# Srixon 2013 Z-Star reviews



## PaulOHagan (Apr 18, 2013)

A place for all those testing out the new Srixon Z-Star to post their reviews...


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## peterlav (Apr 19, 2013)

I've played the Z Star for the last 3 years, really interested to see how testers think it compares to the new 2013 version


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## Riverdale (Apr 26, 2013)

I'm one of the lucky ones to have been sent a dozen Z-stars for testing. I've played 2 rounds with them so far but have 4 more rounds booked in over the next 7 days, so I'll be in a much better position to submit a detailed review afterwards.

My initial impressions though are that this is a really top golf and it's more than likely will be my chosen ball after I finished with these test balls.

More to follow next week!


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## Matty (Apr 28, 2013)

I was lucky enough to be sent a dozen of the new 2013 model of the Srixon Z-star. I am currently using Bridgestone xFixx (I won 2 dozen of them at my home course) but I honestly feel my ball striking and game in general is moving the right way so I though it was time to check out a better ball - that's why I put my name forward.

I've played a few of these before maybe 2 years ago and found them to be a good ball but not really suited to my game at the time. I was losing too many balls to be able to afford 6 per weekend.

So, what's new in this ball? Well, Srixon have changed the alignment aid you might use on the putting green. On the previous balls I've used it was the Z-Star logo with two arrows at each end, now it's a line and a dot. A small change and yet it does seem to make the ball easier to line up on the putting green and after 9 holes with this ball on the first time out I made 4 one putts.

Off the green the ball does feel very soft off the club face compared to my current ball. It also holds the green better and seems to deviate less on well struck shots made with any club but particularly noticeable with the longer clubs than my current ball. What do I mean deviate? Well you know when you've hit a bad shot right? And occasionally you think you've hit a good or reasonable shot but the ball leaks out a bit left of right of the target towards then end of it's flight missing the target a little. Well, this ball seems not to do that, if it sets of heading towards the target it gets there or pretty close.

I've played the ball over 2 rounds at my home club (only a 9 hole course though) and also taken it for a good test drive at a local pitching, chipping and putting practice area for a couple of hours. A single ball lasted through all of this without cutting up too badly, in fact it looks almost brand new!

Looking around I can see these cost about Â£34 for a dozen (although MRP is Â£10-Â£14 higher than that). Normally that price tag would put me off in a very big way. I would normally pay less that Â£2 per ball if I was buying. But having played this ball I am seriously reconsidering that choice. This ball is still less that Â£3 and for the extra Â£1 per ball you get a more predictable flight with greater control on landing and it's easy to line up for the all important strokes made on the green.

I'm certainly going to enjoy playing these 12 and I think I'd certainly consider buying these in the future too. Overall I'm impressed.


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## MashieNiblick (Apr 28, 2013)

Played with one yesterday and first impressions were very good. Will be giving a fuller review when I've had a chance to try it when the course is a bit firmer, the greens are a bit truer and my play is a bit better.


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## Twire (Apr 29, 2013)

Played with the new Srixon a couple of times at the weekend, first impressions are very good. I have a lot of golf lined up next weekend so will do a full review after that.


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## dgparry (Apr 30, 2013)

i have been picked as a tester but still waiting for them to arrive......how long paul?


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## Deleted member 3432 (May 1, 2013)

I have been fortunate enough to be picked as a tester so here are my initial views. Played 36 holes with them so far, well 35 holes with one, 5 blows with another which which is in a gorse bush on the 2nd hole at Silloth!!! Anyway, its difficult to say at the present time. First time out it was raining and cold, today fairly windy, 3 club wind at a guess and on both occaisions fighting my swing especially off the tee. 

Until I have played a few more game with them I'm not going to comment on how they perform off the driver, suspect they fly a little higher and may not bore through the wind as well as my normal Callaway Hex Black Tour but as I said not swinging it too well. Feels decent off the club however.

Long and mid irons, I like how it performs off these clubs, nice and soft feeling and it doesn't get up too high.

