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When Lucas Glover won the 2021 John Deere Classic, it ended a 10-year winless drought. He didn’t need to wait that long for his next PGA Tour victory.

Glover put on the definition of a ball-striking clinic and got some help from Russell Henley down the stretch to capture the Wyndham Championship and deny Henley once again from winning at Sedgefield Country Club. (Henley suffered a disappointing defeat in 2019 as well).

The 43-year-old Glover ranked first in driving accuracy, strokes gained/approach and strokes gained/tee-to-green. Glover’s driver is a 9.5-degree Srixon Z785 with a Fujikura Ventus Blue 7X shaft. Into the greens he uses a split set of Srixon irons, utilising the more forgiving ZX5 Mk II for the 4-iron and more player-ish ZX7 Mk II for the rest of the set.

Glover was handy on the greens as well with his L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max mallet putter that he put into play at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, ranking 16th in strokes gained/putting – a vast improvement over his season rank of 181st.

Glover uses a broomstick version of the putter with a long shaft and split grip. “I needed a whole new idea,” Glover told pgatour.com last month in Detroit. “A whole new brain function. The other one obviously wasn’t working. I’ve been struggling with short putts for so long. I just thought I needed to teach myself to do something else and it’s been working… Once you learn how to stand there and address it, it pretty much works itself. It’s been a nice change.”

Winning usually is.

What Lucas Glover had in the bag at the 2023 Wyndham Championship:

Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV

Driver: Srixon Z785 (Fujikura Ventus Blue 7X), 9.5 degrees

3-wood: Ping G430 Max, 15 degrees

5-wood: Ping G430 Max, 18 degrees

Irons (4): Srixon ZX5 Mk II; (5-PW): Srixon ZX7 Mk II

Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 (52, 56, 60 degrees)

Putter: L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max

The post The clubs Lucas Glover used to win the 2023 Wyndham Championship appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Sometimes you’ll watch the pros blast a putt or hook a drive and you’ll think “even I can do that”. Well, you can’t. You’d stuff it up even worse.

These guys are better than you can ever imagine being, and every so often they remind us that they would kick our *you know whats* if we ever had a chance to play against them.

Eight-time PGA Tour winner and former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama may be nursing an injury that knocked him out of the Wells Fargo Championship, but the right-hander still has a left-handed swing that’s miles better than anything we can muster with our good side.

When Hideki’s LH swing is better than our RH swing pic.twitter.com/SjhzRpLlMN

— Srixon (@SrixonGolf) May 9, 2023

That’s just unfair. There’s the signature Hideki pause at the top, a beautiful follow-through and perfect balance throughout. It goes without saying, but this guy’s very good at golf, no matter what side he’s swinging from.

It just goes to show that we’re not beating the pros. Look at Golf Digest’s very-own Sam Weinman, who got to take all of Joel Dahmen’s drives (with Dahmen taking his) and it still didn’t go so well.

Next time we do one of these videos, the tour pro has to go lefty. Unfortunately, they’re still going to win with ease.

The post Hideki Matsuyama’s left-handed swing is good enough to win your club championship appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Srixon’s Z-Star line-up, its family of three tour-level multilayer urethane-cover balls, gets a full update for 2023. The majority of the changes focus on how the core of all three balls changes in firmness. The softer Z-Star is designed for approach shot and maximum greenside spin, the firmer Z-Star (Diamond) aims at iron spin control and distance and the Z-Star XV mixes a softer central core with a very firm outer region to maximise ball speed for the most aggressive swing speeds.

PRICE: $69.95 per dozen. Available across Australia from February 17, with the Divide model available from March.

3 COOL THINGS

1. An inside story. All three Z-Star balls have modified their cores to enhance both the performance and the differences between them. It all has to do with the way the cores are processed and the specific recipes of rubber and other elements that activate certain sections.

Generally, the cores of multilayer, urethane cover golf balls get progressively firmer as you move from a softer centre. The degree of that progression from soft to firm, and how extreme the difference is between the softest and firmest sections of the core determine how a ball will play and feel. The Z-Star balls are benefiting from new core formulations that come under the company name FastLayer DG, but they each take a distinct approach to that firmness progression.

