Looking for some New Irons....

[2puttchris]

Wanted to get some thoughts for from everyone on some new irons. I was looking at the new Srixon zx4 or zx5 compared to the mizunio jpx hot metal pro. Wanted to see if anyone else has compared them as well or if anyone else has other irons that they would throw in an iron shootout. I use to play a lot more with a lot more and practice more but since having kids that has stopped. Getting back into the game more now, but my current old set of Adams XTD tour irons are not as forgiving as I need now.

 

Open to other options as well, so please let me know what you guys might try as well. 

[areksoo25]

I did a fitting a few months back.  The JPX 923 HM Pro and ZX5 MKII stood out the most out of the clubs I tried.  The feel and forgiveness was about the same on both, but I'm a mid handicapper, so take that for what its worth.  The lofts are different.  ZX5 are higher lofted than the ZX4 (I didn't try these) and the HM Pro are even more lofted than the ZX5. 

 

It was basically a tie for me.  Ultimately, I went with the JPX 923 HM Pro.  They were slightly longer and IMO looked better.  

[dasparks]

Those are both excellent iron options. The soles are different but otherwise somewhat comparable irons IMO. I strongly recommend testing off grass if you can

[SEP1006]

PXG XCOR2's

 

Go to You Tube and pull up the reviews. Has got to be the best value for the money in golf.

[Pack7483]

49 minutes ago, SEP1006 said:

PXG XCOR2's

 

Go to You Tube and pull up the reviews. Has got to be the best value for the money in golf.

Agree 100%.

[golfinbrad]

Srixon is a good choice. I would look at the Edel SMS, Cobra CB/MB and Tours as well.  Good luck.  Lots of good options.

[sm_watts]

If you have any club-making skills, the 2023 line of Maltby irons from golfworks is pretty impressive.  I would put the TS3's up against any of the big name brands out there.

[DJ07]

5 hours ago, 2puttchris said:

Wanted to get some thoughts for from everyone on some new irons. I was looking at the new Srixon zx4 or zx5 compared to the mizunio jpx hot metal pro. Wanted to see if anyone else has compared them as well or if anyone else has other irons that they would throw in an iron shootout. I use to play a lot more with a lot more and practice more but since having kids that has stopped. Getting back into the game more now, but my current old set of Adams XTD tour irons are not as forgiving as I need now.

 

Open to other options as well, so please let me know what you guys might try as well. 

Obviously, there are tons of great options out there and some even sleeper/lesser known picks that others have mentioned (Edel, PXG, Maltby).  Based on your note of looking for something somewhat forgiving, but still fairly compact and with good feel, the Srixon ZX4/5 is a great start along with the Hot Metal Pro. I would second the recommendation for PXGs. Never hit them, but I have played with numerous people that play PXG and never heard any bad things about them.

 

If you wanted to go ultra premium and for ultimate feel, Miura just came out with a new CB 302 with stronger lofts and wider sole to cater to more mid-handicap golfers. I play the prior CB 301 and love the feel and forgiveness, and it seems Miura made the new model a bit more forgiving. I have also played the Titleist T200 and really liked those a lot in the mid/long irons. They didn't provide the feel I wanted in the short irons which led to the Miuras.

 

Taylormade P790 is always usually in consideration for that players distance-type iron.  I have also hit the prior Callaway Apex in fittings and liked them as well. The Ping i525 is good if you want distance, but I personally wouldn't play a whole set of them. The G430 irons are a bit more on the game improvement iron spectrum, but I have seen a lot of positive reviews on distance and consistency for those. If you wanted to go a little more cost friendly, the Wilson D9 forged could be an option. I haven't hit the D9, but I really liked the D7. I have also seen and heard a lot of good things about Sub70's offerings as another lower priced option.

 

Plenty of options out there that I would recommend demoing if you have a place to do so for free then doing a fitting of the 3-5 you liked best to dial in and see what give you the best performance.

[2puttchris]

How do the PXG XCOR2's feel? I thought about the 0311 but those are a bit more expensive. 

[jomatty]

A combo set with the 5-6 irons in the mkii zx4 and the shorter irons in the mkii zx5’s would be tough to beat.  Something like the Taylormade p790’s/ping i525’s would be worth hitting.  Personally I would want to hit the Mizuno pro 225’s next to the hm pros to see if the 225’s offered enough forgiveness.  I have a set of those and they are very forgiving and look really nice over the ball.  The other set I would seriously consider would be a combo set of the Apex line from Callaway.  
If you want to save some money there are also some DTC brands that make good sticks.  PXG has been mentioned and is tough to beat if you like one of the stock shafts.  Takomo, sub 70, and Haywood are all very competitively priced.  New Level makes great clubs but has gotten pricey for a DTC brand imo.

