SRIXON/CLEVELAND Category Forgiveness rating Handicap range Construction Category Forgiveness rating Handicap range Construction Category Forgiveness rating Handicap range Construction
If you’re a consistent ball striker looking for Japanese steel, Srixon should be on the list Cleveland has built its name on designing clubs to help average golfers
Z-FORGED
Muscleback blade
1
Four and below Forged from a single piece of 1020 carbon steel
While Srixon has been cranking out really good forged irons for years, Brooks Koepka's decision to switch to a set of ZX7S unpaid elevated the brand to a whole new level of endorsement. The Z-forged is a lovely blade, with a very similar high-toe profile to the ZX7, but the fact a player like Koepka thinks the ZX7S are a better fit for his game should set alarm bells ringing for anyone who finds a set tugging at their heart strings. Seven yards less carry and less peak height, plus a shallower descent angle than the stronger-lofted ZX5 shows brilliantly how good modern weighting and shaft technology is at flighting shots for optimum backspin, height, descent angle and carry.
ZX7
Players 2
Six and below Forged from a single piece of 1020 carbon steel
Plenty of above-average golfers say a players iron shouldn't have a strong loft or any face tech as they believe the pair can lead to inconsistencies. With a 7-iron loft of 32°, a solid one-piece forged head and no springy face tech, the ZX7 is very much a traditional iron. If you're a club golfer, think very carefully before plumping for a set in front of the brilliant ZX5. Our data shows you not only give up nearly 4mph of ball speed, but you're also losing launch, height, descent angle and 10 yards of carry to the stronger-lofted ZX5. That's a massive trade-off for a bit of supposed extra consistency.
ZX5
Players distance 2.5
6 and above Forged 1020 carbon steel body with forged SUP10 face
For players who insist on using really good looking forged iron heads, while needing to factor ball speed and carry distance into their iron buying decision, the ZX5S are a really sweet package. Our data shows brilliantly how the fast-face ZX5 is more than capable of holding its own against a set of more forgiving and stronger lofted mid-handicap irons. See this model as competing with Taylormade's P790, Callaway's Apex 21 and Mizuno's JPX921 Forged iron and you really won't go too far wrong.
ZX4
Category Mid-handicap
Forgiveness rating 3.5
Handicap range 12 and above Construction Cast 431 body with forged HT1770 maraging steel face
Having the widest soles, the most offset and the longest blade lengths, along with hollow bodies, means the ZX4S are a brilliant fit for mid-handicap golfers. We haven't included test data for this model, because we've not hit it yet. But based on the performance of its ZX siblings, we know this is a special iron that explores hollow body technology in a route Srixon haven't followed before. Srixon say a cast 431 body absorbs vibration for great feel, while the HT1770 forged face is fast and long. With a forgiveness rating of 3.5, the ZX4 is a very solid alternative to Ping's G425, Taylormade's SIM2 Max and the Callaway Apex DCB.
LAUNCHER UHX
Category Mid-handicap
Forgiveness rating 3.5
Handicap range 14 and above Construction Cast hollow body 4-7 irons, cavity back 8-GW
No, we've not made a mistake including Cleveland irons right alongside Srixon's line-up. The pair are both owned by the Sumitomo Rubber company, and where they see Srixon as the 'players line-up', Cleveland is much more pitched at average club golfers (with exception of their tour-level RTX wedges). The UHX exploits the modern trend for progressive sets where the head shape and size are bigger and more forgiving in the longer irons and more compact and desirable in the shorter irons. A 30° 7-iron is nowhere near the strongest or most powerful available, but remember that at average speeds, distance gaps narrow.
LAUNCHER HB TURBO
Category Hybrid iron
Forgiveness rating 5
Handicap 28 and below Construction Cast hollow body
We reserve our highest forgiveness rating exclusively for hybrid irons (blades are always one and everything else fits neatly in between), so anybody who wants to make the game as fun and enjoyable as possible should be playing the HB Turbo. Thanks to the wide sole and hollow hybrid head, forgiveness levels are off the chart. But surprisingly, it is also the brand's highest flying model, so shots land on the green at the steepest descent angle and stop quickly.