Srixon ZX4 Irons Review

The new Srixon ZX4 irons offer maximum forgiveness and a boost in distance for players seeking a game improvement iron with a hollow body and appearance closer to a muscle back than cavity. How is this possible? Let’s take a closer look.

Srixon ZX4 Irons Technology

The new ZX4 irons are a fully hollow set created to bring forgiveness to the Srixon iron lineup while maintaining the brand’s signature look and forged feel. The iron’s sharp address view and mid-sized profile give them a palatable shape, while their technologies produce exceptional performance.

Hollow from short to long iron, ZX4 irons give you the freedom to strike the ball across the face while still enjoying high shots that launch straight and find their targets. Premium, high-density tungsten in the base of ZX4’s long and mid irons lowers their centers of gravity significantly, producing a high-launch profile. A forged HT1770 Steel face is strong and light, increasing face-flex at impact for enhanced speed and distance. And a 431 Steel body absorbs vibrations for softer feel.

ZX4 also feature Srixon’s new MainFrame technology, a one-of-a-kind face design that increases ball speed on every shot. Milled into the backside of each ZX4 face, MainFrame is a variable thickness pattern made up of grooves, channels, and cavities. This pattern maximizes COR for more ball speed and enhanced distance. The engineering team used artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop the unique face pattern, with computers running thousands of simulations before settling on the fastest design.

The unique Tour V.T. Sole gives ZX4 smoother turf interaction and improved impact feel. The V-shaped sole glides smoothly through turf, even if you strike slightly behind the ball.

Performance and Feel

My experience with the ZX4 irons has been nothing but positive, and for reasons I did not expect. I’m not typically a fan of game improvement iron designs, and the ZX4 was going to get some getting used to… or at least I thought.

The appearance of these irons are definitely more classic than “bulky”, which will appeal to a wide range of players. I absolutely love the smooth lines and minimal cavity design that blend together to form an iron set that exudes power without looking too harsh. The topline, while slightly thicker than the ZX7 or ZX5, is still much thinner than you’d expect from a club of this category. The overall clubhead size also appears to be within the “moderate” range, which is a plus. Srixon absolutely nailed the design on these irons in every way.

At impact, the ZX4 irons produce a clicking, solid sound that lets you know there’s more under the hood than the other options in the ZX line. The sensation in your hands feels extremely solid at impact, with the golf ball seemingly already off the club face at the time you “feel” it being struck. To me, this suggests a muted feel throughout the club head and shaft leading into the grip, which speaks to the “fast” nature of the club’s design. Said more simply, the ball absolutely jumps off the face when struck, and you feel the contact in your hands milliseconds after.

While the above explanation might be more in the eyes of the beholder, the distance and forgiveness numbers are more objective. The ZX4 irons are roughly one to one and a half clubs longer for me than the ZX5’s and ZX7’s. Shot dispersion, both on the horizontal and vertical axes, appeared to be tighter and more consistent. Misses were still misses, and you still have to make a good move at the ball, but I believe the ZX4’s are the easiest to hit in the new iron family.

Overall Impression

I’ll be incorporating the ZX4, ZX5, and ZX7 irons into my bag in a combo set. I saw the most benefit to my game in my long irons when switching to ZX4. I have no doubt that I just improved my game (in terms of object metrics) at this spot in my bag simply because I added these irons. Gapping throughout my bag will need to be observed throughout the year — as to limit any larger gaps than intended — but it sure feels nice to have confidence over shots greater than 180 yards.

The Srixon ZX4 irons are perfect for players who want more forgiveness at their uncomfortable yardages, which is exactly what I needed. They still require good shotmaking and sound fundamentals in order to get a positive result, but they provide just enough assistance to reward players more often than not.

Retail Information and Pricing

Pricing: ZX4 Irons (8-piece steel) - $1,299.99, ZX4 (8-piece graphite) - $1,399.99

U.S. Retail Launch Date: March 5, 2021