MGS 2023 Best PD Irons

[fixyurdivot]

Everyone is in complete agreement, right? Actually this surprised me a little bit, pleasantly mind you, but still a little surprising.  I will say that my decision to move to the Cobra ForgeTec X or PXG Gen6 has become a bit more difficult now that my back is mended.  I still think either of those are a bit more forgiving than my ZX5's but one really never knows until the whole quiver is put into play for a handful of rounds.

This Inesis sure look tasty don't they? But so do the Mizuno and Fourteens.  I've always preferred less bling and clean lines.  So what are your thoughts about this years Most Wanted PD irons?

[russtopherb]

Some really interesting names up at the top. Pleasantly surprised by that. 

[cnosil]

13 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

Everyone is in complete agreement, right? Actually this surprised me a little bit, pleasantly mind you, but still a little surprising.  I will say that my decision to move to the Cobra ForgeTec X or PXG Gen6 has become a bit more difficult now that my back is mended.  I still think either of those are a bit more forgiving than my ZX5's but one really never knows until the whole quiver is put into play for a handful of rounds.

This Inesis sure look tasty don't they? But so do the Mizuno and Fourteens.  I've always preferred less bling and clean lines.  So what are your thoughts about this years Most Wanted PD irons?

IMO, The ZX5 was a standout product in this category. The Inesis were a big surprise, not the best looking but I thought they were very forgiving and performed exceptionally well.  New Level clubs are definitely a top contender and would get a serious look if I were buying new clubs.  
 

the interesting thing to me is that these clubs seem to be coming stock with lighter shafts.  Many of the test clubs were 95-105 grams; which is probably of benefit to many golfers.    I can swing a 120 gr shaft, but lighter works well for me.   The thought seems to make sense: PD are targeted at the aging golfer that wants some distance back.  A little lighter to maybe get some more speed and reduce fatigue over the course of a round.  

[StrokerAce]

Srixon needs to be taken seriously. Very seriously. The irons that they are creating are performers, plain and simple. Every time I've tried one my first reaction is

[cnosil]

52 minutes ago, StrokerAce said:

Srixon needs to be taken seriously. Very seriously. The irons that they are creating are performers, plain and simple. Every time I've tried one my first reaction is

I am surprised they aren’t taken more seriously.   I guess since we don’t often see them in the bags of the PGA pros they are undercooked by the golfing community.  Most people probably think “ball” when the name Srixon is thrown out.  

[GolfSpy_APH]

They continue to impress. Awesome to see. 

I have enjoyed seeing various brands and think as this continues year over year we will see more lesser known brands. 

At least to me I think this is great!

[shailey]

You couldn't pull my Srixon's out of my bag for anything.  I played a real bad tournament round last July, got mad and sold everything in my bag.  Biggest mistake I have made because I could not get happy with another set of irons.  Over the last year I have tried Cobra Forged Tec, Taylormade P790, Titleist and one other that I can't even remember.  Now almost a year later, I went back to Srixon a couple of months ago and have been content in my game ever since.  So much, that when the Srixon van came to our area, I went out to get fitted for the new MKII.  So now I have the ZX5 MKII and ZX7 MKII and could not be happier!  I actually did the combo set because I don't quite need as much distance with my swing speed. I just like having a little forgiveness since my course has VERY long par 3's and a couple of par 5's where there is no room for error in the long stuff. 

What do I like about them?  First off, they set up clean and offset is very minimal.  Secondly, they feel like butter and the ball rockets off the face on the perfect trajectory.  The slight toe hit or a a tiny bit fat has no distance loss.  I played the ZX5 with DG X100's last year and these have the Project X LZ 6.5 in them.  Hits a little higher with a less spin.  Great combination.

I don't believe anyone can go wrong with these irons in the bag.

     

[jbern]

2 hours ago, cnosil said:

I am surprised they aren’t taken more seriously.   I guess since we don’t often see them in the bags of the PGA pros they are undercooked by the golfing community.  Most people probably think “ball” when the name Srixon is thrown out.  

I have always thought “ball” when Srixon comes up and for whatever reason, when I do random fb marketplace searches for clubs, Srixon rarely ends up being part of that search. Looks like I need to change my wiring a bit. It's great to see them performing so well! 

[KevB_44]

I just received the combo set of ZX MKII's that I spec'ed out.   Only range time so far, but should play them later this week.   I could not be happier with them.  The aesthetics are great, feel is incredible, and the performance at the range has been exceptional.   Hopefully I can steer them in the right direction and close the deal.....  

