Review: Srixon Z355 Driver

A Hammer with Auto-correct
For 8 summers I worked construction and I learned a lot over the years about hammers.  At first you think they are all the same, until you grab someone else’s hammer and realize how different it is.  Upon further investigation you realize there are many different head weights, different handles, different balances and that they all really hurt when they hit your thumb.  One thing they don’t have is a way of fixing a miss hit.  It usually means damaged wood, a bent nail or an injured figure.  The new Srixon Z355 reminds me of a hammer.  The heavy head really smashes the ball and it has a little auto-correct feature when you miss hit it.

Srixon’s new driver is different from just about every other driver on the market.  It has a substantially heavier head at 211grams, paired with a very light counter balanced shaft and swingweights at D8.  For me on paper it isn’t a recipe for consistency.  I’ve struggled with both lightweight shafts and counter-balanced clubs.  But for some reason, this one works.  I was really surprised at how well it works.  It feels like it just hammers the ball and even when it felt like a bad swing, a ball that feels like it is going to be lost right, comes back and finds the middle.

Let’s talk the head; it is heavy by design.  While MOI isn’t the big talk anymore, heavier heads have more MOI which translates into more forgiveness.  Secondly the weight is distributed at an angle on the sole in away that an over-the-top move allows the Action Mass to go straight into the ball sending it down the fairway.  And yet for a game-improvement design, it looks very traditional with no alignment aid, a clean black crown, a silver face and a good shape that doesn’t appear closed or offset.

The D8 swingweight and lightweight shaft are noticeable right out of the box.  This club feels head heavy and the shaft has a pretty good “whip” to it.  My expectation was that I was going to struggle finding the fairway.  The whippiness had me thinking it would be very inconsistent.  But it wasn’t.  I found the majority of fairways I played with this driver in the bag.  The “whip” into the ball resulted in consistently solid, long and straight drives.  Even when I felt like it wasn’t going to go straight it still did.  The feel of the face is just like hitting a nail with a big hammer.  It is solid and feels like it is just crushing the ball.

I’m impressed by this “game-improvement” driver that accomplished the goal of hitting the ball straight without goofy looks.  This is a clean looking, easy to hit club.  While some might not like the D8 swingweight as it feels very head heavy, or they might not like the light weight shaft with a pretty good “whippy” feel.  And yes, the better golfer might not like the auto-correct feature of this head either; I have to say, I was surprised and impressed.  Since the static weight is still light, I didn’t feel fatigued either after hitting it for 18 holes.

Flightscope X2 Launch Monitor

Srixon Z355 Driver

    • Spin: 2631 rpms
    • Launch Angle: 15.6*
    • Dispersion: 7.0 yds
    • Club Head Speed: 102.1 mph
    • Ball Speed: 150.9 mph
    • Total Distance:  265.4 yds
    • Carry Distance:  255.9 yds

If you want to hammer drivers that go straight, this is a driver you should check out.  It is pretty straight forward and different.  If you’ve tried everything else with little success, this might be the answer with its Action Mass heavy head, light-weight counter-balanced Miyazaki Jinsoku shaft, and great looks.  Many other game improvement drivers go straight left for me, but this one went straight down the middle.  It feels like a hammer and offers a little auto-correct on those miss hits.

For more information: www.srixon.com

Quick Hits:
+Great classic looks
+Hits the ball straight
+Excellent sound
+Feels like a hammer
+Counter-balance for game improvement

–D8 swingweight feels different
–Whippy feeling shaft