ZX5 vs. ZX7 -- a 6HC's review

[anth]

The ZX5 GW is 49 degrees I think. I used to have a Z545 GW and yes it went far - hot face, design, loft. I had 25 metre gap between my GW and 54 degree SW - different shaft didn’t help either

[kiwihacker]

2 hours ago, anth said:

The ZX5 GW is 49 degrees I think. I used to have a Z545 GW and yes it went far - hot face, design, loft. I had 25 metre gap between my GW and 54 degree SW - different shaft didn’t help either

It says 50° on the Srixon website. Yeah I guess the hot face will make it fly further than a specialty gap wedge. Thanks. 

[Tiptx1122]

Hey WRX time to un pin this topic. There are topics that got posted 1 minute ago and this 30 minutes ago and its still #1. I don't understand how this remains at #1 as its fine that people post on this topic but to constantly see it at the #1 spot only makes me think that this forum is rigged. 

[rondre3000]

8 hours ago, kiwihacker said:

The 44° PW is the only thing I don't like about the ZX5s. I much prefer the lofts of the ZX7s. They're 1° weaker in the long and middle irons but 2° weaker in the 9 iron and PW at 46°. That would progress nicely to a 50° wedge. A 44° wedge feels like it would leave too big a gap to a 50° wedge.

 

The lofts of the ZX5s 5-PW is basically the same as my R7TP 4-9 irons except they bent the PW 1° weaker at 44° vs my 43° 9 iron. All the other lofts are identical. 

 

I hit my 9 - GW as follows:

 

43° 9 iron 120m

47° PW 105m

52° GW 90m

 

If the ZX5 distances are similar to these that is far too big a gap. Then again I guess the ZX5 set GW will go further than my Cleveland 50-52° wedge? 

You know you can bend these clubs for proper gapping right? You can even order them bent up to 2* strong or week straight from the factory.

[vancouver81]

I had my zx7 bent 1 degree strong, but there’s still a 15 yard gap where I broke the set at 6/7 iron. Largely attributable to the zx5 being rocket launchers. 

[nsxguy]

On 5/10/2021 at 8:53 PM, cbjuhr said:

As a 5-6 HC I thought I would chime in on my experience with the ZX5 and ZX7's. I went to test graphite shaft options at a local clubfitter with Trackman and ended up trying a few different iron heads as well. I'm generally in the 85-88 mph range with 6 iron with a quick transition and -4 AoA. I ended up hitting the Steelfiber i95's best with multiple heads so compared the two Srixon heads using that shaft. My baseline gamers (716 AP2's with DGs300) exhibited the following for ball speed, launch angle, spin, height, landing angle and carry:

 

BS - 119, LA - 15.4, S - 5459 , H - 83 , Landing 44.1, C - 170

 

 

 

I assume "Landing" is the angle of descent, yes ? But what is "C" ? Not familiar with that one (and can't figure it out) ?

 

TIA

[vancouver81]

Carry?

[mitchdoc]

Well for the moment I just purchased the D7 forged.

Has it marked down to zx5,zx7,p770 lol.

I tried to like my forged tecs but even though they are simulator darlings they are very inconsistent on the course. My z565 are amazing by comparison.

I demoed the zx5 7 iron on course with the  recoil shaft. Head to head while having a slightly smaller profile, they were neither longer or more forgiving than the 565. Derek went to the 565 also. Softer.

 

My recent testing:

 

Last year was fit for a set of Cobra Forged Tec. Never really got along with them on the course though they always did well in the simulator. 

 

 

 

I also found the offset and look was not as player like as I hoped.

 

 

 

Still have my Srixon z565 from 5 years ago and out them back in the bag and they were sooooo much better.

 

 

 

Decided to trade my forged tecs while they still have good value got about 80% of my initial purchase.

 

 

 

Well demoed the zx5 which were kind of just a somewhat sleeker 565 with worse feel.

 

 

So then tried p770 and  zx7 which both are more player cavities but I can manage them as a 7 hcp with decent ballstriking. Given Covid there is very little inventory at the Golftown stores and most custom orders are 2 month wait time which would mean half a season over before I get them here in Canada.

 

 

 

As I was hitting them in the Sim I walked back to the rack and saw the D7 Forged next to the Srixons. I remember hearing some good things about them but never saw another folder playing Wilson irons around here so never considered them.

 

 

 

On a whim since they were one of the few irons with steel stiff shafts I took the 7 iron down.

 

 

Wow at address it had such a great look. Big enough to look forgiving and inspire confidence and small enough  with lower offset that they look good to my eye.

