50 Words or Less
Much different than previous Z-Stars. Better feel and performance in the Z-Star XV. An interesting advancement from Srixon.
Introduction
Srixon has recently introduced updated versions of both the Z-Star and Z-Star XV golf balls. Both balls use Srixon’s new “Spin Skin,” a new dimple pattern and an enhanced core aiming to make a softer feeling ball perform like a firmer ball. Srixon says their new Spin Skin “improves friction between the golf ball and club surface by 20%” which will improve greenside spin and control, but won’t cost you distance off the tee.
Feel
On paper, I think the Z-Star is supposed to have better feel than the Z-Star XV, but throughout my entire test period, I constantly felt the XV had much better feel than the Z-Star. The Z-Star XV is a nice compromise between the firmness people may look for in a low spin ball and the soft compression people may look for in a “spinner” ball. To make a relative comparison for people, I would place the Z-Star XV right in between the feel of the Titleist Pro V1 and the Titleist Pro V1x. That is the exact area of feel I would like to be in with a golf ball from driver through the putter.
For me personally, the Z-Star performed well, but I had quite a bit of an issue with feel when it came to shots requiring touch. That’s not to say that the feel is bad, but it wasn’t for me. I had a hard time knowing what the ball was doing off the club face with my finesse shots. For my long game, it wasn’t as much of an issue, and the Z-Star felt fine.
Long Game
Both the Z-Star and the Z-Star XV performed well in my long game. I was much more accurate and had more distance with the Z-Star XV. I struggled a little in controlling the Z-Star, but this could be expected from a higher spinning ball.
I have typically played the Titleist Pro V1x because it helps me get a few extra yards, and I have a much easier time keeping the ball in the fairway. Well, I may have found a replacement in the Z-Star XV. As stated earlier, the Z-Star XV doesn’t quite feel as hard off the face as the Pro V1x, but it had the same benefits of the Pro V1x in terms of adding extra yards and keeping the ball in the short grass off the tee.
Short Game
Again, I did not mix well with the Z-Star here but I loved the Z-Star XV. The Z-Star XV was easy to control all the way from shots into the green to small chip shots with little green to work with. I was concerned I may have issues with not being able to get enough spin on the greens, but that was far from the truth. The Z-Star XV easily outperformed my Pro V1x.
The interesting thing here was that the regular Z-Star performed very well in approach shots and my wedge game; you can really manipulate the ball and do some neat things with it. I felt like I struggled because I didn’t have great feel with it, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well my shots turned out after I hit them.
Putting with the Z-Star XV was smooth. The ball felt great off the face of the putter and rolled nicely. I’m of the belief that no matter how good a ball feels on the rest of the course, if it doesn’t feel good with the putter then it’s no good. This certainly was not a deal breaker for the Z-Star XV and made me feel good enough to keep the ball in the bag.
Who This Ball is For
The Z-Star is a good ball for a better player that has good control and will not suffer from too much spin. The Z-Star XV is good for a player looking for a player with a slightly higher swing speed looking for a nice blend of benefits between a soft and firm ball.
Conclusion
Both the Srixon Z-Star and Z-Star XV balls are great golf balls. It’s not unusual for a golfer to have a strong preference toward a specific version of a high end golf ball; you will see it with any major manufacturer’s offerings. For me, I fell for the Z-Star XV. I felt it lived up to all of the new claims Srixon is making for their new line of golf balls. There is an excellent compromise between distance, feel, and spin.
A further testament to the Z-Star XV: I finalized my testing period for the Srixon balls by putting the Z-Star XV in play at my company golf outing and ended up taking home the title of Long Drive Champion. Signed, sealed, delivered; I’ll be playing the Srixon Z-Star XV for awhile.
Price, Models, Availability
Both the Srixon Z-Star and Z-Star XV golf balls are offered at retail for $44.99 and come in Pure White and Tour Yellow.
Bill Bush
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I’ve been playing the full line of Srixon since 2000, the new XV is a dream come true! I have roughly a 98-100 mph swing speed and the ball has helped me hit more fairways than ever before. I found locally a place selling two dozen for the price of one. So I paid $44.97 for two dozen and I picked up in total eight dozen!!
Now the goal is not to lose them :)
Wow, that’s some pretty high praise, though I love my Q-Stars so I’m not overly surprised. I have to say that I haven’t paid too much attention to the ‘Spin Skin’ marketing – I know it is on the new 2013 Q-Star line as well, but i’m interested – do you know if there is an equivalent improvement for this line as well?
Thanks Bill
Brad
Thanks for the review.. I have been a loyal Pro V1 X player for the past 7 or so years but im thinking about switching to the new srixon XV. how do the 2 compare? Ive heard alot of great things about the new version of the srixon ball but Ive also heard that greenside control could not be compared to the titliest. what ball did you play before you made the switch? Im about a 9 handicap and have a very high swing speed (114 w. driver) Thanks in advance for the info…
I’m from the camp of believers that swing speed does not dictate what ball you should use. Titleist gets the ball fitting process right when they start at the putter and work their way back to the tee. Frankly, I thought the XV felt good on and around the greens and have no problems recommending it. In regards to comparing it to the Titleist for greenside control, it’s all relative. What may be good for one person around the green, may not be good for another. Your best bet is to do an unbiased test of both golf balls and see what works best for you and go from there. I know it would be easier for me to say “I played this ball before, and now I play this ball because it’s better” but really, it’s so specific to the individual that if you’re torn between two, you definitely need to spend some extensive time with both of them.
Just got the new Z Star yellow balls. I am age 68, hit the ball well, about 220 to 250 off the tee. I got to tell you these balls are great. Go straight and far, great spin around the greens and great feel. Much better feel than the Pro V’s.
I play off a handicap of 16 at the age of 65.Having had two spinal operations over the past few years iam very fortunate to hit the ball 220m to 240m off the tee.To be able to do that I require a ball that has soft feel from Driver through to putter as you need to be able to compress the ball with a lower swing speed off the tee and then benefit from the higher spin and great feel around the geen,keeping in mind that is youre scoring zone for all players.To me personally the Srixon Z- Star is more suitable than the Srixon XV and the Titliest Pro V.Bear in mind both Pro V s are excellent proven high performance balls but only suitable for the Professionals and single figure golfers.Good golfing from Mike Smith Portsea Vic..
While I agree that everyone has a different ball need and preference, I have to say your point about Pro V’s being for professional or single digit players only is a complete myth. Lots of companies in the market have done extensive research about this subject.