WHAT MAKES A

LOWER SPINNING DRIVER?

Supported by: Srixon Golf

Srixon ZX5 MKii LS driver head laying in the rough on-course

Srixon ZX MKii LS toe on shot driver head sitting in the rough on golf course

If you’ve ever tested out different driver heads, you may have noticed that one driver is lower spinning than another. But why is this? Technology is constantly pushing driver performance forward and in a market where every manufacturer has just about topped out the speed of their heads, making adjustments to other launch characteristics has become the major separator. A common problem for casual golfers is to produce too much spin, and finding a driver that can potentially bring that spin down a little bit can be a gamechanger. With some help from our friends at Srixon Golf and their new ZX5 MKii and ZX5 MKii LS drivers we’ll break down what makes one lower spinning than the other and if that’s right for your game.

Let’s start by taking a look at the overall package of each driver. You’ll notice that you’re getting the same shape and size between each of them. If you were to look at them from an address position you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. If you turn them over to the sole however you’ll see the biggest difference, and that’s where the weight is located.

On the ZX5 MKii you’ll notice that the weight is placed towards the rear of the head. This helps draw weight away from the face. By doing so, the forgiveness of the head goes up but so does launch and spin. We talked about this in our topic on what makes a more forgiving driver head which you can read here.

Entire Srixon ZX MKii lineup of driver heads laying in the rough grass with leaves on a golf course

Bottom sole of Srixon ZX5 MKii driver head laying in rough with leaves on golf course

Sole of the Srixon ZX5 MKii LS driver head laying in the rough on golf course

The ZX5 MKii LS however takes that weight and moves it forward, closer to the face of the driver. This helps to move the CG of the club head further towards the face, which places more mass behind impact. This does make the face a little bit less forgiving, as impacts off from that CG location are going to suffer more greatly, but it will help to lower launch and spin. This can be great for players who struggle to manage keeping the ball down off the tee, or struggling with too much spin which can create larger misses.

With all other factors remaining the same, the more weight you can put closer to the face of a golf club the lower launching and spinning that head is going to be. Physics is going to push that face lower through impact during the golf swing, which can really help players struggling to control launch conditions. The struggle is finding the right balance between moving weight closer to the face of the golf club without compromising all of the other launch characteristics, not to mention the overall forgiveness of the driver head.

Thanks to our friends at Srixon for providing us with the driver heads that you saw used in today’s topic. To purchase your own ZX MKii Series driver, or to learn more about all Srixon Golf products, head over to their website at us.dunlopsports.com/srixon