Srixon Z Star XV Golf Ball Review
How does the Srixon Z Star XV golf ball perform? Jack Backhouse got his hands on some to find out!
The new Srixon Z Star XV golf ball is a popular golf ball for Srixon Tour players, and the 2023 version is supposed to spin more than ever before.
So why’s this ball so popular? Find out in our Srixon Z Star XV golf ball review.
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NCG Summary
NCG SUMMARY
The Srixon Z Star XV golf ball is the longest of their urethane golf balls, and its new, slightly thicker cover will give good ball strikers more spin into and around the greens.
If you’re a low-trajectory player looking for more spin and height with your shots, this ball is absolutely worth giving a go.
PROS
- Great distance
- Durable outer layer
- Amazing value tour standard ball
CONS
- Isn’t designed really for slow-speed players
First Impressions
Any time golf equipment can help me hit the ball higher, I am interested. The new Srixon Z Star XV golf ball, which is played by Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry and Cameron Champ, is designed to do just that. More flight, more distance, more spin.
I’ve never used the Z Star XV golf ball, but with having also recently tested the Z Star, and The Z Star Diamond, I was looking forward to testing the ball that is actually aimed at my golf.
Srixon Z Star XV Golf Ball: NCG Review
Out of the box and onto the green, these balls have a slightly firmer feel to the Z Star and other tour balls I usually play, but I really like the way the ball reacts from the wedge and putter. You can almost feel the spin skin coating gripping the grooves and then grabbing the turf on the green.
Out of bunkers and bad lies, the ball performed as expected too. Loads of spin out of the bunker and nice touch out of the thick rough. The ball’s outer skin didn’t scuff up quickly either, which was nice; the Z Star XV has a very durable coating.
The 50-yard shots I hit all had a very consistent spin, which is exactly what a tour player is looking for; predictability. I would have liked a fraction more spin, but this can be lie and strike dependant, and sadly I am no ball-hitting robot.
The 7 iron shots I hit were remarkable. Great ball speed, nice high ball flight, and with mega consistent spin and total distance, this ball is going to give me loads of control and stopping power into the greens even with my mid to long irons, which is something I struggle with as a natural low ball hitter.
My shots with the driver with the Srixon Z Star XV were interesting, pretty good and solid ball speed & launch angle, but probably too much backspin for me, which as a result, steals some carry and overall distance. It did feel great off the face of the driver and I liked the dispersion down the fairway I would just need to go play with the ball
Faster swinging, premium golf ball playing golfers should absolutely give this a test when looking at playing a new ball, it feels great and the spin consistency with mid irons is too good to ignore.
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Srixon Z-Star golf ball review: The Details
Available: Now
Colours: Pure White, Tour Yellow, Divide
RRP: £39.99 per dozen
How do we test golf balls?
At National Club Golfer, we are passionate about producing accurate and thorough reviews and make sure our testing process is rigorous so we get a good understanding of how each club performs.
We headed to Woodhall Spa Golf Club to allow us to collect launch monitor data with our in-house TrackMan and Flightscope. We tested each golf ball on the putting surface and around the greens before collecting data on 50-yard pitch shots, with a 7-iron and with a driver.
What to consider when buying a new golf ball?
Feel
Golf ball feel is a personal preference. Different balls on the market will feel softer or firmer depending on their compression and structure. It is crucial to test balls when putting, chipping and hitting long game shots to check you like the performance across all areas.
Distance
How far you want to hit the golf ball is a crucial consideration when picking a brand and model. Getting the right compression relative to your swing speed and strike will help you get the maximum distance out of a golf ball. You also need to consider if getting maximum distance is important to you or if you would rather give up some yardage to gain in other areas.
Spin
Generally, lower handicappers are looking for a ball that spins more so they can get more control around the greens. In this case, getting a ball with a urethane cover is really important as it will give you the most spin and control.
Price
Not everyone wants to spend £50 a dozen on golf balls. When picking the right golf ball for you, you should consider how much you want to spend relative to what performance you want.
Jack Backhouse
Jack is a PGA Golf Professional who specialises in coaching, teaching golf to beginners and top-level amateurs for 10+ years. He also loves his golf equipment and analysing the data of the latest clubs on the market using launch monitors, specialising in blade irons and low-spinning drivers despite having a chronically low ball flight.
Although Jack has no formal journalism training, He has been reading What's In The Bag articles since he started playing at 12 and studying golf swings since his dad first filmed his swing to reveal one of the worst over-the-top slice swings he reckons has ever been recorded, which set him off on the path to be a coach. His favourite club ever owned was a Ping G10 driver bought from a local top amateur with the hope that some of the quality golf shots would come with it (they didn't), and worst was a Nike SQ driver he only bought because Tiger was using it.
Jack is a member of Sand Moor Golf Club and regularly gets out on the golf course to prepare for tournaments. Jack uses a TaylorMade BRNR Mini driver, a half set of TaylorMade P7MB irons, MG4 wedges and a TaylorMade TP Reserve putter.
