Ping G430 Vs Srixon ZX4 Irons Comparison Overview

If you have ever gamed any entry into the Ping G series of irons, you probably already have an idea of what to expect from the new Ping G430 irons.

The G series is known for forgiveness with a healthy sprinkling of workability which is what makes this series so popular: it has something to offer a wide variety of players.

The Ping G430 irons seek to carry this torch on. So to figure out if these irons really carry the banner of the fabled G series, we tested them against another renowned set: the Srixon ZX4 irons.

Ping G430 Irons Overview

“Like past G series irons, the Ping G430’s have a compact shaping that make them look more like player’s performance irons at address.”

But rest assured, the Ping G430’s are game improvement irons. The cavity back and surprisingly chunky sole are a testament to that. Further supporting our argument is the forgiveness factor. The Ping G430 irons have a new cavity badge design with 7 “flex zones.”

We’re not entirely comfortable with the marketing of this new badge but it does seem to reward more shots away from the sweet spot with ball speed. Still, the Ping G430’s are small enough to be worked effectively by better players.

In fact, our testers mentioned that thanks to the combination of relatively strong lofts (37° in the 9-iron) and a prominent undercut cavity, the Ping G430’s are as workable side-to-side as they are up and down.

Srixon ZX4 Irons Overview

“Admittedly, we are big fans of the ZX iron series from Srixon.”

Even their most forgiving iron, the Srixon ZX4, gives you a premium feel and appointments. The faces of these irons are forged and married to 431 steel bodies which provides a soft yet solid feel.

These are hollow body irons so you get incredible distance from the entire set while the forged face helps to stabilize flight and helps with consistency. Even the backs of these irons are milled to be thinner and allow for more flex. The ZX4 irons actually played longer than the Ping G430 irons.

“While the Ping G430’s offer a hard-to-beat combination of workability and forgiveness, what put the Srixon ZX4 irons over the top for us were the more aggressive grooves in the short irons. This allowed for better spin control than we were getting from the Ping G430’s. That being said, it would be really hard to logically fault anyone for opting for the G430’s.”

Ping G430 Irons First Impressions

The first thing to notic about the G430’s is the size. These are large game improvement irons with thick soles, built for distance and forgivness.

The shorter hosel stands out too, with the offset of the club. It helps to lower CG and get the ball flying higher.

There’s a bit of color on the back too with the Purflex cavity badge. This dampens vibrations on mishits and it houses 7 striking zones which produce straight and high shots even when you don’t connect flush.

The visible screw in the toe stands out too. There is another weight in the hosel tip and this increases MOI across the face. These irons will fly high and straight even when you don’t connect flush.

The other thing that stands out is the lower lofts, the main reason for the distance. With that being said the CG is lower and there is an extra degree of bounce so you can still the ball in the air easily.

The 3% thinner face ensures a faster ball speed on impact and the Hydropearl 2.0 finish ensures you can game these irons effectively in any weather.

The G430’s are a serious contender overall in the game improvement market in 2023.

Srixon ZX4 Irons – First Impressions

With Srixon making these big changes to their iron line up, it makes sense that we talk about the technology before we dive into our first impressions on the ZX4 irons.

Srixon have stabilized the ZX4 irons by adding a milled pattern on the back of irons’ face, this technique maximizes COR, and gives you increased ball speed and more distance.

The ZX4’s has hollow body construction design, this gives you loads forgiveness, which allows you to strike the ball across the entire face, without losing ball speed. It also allows Srixon to make the iron look great, while in your bag and at address, while still giving you a lot of forgiveness and distance.

Srixon has placed tungsten in the sole of ZX4’s long and mid irons (4 iron to 7 iron), this lowers the center of gravity, and gives you a higher launch. The ZX4 irons have a forged HT1770 Steel face, the forged face increases speed and distance, it also has a 431 Steel body, which takes away vibrations for a softer feel off the face.