Short irons and wedges, seems ok and responds well to full shots and does not scuff up like my normal ball above so after a couple of rounds it is still in the bag as opposed to heading to the practice bag.

Jury is out on around the greens, either getting a crappy lie or playing bump and runs so not trying to check much up at the moment so need a big longer to access its properties here.

Putting, feels very good off the putter face, nice and soft and rolls well. I have had plenty of practice in this area due to complete inability to read the greens at the moment. Hitting some very nice putts but all on the wrong line....

Durability is good, as said a couple of rounds and still in good nick. A bonus is they are easy to find, tried very hard to lose it after the gorse bush incident on the 2nd but it is still here, the heather normally swallows them but it refused to go!

Will continue to use them and report any further findings. Will give one a run out in Club Champs qualifier on Sat and hopefully it will do the job.


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## Naybrains (May 2, 2013)

I was the chosen one 

Tried one last night but the fact the greens were layered with fertiliser it wasn't a great night for testing so I'll reserve judgement until I've had a knock at my home course.  I'll be back, don't worry.


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## HawkeyeMS (May 2, 2013)

Mine turned up today so will give them a try at the weekend.


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## HawkeyeMS (May 4, 2013)

This isn't my full review, more my initial thoughts after 1 round...

7/12 Fairways
7 GIR
5/11 par saves
29 putts
76 blows
41 points
Looks as good now as it did out of the box
How much are they? :whoo:


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## BTatHome (May 4, 2013)

Nice shooting !

Gonna try one out tomorrow as I picked up a sleeve to see what the fuss was about


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## Wessex (May 8, 2013)

I have been playing the Z-Star XV over the last couple of months. American Golf were selling them initially at around Â£21 per dozen but now on sale at my club for Â£34.

Looked on Amazon over the weekend and they were on sale at Â£21 so bought 2 dozen.

I particularly love the ball and it plays well off of my Callaway Xhot driver & 4 wood and my Callaway Golds. Putts well as well.

Supposed to be hit with club head speeds of over 95 MPH. Not sure what my club head speed is when teeing off but now the warm weather has arrived and a nice run on the fairways I'm averaging around 230 yards.


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## scratch (May 8, 2013)

Wessex said:



			I have been playing the Z-Star XV over the last couple of months. American Golf were selling them initially at around Â£21 per dozen but now on sale at my club for Â£34.

Looked on Amazon over the weekend and they were on sale at Â£21 so bought 2 dozen.

I particularly love the ball and it plays well off of my Callaway Xhot driver & 4 wood and my Callaway Golds. Putts well as well.

Supposed to be hit with club head speeds of over 95 MPH. Not sure what my club head speed is when teeing off but now the warm weather has arrived and a nice run on the fairways I'm averaging around 230 yards.
		
Click to expand...

I'm guessing at Â£21 a doz you bought last year's model? The new 2013 version is very different apparently.


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## Riverdale (May 8, 2013)

Ok.

I've now played several round with the Z-Star ball in the last couple of weeks - including 4 different matchplay matches in varying competitions and managed to win them all. Got another match today and another tomorrow so I hope this continues!!

I've been playing with the TM TP3 for the last year or so and prior to that the TM Black. Also have had the occasional round with a Pro V1 during that time too, so these are the balls which I can compare the Z-star with.

Firstly, with the driver, the Z-star certainly is longer than the TM balls I've been using. Not massively, but enough to be noticeable. There is also less side spin on draw and fades too. To conclude, the Z-star is straighter and longer than the balls I've been using previously.

Long irons and rescue clubs - there's not a significant difference with regards to the balls performance. Distance is pretty much in line with my normal distance 

Short to mid irons - the ball performs well and gets a decent level of spin to enable it to stop on greens. Obviously how quickly it stops has changed somewhat from damp greens in my first couple of rounds to dry hard greens which we've had in the last few days. Noticably, I put a Z-star in trouble during one round and had to play a provo - Pro V1x. The Z-star couldn't be found and I played with the Pro V1x for a couple of holes, but had to change back to a Z-star very quickly. The Pro V1x seemed impossible to stop on hard greens in comparison to the Z-star I'd been using and was bounding through greens. It seemed so much harder than the Srixon ball.

