Wessex
Medal Winner
Ok thanks for the heads up. Just looking at the Callaway range as well to compare.
Srixon 2013 Z-Star reviews
- Thread starter PaulOHagan
- Start date
Ok thanks for the heads up. Just looking at the Callaway range as well to compare.
User20205
Money List Winner
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!!!
The durability is brilliant!!!
richart
Major Champion
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 ?
User20205
Money List Winner
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 ?
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
Matty
Tour Rookie
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
User20205
Money List Winner
yep, stuck mine in a ditch on the 4th yesterday!! so it lasted 57 holes, and still looked OK until that point
dgparry
Club Champion
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 £35 per doz
Continued use: The Taylormade player has already converted even though it has cost him £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
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 £35 per doz
Continued use: The Taylormade player has already converted even though it has cost him £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
timchump
Q-School Graduate
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 didn’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 that’s your thing.
Durability - probably the best compared to all other premium balls I have used – I’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 don’t think many balls would have survived that.
Overall – would I buy them… a definitive yes, they’re especially good with the scoring irons, chipping and pitching. Using the Srixon for a month has made me realise maybe it’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!
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 didn’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 that’s your thing.
Durability - probably the best compared to all other premium balls I have used – I’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 don’t think many balls would have survived that.
Overall – would I buy them… a definitive yes, they’re especially good with the scoring irons, chipping and pitching. Using the Srixon for a month has made me realise maybe it’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!
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
My 1st impressions on pulling the dozen balls from the packaging was “Ooooh, how intriguingâ€. You see they didn’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 don’t know if this is how the retail versions arrive but if they don’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
I’m generally a good driver of the ball, about medium length and pretty straight. It’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 didn’t change any of that. The most impressive thing about it for me was its’ performance in the wind. It’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
I’m not a huge generator of spin with my irons so I’m not gonna tell you I’ve been zipping them back off the green ‘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 it’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 I’m a wannabee aerodynamics expert on GolfWRX but it really doesn’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 I’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.
I’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. It’s the only word to describe it. After 2 rounds they look as good as they did fresh out of the box. I don’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 wouldn’t hesitate to spend it on these and if they start knocking them out at £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:
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
I’m generally a good driver of the ball, about medium length and pretty straight. It’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 didn’t change any of that. The most impressive thing about it for me was its’ performance in the wind. It’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
I’m not a huge generator of spin with my irons so I’m not gonna tell you I’ve been zipping them back off the green ‘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 it’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 I’m a wannabee aerodynamics expert on GolfWRX but it really doesn’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 I’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.
I’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. It’s the only word to describe it. After 2 rounds they look as good as they did fresh out of the box. I don’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 wouldn’t hesitate to spend it on these and if they start knocking them out at £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:
GMAC88
Head Pro
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!
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!
Keeno
Challenge Tour Pro
*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?
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?
Roops
Head Pro
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.
