Srixon ZXi fairway woods: What you need to know

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Think of Srixon’s ZXi fairway woods as a smaller version of its driver. The club houses several key driver technologies for 2025, including i-Flex, rebound frame and a 1.5-degree hosel sleeve. With a multitude of loft offerings, it’s possible to find a strong secondary option off the tee or a reliable high-lofted fairway that serves a number of different purposes.

AVAILABILITY/PRICING: $330. ZXi (13.5, 15, 18, 21 degrees). All with 12-way adjustable hosel. Available at retail Jan. 24.

3 Cool Things

1. Big distance. No one is claiming a 3-wood will outpace your driver, but it’s always nice to have another option off the tee when the fairway narrows and you want to send it with an uptick in consistency. Srixon’s ZXi is a fairway wood with driver DNA, which isn’t a bad thing to have in the bag. Taking a page from this year’s ZXi drivers, the fairways possess the same i-Flex and rebound frame to help ramp up distance without sacrificing off-center forgiveness.

The variable thickness face is designed with a thin center region supported by thickened sections on the heel and toe to optimize CT efficiency.

Rebound frame is a carryover technology from ZXi that layers alternating zones of stiff and flexible material to help increase ball speed. Think of it as a trampoline affixed to your fairway wood.

A lower leading edge on the frame increases the effective face area to make the head feel more grounded. The lead edge refinement serves another important purpose by preventing performance loss on low strikes.

2. Step down. Golfers might notice the crown on the 13.5- and 15-degree heads features a raised carbon section that’s only utilized on the lower lofts. The 18- and 21-degree lofts, on the other hand, are constructed with a steel crown.

Compared to the steel body, the carbon crown is less than a quarter of the density and aides in shifting mass—i.e. the center of gravity—downward to reduce spin and increase carry distance. The stepped design might seem trivial, but it plays an important role in increasing face flexion and inducing a higher launch.

Working in tandem with the stepped carbon crown is a weightpad positioned just behind the face that shifts the CG lower and more forward to project the sweet spot lower on the face. The design is meant to launch the ball higher with less spin. An overhanging “cannon” profile is part of the weightpad design and helps achieve proper face flexion without any unwanted rigidity.

3. Full face. Last year’s ZX MkII fairway woods were designed with scorelines low on the face and in the heel and toe sections. The center of the face was void of grooves, similar to most drivers. The latest fairway offering from Srixon now has scorelines that stretch across the entire face. Reducing the spacing between each groove also made it possible to add a sixth groove to increase friction at impact.

According to Srixon, the grooves on a fairway wood “function much the same as they do for a wedge. They help cut through long grass, divert impediments away from the clubface surface, and ultimately increase friction between the clubface and ball.” For golfers who routinely use a fairway wood from the rough, adding grooves across the face increases spin while providing greater consistency from dry conditions as well.