, and more control in a smaller profile head you'd do yourself a huge favor to look at 0317 T.
You already know how much I love my P GEN6, and I'm telling you to a certainty 0317 T are at least as forgiving and will certainly launch higher with greater spin (I'd guess significantly greater spin, maybe upwards to 1,000 rpm). You'll probably lose a few yards of distance moving to 0317 T, but the P GEN6 are already so long that might be a tradeoff you make for T's sharpshooter accuracy.
What Did I Wind Up With?
Dustin had me hit the 0317 CB again after finishing up with the T irons to confirm what we saw earlier with CB. That being I just put better swings on the ball with CB (compared to ST and T) and hit better shots more often with CB. I'm happy to report CB picked right up where they left off. Great ball speeds, great spin rates, and great dispersion.
It's all systems go on a full set of PXG 0317 CB irons straight into my bag. The only thing left to do now is keep refreshing the UPS tracking page a thousand times a day as I wait for that tactical black PXG box to arrive on my doorstep.
I'll show you my 0317 CB irons setup when they arrive. I went with the Xtreme Dark finish heads primarily because they make the CB profiles appear even more compact at address. And who am I kidding, that Xtreme Dark also looks like one of those sick limited edition black finishes we all completely lose our minds over.
Using a cutting-edge three-layer ionization process to create a graphite-like carbon based coating, Xtreme Dark is engineered for looks and performance. It's used in a variety of high-wear resistance technologies (including fuel injection systems) and is known for its incredible durability. Honestly Xtreme Dark is one of the most badass black finishes I've ever seen.
I want to also thank PXG for giving us this black configuration right at launch rather than having to wait a year. That's sort of the norm in the industry with these special edition black finish releases. New irons release, then a year later they're offered in black.
And I'm not necessarily speaking from personal experience here (or maybe I am), but you can get genuinely pissed off knowing you'd have gotten them in black in the first place. PXG says have your cake and eat it too.
Dustin told me Xtreme Dark has been designed to wear better than any previous PXG black finish. And as luck would have it the shaft I hit best with 0317 CB was also blacked out, the Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i95. I brought it all together with solid black grips for a completely murdered out look.
During any PXG fitting you'll be able to hit whatever shafts you want and your fitter will also recommend shafts as they dial you in based on how your fitting evolves. Same with grips. If you're curious about the PXG shaft options available you can check out available 0317 shafts here.
The Nuts and Bolts of PXG's New Battle Ready II Putters
PXG has nine new Battle Ready II putter heads that are going to satisfy the most discriminating putter aficionados. Five different blade models, four different mallet models, all just waiting for you to test drive and customize to your absolute best. Like with the PXG iron fitting you're going to hit whatever heads you want in a PXG putter fitting, with input and suggestion from your fitter about what particular head might best suit your putting stroke.
And like with the iron fitting you'll go through different lengths and lofts and lies, different shafts and grips, anything and everything to ensure you're completely happy before your final Battle Ready II putter build.
A really cool thing about PXG putters is their ability to match different hosels with different heads. Having this option ensures you're getting a putter that's ideally pleasing in appearance for your particular eye. But even more importantly it allows PXG to change the performance of any putter and match it to your putting stroke and tendencies.
So for example let's say you need a putter with a lot of toe hang. That's usually going to be some kind of blade model. But maybe you like the looks of a mallet putter better?
PXG can match up different hosels to different heads and technically add (or reduce) toe hang to any of the putters. You like how the new Battle Ready II Hercules looks more than the Dagger? PXG will match up Hercules with a heel-shafted hosel rather than a plumbers-neck hosel to give that mallet more toe hang.
Once you're into the bigger putter heads with weight dispersed differently you might not be able to achieve a maximum toe hang. But the different hosels get you close. Here's a nice introductory article on different PXG putter hosels and how to pick one that's best for your stroke.
One of the big improvements to the Battle Ready II putters is increased forgiveness. And I'm telling you it's not hot air or marketing puff. Before we even narrowed it down to a particular putter or two that works best for me, or looked at lengths and lies and lofts, I started hitting the putters and could tell immediately these have phenomenal roll and distance control.
