Official Srixon ZX MKII DRIVER REVIEW THREAD

Testing, analysis, and review topics of major, Tour proven products with representation from the world's greatest players.
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agent0
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2023 10:49 pm

Official Srixon ZX MKII DRIVER REVIEW THREAD

Post by agent0 »

Srixon ZX MKII Line Review

Driver as tested:
Srixon ZX5 MKII LS
Loft in STD spec measured to exactly 8.5 degrees of loft on the face
Face angle is 1.7 degrees open
Shaft is Mitsubishi Tensei 1k White 70TX Untipped
45 inches in length
D4 swingweight
Grip is Super Stroke S-Tech Midsize

Notes about my game and swing:
I play to a 1 handicap with a typical swing speed of 117-120mph. I set the club fully with my wrists, going slightly past parallel in the back swing. Grip is very neutral, path is typically 2.5-3 degrees inside to out, with the club face being 1-2 degrees closed at impact. This results in my normal ball flight being a slight pull draw. My normal angle of attack is around 3.5-4 degrees upward, and my tempo would be described as medium to slightly smooth. Release is late with a bit of hand rotation through impact, and typical miss would be an over draw, which cuts off a few hundred rpm of spin. I tend to like “white” profile shafts with a stiff tip, preferred weight being mid to upper 70 gram range.


A giant Thank you to Srixon for providing these heads for testing and review.

Also a big thank you to Super Stroke for providing not only the grips for this test, but for all GIA testing for the first half of 2023.


Looks: 9.5/10

Although most of the major manufacturers have gone gloss this year, the Srixon heads still look great in the matte black finish, and with everyone else seemingly changing over, it's a look that sets them apart in 2023. The overall shape of the head is very subtle in a triangular shape, which has become common with the modern driver. The overall aesthetic is clean, attractive, and all business, which carries throughout the entire MKII line.


Sound/Feel: 10/10

While the ZX5 and ZX7 are a bit more metallic in the strike tone, the LS head is amazingly solid and muted feeling. While feeling explosive, it also has almost a hammer sensation in feeling like you are compressing the ball completely. The sound and feel of this are both incredibly satisfying and exceptionally powerful, and most of all, the driver just FEELS fast. My immediate thought when I hit the LS is that it feels very much like the 2016 M2 that our testers described as “feeling like you're hitting a wood baseball bat” type feeling. If this type of sound and feel appeal to you, the LS head captures it better than any driver, by any manufacturer this year.


Distance Performance: 10/10

Having hit all the heads, I am going to focus on the model that fits me best and I had best results with, which is the ZX5 MKII LS. Let me start by saying this. There is no retail driver in 2023 that spins less than this driver, and that pertains to every manufacturer. I actually found myself teeing the ball slightly higher to increase the height of the apex because the spin was so low. That, coupled with top of the driver-world ball speeds meant that I was carrying this driver right up there with the best, but add in roll on firmer fairways, and this could be THE longest driver of 2023. It is an absolutely rocket. I will say this however, if are are already a super low spin player, the ZX5 or ZX7 may be the better choice, or you may really want to loft up on the LS head.


Forgiveness: 9.5/10

I would say this was the area I expected these drivers to shine, but it's also the most surprising of all the categories. As many of you know, when you have a driver head that launches consistently under 2000rpm, controlling the golf ball can be a bit difficult. Somehow with the LS, it wasn't at all difficult to control. I hit a small draw on every strike, never hit any wild left shots, and was even able to hit a soft knuckle fade when needed. I kept waiting to find a slight mishit location or a bit of a lazy swing that would expose the wild low spin miss. It never came. I truly do not understand how the LS head can be this low spin and not have any wild spots in it. It's like combining the forgiveness of a max head with the distance of the ultra low spin model. Your mileage my vary, but for me, the lack of penal shots in a combination like this is astounding.


Overall Thoughts:

We all know Srixon has gained a bit of a cult following in their irons, for very good reason, but the drivers have been a true after thought when compared with the giants of the golf industry. While we have always thought they don't exactly get the credit they deserve, this year is different. These are not just good drivers, made by a company that makes great irons. Again, this year is very different, and this is the year Srixon drivers are amongst the very best in golf, regardless of manufacturer. The LS, for me, is one of the top 3 drivers made this year, and if super low spin is what you need, it might be the very best. The entire line was very well received by all our testers, and the LS was the true shining star. I, personally, am incredibly impressed with this golf club, and very excited, knowing that in 2023 there is another true standout in the world of golf drivers. Well done Srixon.

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Agent Alpha
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Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2023 2:54 pm

Re: Official Srixon ZX MKII DRIVER REVIEW THREAD

Post by Agent Alpha »

SRIXON ZX5 AND ZX5 LS REVIEW

INTRO/BACKGROUND:

Currently I am hitting the Callaway Mavrik SubZero in 8.5 with Tensei CK White in stiff, tipped an inch. I play my drivers at 44.5” as it provides me the best control while still being able to get correct distances.

DRIVER SETUP:

The Demo ZX5 AND ZX5 LS were set up as a 8.5* neutral setting. The swingweight is approximately D3/D4 with the total length being 45". The face is absolutely dead square with no manipulations by tour sleeves, etc.
The head is shafted with a Mitsubishi Kai’Li. The flex is x-stiff, untipped.
The driver has a Superstroke S-tech grip with one wrap underneath.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE PLAYER:

My swingspeed has generally been in the high 90's/low 100s, and while I haven’t had the chance to play over winter other than some practice time, my swing was a bit rusty. I felt I made some great swings while testing this driver and I am happy to report the results.

APPEARANCE:

This club’s aesthetics to me are like a subdued Ping driver. From the crown, it is a muted black look with a small alignment mark and pretty much all business. It is very pleasing to the eye in its shape, not too elongated from front to back. Overall, I thought this is a very pleasing look that Srixon has some out with for both driver styles.

PERFORMANCE:

Aesthetics aside, this driver performed admirably for me. In fact, the distances I got from the ZX5 were at or beyond my current gamer by about 5 yards. Had I used my normal flex shaft (Tensei White Stiff), I would probably expect a slight distance gain, but overall, I thought the club on the monitor was very solid on off center hits, maybe losing 10-12 yards. The LS model wasn’t quite as long as my gamer in comparison. I usually am a fairly low spin player based on my launch characteristics but I think the combination of the lower spin, stiffer shaft produced expected results. The sound for both was very muted, less metallic than some of the other drivers I tried this year.


OVERALL:

My honest opinion is that I haven’t played too many drivers that were not Taylor Made or Callaway in the past, I was pleasantly surprised by the overall look and feel of the Srixon heads. While I don’t expect to play one this year based on my other testing of demo heads, I would challenge anyone to try one and see for yourself. Srixon is definitely known for producing some great irons, but now, they are stepping up and coming out with a forgiving driver for those looking to try other OEM heads that might not always have been on the radar.
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