Though it seems like we have limitless options in 2023, it’s easy to forget there was a glaring hole in the golf ball market back when Srixon first introduced the Q Star (and eventually, Q Star Tour). With some exceptions, it seemed like most major brands offered a low-end ball and a high-end line, but there wasn’t much available in the middle. The Q Star was designed to offer a slightly more premium experience for customers not possessing the skill or swing speed to best utilize a Tour-level golf ball. Since that time, the line has evolved, most notably into the Q Star Tour, which offers many of the same features as the venerated Z Star with a softer feel and lower price point. 2024’s version of the Q Star Tour, the line’s fifth generation, continues this well-received tradition and builds on it with some design changes.
Reformulated FastLayer Core
The 2024 Srixon Q Star Tour 5’s most noticeable and exciting change is a newly formulated FastLayer Core. While the ball remains geared towards sub-Tour swing speeds due to its lower compression, this new core was designed to be slightly firmer and faster to improve ball speeds on full swings. Still, the new core should help reduce side spin with woods and full iron swings.
FastLayer continues to utilize Srixon’s technology of varying layers of firmness throughout the core. The company says it best when they note that after starting at the center of the core they add, “thousands of layers, resulting in a gradual transition from firm to soft. This transition allows for a core firm enough at the center to generate powerful ball speeds and distance, soft at the edge for unparalleled feel in a tour-performance package.”
Urethane Cover with Spin Skin
The Q Star Tour’s ultra-thin urethane cover is intended to provide Tour-level spin, and Srixon notes that this year’s version is even softer. We’ll discuss how the cover performs both on the course and on the launch monitor later in the article, but it is always worth celebrating lower-cost options in the urethane ball space.
Spin Skin, a proprietary coating that Srixon claims enhances spin at the “microscopic” level is again present with the 2024 Q Star Tour. The company notes that this coating enhances the elasticity of the urethane cover, increasing the ball’s ability to grab onto the club face. This evenly distributes load across the ball and maximizes spin and control. In hand, it’s easy to feel the softness of the urethane cover and Spin Skin. It feels supple in-hand and gives confidence that the ball will produce ample spin.
338 Speed Dimple Pattern
338 has been a magic number for Srixon for a long time, and 2024 is no different. This aerodynamic design has been tweaked to provide the most possible distance by limiting drag early in the ball’s flight and increasing lift at its terminus. In addition to distance benefits, Speed Dimples are intended to promote straighter flight, even in the wind.
Divide Technology
Srixon’s approach to visual technology has always been unique and forward-thinking. It doesn’t seem like any other company has come close to matching their legendary Tour Yellow color. In recent years, they’ve latched onto the Divide concept, where one half of the ball is one color and the other half another. With the Q Star Tour, Divide is executed in three different BRITE color combinations: Yellow/Orange, Yellow/Red, and Yellow/Blue.
Divide provides a convenient way to line up putts that Srixon calls 360 Alignment. A nice byproduct is also Divide’s ability to instantly provide roll feedback. In other words, if you are a wobbly putter, the Divide will let you know. Though it’s not necessarily a game-improving feature, there is something hypnotizing about watching Divide spin through the air. It’s especially noticeable with the Q Star Tour’s color combinations. As far as visibility goes, Yellow/Orange and Yellow/Red are by far the superior options, with Yellow/Blue proving a bit more difficult to see on the ground.
Q Star Tour Divide balls also have a new, soft urethane cover but appear to come without the Spin Skin coating. With a matte finish, the balls feel much different than the line’s Pure White or Tour Yellow options in the hand, but the fingernail test does illustrate the cover’s softness.
We still have our hopes up that Srixon will offer the Q Star Tour in the Tour Yellow/Pure White Divide combination. It’s currently only available with the Z Star line and is a personal favorite of ours.
2024 Srixon Q Star Tour Performance
In early November at the 2023 Srixon Experience in Briggs Ranch, TX, a group of THP forum members, including yours truly, were among the first in North America to sample the new Q Star Tour line over 54 holes of golf. This opportunity was even more unique in that none of the technical details covered above were known to us at the time. We were left to evaluate the ball on its own merits, without marketing information to guide our thoughts. Briggs Ranch, with its newly rebuilt, firm greens proved to be a stern test of the Q Star Tour’s performance.
The most common, and eventually self-validating, feedback was centered around how much better the 2024 version felt on full and partial swings. Previous generation Q Star Tours were soft; almost too soft. With the word “Tour” comes a set of expectations, and while soft feel is desirable, there is a point at which players begin to perceive it at a detraction. The 2024 version was noticeably firmer while still managing to remain on the softer side of the spectrum, striking a much better balance that appealed to a wider section of player types. Of course, in retrospect, these observations matched perfectly with Srixon’s description of their new FastLayer Core. I do confess to some self-indulgent back patting.
Also interesting were the lack of comments about distance loss among the faster-swinging players. This was a common criticism heard about earlier versions of the Q Star Tour, and it seems that the reformulated core may have remedied that to an extent. Obviously, fitting will always come into play here, and we aren’t suggesting the new Q Star Tour will be a universal fit for everybody, but the improvement seemed to be tangible.
The Q Star Tour sits in an interesting part of the golf ball market, especially when you consider how it should perform in comparison to the more-expensive Z-Star series. The $39.99 price tag is closing in on a 20% discount over Srixon’s premium lines but is priced well above what we’d consider a “discount” ball. With a heavy emphasis from the company on its urethane cover and Spin Skin coating, Srixon has a fine line to walk between making the ball provide enough spin without diminishing the value of the Z Star.
Regarding outdoor testing, it’s important to again note that our first look at the Q Star Tour’s spin performance took place on brand new, TifEagle Bermuda greens. These firm and fast greens didn’t make it easy to stick wedge shots with any ball, but a comparative look made it seem like the Q Star Tour held its own. Low spinning shots did produce visible check with solid contact, though maybe not to the level we’d see with the industry’s spinniest balls.
Later testing with a SkyTrak+ illustrated this as well. The Z Star, long considered a top choice for short game spin, did beat out the Q Star Tour, but the results were closer than you might expect. With a 54 degree wedge and using a partial swing, we took a number of (ideally) 75-80 yard wedge shots to produce the averages below. Keep in mind that robot testing, or testing conducted by a different player, may not match what we show here. This is an “average” player’s swing, with all its faults and inconsistencies, but it’s what I was blessed with.
| Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin | Carry | Total | Peak Height | |
| Q Star Tour | 69 mph | 31 deg | 7566 rpm | 78 yards | 79 yards | 17 yards |
| Z Star | 69 mph | 29 deg | 7979 rpm | 79 yards | 79 yards | 16 yards |
At just over 400 rpm more spin, the Z Star did outperform the Q Star Tour, but again, the two are quite close, especially when you consider the nature of an amateur swing. Is that extra 5% of spin worth the additional cost the Z Star commands? That’s a decision only you can make, but personally, with the improved feel and performance on full swings, the Q Star Tour is making a very strong case for being my 2024 ball of choice.
2024 Srixon Q Star Tour Details
- Available January 11, 2024
- $39.99
- Pure White and Tour Yellow
- Divide available in BRITE Yellow/Red, Yellow/Orange, and Yellow/Blue
- More information available at us.dunlopsports.com/srixon
