Taylormade P770 Vs. Srixon ZX5 Irons Comparison Overview

These days, the lines between players performance and game improvement golf clubs is pretty blurry – and that’s a good thing. More and more companies are packing premium-level features into clubs that were meant to increase forgiveness and distance.

Take Srixon and Taylormade for example. The Taylormade P770 irons may look like player’s performance irons but concealed within are advanced game-improvement features. On the other hand, the Srixon ZX5’s look like mid-sized irons meant for high handicappers but have premium features. Let’s take a closer look at both sets…

Taylormade P770 Irons Overview

Right off the bat, it should be noted that the P770 irons have compact heads compared to the Srixon ZX5’s.

Still, we feel that mid handicappers would get really good use out of them. That’s because they are packed with forgiveness features but tempered with the workability of a forged player’s iron. In fact, the faces are indeed forged from 4140 grade steel.

The faces also feature Taylormade’s famous Speed Pocket which increases flex and helps with distance. Then there is the inverted cone sweet spot placement which protects your shots that make contact out toward the toe.

You get all of these forgiveness features in a compact head that offers a significant amount of lateral workability.

Srixon ZX5 Irons Overview

The Srixon ZX5 irons have longer blades, thicker soles and wider top lines than the P770 irons.

And while lateral workability certainly isn’t as great with these irons as it is with the P770’s, the Srixon ZX5’s are still surprisingly accurate and feel great. These “game-improvement” irons feature forged SUP10 steel faces and forged carbon steel bodies.

So you get the feel of a player’s performance iron with the added bonus of inherent forgiveness. The Srixon ZX5’s launch lower than the P770’s though. For us, this meant that we were getting to the green better with the long irons of the Srixon ZX5 set; but at the same time it was harder to hold greens.

However, the V-shaped sole design of the Srixon ZX5 irons was great for gliding through thick turf and allowing for more accurate strikes from tough lies.

Both of these irons bring something different to the table and both would be great for mid handicappers. The P770’s offer good workability and higher launch. The Srixon ZX5’s will allow for more accuracy from the rough and will be generally more forgiving.

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.

Taylormade P770 First Impressions

The first thing you will notice is the clear line of site you have to the ball thanks to the limited offset of these irons.

When you first take a look at the Taylormade P770 irons, you don’t automatically think distance.

That’s because they lack most of the visual features of your typical distance irons.

You will probably think that they are great for accurate approaches, shaping shots and higher spin rates; but not so much for distance.

After you take your first swing with 7 iron though (featuring 33 degrees of loft) you will be able to feel the speedy engine behind these irons which have a softer feel.

The Taylormade P770 irons feature a forged hollow body design that allow for maximum face flex.

The face is forged from 4140 carbon steel and is wrapped seamless style around the body which is also made from carbon steel.

You also get a whopping 46 grams of tungsten to fortify the sweet spot and launch the ball high and with workability.

Just because these are mid to low handicap player irons doesn’t mean that Taylormade has left out additional forgiveness features.

For instance, the ICT technology is progressive throughout the set which means that you get an optimized sweet spot location as you work down the set.

The Taylormade P770 have to be swung to believe. They look like players irons but they also have a lot of forgiveness features.

Not quite as long as some other irons but plenty else on offer with the P770’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

Taylormade P770 Irons Selling Points

Wrap-around face makes for an expansive sweet spot
Hollow body design
Clean muscle-back design
Great feel from the forged construction and speedfoam
Good launch angles
Soft, clean feel and excellent workability

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 Taylormade P770 Irons For?

The Taylormade P770 are for mid to low handicappers who are looking for a good combination of feel, distance and workability.

If you want to take a step up in terms of performance from your Big Bertha’s, P790ti’s and other distance irons, the Taylormade P770 irons would be a good next logical step.

They are a great combination of workability and shaping shots without compromising much in either department.

They produce mid-level range spin which can be a problem in the long irons but is a benefit in the shorter ones.

So they’re certainly not perfect but they strike a good balance between distance and accuracy.

If that sounds like the kind of iron set you need then you should definitely check out the Taylormade P770’s.

The P Series From Taylormade

The P series of Taylormade irons run the gamut from pure distance to pure feel to pure accuracy and everything in between.

While only the P790 irons can be considered more distance irons, the P series is mostly focused on the performance that mid to low handicappers need on the course.

In fact, every other line of irons in this series rocks a mid-level range spin so you can control roll around the green and on approaches.

The P7MB and P7MC iron sets offer the highest degree of accuracy and workability if that it your aim.