Srixon utility iron adventure/review.

[launcher]

Very quick about me. Getting old, (63). That said, of course losing distance over the last several years. I've given up on drivers, fairways etc. as I really don't feel there's any advancements there anymore. Not for the last 5+ years I would say. 

 

The one club that I think there has been some advancement in is utility irons. I can't play like I used to, but still a decent ball striker. Still would carry a 3 iron, but have replaced that with a utility now. 

 

I've looked at most of the utilities on the market, and decided on Srixons. Just subjective though I guess. 

 

The first one I bought was the U65. It was perfect for me, and I fell in love with it from the first swing. Plenty of reviews on these, so I'll be concise. The U65 is compact enough, but still beefed up. Great off the tee, or from the fairway. Solid, soft, forged feel. Could easily keep this in the bag for many years to come. 

 

Of course, those plans got derailed when the U85 came out. I was able to get one on sale, and went for the upgrade sight unseen. 

 

The U85 is also a very good utility. Also, very soft and forged like. Definitely not an upgrade. More of a lateral move. It was worse than the U65 in one area. It had a lot more metal. Like the bumper off a '57 Cadillac. Could still hit it off the fairway, but much preferred the U65 here and overall.  I did keep the U85 as my gamer though, and relegated the U65 to a backup role. 

 

So recently I did it again. I bought the ZX utility. Also, sight unseen. I almost balked at this one as there were several reviews that gave a poor grade to the sound and feel. Many said that it was more mettalic, and clicky. 

 

The ZX is gorgeous. Very compact. Even more so than the U65. It still inspires confidence, and is beefy enough to give you that extra punch at impact. There's less offset in the ZX, but I have no problem hitting it straight. Very point and shoot. I should have paid more attention to the reviewers that complained about the feel though. The ZX is definitely, without question the worst of the 3 in the sound/feel department. It's by no means tinny, but it is clicky. Not the forged butter soft feel of the previous Srixons. 

 

I will very likely keep the ZX in the bag now, but the moral is, the quest for better and better can often become a quest for worse and worse. I could have easily stuck with the U65, and arguably would say it's the best of the 3. 

 

Hope I didn't get to long or disjointed, but equally hope this helps somebody out. 

 

 

[kearneyhill]

1 hour ago, launcher said:

Very quick about me. Getting old, (63). That said, of course losing distance over the last several years. I've given up on drivers, fairways etc. as I really don't feel there's any advancements there anymore. Not for the last 5+ years I would say. 

 

The one club that I think there has been some advancement in is utility irons. I can't play like I used to, but still a decent ball striker. Still would carry a 3 iron, but have replaced that with a utility now. 

 

I've looked at most of the utilities on the market, and decided on Srixons. Just subjective though I guess. 

 

The first one I bought was the U65. It was perfect for me, and I fell in love with it from the first swing. Plenty of reviews on these, so I'll be concise. The U65 is compact enough, but still beefed up. Great off the tee, or from the fairway. Solid, soft, forged feel. Could easily keep this in the bag for many years to come. 

 

Of course, those plans got derailed when the U85 came out. I was able to get one on sale, and went for the upgrade sight unseen. 

 

The U85 is also a very good utility. Also, very soft and forged like. Definitely not an upgrade. More of a lateral move. It was worse than the U65 in one area. It had a lot more metal. Like the bumper off a '57 Cadillac. Could still hit it off the fairway, but much preferred the U65 here and overall.  I did keep the U85 as my gamer though, and relegated the U65 to a backup role. 

 

So recently I did it again. I bought the ZX utility. Also, sight unseen. I almost balked at this one as there were several reviews that gave a poor grade to the sound and feel. Many said that it was more mettalic, and clicky. 

 

The ZX is gorgeous. Very compact. Even more so than the U65. It still inspires confidence, and is beefy enough to give you that extra punch at impact. There's less offset in the ZX, but I have no problem hitting it straight. Very point and shoot. I should have paid more attention to the reviewers that complained about the feel though. The ZX is definitely, without question the worst of the 3 in the sound/feel department. It's by no means tinny, but it is clicky. Not the forged butter soft feel of the previous Srixons. 

 

I will very likely keep the ZX in the bag now, but the moral is, the quest for better and better can often become a quest for worse and worse. I could have easily stuck with the U65, and arguably would say it's the best of the 3. 

