Review - Srixon Z 355 (Driver)

I have had the privilege to swing many new releases of golf equipment over the last five years... most of those since developing my website (alexandertothgolf.com) and now blog which of course is where you are right now. It's amazing the trends that have developed in that time. Total and complete adjustability, the use of multiple material in the production of clubheads, and of course the use of ultralight shafts. As we all know the reason for this is to allow the average golfer the opportunity to generate more clubhead speed resulting in more distance or so the story goes. Of course, there are other variables in achieving more distance like making contact with the sweetspot of each individual club. This is part of the beauty of the game of golf. You don't have to be a "knuckle dragging neanderthal" to be good at this game or to hit a golf ball. But I suppose that it can help.

Just to touch on the use of ultralight shafts and heads to generate more speed. While I mostly agree with the theory behind it, it is my opinion that it truly isn't the real solution to more distance. Honestly, my take on this direction took place a few years ago when I had to add 13 half-inch strips of lead tape to the back of my wedges to bring the swing weight up. This is very important to me because prior to the addition of the tape I could not feel the club through the impact zone. The result poor feel with poorer results. That is why when I first saw the Srixon Z 355 at this past PGA Show I became a very intrigued golf blogger/reviewer.

Photo Credit: Srixon

The question that you might ask is... why? The answer to the question is a relatively short one. While other manufacturers were running with the ultralight 'football" Srixon was doing something that was a little different yet not entirely new. Wito as th the Z 355 Srixon introduced technology that they referred to as "Action Mass Technology". With Action Mass Technology what you get is a heavier head with an ultra-high balance Miyazaki Jinsoku shaft. The head comes in at a now burly 211 grams and the combination makes for a deadly combination of increased speed and a swing that can deliver more frequent centre of the face strikes. Other features of this creation from Srixon also includes a 6-4 Titanium head, a Swingweight of D-8, a head volume of 450 cc's, and a length of 45".

When I first put this driver in my hands I was very pleased with the mass in the head. Maybe... just maybe Moe Norman (who was known for playing with heavy clubs) was smiling down from the fairways above. The other thing that I noticed was the sleek black head (with silver face) and a relatively deep face. These are all things that I like. In particular the silver face because as much as I like the black finishes on the faces of various golf clubs... I am also "anal retentive" about the appearance of my sticks. Overall, if I had to use one adjective to describe the head it would be "clean". The head of the Z 355 is void of any alignment aids. Looking down at address I felt that the hosel could have been a tad more streamlined but that is me nit-picking. It definitely is not distracting and it most certainly is not a distraction nor "deal breaker". The Miyazaki Jinsoku shaft pairs extremely well with the head and overall the aesthetics of the Z 355 is best described as "simple elegance"

Photo Credit: Srixon

Photo Credit: Srixon

When it came to the performance of the Z 355 I will say that it delivered. The reasons go back to the Action Mass Technology. Think about it this way. It's autumn (first day in fact) and apples and pears are in season. Grab two branches... one with fruit on the end the other without. What branch will flex more? Of course, it's the one bearing fruit. Mass. This is my issue with lightweight heads and shafts. To effectively make the shaft work the way that it's supposed to you have to swing out of your shoes. When you have the mass at the end, the shaft has no choice but to work more (the way it was intended). The end result is more shaft "kick" which turns into energy transfer... and more efficient energy transfer at that. The other added benefit is the ability to feel the club more through impact. All of this rang true when I made my swings with the Z 355. I felt like the weighting allowed me more time in the hitting area, I felt that all of my swings were smooth, the resulting strikes were more consistent (I currently have a 73 gram shaft in my gamer) and the distance of the Z 355 was very admirable. While at demo day the Z 355 wasn't the longest (but still in the top tier) but it was without a doubt the most accurate. It was silly straight and there was almost quite literally no dispersion. Ball flight was penetrating and the forgiveness of the club really shined because strikes that were slightly off-centre were not severely punished. In fact, for the most part everything was pretty darn straight with not much distance loss. In fact, the Z 355 might be the "Most Forgiving" driver I have ever hit. The feel was solid and the acoustics were not quite as I expected. I guess I expected something that sounded more formidable and not as.. so-so.

I know this review is coming out late seeing that Srixon is bringing out a new range of equipment. However, this product will still be a part of their product line. If lightweight isn't your thing and you're looking for forgiveness and control then look no further than the Srixon Z 355.

Until The Next Tee!