Hither's a truism for you lot to ponder on this fine Mon: in the game of Metal Wood Musical Chairs, there are but and then many seats. And when the music stops, you better have a chair.

If you lot're TaylorMade, Callaway, PING, Titleist or Cobra, your seats are already saved. You take Tour validation and y'all can advertise the bejeezus out of anything yous sell. Challenger metal woods brands have to take hold of and claw for their seats. The Wilsons, Mizunos and Srixons of the world have to fight every day to attempt to catch that final chair and to get your attending.

With today's release of its new Z 85 line of drivers, fairways and hybrids, Srixon is making a compelling instance not merely for a chair, just a seat at the head table. And they guaranty it.

Hazard, Reward & Z 85

"Yous have to have some risks, otherwise you're not giving the consumer any compelling reason to switch from Callaway or TaylorMade," said Zack Oakley, Srixon'south brand manager, at an equipment acme with MyGolfSpy staffers earlier this month. "Those guys take been at the top for so long, and they make a bully product."

Srixon'south Z 565 commuter was, of course, MyGolfSpy's Near Wanted for 2017, and its amend-thespian focused sidekick, the Z 765, finished fifth overall. Both sold decently at retail, but Srixon is aiming higher this year, and is taking some bold steps to get your attention with its ii new models, the Z 585 and Z 785.

"With these products, we accept something that can stand to, and even surpass, Callaway and TaylorMade in terms of performance," says Oakley.

While Srixon's new Z 85 fe lineup is evolutionary, Srixon firmly believes its new drivers are more of a revolutionary upgrade from its predecessors, featuring three key innovations: a new titanium cup face, a carbon fiber crown and the most upscale stock and no-upcharge shaft offerings the manufacture has seen to date.

Srixon is literally guaranteeing you're going to similar these new drivers.

Yep, that's foreshadowing, but permit's outset past taking a tiptop nether the hood.

Titanium + Carbon Fiber

The new Z 585 and 785 drivers both have titanium cup faces. That alone isn't revolutionary – the Z 65 series drivers had titanium loving cup faces, and then do other drivers. For this become circular, Srixon is using a stronger and lighter titanium, chosen Ti51AF.

"It has a very high forcefulness to weight ratio, and hasn't been used in golf earlier," says Brian Schielke, Srixon's marketing manager. "It's 8% stronger and 1% lighter than Ti half-dozen-iv, which we used before."

What that means is the Z 85 loving cup faces are ten% thinner than the Z 65'due south, and as we've all learned in Golf Physics 101 – lighter and thinner ways hotter and longer. Srixon says the Z 85's take thinner faces than TaylorMade's M4, and a thinner perimeter than both M4 and the PING G400. Their own internal testing shows 2 to 3 MPH more brawl speed than M3, M4, Rogue and G400. While you're right to be skeptical of any OEM's internal testing, we'll share some data from two MyGolfSpy staffers in a bit that will make you go hmmm….

Ball speed, of form, wins on launch monitors and information technology makes Tour players pay attending. None of Srixon's Tour staff gamed either of the Z 65 drivers, but the 85's have most definitely fabricated an impression.

"We have five already in play now, where we didn't take any of the old ones in play," says Schielke. "Keegan picked upwardly brawl speed over his M2, GMac picked upward brawl speed, then did Will McGirt. Ryan Fox, who only lost the Irish Open in a playoff, has one in play."

Both drivers also feature a new carbon fiber crown. Again, not new to drivers, just information technology is new to Srixon.

"The crown is kind of dead weight," says Oakley. "If you can make the crown lighter is lowers the Middle of Gravity and pulls it back a bit farther, so you tin take more than perimeter weighting and more forgiveness."

Srixon sources its carbon fiber from Mitsubishi chemical and, thanks to its Miyazaki shaft factory in Japan, is one of Mitsubishi's largest customers. The carbon formula used in the Z 85's helps not only heel-toe MOI, but also audio and feel. The Z 65 models, while solid performers, could sound a petty clinky, which impacts feel. The Z 85's, however, characteristic more of a muted sound and feel, as though the ball is staying on the confront just a hair longer.

Adaptable vs Non-Adaptable

Both the Z 785 and Z 585 are 460cc and have similar head shapes. The 785 sets up neutral and delivers a more penetrating ball flight, while the 585 has a slight draw bias and a higher launch. One other cardinal divergence: the 785 has an adjustable hosel, while the 585 is not-adaptable.

"We expect the 785 to sell more and fit more golfers," says Schielke. "If you lot're a improve player who likes to fine tune face angle, loft and lie, nosotros have the 785. If y'all just want to hit it straight, high and far, there's the 585."

The 585 does have a slightly college MOI, largely due to the fact information technology doesn't have as much weight in the hosel.

Most every OEM has ii driver offerings, and a growing tendency has been for 1 to take maximum adjustability and the other to accept little to none. TaylorMade's M3/M4 and Mizuno'southward GT/ST are prime examples. Srixon's offering is sorta, kinda similar, although the Z 785 is nowhere near every bit adjustable every bit  the others, and that'south intentional.

"We definitely considered moveable weights – in that location are pros and cons," says Shielke. "Moveable weights are costly, and they exercise take the center of gravity away from the maximum operation surface area."

