With the PGA Tour’s new 2022-23 season set to start on Thursday, several manufacturers are starting to seed yet-to-be-released equipment. That can mean sending clubs to players’ houses so they can start practicing with it at home and bringing it to PGA Tour events for the first time so golfers can ask questions and go through a fitting process under the watchful eyes of company reps and expert shaft technicians.
However, before any of that new gear can be used in official competitions in the United States, it has to be submitted to the United States Golf Association (USGA) and tested to ensure it conforms to equipment standards and rules. If a club does, it is added to the appropriate area on Conforming Club and Ball list. If a piece of equipment fails to conform, the USGA discretely lets the company know about the problem so it can be resolved and re-submitted.
This week, several new drivers from Srixon were added to the Conforming Driver Head list, and they appear to be follow-ups to the company’s ZX5 and ZX7 drivers. While Srixon has not released any official details about the clubs, as you can see in the photos below, there appear to be standard versions of the ZX5 MK II and ZX7 MK II, along with LS versions (which is likely a low-spin option) and some other versions that are designated with numbers and could be tour-only models.
The ZX5 MK II appears to have a large weight in the back that might pull the center of gravity (CG) location down and back, which would boost the moment of inertia (MOI) and increase stability. It would also encourage a higher launch angle and more spin, which for moderate and slower-swinging players would boost carry distance and overall distance. We can also see the words “Rebound Frame” on the toe, which likely refers to the sweet spot -enlarging and ball-speed technology that Srixon designed into last season’s ZX5.
The ZX7 MK II appears to have weights in the heel and toe, and if they are moveable, that could allow players and fitters to create a draw or fade bias. The head appears to be slightly shorter from the face to the back than the ZX5 MK II, so this club might be aimed at better players, as well as golfers who want to tweak their shot shape off the tee.
As more details about the ZX5 MK II and ZX7 MK II are released, Golfweek will report them.
