Srixon is bringing to market a new offering in the distance iron category, the ZXi4. Sitting alongside ZXi7 and ZXi5, this iron is all about power and forgiveness. Let’s see if it’s got what it takes to sit among the best golf irons of 2025.
From a technology standpoint, we are looking very much at a hollow-bodied iron. The main body of the iron is ‘i-FORGED’ from SUS17-47 steel, while the face material is HT1770, both of which have been introduced to provide a softer feel than ever before in this model.
Mainframe technology has been added which saves weight and adds MOI through a series of milled channels on the rear of the iron face, which also serves to provide a ball speed boost.
As with the entire ZXi range, the ZXi4 features the Tour V.T. sole, which offers a variety of widths, bounce angles, and notches to provide as smooth a journey through a multitude of ground conditions as possible. Srixon has combined this sole with its longest blade length within the range and its highest offset for maximum forgiveness.
Visually Srixon has done a fabulous job. The combination of shiny chrome with a more matte finish on the face has been executed very well and provides a high-end look. There is absolutely nothing patronizing to the higher handicap player likely to be drawn to this genre of iron, and in fact down behind the ball, they have very much a ‘player’ look to them. While the blade length is ample and the top line is relatively thick, Srixon has kept to the same basic proportions of the ZXi7 and ZXi5 irons in terms of the profile, so it just looks like a friendlier older brother.
While there is a predominant measured offset, for some reason it isn’t as visibly apparent as with some other irons, once again feeding a little more of that ‘better player’ preferred look.
With regard to the performance of the ZXi4 irons, when I saw the loft set up I knew I was going to see some big hits (for context the 7-iron is 28.5°), but it still took me a little by surprise in terms of the numbers I was producing. These are serious distance machines.
Surprising further was the delicate way they seemed to produce this impressive distance with a very soft and subtle impact sensation. There is absolute zero harshness of hit often associated with irons of this ilk, instead a pleasingly muted and syrupy strike that almost disguised the hefty ball speed output.
One thing I am not a massive fan of in these irons is the somewhat non-sensical loft increments that have been implemented. While I am aware of the necessity to modify lofts to match launch characteristics, the lack of uniformity and bunching of increments is a concern to me here.
As a PGA Professional and long-time fitter of golf clubs, I have lost count of the number of times I have seen more moderate swing speed players complain of plateauing and hitting a number of their clubs at the top end of the bag almost the same distance. This is something that will only be exacerbated by the ZXi4 lofts which see as little as 2° gaps at the top end of the set and as much as 6° and even 7° down in the shorter irons. I think this has been done to accommodate a very strong 7-iron in an attempt to win the launch monitor battle at fitting centers but may ultimately cause players issues with their gapping.
That said, along with the impressive feel, I was still seeing some decent launch numbers out of the mid-irons which led to a reasonable descent angle that would allow me to hold most greens even in the summer. The Tour V.T. sole is as impressive as ever producing genuinely optimal and versatile ground interaction in a variety of conditions, which is not always a consideration in the game improvement iron sector.
Overall, I was impressed by the ZXi4. The looks are outstanding for an iron in this category, and the feel maybe even tops that. If you are looking to purchase a set, I would highly recommend getting a custom fitting and check your gapping carefully, particularly at the top end of the bag as some tweaks may be needed.
The ZXi4 Irons will retail from £999 for a 6-piece steel set, while the same in graphite shafts will set you back £1,099.
