Three retail-linked RKT models, four mystery lists: seven Srixon drivers on the USGA conform list in a single day. Most aren’t coming to a store near you. One of them can be.
We got you covered three drivers Srixon ZXi RKT retail that hit the ground running on Travelers earlier today. That’s everything else. In addition to the three originals, there are four other Srixon ZXi RKT drivers on the USGA conform list. My read: three of them will never see a retail shelf. The fourth? I can’t be sure, but there is reason to think maybe.
All three you can (probably) actually buy
Taking a page from the Titleist playbook, Srixon launched three new drivers in the Traveler Championship: the ZXi RKT, ZXi RKT LS and ZXi RKT Max. Not entirely coincidentally, all three also appeared on the USGA conformation list this morning.
Credit to Srixon for sticking with the semi-decided driver space nomenclature. RKT without a suffix should stand as the “core” pattern. The LS should have lower spin, at least compared to that core, and the Max should set the brand standard for forgiveness. Nothing here requires a decoder ring which, these days, counts as a win.
A new face material (and maybe a healthy story)
The bonding technology appears to be a new facial material called RKT. I can’t say that with absolute certainty, but the USGA documents point it out CTR it’s printed on the face, so it’s not hard to think that the face drives the story. This trail with where Srixon has gone. The latest ZXi irons relied on MainFrame and i-FORGED, and the wedges have their own SeRM spin coating. Srixon likes a material-driven narrative, and RKT looks like the next one.
Meanwhile, the soles are printed with “Acousticore” which more than hints at a sound history. For my money, I’d bet on interior geometry tuned for acoustics rather than any essential material, but I’ve never learned to rule anything out.
And then there were four more
All well and good, all reasonably understood. Worth noting, though: four (yes, four) other Srixon drivers also landed on the USGA list. For anyone struggling with Monday morning math, that’s seven drivers in a single day. Somewhere, even Callaway is blushing.
The story about these four is unique. On three of them, the black finish that will almost certainly define the retail models has been replaced with what I think is the standard polished titanium. This is usually code for “not for you”.
Signs, one by one
ZXi RKT LS T262. The name alone screams “prototype” and it’s probably a one-off built for a specific PGA Tour player. Someone (not you) still has dual flyweights and a seemingly low-spin design. Beyond that, who knows? These numerically driven prototypes are pretty standard fare for Srixon.
ZXi RKT LS Type D. Same silver sole as T262 which tells me it is either not retail bound or not fully baked. By standard naming conventions, “Type D” suggests an equalization bias which would actually have some appeal in the LS space where a fading bias is often done. The best of both worlds, in theory. It probably won’t come soon. Two listed lofts (eight and nine degrees) only muddy the waters.
ZXi RKT LS+. The third entry with a silver lining and one worth pondering over. Does the “+” mean even lower rotation (in this case, shouldn’t it be a minus sign)? Or is it the higher rev LS option, as in the LS plus a little rear rev?
ZXi RKT TR. The “TR” reads like a flavor of tour specifics, though the naming rules get fuzzy here. I’d rule it out for retail, except that, unlike the other three, the TR looks completely finished. It carries the same production-ready aesthetic as the Core, LS and Max models, black outsole and all. I honestly don’t know what to do with it. But it exists and is worth knowing.
So what’s actually coming to retail?
The three RKT models from Travelers? Bank for those. Of the four bonus lists, three look like tour truck specials destined to live and die on the conforming list. TR is true characteristic. If any of these four sneaks into a store, the smart money is on it already looking ready for it. However, Srixon has yet to announce pricing or availability on retail RKT models.
Have your say
See anything you like? Intrigued by RKT’s face story, LS+ riddle or TR mystery? Or is seven drivers in one day roughly six too many? Tell us.
More information as it becomes available.
