Srixon Z-STAR DIAMOND Golf Balls

[OldandStiff]

I'm not seeing anything for me really that would make me choose this ball over others that I like the feel of a little more. Just didn't seem like a perfect match for me.

They seem fast, but the spin profile isn't quite right for me and I don't think I love them around the green. Curious what more people think when they play them.

 

[OldandStiff]

I'm wondering what someone like @radiman will think of these.

 

[radiman]

I'm wondering what someone like @radiman will think of these.

Well, as a big fan of the XV, I am really interested to see how it plays. XV like ball speed off the tee but a little softer feel? Sign me up. Since golf is still months away, I haven't dug into these too much yet. Figured I would buy a dozen and just see what the deal is in the Spring.

 

[OldandStiff]

Well, as a big fan of the XV, I am really interested to see how it plays. XV like ball speed off the tee but a little softer feel? Sign me up. Since golf is still months away, I haven't dug into these too much yet. Figured I would buy a dozen and just see what the deal is in the Spring.

We'll see what people actually think of the feel. I'm all effed up again about it after the hole I just played.

 

[jdtox]

I'm not seeing anything for me really that would make me choose this ball over others that I like the feel of a little more. Just didn't seem like a perfect match for me.

They seem fast, but the spin profile isn't quite right for me and I don't think I love them around the green. Curious what more people think when they play them.

Man thats a bummer to hear

 

[OldandStiff]

Man thats a bummer to hear

No, not at all. Everyone has what suits them best, and if this damn ball keeps pumping out 320 drives and sticking wedge approaches like it has the last couple holes I'll get over my about the rest.

 

[jdtox]

No, not at all. Everyone has what suits them best, and if this damn ball keeps pumping out 320 drives and sticking wedge approaches like it has the last couple holes I'll get over my about the rest.

If its good enough for Brooks....

 

[OldandStiff]

If its good enough for Brooks....

So you're saying we all deserve a Jena?

Ran the camera down to try to catch the approach that baffled me the other day.



92 yard partial wedge downwind that lands on a downslope and goes nowhere? I actually zipped it a bit the other day which was a crazy. I don't know. Is feel important? We all get fat and soft right? Take firm where we can get it?

 

[radiman]

So you're saying we all deserve a Jena?

Ran the camera down to try to catch the approach that baffled me the other day.



92 yard partial wedge downwind that lands on a downslope and goes nowhere? I actually zipped it a bit the other day which was a crazy. I don't know. Is feel important? We all get fat and soft right? Take firm where we can get it?

Are you saying it feels softer than you like? Or, are you calling me fat? Haha

 

[OldandStiff]

Are you saying it feels softer than you like? Or, are you calling me fat? Haha

Haha I'm saying that it is not a soft ball, overall, imo. And that it is currently breaking my brain with 4 straight birdies and results that are hard to argue with on short and wedges.

 

[radiman]

Haha I'm saying that it is not a soft ball, overall, imo. And that it is currently breaking my brain with 4 straight birdies and results that are hard to argue with on short and wedges.

Firmer than the XV?

 

[Tenputt]

Firmer than the XV?

Or a TaylorMade TP5X (not saying those are hard, but I would have thought this would feel similar)?

 

[jdtox]

Haha I'm saying that it is not a soft ball, overall, imo. And that it is currently breaking my brain with 4 straight birdies and results that are hard to argue with on short and wedges.

It can't be firmer than the XV that thing feels like a rock. I've always been a Z-Star guy if playing Srixon till @Canadan put out that video haha now I question everything

 

[OldandStiff]

I guess you could say it feels a little 'softer' than XV, definitely firmer than TP5x. It doesn't sound as sharp as XV, and changes at different speeds, but when you get into the things you can actually feel, it feels more like an XV with a thicker cover it whatever it is, which to me is duller, not 'softer'. I guess. I don't know. Stupid ball won't stop making birdies and it's pissing me off. Lol

 

[Canadan]

It can't be firmer than the XV that thing feels like a rock. I've always been a Z-Star guy if playing Srixon till @Canadan put out that video haha now I question everything

Q star tour hype!!!

 

[OldandStiff]

I feel like it's going to make a lot of people happy. I mean I don't play the XV much because of a couple things, and this ball seems to do those things better, even if it doesn't feel like it does necessarily. As long as I'm not over spinning short irons I could play it.

And like XV, they seem really good with driver. Sneaky long. I was going to make a video smacking one, but I bailed. Went standard old man on hole 26 and just let the levers do the work. Andd it was still over 300 in not good conditions.

 

[Templet0n]

Man that's an interesting ball. I'm gonna need a bit to wrap my head around some of that... Also really want to do a head to head with it against a couple others.

Hahahah!! This is exactly how I feel. I have not quite figured it out. I can’t tell if I love it or I am just ok with it..

