Equipment
Srixon ZX5 vs ZX7 irons – A 6 handicapper’s review
In our forums, WRXer ‘SeaIsland’ has shared his thoughts on Srixon’s ZX5 and ZX7 irons, with a fascinating write up in our forums. ‘SeaIsland’ plays off a 6 handicap, and this is what he learned from testing both irons recently:
Srixon ZX5 vs ZX7 irons
I was ready to place my order for the ZX5’s… replacing the 4 iron with the 4/Utility, and go with the TM Sim2 3 and 5 woods because the top set gaps for me were perfect. I am a club junkie, so I replace my bag every two years. I currently game the Ping i500s 4-PW (Modus 120s stiff) and like the setup, but I can’t help but believe at my age (63… 6 HC), a graphite drop to 105 or 95 (shaft weight) wouldn’t be a good move for me. Surprisingly, my miss with the 120’s (really 114g) is a balloon. While I know the i500s are not known for feel, I have to say that any centered strike with any club feels good to me. I like the fact that the Pings have little offset (I’m 2 degrees up already), and I’ve considered replacing the Modus shafts with lighter graphite (MMT 95s or 105s) and re-shafting the Pings/saving a few bucks.
Anyway, I tried out the ZX5’s for the tenth time and finally got an opportunity to hit the ZX7’s with a 95gram graphite shaft (recoils). I’ve never been a fan of the recoils, but I wanted to feel the weight and convince myself that I could drop to 95 vs 105 (btw, the recoils were F3).
Srixon ZX7 irons
Bottom line: I had concerns about the spin with the ZX5s. I’m here to tell you that I hit both the ZX5 and ZX7 well during my test, and the ZX5s carried about 5 yards longer. I also had an occasional flier (not extreme, about 5-9 yards longer). My dispersion on the ZX7s was better, and the spin was 500-800 RPMs more (5000 vs 5800). Peak height was almost the same (29-30). I liked everything about the ZX7s better. Look, feel, etc. Despite the differences being very small, they were not too small for me –the longer I stood over the ball, the ZX7’s kept looking better to my eye. The forgiveness was identical in my experience, and based on the numbers that matter (if you’re willing to give up 5-9 yards in carry), the ZX7’s were superior.
I’ve changed my thinking. 1) I preferred the ZX7s. 2) Although I was ready to get the MMT 105s, I’m going to go with the 95s and pay a slight premium (special order shipping costs only) 3). I’m still going to replace the 4 iron with the utility 4 iron and be done with it. There’s still a chance I may sweat the decision and throw in a ZX5 5 iron, but I don’t think I’m going to do it. The 7’s are remarkably forgiving. If you don’t take anything else away from this post, just know that if you’re even a reasonable ball striker, the forgiveness between these two irons is negligible.
Srixon ZX5 irons
Anyway, I hope this helps some of you who are older, don’t have professional swing speeds, but generally hit the clubface. As stated, I think my epiphany was: 1) No difference in forgiveness. 2) better control and stopping spin with the 7’s and 3) the 7’s are better looking… they may look the same on the rack, but hit a few dozen balls, and they start to look very different, especially if offset matters to you.
Share your thoughts and questions for ‘SeaIsland’ in our forum here.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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No likey big donkeys
Mar 9, 2021 at 12:33 pm
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A. Commoner
Mar 8, 2021 at 9:17 am
Verbosity.