 

 

 

So decided to hit them against the p770,ZX7,p790 which were my . final irons to consider that were in stock with shafts I like.

 

 

 

WOW!

 

 

 

Feel was as good and solid as the zx7 which is a 1 piece forged. Ball flight was launching consistently 18 to 20*.

 

 

Spin while not super accurate on the GC quad was surprisingly good. In fact it had equal or even 1 to 200 RPM more than the more players iron.

 

 

Forgiveness and ball speed was best also.

 

 

Live hope it looks behind the ball. Reminds me of my old AP2 and AMP forget irons except slightly bigger.

 

 

So let's see.

 

 

1. Great looks( though will have to see how the shiny chrome looks outdoors)

 

 

 

2. Great feel

 

 

 

3. Great distance and dispersion.

 

 

 

4. Great stock shaft .

 

 

 

5. 350$ to 500$ cheaper than its competitors.

 

 

 

So can someone please tell me what the heck they are doing wrong at Wilson to not make sure more people know about these gems ?

 

 

 

Now true I haven't had these on course yet and maybe they will perform as poorly as the forged tecs but my gut feeling is these are agent that more players should have in their bag.

 

 

I know this is a thread  zx. Kind of feel stuck. I love my 565 and was foolish to try to replace them. My heart say zx7 as they offer a more player profile, but my mind say D7 forged which have the offer ( less actually) than the zx7. Similar head shape as well though a bit larger. They spun same with same launch but more disturbed given the 1 5-2* stronger lofts.

 

Should be a consideration for anyone thinking of these as well.

 

[mitchdoc]

Look at the numbers for zx5,zx7,p790,D7 forged.

 

Same spin and longer than zx7 . More spin and shorter than zx5.

Seems to split the difference distance wise.

Think the added spin is main reason it is shorter than zx5 as hell asked is only 1mph different.

 

Might be a good alternative to someone needing more forgiveness but wanted the characteristics of the zx7 on offset launch and spin

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by mitchdoc

[nsxguy]

2 hours ago, vancouver81 said:

Carry?

 

Carrrrrrry. Of course.

 

And then it HIT me,,,,,,, 🤦‍♀️ 

 

 

 

 

[kiwihacker]

On 5/15/2021 at 2:49 AM, rondre3000 said:

You know you can bend these clubs for proper gapping right? You can even order them bent up to 2* strong or week straight from the factory.

Yes I'm aware of that but can you specify which irons you bend? Ordering online it seems like an all or nothing selection. Looking at the lofts I might leave 5-8 standard and bend the 9 & PW 1° weak. Or alternatively bend the 5-8 1° weak and the 9& PW 2° weak. That would give me identical lofts to the ZX7s. 

[nostatic]

10 minutes ago, kiwihacker said:

Yes I'm aware of that but can you specify which irons you bend? Ordering online it seems like an all or nothing selection. Looking at the lofts I might leave 5-8 standard and bend the 9 & PW 1° weak. Or alternatively bend the 5-8 1° weak and the 9& PW 2° weak. That would give me identical lofts to the ZX7s. 

 

If you order the irons one at a time you can spec whatever you want. Just a bit more laborious.

Edited May 16, 2021 by nostatic

[rondre3000]

1 hour ago, kiwihacker said:

Yes I'm aware of that but can you specify which irons you bend? Ordering online it seems like an all or nothing selection. Looking at the lofts I might leave 5-8 standard and bend the 9 & PW 1° weak. Or alternatively bend the 5-8 1° weak and the 9& PW 2° weak. That would give me identical lofts to the ZX7s. 

I don't know about how this would be achieved with their online web order form, but I know you can DEFINITELY order sets based on your spec thru dealers. Alternatively, you can contact Srixon directly and you know ASK THEM.

Edited May 16, 2021 by rondre3000

[QuigleyDU]

Today.... I will finally get my ZX7s... Super excited.. 

[cbjuhr]

On 5/14/2021 at 8:45 AM, nsxguy said:

 

I assume "Landing" is the angle of descent, yes ? But what is "C" ? Not familiar with that one (and can't figure it out) ?

 

TIA

Sorry for late response, its Carry

[EastTNGolfer]

Well no one has these available to try out near me, let alone on actual grass so I have a set of ZX5s coming in from Global Golf using the Utry program.

