Srixon for Beginners and High Handicappers: What to Buy First

Is Srixon right for a beginner?

Yes, with one caveat. ZXiR is a genuinely good game-improvement iron and the pricing means a new golfer can afford a fitted set rather than an unfitted compromise.

The caveat is that Srixon’s reputation is built on forged players irons, and that reputation exerts a pull worth resisting. If you buy Srixon early, buy ZXiR without embarrassment.

The right models

Irons — ZXiR. The most forgiving in the range. If your strike is already reasonable, ZXi4 instead.

Driver — ZXi RKT Max. The forgiving head, with more loft than you think you need.

Fairway wood — ZXi RKT, in a 5-wood rather than a 3-wood. Far easier and far more useful.

Hybrid — ZXi RKT hybrid, replacing your 4- and 5-irons.

Wedges — Cleveland. Remember Srixon does not make them. Smart Sole Full Face or CBZ Full-Face are the forgiving options, or simply the set pitching wedge plus one sand wedge to start.

Putter — Cleveland, or anything that suits your stroke. This is not where a new golfer’s money should go first.

What to leave alone

ZXi7, ZXi5, ZXi RKT LS and ZXiU. All good clubs, none of them helpful to you, and several actively harder to play.

The utility iron in particular is a trap for newer golfers — it looks like a solution to the long-iron problem and is actually a harder version of it. Take a hybrid.

Avoid buying fourteen clubs at once

You will use half of them badly and replace much of the set within two seasons.

A sensible starting set

1. Driver
2. 5-wood
3. Hybrid
4. 6-iron through pitching wedge
5. Sand wedge
6. Putter

Eight clubs cover almost everything. Add more as gaps appear in your actual play rather than filling them in advance.

Where the money should go

Get the length right. Standard length suits a narrower range of people than the industry implies, and clubs that are too long are the most common equipment barrier for new golfers.

Take lessons. A lesson costs a fraction of a driver and will improve your golf considerably more. Srixon’s pricing makes it easier to afford both.

Buying used

A previous-generation ZX set in good condition is excellent value, and Srixon’s steeper depreciation makes it better value than the equivalent from a premium brand.

Check the grooves, check the grips, and have lofts and lies checked once you own it.

Buying tip: Buy ZXiR and spend the difference on a fitting. A fitted ZXiR set beats an unfitted ZXi5 set for a newer golfer by a wide margin.

Model names current as of September 2026.