Equipment

New Srixon ZX Series irons (ZX5, ZX7) and utility (ZX U) launched

Published

3 years ago

Nov 16, 2020

Ever since Srixon fully committed to hard goods in the North American market with the introduction of the original Z-Series irons—which included the now legendary Z745’s—it has continued to push the design and engineering limits of their forged irons. With the new ZX Series, featuring the all-new ZX7, ZX5, and ZX Utility, Srixon is doing it again, promising improved feel, speed, and forgiveness.

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums.

The Srixon iron story

When you’ve created a winning formula for irons—or a pizza recipe for that matter—you don’t mess with a good thing. You simply refine it by analyzing your strengths and making them stronger, and that is exactly what the team at Srixon has done.

Although most golfers are only familiar with Srixon irons starting with the Z-45 series, the company has a long history of producing some of the best performing forged irons on the market dating back to the I series in the early 2000s, which included the 302, 506, and the i-701, which was offered in a standard and tour model (featured above).

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums.

Srixon ZX7 7-iron, cavity view

It was around this time when one of the most obvious design features of Srixon irons started to take a front seat: the Tour V.T Sole. Golfers, and more specifically, fitters, took notice of its performance through the turf.

It has gone through some changes and tweaks over the years resulting in softer lines and smoother edges but the new ZX Series is returning Srixon irons to its roots with a move aggressively angular VT sole, including the well-defined heel and toe notches for improved turf interaction.

This was driven from the consumer level and from players at the highest level on the PGA Tour since the Z745 was so well-loved and stuck around in players’ bags for a very long time (Srixon Z745 modern cult classic?)

“While the new ZX Irons are gorgeous to look down at, it’s the technology inside that’s even more exciting. Hotter faces designed using AI optimization delivers more speed. Meanwhile, varying grooves throughout the iron set give golfers consistent distance control, and forged construction helps them feel incredible at impact.” – Jeff Brunski, Director of Research & Development

Srixon ZX7 irons

This iron is the “meat and potatoes” of the new ZX series and will appeal to any golfer who puts a premium on shotmaking.

The ZX7’s provide a compact squared-off blade profile with a thin topline to frame the ball and inspire confidence for those who prefer workability over maximum forgiveness.

But don’t think the ZX7’s haven’t been designed with some forgiveness in mind—they have what Srixon calls “tour cavity” construction to place mass where it’s needed for feel and acoustics while removing it from other places around the cavity to increase stability in the small forged cavity back. We always have to remember, a clubhead’s mass is essentially fixed based on club specs, so engineers only have so much they can do so they have to get creative.

On the subject of mass concentration, the other piece of technology, which Srixon is using to maximize performance, is tungsten in the toe of the mid and long irons to condense more mass towards the toe for extra stability without having to extend the blade length. Using tungsten isn’t new, but when the goal is to minimize size while maximizing stability, it’s a complete necessity at this point, and Srixon does a great job utilizing it in the irons.

The last part of the “offering greater control” puzzle is progressive grooves through the set. The 8-iron through pitching wedge grooves are sharper, narrower, and deeper to channel moisture and debris away more efficiently at slower speeds to generate more spin and shot-stopping control on approach shots. We have seen this before on wedges, but not on irons from Srixon.

It is small details like the variable grooves that demonstrate just how far engineers are willing to go to give golfers every advantage they can with their players cavity irons.

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums.

Srixon ZX5 irons

This is where things get interesting and start moving quickly—and by moving quickly, I’m talking ball speed and computing power!

The Srixon ZX5 has a newly optimized face that has been in the works since the previous Z585 was released. The new MainFrame face has been optimized for every club through the set based on tested strike patterns and was refined using machine learning AKA AI. It is composed of varying thickness patterns, which are all individually milled into each face (made up of grooves and cavities) to expand the COR.

ZX5 irons meld this MainFrame face made of strong and elastic SUP10 steel to the iron’s forged 1020 body to provide feel and elasticity, resulting in ball speed in an iron that appeals to a large group of golfers—and wide appeal is at the heart of the “5” iron line.

Like with any modern “family” of clubs, the new ZX Series gives golfers the opportunity to get the exact performance they want through their set thanks to the designers cleverly allowing models to bend into each other. This is where the ZX5 is the start of the show.

: Srixon ZX5 7iron from address

: Srixon ZX7 7iron from address

They offer an extremely clean look from address and the topline profile matches closely to the ZX7—square and sharp! Not only that, but the blade lengths and sole widths have all been finely tuned so golfers that do plan to combo will see a smooth transition from one iron to the next and even into the new utility.

Srixon ZX Utility

The ZX Utility is the last member of the ZX line and is the perfect complement for golfers wanting extra height and ball speed from their long irons without having to resort to a hybrid club.

The ZX Utility is smaller than the previous generations and much like the ZX5 offers a more compact and blade-style look at address. Speaking of the ZX5 the construction of the utility closely resembles the iron by combining a SUP10 steel face with a full hollow-body construction using 1020 carbon steel and a tungsten weight located centrally at the rear of the sole to lower the center of gravity.

When all of this is combined with the all-new Srixon Mainframe face we get a utility designed to maximize performance and forgiveness in a club that offers the looks any player will love.

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums.

Price, specs, and availability

The Srixon ZX Irons launch in North America starting 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 steel. The ZX5 in graphite will be $1399.00 (or $175.00 per club)

The ZX Utility will retail for $219.99 with the stock UST Recoil 95.

ZX7 Specs

The stock steel shaft is the Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 120, and the grip is a Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360.

ZX5 Specs

The stock steel shaft is the Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 105, and the graphite shaft is the UST Recoil 95.

ZX Utility Specs

The stock shaft for the ZX Utility is the (graphite) UST Recoil 95 which also bends well with the ZX5.

More photos of Srixon ZX5, ZX7, and ZX U in the forums.

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

Published

18 hours ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Tway’s clubs here.

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Tway’s clubs here.

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

Published

19 hours ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Equipment

Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

Published

22 hours ago

May 10, 2024

Andrew Tursky

With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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