"Moveable weights certainly assistance you fine tune," adds Oakley. "For Tour guys who can notice a degree or two in brawl flying or a little bit less or a little chip more spin, it probably ways more. For the overall market and nearly golfers, though, you're literally fine tuning with piffling bits and pieces."

"M3 may have more options, just that ways more than worse options," Schielke says. "Weight tracking systems are more of a marketing bullet point."

Shafts, however, are not.

Standard Goes Upscale

Think the MyGolfSpy article on the shady world of stock driver shafts? Well, Srixon is giving made-for and watered-down a good swift kick in the you-know whats. The stock shaft for the Z 785 driver is a real deal, honest to goodness Handcrafted HZRDUS Black.

"Nosotros want to make sure nosotros're giving the about Bout authentic components out there," says Oakley. "These are made at the Project Ten Lab in San Diego, where they make all the Tour parts."

The Z 585 comes standard with the standard HZRDUS Red, just you tin become the handcrafted version with the 585 if you want. In fact, Handcrafted Black, Yellow or Ruby-red are all available at no upcharge. Srixon is the merely OEM offering the HZRDUS Handcrafted as stock.

And remember that foreshadowing alarm from a few paragraphs ago? Well, Srixon is so certain you're going to actually dig its new drivers that it'southward taking the unprecedented stride (for an OEM) of offering y'all a lx-day money back operation guaranty.

"We understand that for woods, Srixon hasn't been a large brand," says Schielke. "There might be some anticipation to endeavour it, and so this lets you lot try information technology risk costless."

At present that's testicular fortitude.

"We weren't going to practise it, and we wouldn't accept done it if the test results weren't so skillful," adds Schielke. "Information technology shows nosotros believe in it, and it'll exist a decent part of our marketing effort. We're going to talk performance first – information technology goes further than your current driver – and we're and so confident that nosotros'll back it up with this guaranty."

So does it perform? MyGolfSpy's two young guns – Sam Robinson and Harry Nodwell – put the Z 785 up against their gamers earlier this calendar month to see. Both game PING G400's – Sam the MAX and Harry the LST – both played college golf and both are bombers, with swing speeds in backlog of 110 MPH.

When Sam tested his gamer, he was averaged 162 MPH ball speed and 290 yards. His showtime numbers with the Srixon were similar, but a slight loft adjustment got his brawl speed up to 167 MPH. Sam'southward spin and launch angle didn't vary much, but he did gain nearly 10 yards of carry, with drives averaging around 303 yards.

Harry was a tougher fit. His PING was giving him 173 MPH ball speed and an average of 300 yards. Again, his start swings with the Srixon didn't show much comeback until he put the same shaft in his Srixon as he had in the PING. His brawl speed immediately jumped to 177 MPH with distance ranging from 312 to 318.

Fairways & Hybrids

As with whatever metal forest launch, hybrids and fairways tend to get lost in the driver shuffle. If y'all're in the market, even so, you volition want to put the new Srixons on your demo listing.

The Z F85 fairways share much of the same DNA as the drivers, with a hot HT 1770 steel cup face and a carbon fiber crown in both the 3 and 3+ for more ball speed. There's also an interesting twist to the cup face. Literally.

"TaylorMade has people talking near bulge and curlicue again," says Schielke. "But we actually have three dissimilar bulge regions and 2 unlike roll values on the face. We've been doing this in clubs for a long fourth dimension."

That certain does sound like Twist Face, does information technology non?

The hybrids may wind upwards being the clandestine weapon in the Srixon arsenal. They H85 models are noticeably larger than the H65 models, as Srixon hopes to fit a wider group of golfer with a an easier to hit, easier to launch hybrid that'south not a hook-machine.

"These are a petty scrap bigger, only also significantly hotter," says Schielke. "Most twenty COR points hotter than our previous models, and really hotter than Rogue."

Hotter than Rogue? Without Jailbreak? What kind of voodoo is this?

"No voodoo," says Schielke. "Information technology's pretty simple: a thinner, slightly bigger confront ways yous tin can go a hotter face up. It's that big trampoline vs. small-scale trampoline thing – you get more bounce."

Pricing and Availability

The Srixon Z 785 volition retail for $499 and will be available in 9.5 and 10.5 degree models. The 785 features a fully adjustable hosel and, equally stated earlier, the Project X HZRDUS Blackness 65 Handcrafted shaft is stock.

The Z 585 driver retails for $399 in nine.5 and 10.v caste lofts. Information technology'due south nonadjustable and comes with the HZRDUS Red 65 shaft as stock.

The full complement of HZRDUS Handcrafted shafts are bachelor as no upcharge options. The Even Flow Handcrafted Blueish 65, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Blue and Orange, Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black and the UST Mamiya Helium four are among the shafts available for a $100 upcharge.

The F 85 fairways volition retail for $249 and come with the HZRDUS Crimson 65 stock. They'll be available in iii+, three and 5.

The H 85 Hybrids will come stock with the HZRDUS Hybrid Black 85 and volition exist available in three lofts: 16-, xix- and 22-degrees.

Presale starts today on Srixon's website and at selected retailers. The products will be in stores September 14th.