50 Words or Less
The Srixon ZXi driver has the potential to help the brand break through into the woods market. Elite ball speed, great sound and feel, and very strong forgiveness.
Introduction
Last week, I was having dinner with a fitter who works for a major shaft company. He told me, “I’ve gotten a couple unusual calls recently – people asking if we have the new Srixon drivers in our demo matrix. I’ve never gotten calls about Srixon drivers before.” I had just started testing the Srixon ZXi driver earlier that day, and I told him that he should expect to get that question a lot more as the season goes on. Srixon has built a monster.
Looks
At address, the Srixon ZXi driver keeps things pretty traditional. It’s well-shaped – not overly long with just a little tilt toward the heel. The photo above makes the texture on the crown look more pronounced than it is – in some light, you can’t see it at all. Srixon also kept the unique Y-shaped alignment aid that we saw on the last generation of drivers. My only aesthetic complaint is that the alignment aid is not in the geometric center, which is a peeve for me because I feel like it enhances my tendency to strike the heel.
In the bag, this driver looks great. The center of the sole is gloss black, which is really eye catching against the matte finish everywhere else. There’s also more details on the Srixon ZXi driver than many of its peers – slashes of silver and geometric designs – and I applaud Srixon for going a little bolder. Finally, the headcover displays Srixon’s stock red, white, and black color scheme, and I love that they included the “handle” to make it easier to pull off.
Sound & Feel
First impressions are important, and the Srixon ZXi driver made a great one. My first swing produced an imposing, mid-volume “crack.” The feeling through my hands was even better – the sensation of tremendous speed but without the face feeling thin behind the strike.
As the “middle” driver in the Srixon lineup, I think the ZXi does a perfect job with feedback. You can feel the impact location fairly easily, but the sound stays consistent if you make reasonable contact. When you get to the outer edges of the face, the volume does rise and the sound becomes a less powerful “pop.”
Performance
Given the exhilarating sound and feel, the first thing I wanted to see on the launch monitor was how much ball speed the Srixon ZXi driver was producing. I was very pleased to see that the feel aligned with reality: this club produces elite ball speed. This is thanks to the new i-Flex face design which allows the center of the face to be thinner than in the previous generation.
The ZXi driver stayed impressive with strong ball speed on mishits, too. Shots in the middle of the face lost no more than 3 MPH compared to perfect ones. Even on the really poor strikes, the ZXi kept my smash factor in the low 1.4s which made those shots playable.
As I continued testing, I started to appreciate how straight this driver is. Looking back at my review of the ZX5 Mk II driver [read it HERE], this is something Srixon has carried forward. While I could hit a push or pull, I needed to work to make this driver hook or slice wildly. This gave me more confidence to try to hit controlled fades and draws because I wasn’t afraid of the ball getting away from me.
Turning to launch and spin, the Srixon ZXi driver wants to launch on a medium trajectory with mid spin. Anything in the middle of the face or above launched skyward and carried forever. Interestingly, the ZXi also does really well with thin strikes. Typically a bottom groove strike flies low with ballooning spin, but this driver just hits mid-low bullets. That ability to get a good result up and down the face further contributes to having more confidence on the tee.
The Srixon ZXi driver has two modes of adjustability. The more powerful adjustment is at the hosel. A new adapter sleeve allows you to adjust the loft, lie angle, and face. With three degrees of freedom for loft and lie and six degrees for face angle, you can make substantial changes to your ball flight. The two weights at the back are for fine tuning the direction and swing weight. The ZXi comes with 10 gram and 4 gram weights, and you can buy weights from 2 grams to 16 grams. You can see the impact of the weighting on good strikes, but you shouldn’t expect the weights to fix a big slice or hook.
Finally, the Srixon ZXi driver comes stock with a version of the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue shaft [review HERE]. I know the forums will pooh-pooh this because it’s not the aftermarket version, but it performed beautifully for me. Srixon also has numerous other shaft options from Mitsubishi, Aldila, Project X and more – many available without an upcharge.
