Srixon ZX5 Irons Review - Are They Good for High Handicappers, Forgiving Vs. ZX7?

Srixon ZX5 Irons Review – Are They Good for High Handicappers, Forgiving Vs. ZX7?

The Srixon ZX series of irons has garnered a lot of attention for their premium features and playability. There are different kinds of irons in this line so you have to be sure you are choosing the right ones for your game. To help connect you with the right irons, we will be taking a close look at the Srixon ZX5 irons and comparing it to another popular ZX model.

Srixon has been building up steam with prominent pros playing their irons on tour. With the Srixon ZX5 irons though, the company takes aim at a different demographic of players. The Srixon ZX5 irons offer an interesting mix of player’s performance and game improvement features.

In short, the Srixon ZX5 irons are meant to be forgiving yet give you the control of a player’s performance iron. But how viable are they for high handicappers and how do they stack up against other irons in the ZX family? Find out in the following review!

What Handicap Are the Srixon ZX5 Irons for?

The Srixon ZX5 irons are geared more towards higher handicaps when compared to the ZX7 irons. However, the company claims that they are equally usable for low handicaps.

It would appear that the company really wants to make these irons a “jack of all trades” sort of set. From our testing though, we feel like the Srixon ZX5 irons are good for mid handicappers.

While the cavity back and wider grooves in the long irons will be good for high handicappers and the forged design will certainly be appreciated by low handicappers, it’s the mid handicappers who will benefit the most from the performance of these irons.

Are the Srixon ZX5’s Forged?

Yes. The Srixon ZX5 irons have a forged SUP10 face and the body is forged of 1020 carbon steel.

The construction was one of the things we liked the most about these irons. First of all, the forged face gives an excellent feel and a consistency that high and mid handicappers will appreciate.

The combination of the SUP10 face with the forged carbon steel body makes the longer irons in this set perform like metal-woods. The dynamics of the face and body at impact make it so you get more flex from the longer irons.

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.

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

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.