Great product.

[KevB_44]

2 minutes ago, KevB_44 said:

I just received the combo set of ZX MKII's that I spec'ed out.   Only range time so far, but should play them later this week.   I could not be happier with them.  The aesthetics are great, feel is incredible, and the performance at the range has been exceptional.   Hopefully I can steer them in the right direction and close the deal.....  

Great product.

I actually regret not getting the 4i in my set considering the ease with which I hit the 5i.  I will be patient and get through the honeymoon period and determine if that would be better than my current next club options.   Curious if anyone has thoughts on the ZX MK II utility as well as that fitted with the same NS Modus 105 XS could be an option as well (i recognize this is slightly off topic).

[fixyurdivot]

1 hour ago, KevB_44 said:

I actually regret not getting the 4i in my set considering the ease with which I hit the 5i.  I will be patient and get through the honeymoon period and determine if that would be better than my current next club options.   Curious if anyone has thoughts on the ZX MK II utility as well as that fitted with the same NS Modus 105 XS could be an option as well (i recognize this is slightly off topic).

I use the 4i in my set of ZX5's and find it pretty reliable.  I know some of our spies added the ZX4 4i just for some additional forgiveness.

[DRLEONARD58]

I wasn't necessarily surprised by Srixon ranking high (always heard nothing but good things), but I was surprised by the lack of the "big names". 

I am actively shopping in this category, so it has given me some more names/brands to look at and research! Thanks for the great reviews!

[fixyurdivot]

7 hours ago, cnosil said:

I am surprised they aren’t taken more seriously.   I guess since we don’t often see them in the bags of the PGA pros they are undercooked by the golfing community.  Most people probably think “ball” when the name Srixon is thrown out.  

If memory serves me, didn't the Z585 also get a Most Wanted GI irons in 2018?  It's not like they haven't been on the podium before, but yes better marketing by others or poor marketing by Srixon could be a big part of the answer.

While discussing this, it came to me that it would be nice to have a quick link to a chronilogical library of all the MGS Most Wanted results since it started.  Maybe there is one?

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, fixyurdivot said:

While discussing this, it came to me that it would be nice to have a quick link to a chronilogical library of all the MGS Most Wanted results since it started.  Maybe there is one?

Is this what you are looking for?  https://mygolfspy.com/buyers-guides/irons/

You can set filters and see the results from each year.   

[Jordanwillard74]

I completely agree, I used to have a 56 and 60 degree set of the Cleveland RTX3 wedges and they performed the same as my current wedges. Interested to try out the irons some time as I’ve only heard good things about them 

[Golfspy_CG2]

16 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

If memory serves me, didn't the Z585 also get a Most Wanted GI irons in 2018?  It's not like they haven't been on the podium before, but yes better marketing by others or poor marketing by Srixon could be a big part of the answer.

While discussing this, it came to me that it would be nice to have a quick link to a chronilogical library of all the MGS Most Wanted results since it started.  Maybe there is one?

So using the link @cnosil provided you will see this.   So you were 100% correct, the 585 won the GI segment, but the ZX iterations have moved to the player distance, I guess the ZX4 now fills in the GI segment, although some would put it in the SGI.  The lines sure get blurry in a hurty.

[cnosil]

35 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

So using the link @cnosil provided you will see this.   So you were 100% correct, the 585 won the GI segment, but the ZX iterations have moved to the player distance, I guess the ZX4 now fills in the GI segment, although some would put it in the SGI.  The lines sure get blurry in a hurty.

I think 2018ish is when the category of players distance are into being.  585 was their GI iron at that point but was more players like than others in the category.   There is definitely a blur and sometimes the OEM requests clubs be put in a specific category they might not normally be put in.   

[Golfspy_CG2]

35 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I think 2018ish is when the category of players distance are into being.  585 was their GI iron at that point but was more players like than others in the category.   There is definitely a blur and sometimes the OEM requests clubs be put in a specific category they might not normally be put in.   

Yeah, No doubt.  Tony has mentioned that several times before about the OEM saying what category a club should be tested among, I often mention that on SM when everyone is coitizing  MGS for not knowing what type a club it's testing.  But you know how SM is, it's often like spitting into the wind

 

[Javs]

I am surprised that the Callaway Paradym irons didn’t finish higher. Especially, with what has been my personal experience. Either that or there are even more scary long players distance irons out there!

