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Gear: Srixon ZX5, ZX7 drivers
Price: $499.99 for ZX5, $529.99 for ZX7, with Project X HZRDUS EvenFlow Riptide shaft or HZRDUS Smoke Black graphite shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip
Specs: Titanium face and chassis with carbon-fiber crown, adjustable weights and adjustable hosel
Available: Jan. 15
Golfers try a lot of things to increase distance off the tee. They try to make their shoulders, hips and legs stronger, do exercises to enhance flexibility and take lessons to improve technique. All of those are important, but as the designers at Srixon point out, efficiently transferring energy created during the swing to the ball is critical. To help golfers do it better, the designers developed a technology for the ZX5 and ZX7 drivers.
The new feature is called Rebound Frame. It is a multi-part system that involves the hitting area, the topline, the forward portion of the crown and internal structures.
Srixon said its Ti51AF titanium alloy allows the clubface to flex easily at impact, as with many drivers. However, a more rigid zone was designed around the perimeter and in the topline, where the hitting area meets the top. Immediately behind that in the crown is another flexible area. Finally, Srixon added stiff rib structures inside the head. These alternating areas of flexibility and stiffness allow a more significant portion of the hitting area to flex at impact and more of the energy a golfer produces to be directed into the ball instead of lost in the deformation of the head.
The ZX5 and the ZX7, which are both 460 cubic centimeters in volume, feature Rebound Frame and have an extremely light carbon-fiber crown. They also come standard with an adjustable hosel mechanism that allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the club’s stated loft. The lie angle and face angle can be changed, too.
Using carbon fiber in the crown helps lower the center of gravity and create discretionary weight. In the ZX5, which is larger from face to back, much of that weight is concentrated in the head’s back in the form of an 8-gram weight. It helps create a higher moment of inertia, so the ZX5 should be more stable on off-center hits and produce a higher launch.
In the ZX7, which has a more traditional pear shape, there are ports to house an 8-gram and a 4-gram weight in the heel and toe areas. Putting the heavier weight in the toe should encourage a fade; affixing the heavy weight in the heel should help golfers reduce the severity of a slice or hit a draw.
Working with a custom fitter, golfers can have other weights installed in either the ZX5 or ZX7 based on the swing weight they prefer.