The standard Z-Star features the softest central part of the core and its outer section while firmer is softer than the other ball’s firmest sections. Still, it’s firmer than past versions in an effort to increase potential distance. That overall soft compression means the Z-Star will feel softer but the way the core presses against a firm intermediate layer between the cover and the core helps to create more spin on approach shots and greenside pitches.

The Z-Star XV, which had been a dual-core design for more distance by way of increasing the firmness in that outer core, now has become a single-core design. That switch is possible because of the new FastLayer DG core, which allows for a greater difference in the firmness of the outer edges of the core compared to the softer centre.

The new core formulation in essence allows the Z-Star XV to achieve the ball speed and distance for higher swing speeds the way a dual-core ball might but with the more efficient design of a single core.

Finally, the Z-Star Diamond, which is designed to bring the speed and distance of the XV with the softer feel of the standard Z-Star, also features the FastLayer DG core formulation with an emphasis on producing more mid-iron spin.

2. Outer limits. All three balls again use a 338-dimple pattern on the cover. Its deeper-dimension dimples are designed for increased lift later in flight to maintain carry distance, as well as a generally more penetrating trajectory.

The cover also features the sixth generation of the cover coating that’s designed to provide more grab on short shots. Known as Spin Skin+, the chemical enhancement to the urethane cover changes the molecular structure to create stronger and more flexible molecular bonds that give at impact. In practical terms, Srixon’s research suggests the coating gives the cover more friction, allowing the urethane to get into the grooves more easily on wedge and iron shots for higher spin.

Get to know why Keegan Bradley plays the Z-STAR ♦ DIAMOND 👇

Our newest model of the Z-STAR ♦ DIAMOND is in play at Torrey Pines and available for pre-order now. pic.twitter.com/u061CCmeqG

— Srixon (@SrixonGolf) January 23, 2023

3. Which one’s for me? The Z-Star XV features the thinnest cover and firmest compression. It targets players with higher speeds who are focused on distance.

The standard Z-Star has a lower compression and a 20-percent thicker cover (0.6 millimetres vs 0.5 millimetres on the XV). It might be the best choice for players who demand the most spin around the greens, and by comparison to the XV it should offer a little more than 10 percent more spin on the shortest of chips.

Meanwhile, the Z-Star Diamond offers a cover that’s the same thickness as the higher-spinning Z-Star but with an overall compression and firmness that’s similar to the Z-Star XV, to help key more distance. Srixon’s internal testing suggests there’s about eight percent more spin on the shortest shots than the XV, but just 100 rpm less spin on those same shots compared to the standard Z-Star.

Once again, the Z-Star lineup will offer the standard model and the XV in the Divide dual-colour pattern that splits the ball between one white half and one yellow half. The idea behind Divide is to help golfers see spin better, as well as providing a 360-degree aiming line where the two colours meet.

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AT YOU NEEED TO KNOW: Now in its 13th iteration, the Srixon Soft Feel is one of the most venerable ball models in the game. Its soft feel with more than enough distance couples with an attractive price point to make it a viable option for a number of golfers willing to sacrifice a little greenside spin in exchange for a soft feeling ball that can save you a few dollars.

PRICE & AVAILABILITY: Australian pricing and availability TBC.

RELATED: Srixon Z-Series irons – what you need to know

3 COOL THINGS

1. At the centre of things. A reason why Srixon says it can offer a soft feel while also providing enough distance is what the company refers to as its FastLayer core. This technology allows for the core to be is extremely soft in the centre and get gradually firmer as you get more towards the perimeter.

Another benefit of the technology is that while the core is one of its softest to date, it is also highly resilient, snapping back into shape quicker after impact to deliver more distance while reducing spin off the longer clubs.

2. They’ve got you covered. For the cover, Srixon continues to use its 338-dimple pattern, designed to produce a lower drag co-efficient. Doing so allows the ball to cut through the air with less resistance, allowing for a penetrating launch while maintaining ball speed downrange for added carry.

Although low compression can affect greenside spin, it’s typically less of a factor than cover thickness and softness, leading Srixon to produce a thin, soft cover for this ball that offers enough grab on chips and pitches to be useful.

