Product Review: Srixon Z 765 Irons

Srixon Z 765 muscle cavity irons

Looking back at my 2017 golf season, I think it’s safe to say this was the “Year of Srixon.” First, I fell in love with the new Srixon golf balls - both the Z-Star and Q-Star Tour. Distance off the tee, accuracy into the greens and feel on/around the greens. These hit the trifecta!

Little did I know, however, that a set of irons would steal the show. I went from not knowing a thing about the company’s irons to wanting every bit of information I could gather on the Z 765s.

The Z 765 is a muscle cavity - offering a traditional blade’s control, but with the forgiveness of the uber-popular cavity back options. These beauties are simply the best of both worlds.

Srixon Z 765 Tour V.T. Sole

In testing the Z 765s, I made consistent contact time after time. Credit the new Tour V.T. Sole for that. For typical amateurs, there’s often a thin line between great and terrible. The line splitting the Z 765s sole increases the likelihood of crisp shots by lessening resistance upon impact.

What does that mean in practical terms? I generally carry my 7-iron 160-165 yards. That said, missing my mark could easily drop me to 150 yards - disaster when there’s water or some other hazard to carry. Of the 100 shots I hit with the Z 765 7-iron, 91 fell within my expected range (five came up short, while four traveled a bit more than expected).

I went into testing long irons with lower expectations. After all, if I hit my 4-iron as consistently well as my 7-iron, I wouldn’t be hovering around a 9 handicap. A solid 4-iron flies between 180-190 for me. That said, crisp contact often eludes and I’ve grown to expect the unexpected. Maybe I should begin to expect more?

In a side-by-side comparison with my current gamer (below), the Srixon Z 765 muscle cavity 4-iron far-exceeded the performance of its competitor. Not only were my distances dialed in, but also accuracy. Stray shots were few and far between and I felt incredibly confident in distance control.

Speaking of distance ... This is where my biggest surprise landed. Not that I was gaining much distance, but that distances were more consistent on miss-hits - not just well-struck shots. While pulled shots generally travel farther and pushed shots often come up short, that wasn’t the case in my range session. At least not to the extreme in which I’m accustomed. In one sequence - on back-to-back shots - I pulled one that traveled 192 yards and pushed the next, which still went 184 yards. In the past, I would’ve expected a yardage in the low 170s on the latter swing. That could be the difference of catching the front edge of the green versus having to pitch over a bunker (or worse ... fish your ball out of the water).

Side-by-side test - Srixon Z 765 beat compititor

This review comes with one caveat. These irons are not necessarily designed for the high-handicap golfer. Look to the Z 565 if you need/want game-improvement irons. Those have the full cavity back (perimeter weighting) for increased performance from off-center hits. While the Z 765 irons do provide some forgiveness, they’re made for a golfer who can consistently hit the sweet spot. Iron play is the strength of my game. Putting is the weakness, which keeps me around a 9 handicap. I’m never too far from the sweet spot, so these irons sing to me. Miss the center more times than not ... It’ll be a sour song.

For the low-handicap golfer who asks, “What about me?” I'd recommend looking into the Z 965 irons from Srixon. If you’re in between (like me), head to the pro shop and take two sets out for some tests ... Just make sure the Z 765 irons are one of the two.

Learn more at srixon.com.