Golfstead is reader-supported. When you buy through links on the site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Our affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network and Amazon Associates.
Today, I’ll be taking a comprehensive look at the Srixon ZX5 Mk II irons.
Sitting between the game-improvement ZX4 Mk II and players ZX7 Mk II, the “players-distance” ZX5 Mk II has a moderate sole width and is designed to deliver powerful distance and forgiveness in a slim, playable, forged chassis.
The ZX5 Mk II features tungsten and various performance-maximizing technologies. But how does it compare to the original ZX5? What kind of golfer is it best suited for? Is it worth putting in the bag?
Read on to find out what you need to know to make an informed purchase.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The Srixon ZX5 Mk II irons won a gold medal on the 2023 Golf Digest Hot List and enjoy high ratings from critics.
The irons currently have average customer ratings of 5/5 on PGA TOUR Superstore and 4.9/5 on the Srixon store.
What People Like
- great balance between players and GI performance
- superb forgiveness
- higher launch than the ZX5
- outstanding turf interaction
- quality stock shaft options
What People Don’t Like
- sound is worse than the original ZX5 for many
- too similar to the ZX5
The Features
The key features of the ZX5 Mk II irons are:
- Mainframe: this is a milled pattern on the back of the iron that maximizes COR for more ball speed and distance. The latest iteration of this technology also lowers the CG and improves consistency.
- Tour V.T. Sole: a V-shaped sole, with higher bounce on the leading edge and lower bounce on the trailing edge, is designed to glide through the turf so that hitting behind the ball is much less penalizing.
- Progressive Grooves: grooves become sharper, narrower and deeper in the short irons and wedges in order to generate maximum spin and stopping power.
- Multi-Piece Construction: combines a forged SUP10 face with a forged 1020 carbon steel body and tungsten in the long and mid irons. The result is increase MOI, stability, forgiveness, speed and distance, as well as less vibrations on impact.
- Sole Notches: located on the heel and toe, these are designed to improve workability without sacrificing forgiveness.
The ZX5 Mk II makes some small improvements and refinements over the previous model ZX5 iron, mostly when it comes to aesthetics, but the core tech is the same.
Stock Info
4-PW and 5-PW stock sets are available for the ZX5 Mk II, as are individual irons from 3 through AW.
Also available are the Women’s ZX5 Mk II irons in 5-AW configurations. The women’s version has the same head technologies but the shaft, grip, lengths and swingweights are tailored to women to maximize their performance.
The purchase of these irons makes you eligible to receive free Arccos Smart Sensors and a one-year free trial to the Arccos Caddie app.
The ZX5 Mk II irons come stock with the KBS TOUR LITE and UST Mamiya Recoil DART 75/65 shafts. The stock grip is the Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360. Custom options are available.
Below are the specs of the Srixon ZX5 Mk II irons. Click or zoom to enlarge.
The Performance
Distance
Distance results with the ZX5 Mk II irons are healthy. This is pretty consistent with what you’d expect from a strong-lofted cavity back.
There’s one subtle change with the ZX5 Mk II that I really like, and that’s a slightly higher launch of around 0.5°. Since this launch doesn’t seem to increase spin or reduce speed off the face, I ended up getting a few more yards of carry.
This is what I like to see in irons. It’s not necessarily enough to just be “long” — you also need trajectory, spin and stopping power for holding greens. The ZX5 Mk II has you covered in this regard.
Forgiveness
When I reviewed the ZX5, I was impressed at how forgiving it was given the forged elements of the iron. It gave me cause to think that perhaps it was an anomaly and any successor model wouldn’t see the same level of forgiveness.
Fortunately, my suspicions were wrong. The ZX5 Mk II is every bit as forgiving as the ZX5.
Performance in mis-hit regions is above average, and similar to the ZX5, the irons do really well with toe strikes and thin strikes. During my session, my distance loss from mis-hits never exceeded 6% of my optimal distance with the 6-iron which is very good.
Directional forgiveness (dispersions) is also great with the ZX5 Mk II. What no doubt contributes to this is the tungsten in the mid and long irons which really helps increase MOI.
Playability/Trajectory
Compared to the ZX5, the ZX5 Mk II iron produces a slightly higher launch, resulting in a slightly higher trajectory. Spin rates are just right.
A good test of the usability and usefulness of an iron is how easy it is to get the long irons up in the air. The ZX5 Mk II passes this test handily, and even with the 3-5 irons, you should be able to hold greens without too much trouble.
When it comes to turf interaction, I’m just as pleased as I was when I tested the original ZX5. These irons glide through the turf nicely and are very forgiving when you make fat contact (hit too far behind the ball).
At the same time, because of technology like the Tour V.T. Sole, a healthy amount of workability is maintained in the iron. Shots can be readily shaped left-to-right or right-to-left, and they can also be flighted higher or lower as needed.
The Look
When you compare the specs of the ZX5 Mk II irons to the original ZX5, it immediately becomes apparent that everything is the same. The lofts are the same, the lie angles are the same, the offset is the same, and the lengths are the same.
This is certainly one of the most “samey” successor iron models out there, with the exception of the updated badge design. That’s not to say it’s bad, though.
At address, the ZX5 Mk II sets up quite traditional and clean. The top line has a healthy thinness to it, and the blade length and offset help inspire some confidence at address. The sole also has a decent amount of width to it which makes for great turf interaction.
The ZX5 iron’s balanced look sent the message that there was something there for everyone, and the ZX5 Mk II continues this trend with a fresh coat of paint.
The Sound & Feel
I’m not sure what Srixon did exactly, but I was getting a slightly different feel with the ZX5 Mk II compared to the ZX5 and I feel that the change is definitely a positive one.
I can’t even put my finger on any one thing in particular. The feel is still explosive and muted, with that forged construction adding a premium softness to it. It’s not that the feel is noticeably less “clicky” either (there’s still a bit of that). The overall feel is just slightly different and more refined.
The sound at impact is very crisp and is nicely balanced. It’s not too quiet nor too loud, and like the ZX5, the sound gets quieter as you move into mis-hit regions.
Mis-hid feedback is also well-balanced, being informative but not overly punishing. And the turf interaction is right up there with the best I’ve seen in an iron; Srixon simply does a great job with their soles.
Where To Buy These Irons Online
Aside from the Srixon store, if you want a brand new set of ZX5 Mk II irons with custom shafts, grips, lengths, lofts, etc., head over to PGA TOUR Superstore or Global Golf.
Both of these sellers can accommodate custom requests and offer performance guarantees as well as club trade-in programs to help you minimize the financial hit.
Another excellent destination for both new and used ZX5 Mk II irons is eBay. You can often get irons there for prices that can’t be beat anywhere else.
Conclusion
In all my years of reviewing clubs, I have a really hard time thinking of a case where a new iron model doesn’t feature any new tech compared to the previous model. This turns out to be the case for the Srixon ZX5 Mk II.
The ZX5 Mk II is best thought of as a refined, “next-gen” version of the original ZX5, even though there has been very little change to the core technology.
If you already own the original ZX5, it’s probably not worth upgrading. But in its own right, the ZX5 Mk II is an exceptional performer, giving golfers across the skill spectrum launch, speed, forgiveness, workability, and feel.
Are you interested in the ZX5 Mk II irons? Have you played them? What’s your experience? Let us know in the comments below.
