First-Hand Review of the Srixon Z 765 Irons

My first set of golf clubs were cast, game improvement irons—Callaway X-22s.  And over the past 5 years, golf has gone from a weekend hobby to a competitive outlet.  So when I went get fit by True Spec Golf a few weeks ago, I knew I wanted something that: (1) demanded consistently better ball striking; and (2) provided more control over ball shaping.  After trying out a mix of forged and cast clubs (e.g., the Titleist AP2s, Ping G400s, TM 770s, and Miura CB-1008s) nothing came close to the Srixon Z 765s.

The Srixons are beautifully packaged: mirror finish, thin top-line, and smaller cavity.  But the appearance is easily overshadowed by how good these feel with the KBS C Taper shafts.

6 Iron Comparison with Old Callaway X-22s

While my old cast irons felt “good” when I hit the sweet spot, off center strikes were muted—nothing good, but nothing bad.  But with the Srixons, you feel everything and quality strikes are rewarded.

You’ll hear the ball being compressed and notice how shots feel effortless as you swing through the ball, all followed by an ear-to-ear smile as you witness the ball piercing through the air to your selected target.  And that’s the beauty of a forged iron; the metal will have much more uniform density and, as a result, give you a much more “connected” experience.

4 Iron Sole Comparison vs Callaway X-22s

Another benefit of the Z 765s is how good they are from hairy lies.  There’s noticeably less resistance when cutting through the rough, whether you’re punching back onto the fairway or trying to scramble like Phil.  Part of this is because of Srixon’s Tour VT sole design, but also an incidental benefit of making the switch to an iron with a thinner sole.

That said, the Srixons aren’t going to save you when you make a mistake.  Off-center hits are going to lose distance and accuracy.  But when you square the ball up, everyone will know.  In addition, feel is subjective and not all forged irons are going to feel the same.  For example, I thought the AP2s felt much “harder,” which for it hard for me to discern between a great and okay shot.

6 Iron Top Line Comparison with Callaway X-22s

For what it’s worth, I’d like to point out one more thing: distance. 

Game improvement irons (which tend to be cast), will probably give you more distance, resulting from the combination of the face construction (like the SUP10 insert in the Z 565s), lower lofts, and lower spin.  It’s important to be mindful of this because there’s a tradeoff.  While a 200+ yard 7 iron might sound great, there’s a good chance that ball is coming in a little hot and won’t hold the green.

The reason why I bring this up is that irons are scoring clubs and you want to have confidence in your distances.  Last thing you want is be hitting into a green with has in the front and back, and your irons are inconsistent or don’t hold where they land.

But to wrap things up, I would highly recommend anyone who takes their golf game semi-seriously to try forged irons.  Good shots are rewarded and make you really appreciate the skill that this game demands.  And as for me, the Srixon Z 765s provided a meaningful improvement in every category.