[nostatic]

Finally was able to do a lesson today. Been rebuilding my swing and putting using band aids to make reasonably consistent contact. Side question was to get his thoughts on ZX7 vs ZX5 for me, brought both 7 irons. After seeing some warm up and a couple of swings in earnest, he gave me a couple of changes. Holy crap, should have done this months ago. High trajectory, consistent distance - I was so happy. I swapped clubs and with the new swing tweaks I still hit the ZX7 as far as the ZX5. He said my swing looked more comfortable with the ZX7 for whatever reason.

 

I was hitting it ok before, but today - the ZX7 just felt go good on contact, and that’s with range balls. I’m sure I’ll have some back sliding and I’m icing my elbow to try and keep tendonitis at bay, but the club was just sublime. 

[portland]

Srixon has done such a great job with this series.  I now have 8 rounds in with my ZX 4/5/7 combo set and I am thrilled with them.  I came from p790s and I think the ZXs blow them away.  Well done Srixon :applause: 

[AndersUK]

Tried the ZX7 today through one of Srixon's own fitters and they are impressive combined with the Modus 105x he fit me in. Also went 2* flat as he noticed my left miss was mainly due to the heel digging in.  That fix alone took ball speed from 120 to 123 with an average carry of 170 using reduced distance (85%) range balls.  Ball speed with my P790 were 126 and just under 120 for my Z965's as a comparison. 

 

Not as long as the P790 but never expected them to be.  I only game the P790 in windy or very cold winter conditions to provide a little extra help but I expect I will now use the ZX7 all year round.  Never even tried the ZX5 as the fitter advised against it and recommended a full set of ZX7.

 

They are as soft as anything I have hit and about as forgiving as anything in its category.  Pulling the trigger.

[kiwihacker]

9 hours ago, AndersUK said:

Tried the ZX7 today through one of Srixon's own fitters and they are impressive combined with the Modus 105x he fit me in. Also went 2* flat as he noticed my left miss was mainly due to the heel digging in.  That fix alone took ball speed from 120 to 123 with an average carry of 170 using reduced distance (85%) range balls.  Ball speed with my P790 were 126 and just under 120 for my Z965's as a comparison. 

 

Not as long as the P790 but never expected them to be.  I only game the P790 in windy or very cold winter conditions to provide a little extra help but I expect I will now use the ZX7 all year round.  Never even tried the ZX5 as the fitter advised against it and recommended a full set of ZX7.

 

They are as soft as anything I have hit and about as forgiving as anything in its category.  Pulling the trigger.

Can I ask what handicap you are? I'm interested in the fact the fitter did not recommend hitting the ZX5s. I'm a mid handicap, currently 14, and I was thinking of a mixed set originally but recently I've begun leaning more towards a full set of ZX5s. As soon as they're back in stock that is! 

[anth]

On 5/17/2021 at 5:54 AM, kiwihacker said:

Yes I'm aware of that but can you specify which irons you bend? Ordering online it seems like an all or nothing selection. Looking at the lofts I might leave 5-8 standard and bend the 9 & PW 1° weak. Or alternatively bend the 5-8 1° weak and the 9& PW 2° weak. That would give me identical lofts to the ZX7s. 

Depends where you place your order.

 

Some places will let you customise each club individually.

[nostatic]

6 minutes ago, anth said:

Depends where you place your order.

 

Some places will let you customise each club individually.

I ordered mine as one-offs or a couple at a time from Carl's, and you certainly can set the details for each club. Same at the Srixon site, you just have to spec them one at a time. The Srixon site won't always allow you to pick all of the shaft options though, hence me going through Carl's most of the time.

[AndersUK]

7 hours ago, kiwihacker said:

Can I ask what handicap you are? I'm interested in the fact the fitter did not recommend hitting the ZX5s. I'm a mid handicap, currently 14, and I was thinking of a mixed set originally but recently I've begun leaning more towards a full set of ZX5s. As soon as they're back in stock that is! 

 

13 and trending down.  Iron play is the strongest part of my game (probably more like a 6-8 cap) but eyesight issues and depth perception usually results in 4 or more 3 putts per round and the odd 4 putt.  Can be loose off the tee too.  This is why I now play with a driver and 2i down to 58* with my 2i being the club of choice on many tee shots.  I am a short a** and fairways are hook machines for me. Other players often ask how I am a 13 cap and then see me putt.  I will be working on putting a lot this season!

 

As the OP pointed out the forgiveness between the ZX7 and ZX5 is marginal and it is more down to what the player feels comfortable with and/or if they require additional ball speed.