Short game - the Z-star had plenty of feel and control on chips around the green and rolled well on the putting green.

To conclude. This is a ball that I think I'll switch to once my supply of TP3s has run out. It's a premium golf ball which I can't compare to the 2012 Z-star, but can confidently say it performs better than any other ball I've used previously - Taylor Made TP3 and Black and Pro V1 and V1x. It suits my game and I'd be confident of a decent round and score each time if I was playing with this ball.

NOTE - My handicap is 11.7


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## Twire (May 9, 2013)

Iâ€™ve now played 5 games with the Srixon Z-star (and still have some left ), so ready for comment. My regular balls which Iâ€™ll be using for comparison are Titleist velocity (winter) and Taylor Made penta TP3 (summer).

Iâ€™ll start with the packaging, plain white with just Srixon written on the box very smart. All the balls had their own box which is a bit of a throwback to times gone by when balls were individually wrapped, nice touch but not sure the tree huggers will be impressed. My only criticism is they were all number 1â€™s, not a problem in itself, until you have to put a provisional into play. You will need to change your markings or pen colour.

The ball has a regular dimple pattern with the standard Srixon logo and using the â€“z-star- as a line up aid. I put the ball next to a new Penta and the Srixon is visibly whiter. Bouncing the ball off my putter face and comparing it with my regular balls it definitely sounds softer.

How did it play?
Off the tee with my 3 wood (not using the driver yet) it seemed hot, a nice straight ball flight with very little side spin, but distance wise, noticeably very long. This might have something to do with the weather improving, but even so, I canâ€™t remember being this long off the tee last year.

Iron play, now this was confusing. Distance wise it was long with the 3 wood but off the irons they played the same length as my regular balls. The ball flight seemed a little higher, and again very little side spin or deviation from the straight shot. Soft sounding off the clubface gave me the confidence to attack the greens and with the shorter irons, even managing to get the ball to stop on our firm but true greens.

Around the greens with the wedges they took a bit of getting used to as they checked up a lot quicker than my regulars. Once used to this it gives confidence to attack the pin knowing they will stop pretty quickly.

Putting with a firm positive stroke they came off the face straight and true with a great roll. A dull sound off the face gives you the impression that their soft which enables you to put a good stroke on your putt.

I managed to take one of the balls around 26 holes before losing it and I must say Iâ€™m very impressed with the durability. The ball did show signs of play but on the whole, it was still in really good condition.

Conclusion.
Iâ€™m very impressed with all aspects of the ball and found it superior to the balls I play. I donâ€™t know what the retail price of these balls are, but if not to extortionate I could well be replacing my summer choice ball with these.


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## Deleted member 3432 (May 9, 2013)

Played a little more  with them so I now feel able to give further feedback. Locally conditions are still very windy and bloody cold, still to have a round of golf with less than 3 layers on including wind jacket. 

Liking this ball more and more, goies well of the driver and doesn't deviate offline too much into the wind except when I put a crap swing on it. Earlier concern about it climbing too high into the wind is not a worry. Good performance and feel off the irons, reacts well off chip shots and feels good off the putter. Distance wise difficult to say as the weather is different every time I play and the links is starting to dry so the ball is actually starting to run on landing for the first time in many many months. 

Will continue to use and feedback.


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## BTatHome (May 11, 2013)

I guess the big change is the new "SpinSkin" cover which i think creates a much better feel on the ball from pretty much every club. Driver sound is nicely muted with is better than many of the other premium balls. Irons and wedges have great feel when striking the ball, and it performs very well in spin and check. Putter feel is the best ball I've tested recently, certainly makes a nice feel of the club and rolls nicely with a bit of zip. Scores well in the fingernail test it feels nice without leaving indents, and cleans up well with a brilliant white cover.

