Titleist T200 Vs. Srixon ZX5 Irons Comparison Overview

The Titleist name is known throughout the global golfing community. Their irons have been used by some of the greatest names in the sport. Until recently though, most of their clubs were made with scratch players and tour pros in mind.

That’s not the case these days though and the Titleist T200 irons are a perfect example of their new focus on higher handicap players. How do the T200’s perform against a solid player’s distance iron set like the Srixon ZX5 though? Let’s take a look.

Titleist T200 Irons Overview

The T200 irons feature a forged L-shaped face insert and a polymer core.

Both of these features are a testament to the company’s new focus on forgiveness. The polymer core helps to retain swing energy when you miss the sweet spot while the L-shaped forged insert promotes better ball speed on low-face strikes.

Then there is the hollow-body design which is a design that is known to increase forgiveness. When we tested these irons, we were really impressed with the distance overall though. They produce a mid launch so carry distance isn’t great; but they get all their distance from the hollow body design.

With the 4-iron in this set, our testers were averaging a distance of 181 yards! However, they also noted that you still had to be pretty accurate as the blade lengths are pretty short on these irons.

Srixon ZX5 Iron Overview

Srixon calls the Srixon ZX5’s player’s distance irons.

By far, the most impressive thing about them is the combination of a forged SUP10 steel face and a forged 1020 carbon steel body. The metal-wood flexing allowed most of our testers to achieve distance comparable to the T200 irons.

With the 4-iron in this set, our testers averaged a distance of 179 yards after three shots. So while slightly shorter than the T200’s, the Srixon ZX5’s were more forgiving. They have a slightly larger head profile and most of our slow swing speed testers were able to achieve good distance with these irons as opposed to the T200’s.

The Srixon ZX5’s also offer more protection towards the toe thanks to tungsten weighting in the long irons.

In terms of distance, the T200 irons barely outperformed the Srixon ZX5’s. In terms of forgiveness, there was no competition – the Srixon ZX5’s are much more forgiving. We can easily overlook the slight loss in distance in favor of much more forgiveness.

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.

Titleist T200 First Impressions

You can tell just by looking at them that the Titleist T200 irons are player’s irons

The first thing you will notice about these irons is the size of the head. The Titleist T200 feature a player’s profile shape and a very thin topline. However, the Titleist T200’s also have strong lofts which becomes apparent pretty quickly.

You wouldn’t expect the high level of feel that you get from these irons just by looking at them though. The engineered muscle back plates are tuned to enhance feedback and feel while at the same time dampening unwanted vibrations.

The Titleist T200 can surprise in terms of forgiveness and distance too. While certainly not the longest or most forgiving irons in the T series, the L-shaped face insert helps expand the sweet spot out towards the toe.

What advanced players will be able to enjoy almost immediately is the feel from the forged face insert. These irons give an unmistakable forged feel that low handicappers will go crazy for.

The “Max Impact” polymer insert also helps out with ball speed. It acts as a springboard behind the face to push the ball further and faster. The only catch is that you pretty much have to hit the ball dead-center to benefit from the Max Impact insert.

The Titleist T200 feature a unique combination of features that mostly improve feel and accuracy.

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

Titleist T200 Irons Selling Points

Tight shot dispersion
Tight shot dispersion
Amazing feel from the forged face insert
Great for low handicappers
Tour-grade irons
Plenty of premium shafts to choose from
They produce high-arcing shots

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 Titleist T200 Irons For?

It’s apparent that the Titleist T200 irons were designed for advanced, low handicap players.

The Titleist T200 irons are definitely for low handicap player who are seeking irons that feel really nice. They would also be a good fit for you if you like to shape your shots and need higher spin rates and more accuracy.

The T Series

The T series of irons from Titleist run the gamut from beginner-friendly sets to ones reserved for tour-level players.

The great thing about the T series is that every kind of player can benefit from them. They all have technologically advanced features but each one was designed for a specific skill level.