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Review: Srixon Z 745 Driver

Srixon brought their A to Z game to the US
Golfers are familiar with the Srixon name, but mainly as a golf ball.  The Z-star line has been around for a couple years.  If you are a golf internet nerd, then you’ve also seen the cool Srixon clubs available overseas, but not in the US.  Things are changing in the Srixon/Cleveland Golf partnership.  Cleveland looks to be focusing on their bread and butter market, while Srixon is going after the high-end market of drivers and irons.  The Z series drivers, Z 745 and Z 545 are their first mainstream driver launch in the US.  This is not just a half-hearted attempt to cash in on the exotic nature of Srixon, but they brought their A to Z game to the US with the Z 745 driver.  It hits every category right on the head: looks, sound, feel, playability, spin; you name it, the Z 745 has it all, A to Z.
Drivers come in all shapes, colors and gadgetry imaginable these days.  Srixon opted for a classy, sophisticated look with the mostly black head accented by silver details and the full-score-lined silver face.  While it isn’t retro like the Cleveland Classic drivers, the full-score-lined silver face harkens back a couple of years ago, but yet seems to blend into the driver perfectly.  The glossy and matte sole finish looks amazing.  The 430 cc head appears to be just the right size when looking down at address. In terms of looks, this may be the best looking driver in years and certainly the best looking new driver. 
 

The Srixon Z 745 driver is designed for the better golfer.  The 430cc head along with lower spin and launch mean that a more accomplished golfer will see greater results from this driver.  So this isn’t the most forgiving driver by design, but certainly forgiving enough for many mid/low handicap golfers.  The face is big and the variable thickness face designed to help with low heel shots angling toward high toe shots seems to work.  I’m no robot when it comes to a driver swing, but I had pretty consistent results hitting all over the face of this driver.  At 205 gram head it is on the heavier side helping increase MOI.

The feel of the Srixon Z 745 head is near perfect.  There is just enough titanium sound and pop to make it feel hot, without getting tin-canny or high-pitched.  It has a very muted “thwack” at impact that feels so solid as the ball rockets off the face.  I would put it in my top 5 in terms of feel.

Since COR has somewhat maximized distance on center hits for most drivers, dialing in spin and launch parameters to get the most out of the driver is still key.  The Srixon Z 745 driver has an adjustable sole weight low and forward to reduce spin and launch going from the lightest weight to the heaviest.  The stock 7 gram gives it a good feel and good mid-range numbers, but I went up to the 11gram weight to lower spin and launch.  It did what it was supposed to do without get unplayable.  I rarely have issues of launch height and this 9.5* had no a problems getting the ball up into the air, and with heavier weight, kept the spin down too for the best launch/spin number from this head.

The Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Black 60 is a solid shaft paired with this excellent head.  I was very happy with the results in terms of launch, feel and control.  I think there are some better shafts out there, even some better stock shafts available, but this shaft certainly does a good job of feeling good and keeping the ball in the fairway.  If you had a Cleveland shaft you really like from the Classic XL Custom that will work in this head too.

On paper and at the range, the Srixon Z 745 driver is the whole package.  On the course it shined just as brightly as I had hoped.  I was able to get a good 7 rounds in with this driver and was really happy with my scores and my driving of the ball.  I was in that 11 to 12 fairways hit per round and was more than comfortable with the length.  It was as long as other drivers I’ve played recently, nothing “blow you away”, but more than equal to the competition.  In the neutral setting I could see a tendency for ball to leak right at the end of the flight.  Not wide right, just moving toward the edge of the fairway.  Since the adjustable hosel is there to help with those issues, I rotated the hosel a couple slashes, surprisingly not the way you’d expect.  I actually opened the face, which you’d think would cause it to go more right, but it actually helped me hit the ball straighter.  I’m guessing it helped with my alignment and my confidence more than anything to really fire through the ball since I didn’t fear the “lefts” now.   If anything I’d say this head has a slight anti-left(fade) bias.

Srixon isn’t new to the driver market, just new to the US.  It is a big move with the current golf economy, but they did it right.  The Z 745 is one of the best complete drivers in terms of performance, adjustability and aesthetics; low spin, awesome sound/feel, forgiveness, and great looks make this a driver you need to check out.  Srixon brought their A to Z game with the introduction of the Z 745 driver.

Check the price online here

For more information: www.srixon.com

Quick Hits
+Stunning looks
+Adjustable spin
+Solid feel
+Playable forgiveness
+Solid stock shaft
+All-around performance

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