PXG says Battle Ready II putters are 10-percent more forgiving than the original Battle Ready models. All I know is when I was missing slightly away from the middle of the face in either direction (and the feedback is phenomenal by the way) my putts were still rolling pure and distances were locked in.
Battle Ready II putters use an internal polymer to create consistent launch conditions on mishits. Yes, these are hollow body putters (a big change from the solid body Battle Ready). The polymer is the same one used in the 0317 T irons. On short putts (say inside 10-feet) you're not really concerned about pace like you are with those 40-foot lag putts.
But on those longer putts we take slightly bigger swings and can definitely mishit a little bit. And this is where I saw the Battle Ready II forgiveness shine brightest. I don't know if it was the insert alone or combination with the new face (see below) but my putts were consistently rolling end-over-end with minimal skid right at first impact.
The stability aspect of forgiveness in Battle Ready II has also improved with strategic placement of tungsten weighting. Putts hit a little more towards the toe or heel stayed on line, face deflection was held to a minimum. A stainless steel body replaces the aluminum construction of the previous gen. A consistent diamond pattern design now runs across the entire hitting area.
And the result is a very solid feel with a world of feedback and responsiveness. Pretty much like a pure milled putter (with maybe a touch more softness). You're essentially getting the best of both worlds with Battle Ready II. Forgiveness and consistency of an insert with the reliable feel and feedback of a milling.
What Makes a PXG Fitting so Uniquely Valuable
PXG fitters see their clubs day in and day out. It's not merely expertise. It's a specialist's expertise. You go to PXG fitter because they are trained well, categorically on their own products. And having this kind of unrivaled equipment knowledge translates emphatically to every aspect of your PXG fitting.
For example instinctively knowing what their heads do with certain shafts gives PXG fitters the ability to dial you in with incredible precision and exactness. Whatever your goal is your PXG fitter will get you there.
You also go to a PXG fitter for the customer service side of things. My PXG fitting with Dustin was extremely enjoyable and satisfying. He was personable and real. It even felt like I was just hanging out with a good friend.
Dustin encouraged and listened to my input throughout my fitting. Every question I asked he had an answer for. And in retrospect it checked absolutely every box I could want from an ideal fitting.
If I have any issues with my irons or putter after I take them on the course, Duston told me to come back in and he'll make it right. This is someone who genuinely cares not just about the hours I spent with him getting fit, but also the hours and hours I'll spend afterward on the course with my new PXG clubs.
Some people get new clubs every year and that's all good. But let's be real, buying clubs is an an investment. It's a big deal. And when a fitter like Dustin wants to give you longevity of enjoyment with your new sticks that's speaks volumes about both Dustin and PXG.
A PXG fitter's training is comprehensive and exhaustive. They have calls and meetings with PXG engineers throughout the year. Long hours of questions and answers where they cover just about everything. It's an ongoing process where each side is learning from the other.
The engineers get feedback on what's working and not working for customers and players. The fitters in the field learn how to better help people like you and I achieve our goals.
And one last time back to my iron fitting. As mentioned earlier I hit my longest shots with the 0317 T. And really overall hit them pretty well. The potential for greatness felt like it was boiling over with almost every swing.
But for whatever reason I had to make adjustments to my natural swing to get into a groove with the T, where the CB were just an easier, more natural aim and fire from the first move back all the way through impact.
I was curious about this so asked Dustin as our fitting wrapped up. He already knew. I won't go into the nerdy tech details but he basically told me and explained why the weighting of the 0317 CB irons was a better fit for my swing tendencies than the weighting of the 0317 T irons.
And seriously, how the hell am I supposed to know this without being fit? When it was clear the CB were the best irons for me, Dustin said casually, "Yeah, those are good." And yeah Dustin, so are you man. So are you.
That's a Wrap
And there you have it. This review is a bit longer than I anticipated. But then again we covered all three irons in the new PXG 0317 lineup and went deep into the improved (in every way) performance of the new Battle Ready II putters.
While nothing can take the place of a fitting, I hope you find a lot in this review that helps you decide on what new PXG irons and putters are best for your game. And as always happy to answer any and all questions all of you might have.
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