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| Srixon's ZX irons take the company's irons to another level |
When considering a new set of irons, Srixon isn't exactly top-of-mind for many golfers. Names like Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade and Mizuno carry much more cache and most golfers will naturally gravitate towards these brands.
Pity, because most of you will be missing out on some of the most beautiful, most capable irons on the market today.
Srixon has been making irons for a while now. Their i-Series irons laid the foundation for the Z-series but they were clunky, slightly ungainly irons, forged as they were. The arrival of the Zx45 line of irons changed all that. These were sleek, good looking clubs that had oodles of performance in their forged heads.
The ZX irons take over where the Zs left off and they have elevated Srixon's iron game to another level.
Most prominent of the technologies carried over from Z to ZX is Srixon's V.T. sole. The sole grind allows the ZX irons to employ a wide sole (and the benefits that it brings to the table) without the compromises that normally accompany it.
Modern players' distance irons all have a slightly chunky sole to provide forgiveness and allow the golfer to get the ball into the air quickly. The V.T. sole's interaction with the turf allows the thick sole to play much smaller that it is. It makes for a versatile iron head that works well in all situations. It cuts through the turf cleanly and efficiently regardless of the conditions. This latest version's design makes the ZX irons play smaller than ever before without any loss of performance.
The ZX5 packs the most technological trickery. The chassis is made of soft 1020 forged carbon steel for unparalleled feel and the capacity for custom fitting the irons to any golfer. The clubface is super strong SUP10 stainless steel with what Srixon calls Mainframe Technology.
This is a AI (artificial intelligence) derived variable face thickness that consists of a series of cavities, grooves and channels machined into the back of the clubface to maintain ball speed on off-center hits. A piece of tungsten in the toe pulls the sweet spot into the geometric center of the clubface and increases the iron's tolerance for off-center strikes.
The ZX5 is slightly longer from heel to toe than the ZX7 and possesses a slightly thicker topline. The ZX7 in contrast is a one-piece forging of the same soft 1020 carbon steel as with the ZX5. The ZX7's design moves weight to the perimeter of the clubhead while leaving some mass directly behind the sweet spot for power, forgiveness and total control.
The ZX7 also utilizes tungsten in the longer irons to make these some of the most forgiving forged players' cavity backs on the market today. The grooves on both sets of irons are progressive in design to optimize performance of each iron in the set.
The other notable development is just how similar both irons are both in the bag and at address. Yes, the ZX5 is slightly larger in all aspects but the differences are quite subtle and to the untrained eye, they are almost invisible at address. If any two irons were built with the intention of combining them into a single set, these are it.
Golf equipment enthusiasts will be excited to know that Srixon has once again contracted Endo to create these beauties. Endo is the premiere forging house on the planet and makes the most highly regarded forged irons for a variety of manufacturers. Srixon started the Zx45 series with them and for some reason moved to another forging house for the subsequent models. I, for one, am ecstatic that the ZX5 and ZX7 are once again being forged by Endo.
I spent over half an hour swapping back and forth between the ZX irons. The feel on solid hits is quite similar but the ZX7 is noticeably softer and more solid at the same time. The ZX5 exhibits a bit of tinnyness on off-center strikes but doesn't seem to lose much distance as a result. The ZX7 is just solid. I'd put the ZX7 up against any forged iron on the market today. You'll be hard pressed to find a more solid feeling iron.
Having played the Z545 for almost six years and this type of iron for over a decade, the ZX5 is a natural for me. It could very easily take up residence in my golf bag without having to do any recalibration of my distances.
But the ZX7 is such a temptation. It is gorgeous at address and the feel is nothing short of amazing. I might need to make a slight adjustment in the top end of the iron set, but hey, that's what the ZX utility irons are there for.
Of course, you don't have to choose between the two irons. Srixon should offer a ZX combo set with the crossover point coming between the 6 and 7-iron. This isn't in our market yet, but if you're willing to wait, I'm sure that J-Ten Sports would be more than willing to order a set to your specifications.
To sum up, both ZX irons are winners. If you want a high performance forging that delivers great distance with forgiveness and wraps it in a package that will appeal to the more accomplished golfer, the ZX5 is the iron for you. If a high performance one-piece forging with a ton of technology is more to your liking the ZX7 is waiting for you.
With irons like this, it boggles the mind how so many continue to overlook Srixon when shopping for a new set of irons. So just how long is Srixon going to be overlooked when the discussion moves to high performance irons?
Not too much longer, I'll wager.
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