 

Hope I didn't get to long or disjointed, but equally hope this helps somebody out. 

 

 

‘My exact same experience with the Srixon Utility irons. I still have the U65. Had the U85 for a couple of weeks and sold it and went back to my ZU65. 
 

I now have 2 ZUXs. Love them!

Edited August 11, 2022 by kearneyhill

[JDTex]

This is making me nervous. I was looking at a ZX 20* for driving iron spot in my bag. Surprised to hear about a Srixon iron having poor feel. I had a U65 that felt great, but I struggled with the super wide sole off the deck.  

[jfeldt7]

I just put a ZX 20 in the bag with a Tensei White 95TX hybrid shaft in it and it’s an absolute rocket. I’m loving it

 

Feel is great IMO. Mishits feel like mishits and flushed shots feel awesome. 
 

I definitely hit it higher than my set 3i but still can flight it down if needed. No trouble hitting it off the ground or off the  tee. Even strikes low on the face elevate well

[Glock917]

I have also went from a ZU85 to the newer ZX utility both in a 4i with a modus 120X (have not tried the ZU65).  While I can slightly agree with the ZU85 feeling a bit softer and sounding better for my feels I much prefer looking down at the ZX at address which overrides the slight better feel/sound of the ZU85. 

[Valtiel]

On 8/11/2022 at 3:25 PM, launcher said:

The ZX is definitely, without question the worst of the 3 in the sound/feel department. It's by no means tinny, but it is clicky. Not the forged butter soft feel of the previous Srixons. 

 

5 hours ago, JDTex said:

This is making me nervous. I was looking at a ZX 20* for driving iron spot in my bag. Surprised to hear about a Srixon iron having poor feel. I had a U65 that felt great, but I struggled with the super wide sole off the deck.  

Getting the ZX hotmelted is the key. Mine has quite a bit in it and you'd never guess it was the same club in an A/B audio test. Range balls sound like balatas. 

[PowerCobra98]

Completely feel the opposite.  Have the ZX 3i and absolutely love it.  I also have the Mizuno Pro FliHi 3i and the Titleist T200 3i.  All 3 models are excellent and all separate themselves in different areas.  The ZX is pretty much the best of the bunch when you add it all up.    Different strokes for different folks.

[1puttTUT]

I recently when down the utility iron road and picked the ZX over the other offerings I demoed because it had the best feel haha.

 

The other two I tried were the Ping and Titleist. Really wanted the Mizuno, but no lefty option.

[launcher]

I know this thread isn't generating much interest, but just wanted to update on the sound/feel after another round. 

 

On really well struck shots, this club does in fact feel very good, and more than acceptable. I'll stick with my summation that the ZX isn't as soft as the previous offerings, but no problem transitioning. 

[Straphael]

Zx has a unique sound. Almost clicks but not sure how to fully describe it. Feel wise it’s great does it’s job. I think it was a huge step up from the u85 offering. I only found that to work off the tee and struggle off the deck. I come down steep so maybe it’s just the thick bottom of it. Zx works more iron like and less driving iron like. 
only thing is I wish Srixon would catch up with shaft offerings. Their graphite options are really lacking. 

[Zena]

On 8/11/2022 at 3:25 PM, launcher said:

 

 

I will very likely keep the ZX in the bag now, but the moral is, the quest for better and better can often become a quest for worse and worse. I could have easily stuck with the U65, and arguably would say it's the best of the 3. 

 

Sounds like I need to look for a U65 now 😉 Thanks for the info!

[sniper]

I haven’t hit the previous U models from Srixon but put the ZX in the bag in July. Main reason I went with the Srixon is because of feel compared to other OEM options. I am thinking about weakening it a degree. 

[ilikegolf26]

Recently bought a 3 and 4 ZX Utility. I’m pretty surprised by how short and cold they are off the face. Everything feels great when I struck it and the ball flight seems good but when I measure it out or get on a launch monitor the 20* is about 15 yards shorter than the Ping G410 crossover and probably 10 yards shorter than the Stealth UDI in same loft and shaft. I also got the 4 iron ZX 23* and I hit it about the same distance as my PXG 0211ST 5 iron (at 25*)!! Anyone else see big distance losses with these?