Anyways, given what you described, those are the clubs I would look at.  You probably won’t be able to hit all of them but it at least gives you some things to look at (ok a lot to look at but I tend to get carried away). 

[F1Aussie]

Last week picked up my new wilson dynapower irons, very impressed with them, hot face, good dispersion and very long, very forgiving, feel very nice

[nectarpavla]

I’ve been eyeing the Srixon zx5 and zx7 maybe doing a combo set, the mkii series are compatible with the lofts now I believe.  

[lambo428]

I don't think any iron will save you, if you are unable to prcatice/play at least a couple of times a month.  That being said, I'm very impressed with the 2021 Titleist T-series irons, specifically, the T200: great feel and accuracy.  If you'd like a thinner sole and great feel T100 / T100s; a little wider sole and little offset: T200; more distance and more offset: T300; all out distance with low spin T400.

 

Also like the 1st gen ZX4 which are very long but sole didn't work for me and certainly don't feel as well as the T-series.

[JetPilot]

I really wanted to go with a sexy option like Srixon or PXG.  Tried multiple times.  For this 9 hcp there is just nothing that beats Callaway Apex series.  I played the original Apex (16?) and tried multiple times over the past 5-6 years for something to beat them out.  The Apex 21 Pros finally did last year.  I love them.  

[Tiptx1122]

I went with JPX 923 HMP's over ZX5 as the newer ZX4 are more of an improvement over last year and the ZX5's more people like last years model so for what it's worth go demo them if you can. I like the feel, looks and the accuracy as the ball just flies with a nice penetrating flight with no problem of holding the greens. Now I do play SteelFiber shafts as this might have helped but I have not had to have a break in period with them. Very easy to hit with plenty of forgiveness. 

[Ripken08]

13 hours ago, Tiptx1122 said:

I went with JPX 923 HMP's over ZX5 as the newer ZX4 are more of an improvement over last year and the ZX5's more people like last years model so for what it's worth go demo them if you can. I like the feel, looks and the accuracy as the ball just flies with a nice penetrating flight with no problem of holding the greens. Now I do play SteelFiber shafts as this might have helped but I have not had to have a break in period with them. Very easy to hit with plenty of forgiveness. 

Off topic, but how do you like the steelfibers?  I am planning on ordering HMPs soon.

[Tiptx1122]

11 hours ago, Ripken08 said:

Off topic, but how do you like the steelfibers?  I am planning on ordering HMPs soon.

SteelFibers play a little firmer to flex as I had mine soft stepped so this is one thing to consider if you never played them before. I like the feel as I played Recoils as they were nice but my dispersion is much tighter with the SF. Feel is subjective as the Recoils were softer but they also would ballon on me as the SF's give me a nice penetrating ball flight and do well stopping on the greens. The other thing I like about the SF's are they respond nice to a 3/4 to an all out aggressive swing. They are a bit pricey but I feel they are well worth it.

 

I've only played SF with Titelist, PING and now my HMP's as this has been a very good combo for me. One of the very few times I can ever remember not having to adjust to a set of irons as they performed better than expected as I'm not talking about the honeymoon effect either. Mizuno has a pretty good line up as it's been over 10 years since I last played them as they were my MP64's. I guess I just got all caught up in the hype of advertisements but if you're considering the HMP's make sure to demo them and get the correct weight and flex in your SteelFiber's. You can't go wrong as these are easy to hit with a great feel even better than some forged brands out there and forgiving as an GI iron.  

[mikec3672]

Last years ZX5 are on sales for $850 (or so), wherever you can find them (eg TGW). To me, they are every bit as good as the ZX5 MKII's, if not better than them. Love love love them with the Recoil 95 F3 (Regular) stock option. Right now, the i230's (Aerotech i95 R) and ZX5's are fighting for the most bag time, with the P790's waiting for a reshaft (KBS C-Taper Lite 105 R). I would add that the key is to find your goldilocks shaft flex and weight. For me in irons it's 95 grams R that play slightly firm, like the Aerotech's, and the same can be said for the C-Taper Lite R 105's. The Recoil 95 F3's, play a touch softer, and demand a ever so slightly more rhythmic swing. Anyway, while they last, the price of the ZX5's is amazing for a forged iron that feels great, flies high, and is easily adjustable (loft and lie). Honestly don't know why I moved on from my first set of ZX5's.

Edited May 16, 2023 by mikec3672