Equipment

Club Junkie Review: Srixon ZX7 Mk II and ZX5 Mk II irons

Published

1 year ago

Feb 2, 2023

Srixon’s ZX7 and ZX5 irons were some of the most well loved and talked about irons over the past two years. When replacing an iron with that kind of resume, the first rule is to not screw it up! For a more detailed review, please take a listen to the Club Junkie below or on any podcast platform. Just search GolfWRX Radio.

When I first put my hands on the ZX7 Mk II and ZX5 Mk II irons, I was impressed with the look and they are instantly recognizable as Srixon irons. The ZX7 Mk II has a traditional design without any plastic or metal badge in the cavity, it is just painted matte silver. Srixon let the ZX5 Mk II go with a very small and simple badge that is a combination of matte silver and chrome.

I like the look of both irons from address as well since they look so similar. The ZX7 Mk II has a slightly longer blade length and minimal offset that the lower handicap player will enjoy. But the ZX5 Mk II got most of that DNA as well. While being a little larger than the 7, it has great proportions and just a hair more offset. Both irons have a little thicker topline that is a little more squared than I expected but by no means distracting. Both irons feature Srixon’s famous Tour VT sole for fantastic turf interaction through a variety of turf conditions and swings.

Srixon ZX7 Mk II

I played the original ZX7 irons and loved them, along with many golfers! First shots with the new ZX7 Mk II reward you with an extremely soft and solid feel. The new PureFrame design puts more mass behind the center of the face and even with less than quality range balls you get to feel that ball compress while leaving the laser etched face. I have no doubt that with a real golf ball you will get that solid thud when the ZX7 Mk II strikes it on the turf.

While this iron is a single piece forged cavity back, it does offer some forgiveness on less than perfect shots. The club is very responsive and gives you immediate feedback, but still helps keep some ball speed and launch. Shots hit low on the face came out flat but the iron was able to keep some of the launch you need to produce a shot that wouldn’t kill your round. Consistency is a big feature with these irons and the most precise players will love the fact they can depend on their yardages when it matters. Dispersion for me was also tight with the ZX7 Mk II offering me a straight to just a slight fade ball flight. I could still turn it over and hit a draw but normal swings didn’t really include the left side too much.

Launch was a little lower than the ZX5 Mk II, but about a 1* or so but still easy to elevate for a lower ball hitter like myself. I haven’t been able to test out the Tour VT sole yes since all my testing has been off mats, but I have no doubt it will perform really well in the soft Michigan conditions like the previous ZX7 did.

Srixon ZX5 Mk II

The last version of this iron impressed me for all that it does in an impressive package and the ZX5 Mk II still amazes. The looks are great and Srixon did a great job of putter a bunch of ball speed and forgiveness in such an attractive package. The feel is really good for a multi-piece head, soft and with just a small click at impact. While you might lack just a touch of that ball compressing off the face feel, you will gain the feel of the ball jumping into the horizon. The ZX5 Mk II just feels fast and you can tell that thin face, with MainFrame technology, is working hard to up the ball speed. The great thing about the MainFrame fast is that I have not found a hot spot yet and believe me I have hit it all over the face.

Distance control is good and mishits still will give you plenty of carry to get it on the front or close to the green. Ballspeed was about 2 mph faster than the ZX7 Mk II for me and it spun about 100-150 RPM less with a 6-iron. The sole is noticeably wider than the 7 but still glides through mats with the same speed and should offer a little extra forgiveness on shots hit just a little behind the ball.

Overall, I think Srixon did exactly what they needed to with the ZX7 Mk II and ZX5 Mk II irons. They made slight improvements and didn’t change the great attributes of each iron. Will players who were fit into ZX7 and ZX5 irons notice a big difference and be forced to change? I don’t think so. These will be for the player who is looking for new irons and has heard or read the great things about the previous generation; they will be impressed.

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Equipment

Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

Published

4 hours ago

Apr 17, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.

It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:

“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.

“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.

“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.

“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”

So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.

His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here

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Equipment

Spotted: TaylorMade P-UDI driving iron

Published

5 hours ago

Apr 17, 2024

Brian Knudson

It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.

We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.

From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.

“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.

TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°

TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°

Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

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Whats in the Bag

Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)

Published

6 hours ago

Apr 17, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX

Check out more in-hand photos Collin Morikawa’s clubs here.

5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)