3. Colour it up. Two additional Soft Feel options include the Soft Feel Lady and Soft Feel Brite. The standard Soft Feel is available in white and yellow, while the Lady model is offered in white and pink. The Brite model comes in matte red, matte orange and matte green versions.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Four new Srixon Z-series irons aim to give different classes of players help with the things that matter to them most while still providing a fairly classic shape that all demand. The muscle-back blade Z-Forged II and ZX7 Mk II place an emphasis on consistency and feel while the ZX5 Mk II provides more distance technology. The ZX4 Mk II is distance-driven as well, but with more forgiveness features. A matching utility iron also is available.

PRICE & AVAILABILITY: ZX7 Mk II irons $239 (steel), $269 (graphite); ZX5 Mk II irons $239 (steel), $269 (graphite); ZX4 Mk II irons $239 (steel), $269 (graphite); ZX Mk II utility irons $339 (steel), $369 (graphite). All models are already available across Australia.

3 COOL THINGS

1. Something for the better player. Although we will acknowledge the existence of the Z-Forged II muscle-back blade iron, we won’t go into deep detail because if you have the kind of game to play these, you probably don’t need our help. The ZX7 Mk II, however, is a different animal.

Although the company gathered data from its tour staff to determine the impact patterns of better players, this iron can be played by non-professionals. Using that data helped determine the location of the back muscle feature. Called “PureFrame”, mass is forged into the body of the iron behind the hitting area.

“The area behind the face is 80 percent thicker,” said Jacob Lambeth, senior research engineer for Cleveland/Srixon. “We were trying to get more of a blade-like feel with consistent distance. The face has 12 percent less displacement which helps deliver on both those traits.”

The irons also feature a lower blade height to allow players the ability to flight their short-iron shots lower with more control. A refinement also was made to the heel side of the leading edge to improve turf interaction.

2. Optimising everywhere on the face. When designing players distance irons such as the Srixon ZX5 Mk II, it’s important to remember that this player type, while skilled, still strikes the ball over a pretty wide swath of the face. As such, Srixon engineers studied impacts in nine areas of the face, then weighted the importance of those areas depending on the number of impacts in each area.

“That led to a different face topology,” Lambeth said. “You need to take durability into account. What is the maximum stress the steel can take? The biggest differences are a larger channel on top and in the toe area and smaller in the bottom area. The face is also thinner in the heel and thicker in the toe because there’s more opportunity for ball speed gains on the heel side although more shots are hit out on the toe.”

All that, combined with artificial-intelligence-driven simulations, resulted in a slightly lighter forged SUP10 steel face (1 to 2 grams less than previous ZX5, which was then used to better position the centre of gravity.

Enhancements were made to the shape as well. The 8-iron to pitching wedge have a shorter blade height to better flow with the rest of the set and the hosel has been slimmed to help the visual at address.

3. Improving the game-improvement option. In creating its ZX4 Mk II game-improvement iron, Srixon needed to consider that its audience was not simply the game-improvement crowd. “Ten to 15 percent of iron sets are combo sets,” Lambeth said. “We wanted to make sure this iron blended seamlessly with our other ZX irons. To do that we cleaned up the shape. The sole is narrower and the topline thickness is similar to the ZX5 and ZX7.

Although a sleeker package, the ball speed does not suffer. The face design used an artificial-intelligence process that simulated numerous impacts, evaluated the performance and automatically updated the design. The result was a variable thickness pattern milled into the backside of the high-strength steel face insert to maximise ball speed. Tungsten, meanwhile, is used in the toe area of the long and mid irons to boost stability and mitigate ball speed loss on off-centre strikes.

For those perhaps needing a little more help with their long irons, Srixon is also introducing ZX Mk II hollow-body utility irons with wider soles and fast-flexing faces to promote more height and speed.

The post Srixon Z-Series irons: What you need to know appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Srixon is set to launch the latest edition of Soft Feel golf balls in Australia this month. Soft Feel provides golfers comfortable feel at impact and confidence at address. Equipped with a premium FastLayer Core, Speed Dimple and a soft, thin cover for enhanced greenside spin, Soft Feel delivers impressive ball speeds while balancing distance and feel. 

PRICE: $33.95 per dozen. Colour offerings include Soft White [pictured below] and Tour Yellow [pictured above] in Soft Feel, Soft White and Passion Pink in the Soft Feel Lady version.