Conclusion
The Srixon ZXi driver is the total package. It has elite performance on quality strikes but won’t punish you for misses. The look, sound, and feel are all top notch. Throw in two modes of adjustability and you have a driver that can compete with anything on the market.
Visit Srixon HERE
Srixon ZXi Driver Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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17 Comments
I assume the alignment mark is lined up with the CG?
How many other companies do this you think?
I would think most companies place their alignment mark at the geometric center to keep it consistent thought-out the different models.
Glen,
Yes, I would assume the alignment mark is aligned with the CG – when the weights are in the stock position.
I don’t have any data to answer your second question, but my guess is that most OEMs line up the alignment mark and the CG.
Overall, this is one where I definitely have a preference, but I also recognize the silliness of getting torqued up about a couple millimeters especially when the CG can be moved via weights.
Best,
Matt
Do you have any plans to test the LS version? Awesome review!
Brian,
Yes, we’ll have the LS driver review up in February or March.
Best,
Matt
Are the aftermarket Ventus shafts really that much different?
Brian,
Yes: https://pluggedingolf.com/are-aftermarket-shafts-better-than-stock-shafts-golf-myths-unplugged/
-Matt
Matt,
Would you say this is a major improvement over the zx7ii driver? That review was not as favorable. Trying to figure out if the upgrade to this generation is an upgrade on sound, spin, consistency – which you had labeled as detractors on the previous gen.
Thanks!
John,
There are two things. First, I don’t know how cleanly the ZXi line maps onto the Mk II line, so I’m not sure ZX7 Mk II is the right comp. But that said, I do think this driver is better than anything in the Mk II line.
Best,
Matt
Cheers! Thank you for the response. I’ll check this one out.
I currently have the ZX5 Mk II driver and I absolutely love it. I was fitted and have a Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red shaft on it. I am very looking forward to testing this one out. Thanks for the great in-depth reviews I feel I can always count on from you!
This is likely a dumb question. What is an “aftermarket version” shaft?
Patrick,
There are no dumb questions.
In golf equipment, we use the term “aftermarket shaft” to refer to a shaft the consumer buys directly from a shaft maker. You’ll also see the term “real deal” shaft. These shafts often cost $300 or more.
This is in contrast with the “stock” version or “made for” version that gets put into drivers by the OEMs. These typically have the same name/graphics/branding, but they don’t have the same materials/bend profiles/etc as the “real” versions. For more on this, check out the Golf Myths Unplugged that I linked in a comment above.
Best,
Matt
Got it. Thanks for the explanation!
Great review. Could this driver knock the “gamer” out of the bag? Also, the stock ventus shaft, does it have the velocore technology?
Thanks!!
Rudolph,
No, the stock versions of Ventus do not have VeloCore.
I like the ZXi, but I don’t see it taking out my gamer.
Best,
Matt
Matt, you have many reviews on so many drivers that it feels, sometimes, like a race to the bottom. This Srixon driver reports a shaft length of 45.75 inches. Yes I am looking for a driver (been using the G410 Max) about 4 years. Seems like this Srixon shaft is long compared with your reviews on shorter driver shafts to say 45 inches+/-. All the choices are overwhelming and, frankly, fittings at “free” fitting shops feel designed for generic feedback with “fitting experts” who are reading from a printed bullet-point sheet. These fitters are looking at stats only and dismiss the reality of the golfer in front of them. You get what you pay for?
Steve,
If you look carefully at Srixon’s website, they report that the stock length of their drivers has not changed, but the measured length is different because they have adopted the USGA and R&A’s new measurement method.
With regard to fitting, yes, you get what you pay for. Get a fitting with a fitting company like Club Champion where someone can walk you through the numbers, the options, and show you what you can and can’t gain from a new driver.
Best,
Matt