Srixon Golf has quietly gone out and added some pretty hefty firepower to their tour lineup and now they are gunning for premium ball supremacy with their new Z Star lineup.
Featuring two distinct balls, the Z Star and the Z Star X, Srixon is boasting about “switching to a better ball” with its marketing and by looking at the technology behind the Z Star line, they very well could have a contender for best in class for the premium ball category.
Read on as we check out what makes the Z Star tick.
Z Star
So how did they come up with Star? The clever folks at Srixon came with Spin, Trajectory, Acceleration, and Responsiveness. The Z Star is a three-piece ball with a very thin urethane cover (Z-Coat Exterior Layer) to help provide spin and control on approach shots to the green. An elastic ionomer mid-layer “creates a smooth transition to the core for greater control and distance.” Smooth is a good thing. The core is where it’s at though. The Energetic Gradient Growth Core (clever, clever) is a design which features gradual compression from the center of the ball out to the perimeter (goes from soft to firm) in order to create lower spin and high ball speed.
The trajectory for that every popular “aggressive” ball flight is aided by the Powershear Dimple Technology. The older Z-series balls had 330 dimples while the new Z Star has 324 “low drag with high coverage” dimples to give you the best amount of spin through your ball flight. Also, the Invisiseam Technology makes sure of the uniformity of the dimples across the entire surface of the ball to give you consistent flight and performance.
You can thank the Energetic Gradient Growth Core for the acceleration given to the Z Star with it’s gradual compression which works with the ultra-thin cover to help transfer the energy to the core to improve distance as well as to help reduce energy that is lost in the cover. That exterior layer is softer which provides you with added feel and control on the “touch-shots” around the green as with the putter.
Z Star X
Like it’s sibling, the Z Star, the X version is three-piece construction as well and shares many of the same design characteristics (dimples, thin cover, etc). However, it more designed for the higher swing-speed golfer +105 mph) who is gunning for “extreme tour distance.”
The main difference is a slightly firmer cover as well as a firmer core (104 compression) than the Z Star in order to accommodate the big hitters of the world. Figure the Z Star X for more distance and the Z Star, which is a bit softer for a more feel.
Availability and Price
The Z-Star line is available now and carries a price tag of about $40, which now seems to be the lower end of the premium ball category.
Final Thoughts (plus rant)
I haven’t played Srixon balls with the exception of the few I’ve found on the course so it’s hard for me to determine how they stack up to the rest of the premium category. That being said, I’ll be sure to pick up a sleeve of each to try out as it’s always fun to to try out the latest and greatest from the ball companies. Bring on spring!
Mild Rant
Short Bag Drop this week which gives me an opportunity to throw out some thoughts about having been out wandering through the aisles at some sporting goods/golf shops in my neck of the woods.
The amount of inventory on the sales floor is mind-blowing. You really have to carefully navigate the stores as seemingly every square inch of sales floor space has been taken up by a display rack of the latest and greatest.
The sheer amount of equipment that sits around unsold is really quite insane and the prices these are listed at makes me wonder just who thinks this stuff up. I realize you want to make a couple of bucks to pay for the R&D, etc. but to ask $150 for a driver that came out in ahem, 2002 is just plain dumb (so is having six different displays for the same company).
Technology does change a bit from year to year but one has to wonder about having four (or more) drivers on display at the same time and then dropping the price from last year’s $400 model to $199 and thinking that I’m going to run out and pay that price when I can just wait a bit longer and it will go down even more. Why anyone buys at full retail when a new driver comes out is beyond me. For the average golfer, we’re talking about adding a few yards at most, which you would get if you properly fitted in the first place.
One issue I’ve seen is that when you go get fitted on a launch monitor, they only have the latest gear available. For instance you can’t try out a model from the previous year. I hear you though. The amount of drop in price is staggering if you wait a year.
I think we all know who the biggest offender is 😎
Your rant is BANG on, Alan! No, it’s perfect!!