 

Other than a strike towards the heel during the lie angle test my center strike average was within 0.2mm of center.  This and the fact I don't want more ball speed is why the fitter recommended ZX7 throughout.  Forgiveness can be overrated and I think it is more mental than anything else.  The heel strike went just a far as the center strikes BTW.  Some players feel more confident when a club head offers much more perceived forgiveness on poor strikes even when actual additional forgiveness is very small.  However, if that confidence helps them find the center of the club more often then it will certainly help their game.

 

So the question you need to ask yourself is do you need more ball speed than the ZX7 can deliver and/or will the ZX5 give you the confidence to find the center of the face more often?

[anth]

I actually think the question that needs asking relates to gapping and how the irons fit with your wedges.  A 44 degree ZX5 PW can be a beautiful thing but what’s the next club in your bag?

 

And maybe you need the extra launch provided by the ZX5 in the long irons?

 

But in terms of forgiveness I don’t think there’s that much in it at all.

[kiwihacker]

I haven't seen the ZX5s in person as when I was finally able to visit a shop that sells them they had sold out! They had a set of ZX4s which are probably a bit chunkier than what I want and they also had a set of ZX7s and at address they looked a smaller profile club head than what I am after. I'm hoping the ZX5 will be the perfect tweener although I know many have said they look very similar at address.  But looking on the Srixon website the ZX5 is definitely slightly larger than the ZX7 even if it is only a subtle difference. 

[kiwihacker]

59 minutes ago, anth said:

I actually think the question that needs asking relates to gapping and how the irons fit with your wedges.  A 44 degree ZX5 PW can be a beautiful thing but what’s the next club in your bag?

 

And maybe you need the extra launch provided by the ZX5 in the long irons?

 

But in terms of forgiveness I don’t think there’s that much in it at all.

Well I've come around to the idea of just getting the set gap wedge which is 50°. Does seem a big gap though from 44° to 50° though. The other idea is to bend the irons 1° or 2° weak. A 46° PW is ideal as it gaps perfectly with a 50° wedge. 

 

Otherwise I'd probably be looking at a 48° CBX 2 wedge as my next club. 

Edited May 20, 2021 by kiwihacker

[nostatic]

4 hours ago, kiwihacker said:

I haven't seen the ZX5s in person as when I was finally able to visit a shop that sells them they had sold out! They had a set of ZX4s which are probably a bit chunkier than what I want and they also had a set of ZX7s and at address they looked a smaller profile club head than what I am after. I'm hoping the ZX5 will be the perfect tweener although I know many have said they look very similar at address.  But looking on the Srixon website the ZX5 is definitely slightly larger than the ZX7 even if it is only a subtle difference. 

 

ZX5 is in-between - the 4 is a wide body. 5 is a bit closer to 4 than 7 though depending on the iron. Once you get down to 5i you can see the back of the ZX5 at address, but you see more with the equivalent ZX4 club.

 

As for wedges, it depends on how you play them. Right now I have 46* PW, and have been experimenting with both 50* and 52* CBX2. My highest loft is 56* by choice. I think the 51* ZX7 AW will be the right answer. If I was in a 44* PW I'd probably be looking at a 49* or 50*. I'm ok with a bit more gap as I don't mind hitting partial PW shots, but if you prefer as many full swings as possible and hit wedges a fair distance, then 4* gap might be the right answer.

[EastTNGolfer]

Got the ZX5 Utry set out from global golf on the range today. Came with the Nippon Modus 105s, never tried those before but man did they feel nice. Well struck shots felt amazing and the mishits were noticably better than my current gamers. Can't wait to take these out for a practice round tomorrow.

Edited May 21, 2021 by EastTNGolfer

[bogey777]

So was wondering if anyone has used ZX utility for their long irons i got a 2 an it hides the back of the club nicely ....So i was thinking of going zx5 5-pw an then 2 utilities i will figure the gapping issues 

[vancouver81]

On 5/20/2021 at 3:27 AM, kiwihacker said:

I haven't seen the ZX5s in person as when I was finally able to visit a shop that sells them they had sold out! They had a set of ZX4s which are probably a bit chunkier than what I want and they also had a set of ZX7s and at address they looked a smaller profile club head than what I am after. I'm hoping the ZX5 will be the perfect tweener although I know many have said they look very similar at address.  But looking on the Srixon website the ZX5 is definitely slightly larger than the ZX7 even if it is only a subtle difference. 

From address the ZX5 and ZX7 are VERY hard to tell apart, particularly from 7-P. Sole is certainly larger on the 5s, though not obnoxiously so in mid/long irons.