Srixon ZX Mk II Combination Set

[KevB_44]

I just received my combo set from Srixon and had a chance to hit a large bucket at the range this morning.   I am pretty excited from what I have seen thus far.

First-relatively new and rapidly improving golfer.  I make solid contact and have strong distance.  I didn't need to upgrade, but wanted to.   I am moving from the first new set I had which was Sub 70 699 & 699 Pro combo set with KBS Tour 120 Stiff shafts.  They have served me well for a few years and have no complaints.  I will be giving them to my son who can use them in place of his first set.  

As for the Srixons--I built a combo set of ZX4 and ZX5 MK II's on the Srixon website.  Nice selection of options to build a blended set or even modify the specs of each club.  The set I made was ZX4's in 5,6,7 and ZX5's in 8,9, PW.  I couldn't get an AW in ZX5, considered a ZX7 AW, but opted for a 50* Cleveland RTX Zipcore to match my existing 54 and 58.  I modified the lofts of the ZX4s +1 weak to better align with the ZX5s.  As I have a tendency to naturally draw and have a hook to the left miss, I made a few spec mod's to hopefully help.  I can have a tendency to grip a little tight, so I went with 2 extra wraps of tape under the GP MCC+4 grips and went Xtra Stiff Nippon Modus NS Pro 105 which then weighs about 112 grams (closer to the KBS 120 shafts).  In the 50*, 

Everything was delivered promptly and arrived in good order.  The clubs look fantastic from every angle.  Nothing against the Sub 70's, but aesthetically, these Srixon irons look much nicer and I would say to my eye nicer than any iron in the same category.  I had considered Mizunos and Titleist, but I would say these look as good or better.  Insofar as the blending, it is seamless.  From address, you wouldn't know if you have a ZX4 or ZX5.  

I'm not sure that one morning trip to the range is a very significant sample size, but I was very pleased with what I experienced.  I progressed through the clubs smoothly.  The feel was  superior to anything I have used previously.  Smooth and sharp would be the best adjectives.  I'm not sure how much I would attribute to the shafts and how much to the heads, but the combination of the two was exactly what I was hoping for feel wise.   The flight was effortlessly high and strong no matter the club.  It felt incredible through the swing and the impact was snappy, providing a pleasing audible crack.  The angle of decent was impressive and I think in play these are going to provide good stopping power.  Most importantly, I was happy to see a straighter flight right to left.  On the shorter clubs I was able to manipulate the flight a bit actually hitting a few fades which I have rarely done. The longer clubs barely moved off the centerline.  I was getting a little fade out of the 5 iron and was consistently flying the ball over my target.  

I have never been on a swing monitor or anything so I don't know swing speeds or anything, but a local pro who I have had some lessons with told me not to worry about it and just keep grooving the swing I have (after she helped me to reduce the hooks).  Using my range finder to mark the targets and flags, I am getting the following distances:

• PW 135
• 9 150
• 8 160
• 7 175
• 6 185
• 5 195

These distances are all about 10 yards or so better than my previous set.  I wasn't really looking for big gains there, really more than anything was looking for some better feel, control, and a little help getting the ball a little more to the right.  After 50 or 60 balls, I am pretty sure I got that.  The flight and distance came effortlessly and felt great.  I actually regret not getting the 4 iron as I'm not the biggest fan of hybrids and based on what I saw from the 5i, I'm pretty sure I would see good performance--better performance that I see from the hybrid or driving iron which I switch between.  Perhaps with some additional time I will be able to push the 5 iron a bit further to cover the 200 yard mark for long par 3's, tight par 4s, or long approach shots (all of which have been difficult for me to competently navigate).  

I will get some additional range swings in and look forward to playing my first round next week. I am also happy to up-cycle the Sub 70's to my son the next time we can get together as they too treated me well and will be a nice upgrade to his current set.  

So far, so good and look forward to swinging these clubs.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Nice! Glad you like the set so far and looking forward to future updates as you are able to get them on course more. 

I have only heard good things about those irons so far and seems like all your experience so far has been positive as well!

[KevB_44]

Thanks for the quick read and reaction.  Yes--pleased so far --small sample size and within the honeymoon period of course.  I would say though that my initial expectations have not just been met, but exceeded and anticipate only better when using legit balls (as opposed to range fodder).