Srixon has incorporated a V-shaped sole, it helps the club slide smoothly through the turf, even when striking the ball badly. ZX4 irons also feature their sole notches.

Srixon have changed the grooves in the ZX range, the 8 iron to PW are sharper, narrower, and deeper, giving you more spin, allowing you to stop the ball on the greens easier than ever.

From the start we could see some incredible ball speed from the ZX4 irons. At address the topline is not as big compared to your average game improvement iron, which we loved.

You can however see the back of the club as the lofts get stronger. This may be off putting to some.

The V-shaped sole is great, the club slid through the turf with ease on every shot. The forged face is great, the sound and feel off the clubface is incredible for a game improvement iron.

With all this tech, you unfortunately lose some workability. It is easy to work the ball left to right, but to control the trajectory is not easy.

Our team mates with faster swing speeds found they hit a few ‘hot shots’ that carried well over the flag, this isn’t ideal, however as a high handicap player, you won’t be getting many of these.

Ping G430 Iron Selling Points

Lower COG and Increased Bounce
PurFlex Cavity Badge
3% Thinner Face
Stronger Lofts
2 MPH More Ball Speed & 7 – 10 Yards Longer
7 Hitting Zones Behind The Face
Hydropearl 2.0 Finish

Srixon ZX4 Irons Selling Points

Multi forged construction, giving you more distance and forgiveness
V-Shaped helps with turf interaction
A lot more compact than your traditional game improvement iron
There are Sharper, narrower, and deeper grooves in the 8 iron to PW
Stabilized frame increase ball speed and distance

Who Are The Ping G430 Irons for?

The Ping G430 irons are certainly game improvement.

They are long, fast and forgiving but won’t be as good at shaping shots.

High handicappers are almost certainly going to need a game-improvement iron and the G430’s are right up there with the best.

Mid to Low Handicappers who struggle with consistency in their irons will also love the increased distance and forgiveness of the G430’s.

The Ping G430 Lofts

Ping G430 Club	Degree Of Loft
5i	22^o
6i	25.5^o
7i	29^o
8i	33^o
9i	37^o
PW	41^o
UW1	45.5^o
UW2	50^o
SW	54^o
LW	58^o

Distance: 97/100

Forgiveness: 95/100

Accuracy: 95/100

Feel & Control: 93/100

Overall Score: 96/100

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Who Are the Srixon ZX4 Irons For?

The Srixon ZX4 irons are aimed at your mid to high handicap golfers. They are incredibly forgiving with loads of distance.

We could see a lot of people going into a combo set with the ZX range, for a mid handicap player to use the ZX4 irons in their longer irons can really help with the forgiveness, as your longer irons are definitely harder to hit.

Most game improvement irons look thick and chunky, but the ZX range is far from that.

The Srixon ZX Family of Irons

The Srixon ZX range has a few more models to their range, this really gives all levels of golfers the option to play the ZX range, and allows you to build combo sets. We were really impressed by this, because most golf club manufacturers don’t make such an extensive range that caters for all handicap levels.

ZX7 irons are your low handicap irons, they are tour cavity irons. Srixon have moved the weight to the perimeter, this helps with forgiveness. It has an incredibly soft feel and sound off the face. They are extremely easy to work, which allows you to control the ball with ease, the narrow sole, thin top line and minimal offset gives this iron a fantastic look at address.

The ZX5 irons have the same DNA as the ZX7 irons, but there are a few differences, these are mainly there to give you a bit more forgiveness and distance. The ZX5 irons feature a slightly longer blade, wider sole, and more offset, this appeals to the mid handicap golfer. We love the ZX7 and ZX5 irons as low handicap players could play the 6 to 4 iron in their longer irons, this will help with forgiveness.

ZX Utility isn’t a part of a full iron set, it is a driving iron. It has a thinner top line and smaller profile compared to the previous generations. It complements the ZX7 and ZX5 perfectly in the longer irons.