Not sure the durability is worthy of an A* though. These are premium balls and I guess you expect to see some marks from a few wedge shots after a while. The balance between a softer cover and better durability is a tough one for manufacturers to achieve to everyone's taste. Personally a top premium ball that lasts a whole round, whilst retaining its spin/feel and brilliant colour and without having any rough battle scars would be an absolute winner here. The Srixon almost achieves that and should be commended. Certainly the only balls to beat it for durability have less feel for my liking.

Srixon have tried to improve on what was a good ball last year, and I think they have achieved it to many degrees, its certainly softer with better feel than last years and whilst durability has been slightly compromised compared to previous balls I think the improvements do make up for this. 

It's certainly not going to give you many many yards more distance, but then if you've bought a premium ball then your probably not looking for that anyway. The feel of the ball is certainly up there with the best and on the great value scale they must be high as they are a bit less than some of the other premium balls.

I played the Z Star and have previously used the XV too, not sure I could feel much difference between the two in the last version, so wonder if its the same with this version too.

A winner from Srixon .... now i just need to find the Tour Yellow ones :thup:


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## User20205 (May 11, 2013)

I received some also. I've been waiting for decent greens & weather to put them into play. 

I used one first yesterday in a matchplay game. Initially it felt & sounded more muted that the last yearâ€™s zstar XV I have been using. It was long and straight off the tee, the first shot I hit was a pin high drive on the 316 yard 1st (wind assisted, and 10 yards right of the green. 

the main benefit to me was the feel off the putter, it feels less clicky than last years XV, which I suppose is a harder ball. It does however also seem to roll better also. 
After 18 holes it was hardly marked, so I put it in play today also. I didn't play especially well on the front 9, but it was noticeable that the ball didn't deviate much in the gusty wind. The back 9 was a much better effort, level par with a couple of birdies, and what I thought was a hole in one on the 220 yard 10th.....it wasn't, but it was as close as I've ever come !!!

First impressions are, it sounds/feels good, is as long off the tee as any other premium ball and after 2 rounds still looks playable. I'd like to get hold of some 2013 pro v's for a head to head test.


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## MashieNiblick (May 13, 2013)

Well I have now played 4 rounds in varying conditions with the new Z-Star.

I usually play with a premium ball, mostly Pro â€“V1. In good conditions I donâ€™t feel I lose much distance wise and I think the extra control and feel on the green is worth it even though my short game can be a bit iffy.

So what about the Z-Star? 

It looks good. Simple graphics and a nice alignment aid, although I prefer the one on the current Pro-V1. What stands out for me though is the Z-Star has a brilliant bright white finish that really lasts. That has been a problem with Pro-V1s although I gather the latest version is supposed to be better in this respect.

Durability is excellent, I played one ball for 3 rounds and it still looked pretty good. Although I donâ€™t generally rip up my balls and our course is fairly soft, I still think that is good going.

Distance and trajectory are fine for me. Didnâ€™t feel it flew too high and makes a nice sound off all clubs. My usual fade never turned into a nasty slice so I guess the aerodynamics are good and give it plenty of stability in the air. Couple of skinny short irons still flew ok, getting decent height and some spin so they looked like knock down shots rather than bad strikes.

Spin and control were really excellent.  A well struck iron will pull up quickly, even on a firm green, and I was caught out a couple of times by this. You can certainly afford to be aggressive with your short irons. Chips and short pitches also came off the club face nicely with a bit of spin and Iâ€™m sure the more skilled players would be able to control the ball from close range.

Feel and sound off the putter was very nice. Very similar to but maybe just a bit firmer than the ProV1, but as someone who leaves a lot of putts short that was OK with me.

So overall itâ€™s a very nice ball that will suit a wide range of players but it is hard to say that it is better than any of the other premium balls.  Nevertheless if you already use a premium ball itâ€™s definitely worth a try and if you are looking to move up from a mid -price ball you wonâ€™t  go far wrong with the new Z-Star.