I should have mentioned a few other things:

Time will tell with various turf conditions, but the soles are very nice.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but heard good things, but I can't see where that v-sole will be anything other than advantageous.

I had also considered a set of 659 TCs as I really liked my sub 70 699s, but thought that may be a bit of a reach for me.  

I will need to see how the 50* zip core performs as my 699 AW was pretty reliable between 100 -120.  I love the 54 at 100-110 yards so I am hopeful that the 50 will serve well in that tweeter range while also being useful as an extra wedge (I never used the AW for anything other than a full swing).

 

 

[GolfSpy_BEN]

I picked up a set of used ZX7 4-AW with the modus xstiff shaft about a month ago. I have been putting them through their paces against the Mizuno JPX 923 HMP that are my current gamers and another used set of Callaway Apex MB 18s that I picked up for a song. Of the 3 sets of irons, I like the zx7s the best, as they are most consistent of the 3. Plus the feel is phenomenal and the v sole does seem to help with turf interaction. I think you’re really going to like those irons.

[revkev]

@KevB thanks for directing me here. Now that you’ve had these a few weeks how is it going? Are you finding a gap between the 8 and 7 iron on the course? Is there any sort of difference in turf interaction or feel that you are noticing? 
 

Thanks again - looking forward to reading more. 

[KevB_44]

So far so good...   I really enjoy them and have gained confidence and comfort pretty quickly.   I maybe haven't been in every situation to say I have the gapping mapped out perfectly so far, but I am glad I went 1 degree weak on the ZX4's.   I think if I hadn't there would be a gap there.  I would also say that my best strikes with the ZX4s leave no doubt they were well struck.  I don't see quite the same explosiveness from the ZX5s but then again I may not be leaning into them as much or as often.  The feel is great and I really like the NS Modus 105 XS's which I assume contribute positively to the overall feel.  I like the sole design.  They rip through the turf for me.  On a par 3 I really got into one with an 8 iron and took a credit card sized divot and didn't even realize it thinking I just slid under the ball off of the tee.    The other thing I would say is that there is not a lot of off set on these which is appealing to my eye and I think helps me with my pull lefts....  

 

I can't think of an iron set up I would rather have....

[revkev]

Nice feedback - thanks

Did you go all the way down to GW on the 5’s? There’s a built in 6 degree gap there. I’m wondering about that. 

[KevB_44]

I ordered the GW wasn't available in the ZX5.  I considered the ZX7, but instead added a Clevland zip core 50* since I already had a 54 and 58 so I was ok with 3 matched wedges and a ZX PW.  My previous set of clubs did include a GW and I did use it pretty much exclusively full swing 115-120 yards.  I don't think I have gotten 120 out of the zipcore --probably more like 110-115 but higher ball flight so I am stopping and holding greens better.  I haven't "gotten cute" with it yet, but I can see it being a more versatile tool.  For instance my 54* is awesome from 100 yards which is nice because I can easily go 1/2 swing 50 yards/ 3/4 75 yards; using the 58* only inside of 50 yards.   Eventuality I would like to use the 50 similarly once I get the 1/2 and 3/4 swings dialed in---I would have never considered that with a set GW.

[Golf2Much]

@KevB_44 are you still happy with your Srixon ZX4/5 MkII combination set? 

Today at my course, the Srixon rep was there and I had a chance to hit the ZX 4 MkII irons for the first time.  They were never on my radar screen.  Now, I need to do a bit more digging as I hit them pretty well!

[KevB_44]

2 hours ago, Golf2Much said:

@KevB_44 are you still happy with your Srixon ZX4/5 MkII combination set? 

Today at my course, the Srixon rep was there and I had a chance to hit the ZX 4 MkII irons for the first time.  They were never on my radar screen.  Now, I need to do a bit more digging as I hit them pretty well!

I still love learning ve them.  
 

I feel super confident pulling the zx4 and knowing the distance I will get and they flay high and straight.  please note that I do have them set up 1 degree weak which helped the blending. 
 

the zx5s have power too but a bit more feel and are a bit workable at least for me.