 

[Templet0n]

You'll surely regret it, but your wish is my command. lol


So that was interesting. I had practically promised I wouldn't play today after monitor testing sunday and playing and ranging the last two days and hurting, but it was the last weather day for a bit so I had to give it a go. Wife seems more forgiving than my body at the moment. lol Tried to play a variety of shots and work around the greens. Put together a little ASMR of some I captured for you kinky f***ers. I could either bend or move, but not really at the same time, so despite trying play gently I was throwing my hands a bit and had a couple heely strikes. Ball was pretty straight though. And it was cold, wearing multiple cold gear layers, so everything here is based within that.





(Not in order apparently but I'm not doing it again)


It was interesting and I'll talk through my sure-to-evolve first impressions.

Overall it seemed good. I try not to log marketing to my brain until I hit/play things myself, but I swore they said it was soft somewhere and I had that in my head. Didn't seem soft off the first with the UT that's for sure. And I'm not sure how things come through in the video, but the feels were kind of wild.

Felt and sounded like a high compression ball off the driver face and it was NICE. I really look forward to resting a couple days and actually getting to hammer them. Addicting like XV. Feels fast. For the swing I had today and the conditions distances were good and it handled the wind well.

Mid-long irons (TCBs today) it felt like a higher compression ball and nothing really stood out there. Firmer in the cold and had to get after it a bit to really get some squoosh. Short irons same but it did seem to spin decently high. Will take more outings, but I specifically set myself up for a couple full short iron approaches where spin can really affect outcomes in tough conditions and it did seem to hold up a bit. Also hit a chippy one on the last that really did not seem to manage the wind well on spin. I have a full video of that and I was noticably surprised to come up short.

With specialties it did not feel 'soft' on full approach. It really stood out as a firmer ball to me audibly and on the hands there. Which is fine, not quite like off the tee, and still probably softer than XV. Softer cover is one thing, but not really compressing it at those speeds made it feel like a pretty firm ball. And T22 are pretty soft. Want to get it out with a set of blades. I'm really curious to see what they sound like with my MG3's too. Those things pop. Cold could be affecting the outer part of the core/mantle too on these I suppose, and they did get GOOD spin on full specialty approach. Real good. One really impressed me, despite it actually keeping me further from the hole.

And then the cover kind of takes over I think. Around the green it actually feels a little dead depending on what you're used to and want. Some would call it soft I think. Not me really. The ball isn't soft, but you get a lot of cover and the combo just doesn't have much feel to me. And then it actually sounds and feels pretty dang soft off my putter. Like, dense-ish and not bad in any way. Straighter blow than with baby wedges and it feels nice. I don't know. I feel like my brain is pretty much broken after having 7 different balls on course in the last week and need a day off. Sounds mostly between Z Star and XV I think overall. Seemed VX-ish off the tee, CSX-y maybe on approach, but maybe didn't get quite the greenside action of a CSX, and sounds and feels pretty different.

I DEFINITELY want to put it up against the new CSX LS on sound and feel and short iron approach. I didn't have any with me or I would have today.

But my suspicion is that it when it's not pre-blizzard, or even better, WARM outside, it will be pretty hot off the tee and hold firm greens well. I could putt with it in just about any temperature. I liked that.

I feel like you nailed my thought exactly. Around the ground you get the thicker cover to grab. Off the tee the high (102) compression provides tons of speed. The flight is nice and mid trajectory in my mind as well.

 

[jdtox]

I feel like you nailed my thought exactly. Around the ground you get the thicker cover to grab. Off the tee the high (102) compression provides tons of speed. The flight is nice and mid trajectory in my mind as well.

Its so interesting with these higher compression balls when other OEMs are going well...softer haha

 

[OldandStiff]

I feel like you nailed my thought exactly. Around the ground you get the thicker cover to grab. Off the tee the high (102) compression provides tons of speed. The flight is nice and mid trajectory in my mind as well.

The trajectory does seem pretty nice. I think that's part of why it's been long despite tough conditions. I had one 3/4 7i spin up a bit, but for my concerns about the high spin I've seen into the greens, the flights have been pretty strong.

 

[OldandStiff]

Its so interesting with these higher compression balls when other OEMs are going well...softer haha

I think it's pretty awesome. Both directions. And everything in between. The more it throws what you thought you knew into the air the more fun it feels like it all is!

 

[Templet0n]

Its so interesting with these higher compression balls when other OEMs are going well...softer haha

True. But srixon seems to have discovered a balance. They increased compression but it feels and perform way softer than the XV. I hit a couple shots around the green that were just awesome and made me say wow!!

 

[Templet0n]

I would add. There is one other company to recently go firmer.. callaway. Their LS is a completely different beast but was still a move towards higher compression.

 

[OldandStiff]

I would add. There is one other company to recently go firmer.. callaway. Their LS is a completely different beast but was still a move towards higher compression.

And playing those on separate 9s again today is part what is just scrambling my brain.

 

[Templet0n]

And playing those on separate 9s again today is part what is just scrambling my brain.

Totally different animals I think.. have not played the new LS but based off the previous there is a marked difference once you hit say 130 and in.