Edited November 20, 2022 by ilikegolf26

[Tomlike]

@ilikegolf26 I had the same experience yesterday on the range, first time out with the ZX 4-utility.  I was comparing to a Callaway X Forged Utility 21, so there was a loft difference, but I had a few nice strikes from the ZX that went as far as my ZX-7 5 iron (again, 23 degrees vs 25 degrees).  I will bend the ZX 4 to 22 degrees to help with gapping, but not sure what to make of the apparent lack in distance.  I do love the look and feel, as compared to the Callaway.  

[ilikegolf26]

8 minutes ago, Tomlike said:

@ilikegolf26 I had the same experience yesterday on the range, first time out with the ZX 4-utility.  I was comparing to a Callaway X Forged Utility 21, so there was a loft difference, but I had a few nice strikes from the ZX that went as far as my ZX-7 5 iron (again, 23 degrees vs 25 degrees).  I will bend the ZX 4 to 22 degrees to help with gapping, but not sure what to make of the apparent lack in distance.  I do love the look and feel, as compared to the Callaway.  

Yeah that’s why it’s so disappointing to me. I really like the look and feel. I may just go 5 iron to 20* and then keep my 19* hybrid in the bag. The gaps should be good that way. 

[vtpachyderm]

I have the u85 in a 3 iron, and a zx 4 iron. Both have Recoil 95 F4 shafts which to me made it so easy to hit, and the gapping between my 2 hybrid and my 5 iron is just fine. Haven't had any issues with distance from either of them and I can't see me replacing that 3 iron anytime soon. 4 iron is more to fill the gap to my 5-iron, so if I ever change irons, the 4 will probably go with them.

 

Play them off both the tee and the turf, and they work well for me out of the rough as well. Easy to keep them down when I play in the wind which is often at my home course.

 

Feel wise, I haven't noticed too much of a difference between them, probably because the shaft is pretty good at damping the vibrations.

[1puttTUT]

I also have the previous gen Cobra forged TEC (the first model to go hollow construction), and I prefer them to the Srixon. Thinner leading edge, similar feel, and more forgiving. 

[isitour]

On 8/17/2022 at 6:57 PM, launcher said:

I know this thread isn't generating much interest, but just wanted to update on the sound/feel after another round. 

 

On really well struck shots, this club does in fact feel very good, and more than acceptable. I'll stick with my summation that the ZX isn't as soft as the previous offerings, but no problem transitioning. 

I'm in the market for a Ultlity. Noticing your a Wilson guy, did you try the Wilson Staff Model?

[NZ315]

On 11/20/2022 at 12:34 PM, ilikegolf26 said:

Recently bought a 3 and 4 ZX Utility. I’m pretty surprised by how short and cold they are off the face. Everything feels great when I struck it and the ball flight seems good but when I measure it out or get on a launch monitor the 20* is about 15 yards shorter than the Ping G410 crossover and probably 10 yards shorter than the Stealth UDI in same loft and shaft. I also got the 4 iron ZX 23* and I hit it about the same distance as my PXG 0211ST 5 iron (at 25*)!! Anyone else see big distance losses with these?

Not liking what you are saying. Just picked up a ZX 23* was hoping for it to fill my 4iron spot. I will see what happens with numbers? I was also think of the icrossover. But I picked up the ZX for a great price couldn’t pass up the try.

[launcher]

On 11/28/2022 at 7:38 AM, isitour said:

I'm in the market for a Ultlity. Noticing your a Wilson guy, did you try the Wilson Staff Model?

I definitely took a hard look at it, but had a previous Wilson utility that the staff model resembles. Didn't get along with it too well. After having 3 Srixon utilities now, I can say nothing rivals them. A bit subjective I know, but I can't recommend them enough. No other Srixon offering has any appeal to me, but their utilities are just so good. 

[ilikegolf26]

On 11/28/2022 at 10:17 AM, NZ315 said:

Not liking what you are saying. Just picked up a ZX 23* was hoping for it to fill my 4iron spot. I will see what happens with numbers? I was also think of the icrossover. But I picked up the ZX for a great price couldn’t pass up the try.

I’ve had time to play a little bit more with my ZX 23* and seem to have it going a little farther. My better strikes were showing on my launch monitor about where I wanted to be. My less than stellar strokes were not as punishing as either of the other 4 irons I have. 

Edited December 2, 2022 by ilikegolf26