THE DEEP DIVE: “The consistent love for the Soft Feel has been tremendous and with each generation, this being our 13th, we’ve tried to incorporate new ways of providing golfers a softer feel that’s unmatched in a low-compression option,” said Amelia DeLazzer, product manager at Srixon. “This is our softest FastLayer Core to date. It’s a core that is soft in the centre and firms up on the outside giving golfers equal parts distance and feel.”

Added core resiliency also plays a key factor in the Soft Feel. The FastLayer Core snaps back into shape more quickly after impact, delivering more ball speed, and reducing unintended long game sidespin.

Soft Feel golf balls include Srixon’s signature Speed Dimple, the 338 aerodynamic dimples improve the overall flight performance even in the toughest wind conditions. With a lower drag co-efficient, the ball can cut through the air with less resistance, maintain a penetrating launch, and hold onto ball speed without sacrificing distance. 

Also available is the option of the Soft Feel Lady. Soft Feel Lady is for women golfers who still want the softness of the Soft Feel, but a slightly higher launch for more distance.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Srixon has announced the new ZX Mk II range – spanning woods and irons – will launch in Australia on Friday, November 4. Delivering tour-level performance and revolutionary energy transfer to the tee, it’s time to discover how your power goes farther with the all-new ZX Mk II woods, while the all-new ZX Mk II irons are fast and pure.

PRICES/LOFTS: ZX Mk II Series drivers: $749; ZX Mk II fairway woods: $499; ZX Mk II hybrids: $399. Lofts: ZX7 Mk II driver (9.5°, 10.5°), ZX5 Mk II driver (9.5°, 10.5 °); ZX Mk II fairway woods (15°, 18°, 21°), ZX Mk II hybrids (17°, 19°, 22°, 25°, 28°).

ZX7 Mk II irons: $239 (steel) / $269 (graphite); ZX5 Mk II irons: $239 (steel) / $269 (graphite); ZX4 Mk II iron: $239 (steel) / $269 (graphite); ZX Mk II utility irons: $339 (steel) / $369 (graphite).

THE DEEP DIVE: “With ZX Mk II, we’ve built upon the foundation of success with the previous generation,” says Jeff Brunski, Srixon’s vice-president of research and development. “Rebound Frame is a unique ball speed system that delivers a pure transfer of energy into the golf ball at impact. The result is an entire driver head that works in unison to deliver an unprecedented rebound effect that delivers maximum ball speed and ultimately, more distance.”

The all-new ZX Mk II woods provide more power where it counts: at impact. A stronger Rebound Frame design with dual flex zones delivers a seamless energy transfer from the clubface through the golf ball.

Rebound Frame’s two flex zones work harmoniously to generate enhanced ball and distance: Zone 1, the driver face, deforms inwardly at impact. Zone 2, a ring of flexibility offset from the face, deforms outwardly. When these two zones snap back to shape just after impact, the compounded energy transfer is more powerful and efficient than standard designs. Overall, Rebound Frame adds a 10 percent larger high COR area to the driver faces compared to the previous generation.

Meanwhile, the ZX Mk II drivers feature a variable thickness face pattern that is 0.25 millimetres thinner at its centre and 0.4 millimetres thicker at the perimeter than last generation. These refinements add even more COR across the face for added ball speed and distance off the tee.

The ZX7 Mk II driver delivers total control, allowing golfers to easily produce the launch conditions need for maximum workability off the tee. The ZX5 Mk II driver provides total confidence, with a larger footprint, flattened shape, and a rear weight placed low and deep for drives that launch high and straight. 

The ZX Mk II fairway woods and hybrids feature similar foundational technologies as the drivers that seek to deliver more ball speed and greater distance from anywhere on the course. The entire line of ZX Mk II woods offers world-class shafts as standard options with Project X HZRDUS Black Gen 4 and Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX shafts.

Meanwhile, the technologies driving the exceptional performance of the ZX Mk II irons are really exciting to launch and get into golfer’s hands, says Brian Schielke, general manager of Srixon. “Longer distances, improved feel, more control, and greater consistency are seen throughout each new iron set, and they provide a seamless transition for building a combo set,” he says.