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## Wessex (May 15, 2013)

scratch said:



			I'm guessing at Â£21 a doz you bought last year's model? The new 2013 version is very different apparently.
		
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Ok thanks for the heads up. Just looking at the Callaway range as well to compare.


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## User20205 (May 17, 2013)

Just another update on this. I can't really notice much difference between this and last years zstar performance wise. I have however used the same ball for 3 rounds and its still in good nick (x2 75's and a matchplay win if anyone cares)

The durability is brilliant!!!


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## richart (May 17, 2013)

therod said:



			Just another update on this. I can't really notice much difference between this and last years zstar performance wise. I have however used the same ball for 3 rounds and its still in good nick (x2 75's and a matchplay win if anyone cares)

The durability is brilliant!!!
	View attachment 6076


View attachment 6077

Click to expand...

With all the knifed wedges you hit, I am amazed the ball is in such good condition. How are your 120 yard chip and runs going ?


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## User20205 (May 17, 2013)

richart said:



			With all the knifed wedges you hit, I am amazed the ball is in such good condition. How are your 120 yard chip and runs going ?

Click to expand...

haha!!! it's about having all the shots Rich. Peter Alliss is all about playing it along the ground. 


I'm happier with a 3/4 wedge now


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## Matty (May 20, 2013)

therod said:



			The durability is brilliant!!!
		
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I can only agree on this - I've been using the same ball now for 36 holes and it has hardly got a mark on it!

Now I've probably jinxed it though as it'll got straight into a lake next time I hit it


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## User20205 (May 20, 2013)

yep, stuck mine in a ditch on the 4th yesterday!! so it lasted 57 holes, and still looked OK until that point


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## dgparry (May 21, 2013)

Firstly Thanks to GM and Paul for asking me to be a tester

In the interests of science i dished out three balls each to two members at my local club, so it gave us different balls to compare the Z-Stars against (Titleist Pro v1 12 Handicap; Taylormade RBZ 9 Handicap & Bridgestone B330RXS 13 Handicap)

Off the Tee: We all agreed here that no noticable difference was made here likewise for the 2nd shots with a long iron or fairway, we all like the sound off the club face.

120yds to the green: Only the Taylormade player found a lot of difference. " The increased stopping ability he has found pleased me no end"

Around the green: The Taylormade & Bridgestone players agreed  that this was where the Z-Star came into its own, with both players finding better distance control and increased stopping powers, the Titleist player noticed no marked improvement. Putting no player found any difference although the Taylormade player said it was less 'clicky'

Durability: At last we all agreed! This ball stays like new... even with a number of scrapes with trees and the occasional cart path it still holds its sheen. The cover seems to be very durable in comparison with our chosen balls.

View attachment 6156
  After two rounds. I don't think the photo shows the difference clearly

Cost: I know these were freebies but having trawled the usual suspects online sites they seem to marketed around Â£35 per doz

Continued use: The Taylormade player has already converted even though it has cost him Â£10 per doz extra. The Titleist player is not for changing - "My Dad played Titleist & so am i"....bet he votes for whoever his Dad voted for too. As for the Bridgestone player, me. i will be purchasing a box when i next need balls.

Overall: A very good ball that is easy to hit and get airborne has very good distance and is easilly controlled with excellent stopping power and as an added bonus it is very durable.

Downside: They don't float

Highly Recommended


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## timchump (May 21, 2013)

I was lucky enough to be selected to try the new Srixon Z Star.

I play a variety of balls, current preferred premium being the Titleist Pro V1 and Taylormade Penta,.

My handicap is 14, driving being the strongest part of my game and the short game the weakest.

Driving - The Srixon excelled in this area. I found the flight penetrating with little left or right movement, the line it stared on it tended to stick to, I liked this as I associate sideways movement with a potential loss in distance. It did seem on average longer than the other premium balls, probably by about 5-10 yards.

Long to mid irons - again good distance and flight characteristics, but it didnâ€™t quite sit down on the greens as well as I would have liked, with good strikes I found it ran on a few more yards than its rivals.