[Subdiver1]

1 hour ago, Javs said:

I am surprised that the Callaway Paradym irons didn’t finish higher. Especially, with what has been my personal experience. Either that or there are even more scary long players distance irons out there!

... as much as I hate to give Callaway any (harkening back to the 'personal bias' thread here; i juat have a hard time getting over that bias with Callaway), bias aside I've mentioned the kudos so many have been giving these clubs and the independent testing during several recent discussions about potential new clubs for the guys considering an update.  

Maybe a shaft-swing combination that works better for you than it did for the testers?

[Javs]

56 minutes ago, Subdiver1 said:

... as much as I hate to give Callaway any (harkening back to the 'personal bias' thread here; i juat have a hard time getting over that bias with Callaway), bias aside I've mentioned the kudos so many have been giving these clubs and the independent testing during several recent discussions about potential new clubs for the guys considering an update.  

Maybe a shaft-swing combination that works better for you than it did for the testers?

That could be that they did all the testing with stock combinations. I know those of us that actually did the hands on testing of the Callaway Paradym irons had the opportunity to have them custom fitted. That made a huge difference. I chose the TT DG Tour 120 steel in stiff cut down .25 and 2 degrees flat. This combination has been great for my build and swing. However, each player will be different. 

[revkev]

On 6/14/2023 at 12:37 PM, Javs said:

I am surprised that the Callaway Paradym irons didn’t finish higher. Especially, with what has been my personal experience. Either that or there are even more scary long players distance irons out there!

Always remember that every club in the test will be the best one for somebody.  The most wanted club was the best for more somebodies than the rest. Doesn’t mean it’s the best for you, it’s a starting point.

 

I’m really getting the wandering eye. This is my category for sure. The Srixon’s have caught my eye as has Edel and PXG. 
 

Let the fun begin. 

[Javs]

3 minutes ago, revkev said:

Always remember that every club in the test will be the best one for somebody.  The most wanted club was the best for more somebodies than the rest. Doesn’t mean it’s the best for you, it’s a starting point.

 

I’m really getting the wandering eye. This is my category for sure. The Srixon’s have caught my eye as has Edel and PXG. 
 

Let the fun begin. 

Oh I agree! Now that I have replaced my beloved PXG Gen 5’s with the Paradyms they might be on the trading block…. 

[Thin2win]

On 6/13/2023 at 9:09 AM, shailey said:

You couldn't pull my Srixon's out of my bag for anything.  I played a real bad tournament round last July, got mad and sold everything in my bag.  Biggest mistake I have made because I could not get happy with another set of irons.  Over the last year I have tried Cobra Forged Tec, Taylormade P790, Titleist and one other that I can't even remember.  Now almost a year later, I went back to Srixon a couple of months ago and have been content in my game ever since.  So much, that when the Srixon van came to our area, I went out to get fitted for the new MKII.  So now I have the ZX5 MKII and ZX7 MKII and could not be happier!  I actually did the combo set because I don't quite need as much distance with my swing speed. I just like having a little forgiveness since my course has VERY long par 3's and a couple of par 5's where there is no room for error in the long stuff. 

What do I like about them?  First off, they set up clean and offset is very minimal.  Secondly, they feel like butter and the ball rockets off the face on the perfect trajectory.  The slight toe hit or a a tiny bit fat has no distance loss.  I played the ZX5 with DG X100's last year and these have the Project X LZ 6.5 in them.  Hits a little higher with a less spin.  Great combination.

I don't believe anyone can go wrong with these irons in the bag.

     

 

On 6/13/2023 at 10:48 AM, KevB_44 said:

I just received the combo set of ZX MKII's that I spec'ed out.   Only range time so far, but should play them later this week.   I could not be happier with them.  The aesthetics are great, feel is incredible, and the performance at the range has been exceptional.   Hopefully I can steer them in the right direction and close the deal.....  

Great product.

Where did you do the split? Did you see a distance gap going from the zx7 to zx5? I just ordered my combo set,  gw-7i in zx7 mkii, 6-5i in zx5 mkii. The steelfiber shafts were only a $35 upcharge so i went with those too.

