Review: Srixon Z-TX Driver

The Srixon Z-TX driver, with its "Tour Extreme" designation on the sole, is a good looking and performing driver for a variety of handicaps. A Twin Cam sole adds weight for heel-toe stability. The topline is clean and conceals the actual size of the driver head. In testing, average hitters liked the looks of the club while speedier swingers claimed increased distances.

November 2009 - Srixon is becoming better known as a golf brand all the time outside of its Japanese home. Srixon golf balls are played by many pros on tour, but what any club-making company most hopes catches the public's imagination is the driver. So it makes sense that when Srixon introduces a driver it has to be great looking – check; hit it long – check; and sound great – well, sorta check.

The Srixon Z-TX driver certainly has a "wow" looks factor. And why not? It was designed with input from some of the world's best golfers, the Srixon staff on the PGA Tour. The topside does a very respectable job hiding 460cc of volume in a semi-traditional shaped head. The sole, which carries the words "Tour Extreme," looks like a mix of high-tech and high-design. Several areas of relief have been engineered into the sole, to which weight has been re-distributed in meaningful areas. Srixon calls this its Twin-Cam sole design, with a few extra grams of weight each in the heel and toe. The result is greater stability at impact.

So how does the Srixon Z-TX driver, this "Tour Extreme" driver, perform? The club was hit by low, middle and higher handicappers during our testing. The biggest "gotta get one" cry came from the low-handicap group. Off the tee, the Z-TX driver was workable, but also provided power. There were several big hitters whose jaws hung in disbelief as if to say "where have you been all my life, beautiful?" Long hitters were looking at 5-9 yards extra on average.

Mid- and higher handicappers found the stick to be just as long as other drivers in the marketplace, but the extra distance gain seemed to go to the power hitters. Perhaps it was the proprietary low-density titanium that unlocked a few more yards.

On the other side of the ledger, a few had negative feedback about the sound. The sound was a sort of hollow, empty clank – which, when coming from a driver, may not be the best confidence builder. But there was little else to complain about. A beautiful faux black leather headcover with silver trim adds to the elegant look of this club.