Callaway Mavrik Pro Vs. Srixon ZX5 Irons Comparison Overview

If you are a fan of Callaway Mavrik irons, you may have glanced at the Callaway Mavrik Plus set. There are 3 models in the Mavrik iron lineup: the Pro’s, the standard Mavrik and the Mavrik Max. The Pro is the most compact even though it still has a lot of the same features as the other models.

And if you are anything like us, you have been keeping a close eye on the Srixon brand as they are giving other dominant companies a run for their money. We thought it would be interesting to test the Srixon ZX5’s against the Mavrik Pros so we did just that. Let’s take a look!

Callaway Mavrik Pro Irons Overview

The Callaway Mavrik irons have been around for a long time but who exactly are the Mavrik Pro irons for?

The Mavrik line is mostly known for distance and forgiveness. But the Mavrik Pros take a different approach: they are more focused on workability and accuracy. With the Mavrik Pro irons, you get a much more compact head, thinner top line and thinner soles than the other Mavrik models.

Even compared to the Srixon ZX5’s the Mavrik Pro’s have a sleeker and more compact look. Surprisingly though, the Mavrik Pro irons have weaker lofts and this affected launch when compared to the Srixon ZX5’s.

Srixon ZX5 Irons Overview

The Srixon ZX5’s aren’t geared towards low handicappers like the Mavrik Pro’s are; but you wouldn’t know it by playing them side-by-side.

One of the things we really liked about the Srixon ZX5 irons compared to the Mavrik Pros was the easy launch. The 3-iron is set to 20 degrees while the 9-iron is 39 degrees which is pretty good for what Srixon calls “players distance” irons.

Scoring ability throughout the set is considerable as these irons produce a steep angle of descent that is great for holding on to fast greens. The Srixon ZX5’s are also more forgiving than the Mavrik Pros although that is to be expected as they are made for players with slightly higher handicaps.

Still, the Srixon ZX5 irons offer a good combination of forgiveness, feel and scoring ability.

The Srixon ZX5’s also have something the Mavrik Pros completely lack: a forged construction. We were really impressed with the Srixon ZX5’s overall and more of our testers performed better at the range and on the course with them.

Srixon ZX5 Irons – First Impressions

The Srixon ZX5 irons are a major improvement over the Srixon Z585 irons which had a cheaper, more game improvement look about them.

The first thing we noticed about these irons is how nice they look. Srixon got rid of the back insert which made the previous Srixon irons look a bit cheap. The Srixon ZX5’s on the other hand have the look of a premium set of forged irons.

They have a sharp, sleek look even as the cavity back pokes out a little more noticeably in the long irons.

Another reason we think the Srixon ZX5 irons would be good for mid handicappers is the amount of offset you see at point of address. The Srixon ZX5’s have a moderate amount of offset that is enough to inspire confidence but not enough to make these look like a pure set of game improvement irons.

Srixon did a good job of making the Srixon ZX5’s occupy the middle ground between player’s performance and game improvement irons. When compared to the ZX7’s you will notice that the top line is a bit thicker.

The Srixon ZX5’s also have longer blades than the ZX7’s. However, this is to be expected. The ZX7’s are definitely more of a pure set of player’s performance irons and emphasize workability over forgiveness. Still, the Srixon ZX5’s aren’t much bigger than the ZX7’s.

Callaway Mavrik Irons First Impressions

The Callaway Mavrik Pro irons felt comfortable in the hands and on the downswing. It was apparent early on that these were the better irons for mid handicappers.

Overall, the Mavrik Pro’s are more forgiving in the sense that you get better distance with slower swings. The only problem we really had about these irons is that it is a bit hard to control the flight and distance of the shorter irons.

This means that these irons will be a bit unwieldy around the pin. We actually found ourselves sailing short approaches and chips over the green more than we care to admit with these irons.

The Mavrik Pro’s have slightly stronger lofts in the longer irons but the Ping i500 loft gets stronger in the mid irons. To give you an example of what we are talking about though, the Mavrik Pro’s 9 iron is 38.5 degrees while the Ping i500’s 9 iron is 36.

The Mavrik Pro irons certainly give you great distance and loft; it can be hard to check at times though.

Srixon ZX5 Irons Selling Points

Multi-material construction
Tungsten toe weights in the long irons
“V” shaped sole
Narrower, deeper face grooves in the scoring irons
Milled back side

Mavrik Pro Selling Points

More forgiving
Better for mid handicappers
Tungsten energy core
Great distance
Towering loft
Good stopping power

Who Are the Srixon ZX5 Irons for?

Srixon isn’t wrong when they say that the Srixon ZX5’s will have something to offer players of all skill levels. But after testing these irons, it’s clear that the players that stand to gain the most from these irons are mid handicappers.

They offer a moderate degree of workability which will suit the needs of players who are just starting to learn how to work the ball to their advantage on the fairway. Both the long and short irons have enough stopping power for the mid handicapper as well.

While the longer irons sacrifice a bit of spin control in favor of forgiveness and distance, we think most mid handicappers will be able to overlook this minor flaw. And since most mid handicappers will still want a moderate degree of forgiveness, the longer blades and thicker soles of the Srixon ZX5’s will suit them better than the ZX7 irons.

The Srixon ZX Family of Irons

The Srixon like of ZX irons also includes the popular Srixon ZX7 irons. The ZX7 irons have less offset, thinner top lines and thinner soles across the board so at point of address, they may scare some mid and high handicappers away.

However, you do get acute spin control from the scoring irons and excellent workability. Like the Srixon ZX5 irons, the ZX7’s are also fully forged. They also feature tungsten weights in the toes of the longer irons to help keep the blade from turning over.

As you might expect from a set of player’s performance irons, the ZX7’s also have stronger loft characteristics than the ZX5’s. Everything is the same up until the five iron: the Srixon ZX5 5-iron is 24 degrees while the 5-iron of the ZX7 set is 25 degrees.

So you do get slightly higher launch and sharper descent angles from the Srixon ZX7 irons starting with the 5-iron. Again though, this is pretty much to be expected from a set that is geared towards lower handicap players.

Distance: 94/100

Accuracy: 93/100

Forgiveness: 93/100

Feel & Control: 95/100

Overall Score: 93/100

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Who are the Mavrik Pro Irons for?

The Mavrik Pro irons would be ideal for mid to low handicappers who are prioritizing distance a bit more than anything else.

The unique shape of each tungsten weight in the set makes for tight shot dispersion and impressive distance in the long irons. We just wish the Mavrik Pro’s shorter irons were toned down a bit.

There is a lack of spin control in the short irons that seem overpowered in terms of distance.

The Mavrik Family

The Mavrik Pro irons are accompanied by the standard Mavrik which is the longest in the family and the Mavrik Max which is easily the largest and more forgiving.