It astounds me to no end to see a club (driver for example) that sits on the rack going for full price, one that has been hit more than a few times (which makes it a DEMO in my eyes) and they are asking full price for some time to come. Then they have the unmitigated gall to offer you a mere 10-20% of the clubs sale value in the same year for a trade in to the next model! This is when you know you have been had in the first place.
This season will likely make or break a lot of retailers and manufacturers. Those that are wise and prepared for today’s inevitability will continue to thrive. Those that continue to consider the average customer as an idiot with full pockets, will learn otherwise and learn quickly, to their own detriment.
R&D costs aside, you have to honestly question why anyone should ever have to pay a MSRP. You shouldn’t, and you should take every opportunity to ask any retailer a simple question; Is there room for price flexibility? If they answer no, the next store will likely answer yes. The power is with the consumer, always was and always will be. Remember – They don’t want their stock for very long. The consumer is the only factor in the equation that will move that stock.
I agree Adam, it’s a rip off on the clubs. So now I don’t bother to change every year. I wait until at least three years have passed.
Now to the balls ! I love the sirxon triband does it all for me.Cheaper to.
Having played the Srixon Z-URS and Z-URC in tournament competition for a few years, I can tell you that they are great golf balls. Being a tournament player, one of the best parts about playing Srixon is that I know I’ll never have issues identifying my ball among the sea of Titleists out there! Seriously though, the Srixon is more durable and spins just as much as the Titleist. The new Z-Star and Z-Star X are, to me, pretty similar tothe old ones. They seem to fly the same and spin the same, and the new Z-Star seems a bit softer than the old Z-URS. The Z-Star X is harder than the Z-Star, but feels about the same as the old Z-URC.
I will keep playing the new Z-Star X with pride, representing the Srixon loyalists against the evil empire of Titleist!
I just finished my first round with the Z-Star X.
All in all pretty good. I switch between TaylorMade LDP Red and Titleist Pro V1X (its that whole thing about seeing TaylorMade on a golf ball that i struggle with 😛 ).
Goes long of the driver, fairway woods and mid to short iron approaches see it hit the green and stop. Doesn’t seem to have the same bite around the greens when chipping – maybe that’s the Z-Star’s role.
And its good into the wind – which was the issue I have had with Srixon balls in the past as I think they balloon then drop too quick when its windy.
And by the way – $72 a dozen here in Sydney which is cheaper than the Pro V1x’s at $80+ 🙁
Hi, I cannot undestand that so much money is spent on r&d in regards to the creating of game improvement golf clubs, but nothing(visible) is done about game improvement golf balls. With this I mean a training aid consissting of golf balls that assist the golfer ingrain his technique correct. Could you please let me have somebodies name and e-mail address at r&d at golf balls. I currently play the srixon tri-speed, but will soon put the z-star to test. Kind regards, Gerhard, South Africa
I’ve worked in a retail golf store and I’d like to make a comment along the line about cost of clubs and whether or not there should be a discount on them. First off….I think that all clubs are over priced, but I don’t set the price and don’t know how the retailers come up with the retail prices other than manufacturers reccommendations. I’ve seen customers come in and shop and never intend to buy anything, but still waste the salesmans time and ask questions that no one should ever ask.
I can assure you that the salesman doesn’t make a piddling amount of money for the time he or she spends with a customer. Every customer I’ve ever waited on always wants more distance. The only way you are gonna hit it longer is to increase your swing speed and that’s a fact Jack!!!! I had one guy that wanted me to send the Sky Caddy back to be re-calibrated because he always hits his driver 245 to 265 and the Sky Caddy said he was only measuring 220 yards!!!!! I should write a book on some of the experiences I’ve had with customers! The best advice I could give ANY golfer is to find the right shaft for your swing speed and play more than once every two months and expect to break 80!
Found one in the woods the other day and used it in my 1st round singles match. 38 back nine is PB by 3 and got me level after 18.
So its sitting on top of the fridge in the place reserved for honoured balls – look forward to finding some more …
Lost at the 20th tho 🙁
AS