Srixon ZXi irons: What you need to know - Australian Golf Digest

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: With pure performance behind every strike, Srixon is introducing its latest iteration in iron design with the all-new ZXi irons. Made with groundbreaking i-Forged technology, these irons produce superior feel, along with improved distance, forgiveness and control.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: ZXi7, ZXi5 and ZXi4 irons: $265 (steel), $285 (graphite); ZXiU utility irons: $369 (steel), $399 (graphite). Launching in Australia on November 25.

3 Cool Things

1. How forged should feel: Srixon’s one-of-a-kind formula called i-Forged or Impact Forged, is a new achievement in club design and manufacturing, developed to strengthen and enhance each ZXi iron to create superior all-around performance.

“The i-Forging process gave us the unique ability to select which steels would be best suited for each ZXi iron, promoting a better hitting feel and overall performance,” said Dustin Brekke, director of engineering. “On the ZXi7 Players Iron, we used a softer steel in S15C. It’s the softest steel we’ve ever had in a forged Srixon iron. Each new material upgrade serves a specific purpose to balance and strengthen each Iron and give players immediate feedback at contact.”

To ensure the irons maintain their strength and durability, Srixon used condensed forging in the ZXi7, ZXi5 and ZXiU irons. This proprietary technique strengthens specially chosen sections of each iron to increase their performance. By doing so, the added support allowed engineers to utilise softer, better feeling material in the construction without compromising durability and maintaining a pure feel. Testing showed ZXi7 single-piece body material is 7 percent softer, while ZXiU and ZXi5 face material is 14 percent softer than the prior generation of ZX Mk II irons.

Meanwhile, to maximise softness, each ZXi iron was carefully tempered inside of a long oven to optimise strength and temperature for Srixon’s softest treatment yet.

2. Consistency in every strike: For ball-strikers who value tour-preferred looks, pro-level feel and precision workability, the all-new ZXi7 irons are true players irons that deliver unparalleled performance from top to bottom. To help deliver a more stable strike, an expanded PureFrame is forged into the body and placed directly behind the sweet spot to reduce undesired vibrations. With these enhancements, ZXi7 irons achieve a 9.3-percent reduction in vibration displacement compared to ZX7 Mk II irons, translating to a remarkably stable feel at impact.

In the ZXi5, ZXi4, and ZXiU irons, MainFrame technology is back for a third generation. A variable thickness network of grooves, channels, and notches, MainFrame is milled onto the backside of these iron faces, helping to maximise flex at impact for more efficient energy transfer into the ball. The upgraded design features a wider toe-side channel, allowing engineers to reposition up to two grams of mass for a lower CG and more MOI, promoting better ball speed, consistency and forgiveness.

Like past generations, each ZXi iron was designed with a holistic, family-oriented approach, so models can be blended seamlessly with similar shaping and nearly identical topline thickness to create similar looks at address.

“Every year we’re seeing more people choose combination sets with our irons,” Brekke said. “We typically have three specific duos that are most popular among players – the ZXiU and ZXi7 is the most used among our tour staff, pairing forgiving long irons with highly workable short Irons. The ZXi5 and ZXi7 are for people wanting powerful distance and workability. And we have the ZXi4 and ZXi5 combination that pairs cavity back short irons with hollow long irons for maximum forgiveness.”

3. Tour V.T. Sole and progressive grooves: Tour V.T. Sole takes turf interaction to a whole new level of detail, with a proprietary combination of sole width, bounces and notches that encourage cleaner strikes and optimal level of workability to each ZXi iron model. And for the first time ever, Tour V.T. Sole will be featured on ZXiU utility irons for a new dimension of long-game versatility.

The 3-iron to 7-iron feature wider grooves, while the 8-iron to AW have deeper, closer-set grooves to ensure consistent spin across the set. Laser milling between each groove, on every loft, adds bite on every strike.

For more information on Srixon’s all-new ZXi irons, visit https://au.dunlopsports.com/srixon