50 Words or Less
The Srixon Q STAR Tour golf ball feels great, spins a ton, and will be very long for players who swing 85-95 MPH.
Introduction
There are a lot of good golfers out there. There are lots of players who demand a golf ball that feels great off the putter and wedges. There aren’t a lot of golfers who swing a driver 100, 110, or 120 MPH.
If you thought about those three facts, you’d do what Srixon has done with the new Q STAR Tour: create a golf ball that feels great, spins like a tour ball, but performs best with moderate swing speeds.
Feel
Soft. Soft, soft, soft. Really, really soft. In every area of the game, soft is the word that defines the Q STAR Tour. With the putter, the Q STAR Tour’s urethane cover creates a buttery “tock.” The urethane cover also gives it a soft, sticky feel on the wedges. When you get into the long game, the low compression keeps the feel soft and explosive.
Short Game
As has become their standard, Srixon shared a mountain of testing data about the Q STAR Tour. Here are the Cliffs Notes. The Q STAR Tour spun significantly more (+700 RPM or more) than the Wilson Staff Duo, Aerourner Pro, NXT Tour S, or e6 Soft. It was within 300-400 RPM of urethane-covered tour balls like the ProV1, B330 RXS, and Chrome Soft.
My own testing of the Q STAR Tour against premium tour balls mirrored what Srixon reported. On some shots, the Q STAR Tour hit the same peak spin numbers as the tour balls, but on average it was a couple hundred RPM lower. For context, we’re talking about the difference between approximately 8000 RPM and 7800 RPM. That difference is unlikely to be noticeable on the course.
Long Game
Again, I’ll start with Srixon’s data. Srixon states that with a robot swinging at 85 MPH and 95 MPH, the Q STAR Tour is longer than the Chrome Soft, Project A, B330 RXS, AeroBurner Pro, and Duo Spin. Additionally, the Q STAR Tour had the smallest dispersion at 85 MPH and, with a 6I, had the highest launch and longest distance.
My testing of the Q STAR Tour didn’t replicate Srixon’s because my swing speed is not in the 85-95 MPH range. As a higher swing speed player, I found the Q STAR Tour had ball speeds that were slightly lower with the driver compared to tour balls like the Z STAR. The differences weren’t huge, but, with distance being critical, I would opt for the Z STAR. With my irons, the differences between the Q STAR Tour and tour-caliber balls were smaller. Bottom line: even as someone who is not the target demographic, I would be pretty happy playing the Q STAR Tour. When my swing speed starts to dip, I will absolutely be turning to a ball like the Q STAR Tour.
Conclusion
If you haven’t gotten the message, I’ll spell it out for you as clearly as I can: the Srixon Q STAR Tour golf ball is really good. If you have swing speed in excess of 100 MPH, play the Z STAR, but everyone else should be stocking up on the Q STAR Tour. And at $30/dozen, the value is tremendous.
Buy the Srixon Q STAR Tour Golf Ball HERE
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Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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I understand that personal testing is most important, however would like your opinion given your recent review of Bridgestone e6 Soft: Would you recommend the Q STAR Tour over the e6 Soft for high handicappers looking for “straight distance” off the tee?
Both balls seem to target the same “moderate swing speed” golfer and the Q STAR Tour appears to have better greenside performance. That said, in the e6 Soft article you said “For the average or high handicap golfer… the spin gap that we’re talking about is NOT the difference between a shot sticking to the green and a shot that runs off the putting surface.”
Long story, short, just trying to decide on which ball to start my season off with. Thanks and love the reviews~
MK,
I haven’t tested the two head to head, so I can’t say definitively. I think both are really good. If straight is priority #1, I might try to e6 Straight first.
Best,
Matt
Going to be hard to push the new Bridgestone e6 Soft out of my bag. But, I will give them a whirl.
Still wait for your answer to try the Q star tour even if I paid for it
Richard,
Are you referring to the Reader Review opportunity? If so, the emails for that went out a couple weeks ago. We’d be happy to have you post your feedback about the ball here, however.
Best,
Matt
In your view does the e6 Soft or e6 Speed compare with the Srixon Q Star Tour? Have been playing the QST, but want to try one of the new e6 balls.
Sam,
Neither compares in feel, in my opinion. The e6 Soft would be the closer of the two.
Best,
Matt
I’m A 10 HANDICAP 63 YEARS OLD. THE Q STAR TOUR BALL
FEELS GREAT OFF MY IRONS AND AROUND THE GREENS I
I LOVE THE SOFT FEEL. I WOULD SAY TO ANYONE TO GIVE
THEM A TRY. NOT MY FELLOW HACKS THAT I PLAY WITH
HOWEVER. DONT WANT TO GIVE THEM ANY PONITERS:)
thanks
Can you help me understand the difference between the old QStar and the new QStar Tour? Would an average golfer recognize the difference between the two? (Srixon customer service wasn’t really clear on this…here’s the chat transcript:
Dakota:hello how may i assist you/
Me:Hi, there. I am purchasing golf balls for my dad for Christmas. He says he likes “QStar,” but I see there are the regular QStars and the QStar Tours. What is the difference between the two? Also, someone at Dick’s Sporting Goods told him QStars have been discontinued…is that true? Thank you!