Shorter irons -despite my reservations with the longer irons, the Srixon was excellent in this area, almost like throwing darts, the ball generally checked up within a few feet of its pitch mark, superb!

Pitching and chipping - very good, soft feel and checked up well. Control out of green side bunkers was excellent.

Putting - Nice feel of the putter face like most premium balls. It has got line up lines on the side, if thatâ€™s your thing.  

Durability - probably the best compared to all other premium balls I have used â€“ Iâ€™d happily play the same ball for 2-3 rounds.  I only managed to mark one badly when I failed to thread a 3 wood through a couple of trees only a few yards in front of me. To be fair I donâ€™t think many balls would have survived that.

Overall â€“ would I buy themâ€¦ a definitive yes, theyâ€™re especially good with the scoring irons, chipping and pitching.  Using the Srixon for a month has made me realise maybe itâ€™s time for me to move to a premium ball, full time. It gave me more confidence in my short game, where I need it most!


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## HawkeyeMS (May 29, 2013)

My 1st impressions on pulling the dozen balls from the packaging was â€œOoooh, how intriguingâ€. You see they didnâ€™t come in the usual retail packaging but instead in a plain white box with the Srixon Logo in black letters. No indication of exactly what was inside so I pulled off the lid to find each ball individually boxed in smaller versions of the outer box. I donâ€™t know if this is how the retail versions arrive but if they donâ€™t they should. The individual boxes give the impression that each ball is special, as if hand selected from the production line and separated away from the others so as not to contaminate it. Mine are the standard Z-Star, not the XV, and each one of them is a number 1 which meant I had to mark half red and half blue in case I needed a provisional 

I had my first opportunity to tee it up on May 4th in the monthly stableford. I remember the date because I won the comp with 41 points. I am now 6 rounds in and feel suitably prepared to post my review.

*Driving*
Iâ€™m generally a good driver of the ball, about medium length and pretty straight. Itâ€™s hard to say whether the Z-Star is longer off the tee than any other ball in calm conditions because my testing has come just as the weather has warmed up and the course dried out but it does feel great off the driver. I tend to hit my driver with a low\mid trajectory and the Z-Star didnâ€™t change any of that. The most impressive thing about it for me was itsâ€™ performance in the wind. Itâ€™s been pretty  blowy the last few weeks but the ball behaved impeccably, no ballooning and I have hit a couple of drives into the wind that have travelled a good 20yds further than I would usually expect.

*Hybrids\irons*
Iâ€™m not a huge generator of spin with my irons so Iâ€™m not gonna tell you Iâ€™ve been zipping them back off the green â€˜cause that would be a lie. What I will tell you is the Z-Star once again feels great and stops quickly enough when it hits the green. Once again itâ€™s performance in the wind seems to me to be better than some other balls I have used. The flight stays consistent and stable. It is difficult for me to write this without sounding like Iâ€™m a wannabee aerodynamics expert on GolfWRX but it really doesnâ€™t seem to be affected that much by the wind. I have no way of saying for sure that it is better than other balls in this regard but in my experience it just is.

*Around the Green*
This is the first thing about the Z-Star that really jumped out at me. Around the green it performs brilliantly and feels great. As I said above Iâ€™m not a spinner but with chips around the green the ball checks on the first bounce and rolls out nicely. With longer pitch shots it has a nice penetrating mid-trajectory.  The last ball I was this impressed with around the green was the Bridgestone Tour B330-S which I switched to from the ProV1 a few  years ago.
Iâ€™ve been using the Callaway Tour i(s) of late which is probably a bit too firm for me and the ProV1 is in my opinion feels a bit too soft. The Z-Star sits somewhere in the middle which is just about right.

*Durability*
Phenomenal. Itâ€™s the only word to describe it. After 2 rounds they look as good as they did fresh out of the box. I donâ€™t know how they do it as most other premium balls look terrible after a few holes but these still look great. They also keep their colour as well which is a rare attribute among premium balls.

