SRIXON/CLEVELAND

'The ZX5 are a brilliant blend of many things that will appeal to so many mid-handicappers'

Z-FORGED £999 Category Muscleback blade

Forgiveness rating 1/5

Handicap range Four and below Construction Forged from a single piece of 1020 carbon steel

7-iron loft 33º

PERFECT FOR… The Z-forged is a lovely blade, with a sleek look and very Japanese high-toe profile, but the fact Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry choose a forged cavity-back ZX7 should set alarms bells ringing for any club golfer finding their heart strings tugged by this model. If you’re the type of player who thinks stronger-lofted irons only ever launch shots lower and with less spin, and swear traditional lofted irons are right for you, you might be disappointed to hear the Z-forged (which are 3° weaker in the 7-iron) peaked shots out lower than the Launcher XL Halo hybrid iron. Crucially, there was also 10 yards of 7-iron carry difference between the two (with the same descent angle) in favour of the Halo, which is food for thought for anyone who doubts modern iron tech can help their game.

ZX7 £899 (s), £999 (g)

Category Players' Forgiveness rating 2/5

Handicap range Six and below Construction Forged from a single piece of 1020 carbon steel

7-iron loft 32º

PERFECT FOR… Plenty of above average golfers say players’ irons shouldn’t have strong lofts or fast face tech as they reckon the pair can lead to inconsistencies. With a 7-iron loft of 32° and a solid, one-piece forged head and no springy face tech, the ZX7 is very much your traditional players’ iron. If you’re a club golfer, think very carefully before plumping for this set without also looking at the brilliant Srixon ZX5. Our data shows you not only give up 2mph of ball speed, but that you’re also losing launch, height, descent angle and six yards of carry (with a 7-iron) to the stronger-lofted ZX5. That’s a massive trade-off for supposed extra consistency between shots.

ZX5 £899 (s), £999 (g) Category Players' distance Forgiveness rating 2.5/5

Handicap range Six and above Construction Forged 1020 carbon steel body with forged SUP10 face 7-iron loft 31º

PERFECT FOR… Players who insist on using really good looking forged iron heads, but also need to factor ball speed and carry into any iron buying decision. The ZX5 are a brilliant blend of so many things important to reasonable club golfers; they’re a really sweet package, so good we reckon this model and the ZX4 will cover off a huge majority of reasonable to mid-handicap club golfers this year. We’ve tested it several times now and 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 midhandicap irons.

ZX4 £899 (s), £999 (g) Category Mid-handicap Forgiveness rating 3.5/5

Handicap range 12 and above Construction Cast 431 body with forged HT1770 maraging steel face 7-iron loft 28.5º

PERFECT FOR… Club golfers who like the thought of playing forged irons, but whose ball striking isn’t quite consistent enough to get the best out of Srixon’s brilliant ZX5. Thanks to having the widest soles, the most offset and the longest blade lengths of the ZX family (plus hollow bodies), the ZX4 are a brilliant fit for midhandicap golfers. Srixon say a cast 431 body absorbs vibration for great feel, while the forged HT1770 face is fast and long. Our data supports that thinking as for our pro the ZX4 was the family’s fastest (by 3.7mph) and longest model (by eight yards, with a 7-iron). A very solid alternative to Ping’s G425, Taylormade’s Stealth and the

Callaway Apex DCB.

LAUNCHER XL £499 (s), £599 (g) Category Mid-handicap

Forgiveness rating 3.5-4/5

Handicap range 14 and above

Construction Cast hollow body long irons with cavity back short irons

7-iron loft 29º

PERFECT FOR… Any head size this big isn’t going to hit the sweetspot with above-average golfers, but that’s not Cleveland’s target audience at all. The Launcher XL is all about enjoying the game without worrying too much about which equipment you have in your hands. We love how the set flows from forgiving hollow body long irons to controllable cavity back short irons; it’s a set-up lots of average club golfers will really appreciate, especially when it comes to flighting long irons for maximum carry distance. It’s not quite as powerful (speed or distance) as the stronger lofted ZX4 (we’re talking three yards for our test pro, which would be even closer at slower speeds), but let’s not forget the Launcher will set you back £400 less than the ZX4.

LAUNCHER XL HALO £499 (s), £599 (g) Category High-handicap Forgiveness rating 5/5

Handicap 28 and below Construction Cast hollow body 7-iron loft 30º

PERFECT FOR… A much wider audience than you might first think. We reserve our forgiveness rating of 5 exclusively for hybrid irons (blades are always one and everything else fits neatly in between), so any golfer wanting to make the game as enjoyable as possible should be playing the Launcher XL Halo. From a 7-iron loft that isn’t the weakest in the Srixon/cleveland range, the XL launches and flights shots high, with a steep descent angle, which means the model is great at flighting shots easily from the turf, and approaches will stop when they hit the green.

'Any golfer wanting to make the game as enjoyable as possible should be playing the Launcher XL Halo'