SPOTTED: Srixon ZX Series Irons & Utility Iron

At a certain point, people might say I’m starting to sound like a broken record. But then again, who doesn’t like checking out new equipment and, if you’re lucky, adding some new pieces to the bag.

So to provide you with an additional option to check out, Srixon Golf has joined TaylorMade, Mizuno, Titleist, Callaway, Cobra and Wilson, and released a new line of irons:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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While not as popular as some of the offerings from the major OEMs, the Srixon forged irons have been some of the best irons on the market and, unsurprisingly, have earned a cult following that dates back to its Z745 series (released in late 2014).

At the heart of the ZX lineup is the ZX7: Srixon’s compact, one-piece, fully-forged iron (made from 1020 carbon steel) that’s designed with more proficient ball strikers in mind. The compact, squared-off blade profile with a thin topline is complemented by a “tour cavity” construction that helps relocate mass where it’s needed for feel and acoustics, while also removing it from other places around the cavity to increase stability in the small forged cavity back.

To promote additional stability, and also maintain the player-centric appearance, the long and mid irons also feature tungsten in the toe. The important thing here is that when tungsten is incorporated properly, you can maintain a compact package while having similar MOI (forgiveness) of something with a much larger footprint.

The lofts of the ZX7 are a tad stronger than its blade counterpart, but looks to strike the balance between Ben Hogan and Bryson DeChambeau specs. As you will see below, the 7-iron is marginally stronger, but not a full club, then the traditionalist 34° 7-iron.

For those who prefer something with a bit more support and firepower, the ZX5 have, likewise, become a class leader in performance. Indeed, the 5-series iron in Srixon’s lineup has been the perfect blend of a forged body iron and a forged face that’s welded on and provides ample ball speed.

With respect to the ZX5, the Mainframe-designed face is the leading improvement, which has been redesigned for each and every club. After examining player strike patterns, Srixon engineers were able to use A.I. to help focus on the areas that golfers are most likely to strike. Srixon then combined the steel SUP10 MainFrame face to the iron’s forged 1020 body to provide feel and firepower.

Another noteworthy feature of both the ZX7 and ZX5 irons is the progressive grooves. To explain, while standard practice is to evenly space all of the grooves, Srixon has designed both models with wider, shallower and farther spaced out grooves in the 3 through 7 irons, and sharper, narrower and deeper grooves, and more of them, in the 8 iron through pitching wedge. The benefit of the different designs in the grooves is that the longer irons can focus on speed and durability, while the shorter, scoring clubs can have increased and more consistent spin rates by channeling moisture and debris away more efficiently at slower speeds.

The ZX series, much like its predecessor, is appealing and lends itself to combination sets for golfers who’d like to have the power of the ZX5 in the long irons, but the feel and precise control of the ZX7s.

Finally, the ZX Utility, which has also been very popular among amateur and professional golfers, as it provides higher flight and ball speeds without having to turn to a hybrid or metal wood.

And to help enhance that player-focused design of a utility iron, Srixon narrowed the sole, top line and chassis to create a more compact design. But to ensure the reduced footprint didn’t sacrifice forgiveness or performance, Srixon added tungsten to the sole to keep the CG low.

Similar to the ZX5, the ZX Utility combines the SUP10 steel face with a full hollow-body construction using 1020 carbon steel, meaning you can make minor adjustments to the loft and lie angles.

The Srixon ZX irons will debut in North America on January 15, 2021, with a stock eight-piece set retailing for $1,299.99 (or $162.50 per club) for both the ZX7 and ZX5 irons in the Nippon N.S. PRO Modus3 Tour steel shaft. That said, the ZX5 will come with the N.S. PRO Modus3 105 in Regular and Stiff flexes, whereas the ZX7 will come with the N.S. PRO Modus3 120 in Regular and Stiff flexes. The ZX5 will also have a graphite shaft option—UST Mamiya Recoil 95—that will change pricing to $1399.00 (or $175.00 per club). The ZX7 do not have a stock graphite option.  Fortunately, though, good news for south paws, as the ZX irons will be available in right and left-handed variants.

The ZX Utility will retail for $219.99 with the stock UST Recoil 95, and come in 18°, 20° and 23° lofts.

Cover Image via Instagram