Designed for the best ball-strikers in the world, ZX7 Mk II irons are a true players iron with incredible feel. An all-new design characteristic exclusive to ZX7 Mk II irons, PureFrame enhances feel by reducing unwanted vibrations. PureFrame is forged into the body of the iron – just behind the sweet spot – as an 80 percent thicker portion of 1020 carbon steel. The result is a remarkably soft yet solid feeling at impact that the best players demand.

Meanwhile, the rest of the ZX Mk II iron line features the second generation of Srixon’s MainFrame technology. MainFrame is a variable thickness pattern of grooves, channels, and cavities carefully milled into the backside of ZX4, ZX5, and ZX Mk II utility iron faces that maximise flex at impact. It not only boosts ball speed, but also repositions mass away from the face and into the toe for better forgiveness and consistency on every shot.

A mainstay of Srixon Iron design, ZX Mk II irons are designed with our Tour VT Sole and popular sole notches. The V-Shaped design of the Tour VT Sole maintains clubhead speed through impact for a clean, precise strike. Revered by the Srixon tour staff, the sole notches lessen drag by reducing the amount of surface area that contacts the ground to improve shot versatility without sacrificing forgiveness.

“While we’ve improved these irons in so many ways over the first generation of ZX irons, we’ve also kept the sleek looks, pure feel, and core DNA of Srixon irons that golfers have come to expect,” Schielke said.

The post Srixon ZX Mk II range: What you need to know appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Srixon has released its fourth generation UltiSoft golf ball, the lowest compression golf ball in the company’s lineup.

PRICE: $33.95 (offered in Pure White)

THE DEEP DIVE: According to Srixon, the UltiSoft lives up to its namesake as the ultimate golf ball for softness and feel.

The foundation of the all-new UltiSoft is the FastLayer Core technology, a unique design that adds distance while maintaining the company’s signature feel – powerful distance with maximum softness on every strike.

UltiSoft features a 338 Speed Dimple pattern to help reduce drag and increase lift. These Speed Dimples improve overall aerodynamics for better performance with drivers, woods, and irons.

Other key technologies include:

• FastLayer Core: With a soft center that gradually transitions to a firm outer edge, the FastLayer Core gives UltiSoft incredible softness and great distance off the tee.
• Soft, Thin Cover: Provides more greenside spin and softer feel on all pitches, chips and putts.
• 338 Speed Dimple Pattern: To get more distance overall and better performance in the wind, Speed Dimples reduce drag at launch and increase lift during descent.
  

For ore information, check out srixon.com.au

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Minjee Lee needed a final-round 64 and then a playoff to win her first Major championship last year at the Amundi Evian Championship. Winning her second Major was much easier. After rounds of 67-66-67, Lee cruised to four-shot victory at US Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club with a final-round 71 and a US Women’s Open record 13-under 271 total.

Lee essentially locked up the title early, starting with a fine shot into the par-5 first hole with her Srixon ZX 4-hybrid that led to a two-putt birdie. She followed with a 30-plus-footer for birdie with her Scotty Cameron by Titleist Timeless blade putter at the second hole to open up a lead that was never threatened.

Currently ranked fourth on the Rolex Rankings, Lee is delivering on the promise she showed when she was the No.1-ranked amateur in 2014. The US Women’s Open win was the 26-year-old’s eighth LPGA victory and second in the past few weeks, having won the Founders Cup last month.

Still, the victory is a bit of a surprise for the Australian given her track record at the USGA’s marquee women’s championship, where Lee had not recorded a top-10 finish in eight previous starts.

Lee’s iron game was particularly strong at Pine Needles, ranking T-3 in greens in regulation, hitting no fewer than 14 over her first three rounds and 13 on Sunday with her Srixon ZX7 irons with Aerotech SteelFiber i80 stiff shafts with Golf Pride New Decade MCC 60 round grips.

What Minjee Lee had in the bag at the 2022 US Women’s Open:

Ball: Srixon Z-Star

Driver: Srixon ZX7 (Mitsubishi Diamana DF50 R), 10.5 degrees

3-wood: Srixon ZX, 16 degrees

5-wood: Srixon ZX, 18 degrees

Hybrid: Srixon ZX, 22 degrees

Irons (5-PW): Srixon ZX7

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (50, 54, 58 degrees)

Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Timeless

PHOTO: Kevin C. Cox

The post The clubs Minjee Lee used to win the 2022 US Women’s Open appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.