Srixon rethought its whole process for new ZXi RKT metalwoods | Gear

Srixon isn’t just announcing a new line of drivers; is a complete overhaul of how the company thinks about metalwoods.

The new ZXi RKT line of metalwoods is the product of a new development process for Dunlop Sports (the parent company of Cleveland, Srixon and XXIO), which now focuses on the Srixon brand as its main platform for metals and irons.

“It was generally like rethinking how we design the woods and have them more oriented towards this market and type of PGA players,” Patrick Ripp, Srixon’s Tour Engineering Manager, told GOLF. “From there, we developed a team of prototypes of the Tour and many of the engineers who work on it, they worked with the Tour and other products and had good relationships with the players and good relationships with the representatives and really started to solve the problems that we saw.”

The result is a line of drivers that already has recorded a major championship win and a high-profile DP World Tour win before even being officially released. Both Ryan Fox and Shane Lowry has taken huge wins over the last two months in the game with the ZXi RKT LS+ model.

Several Srixon staff members who previously played competitive products, such as Lucas Glover and Sepp Straka, have also moved into the new ZXi RKT drivers.

It is more evidence of the fact that this version of the driver is very different from any before for Srixon.

Read on below for more on the Srixon ZXi RKT woods, including my take on the release.

Take a cue from Tour

Srixon knew they had a big thing going with irons and golf balls on the PGA Tour and in retail, but the woods didn’t see the same success. In the past, Dunlop Sports had focused on the Cleveland brand for the production of metal woods, but as the brands evolved, Ripp said, Srixon began to take its place, although with more conservative income.

Now the company is focused entirely on the production of metallic wood under the Srixon name, with Cleveland exiting the space earlier this year. The change started with last year’s ZXi metalwoods, but Ripp acknowledged there was more work to be done.

“We had good ball speed in it, but we knew we had some other problems with spin and, more particularly, the sound and the shapes were very similar,” he said. “So it was a big push just from this market on our US Tour to really step up the woods.

“We’ve had such good success with the irons, the wedges have always been really good. Our golf ball has been really good and we really need to level up the woods and reinvest our energy to make better Tour quality woods and then hit the woods that meet this type of US market in a better performance category.”

With that, Srixon created a new Tour prototype team specifically to empower its PGA Tour staff professionals to help shape what they wanted the next driver to look, feel and, perhaps most importantly, sound like.

The result was greater separation between the three models, such as a deeper face and more compact pear shape on the LS model, and a redesigned laser face milling pattern on the face to improve alignment and spin retention in wet conditions.

Time for the launch of the Tour, which took place in the Travelers Championshipthe week later the US Open, was also deliberate. Srixon wanted to get the drivers into the hands of the players as soon as possible, but during a week when they were not prepared for a major.

That timing paid off and the whole process was validated when Fox lifted the Claret Jug in July, using a ZXi RKT LS+ to split the 72nd fairway on his way to a closing birdie.

Putting the RKT in the face

The core innovation of the new line is, aptly, the new RKT face technology, which is actually a combo of a few different things.

Srixon introduces a VR Titanium material in the new multi-layer face with the aim of increasing the speed of the ball in more parts of the face. This is also combined with an updated version of the i-Flex face introduced in the original ZXi generation.

There’s a similar purpose behind the face’s new variable roll profile, specifically the roll of the high toe area, which is an attempt to drive those shots more in line.

“It’s really just more forgiveness and off-center impacts,” Ripp said. “And then the new face material also allowed us to push the speed of the ball a little more than the previous generation.”

The final part of the system is the Frame Rebound, which now uses two flex zones to enhance bullet speed on off-center shots.

Make sound a priority

One element that was a big priority for Srixon was improving the sound of its drivers.

“This is going to be our biggest upgrade that we’ve spent a lot of time, just from the chassis, just the general shapes of the head as the design applied to the chassis, then our rib system optimized for sound, and how unique some of the ribs are,” said Ripp. “It was a great review, how we can make these drivers sound the way we want, by model and by weight location.”

The ZXi RKT drivers introduce new Acousticore technology to tune the sound of each head to match what the target player might expect.