On 6/12/2023 at 5:03 PM, fixyurdivot said:

Everyone is in complete agreement, right? Actually this surprised me a little bit, pleasantly mind you, but still a little surprising.  I will say that my decision to move to the Cobra ForgeTec X or PXG Gen6 has become a bit more difficult now that my back is mended.  I still think either of those are a bit more forgiving than my ZX5's but one really never knows until the whole quiver is put into play for a handful of rounds.

This Inesis sure look tasty don't they? But so do the Mizuno and Fourteens.  I've always preferred less bling and clean lines.  So what are your thoughts about this years Most Wanted PD irons?

I think you might want to try the mkii's they are kinda magical.

[KevB_44]

 

Thin2win---

 

you must be a better player than me.   I went ZX5 PW-8, ZX5 7-5.  I then added a 50* Cleveland Zipcore to serve as my gap wedge.   I should have mentioned that I went with the ZX4's adjusted to +1 weak and see no issues with gapping.  I think if I went with the standard lofts I would see a gap issue between the 7 and 8.  I have only played 9 holes with them and didn't use each club, but used the club I normally would and found the distance from the ZX4s and ZX5s both to be effortless and a bit longer.  I hit a 7 iron off the back of a green (not due to decent angle, just longer carry distance than I planned.  I hit an 8i from the first cut and hit the green from about 155 which is spot on for me.  I hit two of the best 5 irons I have ever hit.  I hit a 200 yard par 3 hole that I have typically struggled with and I also placed a nice shot 20 yards short of a pond  on a par 4 which was about 240 yards out (I had the benefit of some elevation and roll there).

[fixyurdivot]

On 6/14/2023 at 8:13 AM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

So using the link @cnosil provided you will see this.   So you were 100% correct, the 585 won the GI segment, but the ZX iterations have moved to the player distance, I guess the ZX4 now fills in the GI segment, although some would put it in the SGI.  The lines sure get blurry in a hurty.

Yes, I've discussed my thoughts on where the ZX5's fit in the categories and feel we need a new one called PDI's .  Depending on which reviews one reads, they are called PD or GI (this review called them PI's).  I think even the folks at Srixon were having trouble deciding where they fit. I agree that the ZX4 are their GI irons.

[GolfSpy SAM]

On 6/20/2023 at 3:59 AM, KevB_44 said:

I went ZX5 PW-8, ZX5 7-5.  I then added a 50* Cleveland Zipcore to serve as my gap wedge.

Isn't that just a whole set of ZX5's?  Lol - I'm guessing 5's from 8-PW, and 4's from 5-7?  

The Mark II's are just phenomenal clubs - got to hit the 5's at a fitting and it was just...special. 

[KevB_44]

oh snap....  Yes   ZX5's PW -8, ZX4s 7-5....   Just like my game---I knew my intentions, but my execution was off a bit.    Good catch

[Londo]

On 6/14/2023 at 10:54 AM, cnosil said:

I think 2018ish is when the category of players distance are into being.  585 was their GI iron at that point but was more players like than others in the category.   There is definitely a blur and sometimes the OEM requests clubs be put in a specific category they might not normally be put in.   

Have had the 585s in my bag for 3 seasons now and love them, it will probably be at least 2-3 more years before I reevaluate irons and the first place I look will likely be Srixon and Sub70

[fixyurdivot]

On 6/19/2023 at 8:35 PM, Thin2win said:

On 6/12/2023 at 5:03 PM, fixyurdivot said:

Everyone is in complete agreement, right? Actually this surprised me a little bit, pleasantly mind you, but still a little surprising.  I will say that my decision to move to the Cobra ForgeTec X or PXG Gen6 has become a bit more difficult now that my back is mended.  I still think either of those are a bit more forgiving than my ZX5's but one really never knows until the whole quiver is put into play for a handful of rounds.

This Inesis sure look tasty don't they? But so do the Mizuno and Fourteens.  I've always preferred less bling and clean lines.  So what are your thoughts about this years Most Wanted PD irons?

I think you might want to try the mkii's they are kinda magical.

I just saw your other Unoffical review thread and that you've benched the D7's for the Srixons. That surprsies me as you were hitting them so well. The combo set should be a good match for you. I'm interested to hear how much if any difference you see in forgiveness or shot shaping. SF's just don't agree with me but they are attached to lots and lots of club heads.   I haven't hit the MKII's yet but from what I've gathered, there isn't much difference in performance from the original release.  I'll probably wait until this winter season demo days and retry everything, including the MKII's. All the fitters now know me by first name.  The Cobra guy's still give me crap about walking away from +12 yards .