*Summary*
What Srixon have produced here is in my opinion a great ball, right up there with the very best. I still have eight unused ones, three which I have retired to the practice bag and one I shanked into the trees on our 5th hole :embarrassed:

I try not to pay full price for premium balls anymore, preferring to pick up whatever is on offer but if I had to spend thirty odd quid on balls, I wouldnâ€™t hesitate to spend it on these and if they start knocking them out at Â£20 a dozen like the old model, I'll stock up for life. 

Nice Job Srixon and thanks to GM for giving me the opportunity to test them out :thup:


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## GMAC88 (May 30, 2013)

Well...my match play tie last night saw the last of my dozen Srixons come out of their individually wrapped boxes.

There are still a few in the bag, but, having enjoyed using them so much, and encountering a period where I know where my golf ball is going, some look like they have been dog's toys rather than battered round Bellshill Golf Club's greenish fairways!

Over the course of using the Srixons, Ive come down 1.3 handicap wise (not all down to the ball, but a few lessons with Graeme Fox, Clydeway).

Last season I played the Taylormade TP5, which cut up really badly after one shot with the Vokey. The Z-Star is much more durable, yet doesnt lose the feel of a softer ball.

The distance off the driver is good, again without feeling like a brick.

They were nice from the mid irons, and spun well enough that I knew the ball wouldnt bound on through the green as they became a little firmer.

From around the greens, they felt slightly harder than a Penta, and I struggled a little at first as they didnt seem to spin so much.

They were a little more 'clicky' off the putter face, but after I got used to that noise, I could here a 'bad stroke'.

All in all, Id rate the Srixons at about a 8.5/10 ( with one mark off for the clickyness from the putter and a half off for the lesser spin rate from around the greens)

Cheers for the months worth of free golf balls Paul, Im now scouring the internet for some deals to order some more!


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## Keeno (Jun 3, 2013)

*Firstly I am a big fan of last years ZStar, stocked up for this season so had high expectations for this test *

Feel
Even though I'm test the XV which is firmer than the ZStar, it feels as soft off the face as the ZStar. A well struck iron seems to get more spin/bite than the ZStar, again a surprise for me, as it take more compressing. *You get a lovely crunch feeling when you nail an iron and you know it wont go far from its first bounce.
*
Distance
Hard to tell if its longer than the previous version. If you hit it well it'll fly, if not it wont. I did play in a foursomes tie with my partners ad333 and I didnt feel it was going as far as my usual ball Zstar/xv. No complaints again, it goes as far as any premium ball out there. *

Driver
Again comparing it to the ZStar I would expect more of click as its firmer but it feels as soft as any other similar premium balls in its class which is good. Again when you catch it right, you can feel a nice crunch which is very satisfying. 
*
Chipping and Pitching When pitching there is a noticable difference between this and an ad333, surprisingly so. You really do see it check and slow down. Even from short range. Chipping wise I tend to play low runners so dont notice or want to see much spin. *

Putter, feels very nice off the face and very consistent. Alignment marks are also good, even though I tend to forget to line the ball up *

Summary
As expected this is great ball, I played 36 holes with one and it still looks almost new. Best durabilty ive seen from a ball and stays nice and white. I have been using Zstars for the past year, have 36 of last years left. I will definitely not be moving away from these balls. I just need to decide if the ZStar or ZStar XV is the way forward.

Emailed this review off on Fri then shot +2 gross in the summer meeting to win Div 1 and have joint lowest gross overall. First decent medal score since joining my new course. Was it the ball?


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## Roops (Jun 10, 2013)

Loving the new Z-Stars. Almost always a Titleist user up to now, but seriously leaning towards these for the future. Off the tee, I found these were a little less sensitive to the perfect strike that a Prov-1 is. That meant more fairways hit for me. Around the green they are lovely, the speed off the face of wedges and rollout was very nice. Probably not a lot between the Prov and the Z-Star here. Durability wise, the Z-Star appears a lot better. They just don't cut up like a Prov. Great ball.


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