Dakota:The Q-Star Tour is our newest series of the Q-Star line. Thats the main difference. The Qtars have not been discontinued, we still manufacture and offer those.
Me:So there isn’t a difference between QStars and QStar Tours?
Dakota:Only that the Qtar Tour is our newest version of that series!
Me:Can you help me understand why was a “new version” created if there is no difference between the two?
Dakota:The Qtar Tour has a Urethane cover (lasts longer) the Q-star has an Ionemer cove, Qstar Tour has more spin and is a 3 piece where as the Qstar has less spin and is a 2 piece ball.
Dakota:those are the differences.
Me:Okay, thank you.)
Good for you for sticking with that conversation, I would have bailed earlier.
Dakota did hit on the key difference: urethane cover vs. ionomer. That will create a feel difference with the short clubs and a difference in spin with the wedges. Whether or not that difference is noticeable will depend on the golfer. I would suggest that a golfer who is a 20 handicap or higher probably won’t notice the difference.
Best,
Matt
Do they plan on introducing the Q star tour in yellow any time soon?
Terry,
Not to my knowledge.
Best,
Matt
Really like the ball, good performance, great value for a urethane covered ball. Not sure how it compares to the Qstar around the greens and on approach shots. Qstar must be a pretty good ball and quite a bit cheaper. The performance from 100 yards and in would be the main determining factor between the two for me.
Hey Matt.,
I’m just curious as to what your take is on a comparison between the Q Star Tour and the Project A. They are both similar balls geared toward the same crowd of players. Which ball do you think is the better performer? Is either of them longer? Does either one have a clear advantage in specific categories?
Dustin,
I haven’t tested them head-to-head, so I can’t say definitively. They’re very similar in terms of construction, so I doubt that there’s a world of difference. My guess is that it would mainly come down to preference and fit.
Best,
Matt
I am 72 with a swing speed in the low 80’s. I have played every “soft” ball made over the past several years. I bought a dozen q star tours last September and couldn’t be happier. Absolutely longer than any of the others and so soft off my irons, it feels like i’m hitting a Mizuni forged club on the sweet spot. I’m all in on this ball!
I’m a senior golfer with roughly a 75 mph swing. My favorite ball has been the Titleist Velocity. How does the Srixon Q-Star and/or the Q-Star Tour measure up to these in your experience. Details please.
John,
For me, the Q-Star Tour is significantly softer than the Velocity and spins much more around the green.
Best,
Matt
at 58 my SS is 95 so I tried the AVX and wow…… longer than the Tour Soft, Project S or Super soft….for me anyway. Found a Q Star Tour and double wow off the fairway. Very surprised at the length and straight flight.
I’ve been an E6 soft player for over two years now. Thought I’d try the new Titleist Tour Soft and didn’t like them at all. They were to “clicky” off my irons and wedges for my comfort. I thought the E6 Softs performed and felt better. After reading about these Q Star Tours, I just purchased a dozen and can’t wait to play them at our guys golf weekend coming up. I used to play balls with urethane covers than went away from them when my slice started acting up. Have high hopes for this ball
Best golf balls ever. Nice and balanced and the price is right. #SecretGiveaway
I found them straight and fairly long…hit my approach shots flush but still had more roll-out than I liked….wasn’t expecting them to suck back but I did expect them drop and stop with their compression/urethane cover. Greens weren’t that fast either….Hmmmm, the jury hasn’t reached a verdict.
This has peaked my interest and will be trying the Q Star Tour this weekend. I’ve been playing the MG Tour C4 ball and love it but hate the MG design which is no biggie as long as the ball performs but still this article has made me curious.
I found this discussion very helpful. I have a 14 handicap and a very low swing speed. Besides the Srixon Q-Star Tour, what do you think of the Costco three piece ball. It replayed the four layer ball because of patents.
Jeff,
Unfortunately I haven’t played the Costco ball, but I’ve heard nothing but good things.
Best,
Matt
I started with e6 soft and then once I got a little better I went to Pro V1. Just played 18 with the Q-Star tour. Straighter flight than the e6, and just as long as the Pro V1. This is my new ball.
I am a 77 year old golfer with an 8 handicap and a driver swing speed about 90 MPH. Would the Srixson Q Star Tour be a good ball for me? If not, other suggestions.
Dick,
It certainly could be. There’s no way for anyone to provide a credible recommendation based purely on swing speed, but your speed does put you in the range for the Q Star Tour.
Best,
Matt
shocked at how far this ball went off driver! easy 25-35 yards of roll.. never had this with bridgestone b330–rx.