Ripp points out that sound is often one of the first things players notice when trying out a driver for the first time. There were also specific sound targets for each boss.

“We kind of stumbled on it while we were doing some of the research and testing with the best players,” Ripp said. “They have an idea of ​​what a driver should sound based on the appearance. And we tried to dial in what a really good Max head sounds like.

“As muted as our LS is going to be, a fairly neutral one that sounds really crisp and clean is the standard one and the Max still sounds really good.”

The ZXi RKT line

The new line of ZXi RKT woods includes three driver heads (Standard, LS and Max), plus a fairway wood and a hybrid.

ZX and RKT

What is it: The standard ZXi RKT model has Srixon’s traditional shape based on the ZX5 drivers and has adjustable weighting from heel to toe by means of two unique weights. The heavy weight of the stock is in the heel position.

Lofts available: 9.0˚, 10.5˚

Who is it for: The widest range of players who like the Srixon shape and want better sound and feel.

ZXi RKT LS

What is it: A compact pear-shaped 460cc driver with forward and aft CG adaptability through two unique weights. Compared to the last generation, the face has been made higher based on feedback from the Tour, making the head more compact and more attractive to faster players.

Lofts available: 8.0˚, 9.0˚, 10.5˚

Who is it for: Faster players who need to kill spin and want a quieter sound.

ZXi RKT MAX

What is it: The largest profile in the ZXi RKT family, creating Srixon’s highest MOI driver to date. The Max has a single adjustable weight in the rear to change the swingweight.

Lofts available: 9.0˚, 10.5˚, 12.0˚

Who is it for: Players looking for maximum forgiveness for off-center shots and stability.

ZXi RKT Fairway

What is it: A single fairway wood model offers a cleaner and redesigned crown than the previous generation, eliminating the step crown. The RKT fairway wood has a center sole weight located in the center to help control swing weight, especially for different lengths. The fairway wood has the same RKT face technology as the rest of the line.

Lofts available: 3+ (13.5˚), 3 (15˚), 5 (18˚), 7 (21˚)

Who is it for: Golfers who like a traditional, compact fairway wood.

ZXi RKT Hybrid

What is it: Like the fairway wood, the ZXi hybrid features a new adjustable sole weight and RKT face technology. The RKT hybrid features a slightly higher CG to help players produce a more penetrating ball flight with more spin.

Lofts available: 2 (17˚), 3 (19˚), 4 (22˚), 5 (25˚), 6 (28˚)

Who is it for: Players who want a lower flight long iron replacement than a high-lofted fairway wood.

My take: Srixon is a serious player in the driver market right now

If Srixon’s ZXi woods were a small step in the right direction, then the RKT woods are a giant leap.

With each model, Srixon has taken a dramatic step forward in ball speed, forgiveness, look, sound and feel. The sound is so dramatically different on the ZXi LS that I had to double check the sole to make sure I was actually hitting the right driver.

The latest generation of Srixon drivers keep up with many of their competitors in the speed department, but the sound was a non-starter for too many players. Giving credit where credit is due, Srixon recognized this and fixed it with the new line.

The new ZXi fairway wood (which also has a major title in Ryan Fox’s bag) will also be a major competitor in the fairway thanks to the new cleaner look and ​​an easy to launch profile. I found the 3-wood super easy to pick up the turf without taking any divots.

Finally, Srixon has arrived as a serious player in the metalwoods market and if you don’t believe that, just look at the number of Srixon players who have quickly changed to the new models, even those who have not played a Srixon driver before.

Price, Specifications and Availability

View Product

View Product

View Product

View Product

View Product

Srixon’s new ZXi RKT Metalwoods are available for pre-order September 22 and will arrive at the retail locations October 16, the same date as the second generation ZXi irons.

All three of the ZXi RKT drivers will sell $649.99while fairway wood is priced at $379.99 and the hybrid is $329.99.

Stock wood options are from the Mitsubishi Kai’li Dark Waves family (60 White, 60 Blue or 50 Red CB) for drivers and fairway woods and the Mitsubishi MMT HY for the hybrid. More options are available through customization.

Want to find the best driver for your game in 2026? Find a suitable club location near you at True Spec Golf.

“>