Review: New Srixon AD333 Tour golf balls
Our Srixon AD333 Tour review took place on the course at Alwoodley in Leeds.
This ball is now in it’s third generation and is competing with balls like the new Titleist Tour Soft and Callaway Chrome Soft in that £30-£35 price bracket.
Srixon AD333 Tour review – First impressions
Srixon have had huge success with the AD333 franchise with it being the best-selling two-piece ball over the past 10 years or so.
The AD333 Tour is a three-piece model which still aims to suit those who don’t have tour-level swing speeds but has some premium performance benefits.
One of the main differences comes from the urethane cover. This is something that you can see and feel as you take the ball out of the sleeve.
It instantly feels more premium than the regular AD333.
The new Srixon AD333 Tour has what Srixon call a ‘pure white’ finish. It does look a bit brighter than some other white balls on the market.
Srixon AD333 Tour review – The technology
So this is a lower-compression ball than Srixon’s premium Z-Star offerings.
Srixon still say it’s aimed at ‘skilled’ players but it should allow those with moderate swing speeds to compress it properly.
So how does it differ to the regular AD333? And why is the AD333 Tour more for ‘skilled’ players?
That’s a tough one to answer as the new AD333 Tour has a compression of 72 compared to 75 on the regular AD333. So there shouldn’t be any noticeable differences there.
The main difference comes through the cover.
The Srixon AD333 Tour has a urethane cover with spin skin coating – like we have in the Z-Star and Z-Star XV balls.
So when Srixon say this ball is aimed at ‘skilled’ players I think they just mean players who put a premium on soft feel and extra spin around the greens.
I think the assumption is that the better the player, the more likely they are to invest that extra £10 to get more control and spin around the greens.
The AD333 Tour features what Srixon call a lower-compression energetic gradient growth core.
They say this core is easier to compress with lower driver spin and more distance on full shots.
We’ve got a 338 speed dimple pattern which is designed to reduce drag.
Srixon AD333 Tour review – The results
I’m mainly looking at driver distance, spin and feel on iron shots and around the greens.
I’m also looking at durability and performance in the wind.
When I hit a good drive, this ball went just as far as I’d expect with a nice strong ball flight. It didn’t seem to spin too much or fly too high with the driver which are both very positive attributes for me.
I was impressed with the spin on mid-iron and full pitching wedge shots.
I hit one pitching wedge from 125 yards which stopped dead when it landed and another half shot with the pitching wedge which spun backwards a few feet.
When chipping around the greens, this ball didn’t feel as soft as the Z-Star.
There is a noticeable difference in feel to the regular AD333 which is much clickier. The AD333 Tour has a premium feel when chipping and it allows you to be aggressive with your wedge shots.
When putting, I felt the side-stamp was really useful lining up. The writing is a bit longer than the regular AD333, obviously, and it it very useful for lining up putts. I wouldn’t feel the need to draw a line on this ball.
It was a fairly windy day when we tested this ball but the performance in the wind seemed very solid.
My playing partners were using more premium balls than I was and it was not noticeable that my ball was being more effected in the wind than theirs.
From a durability point of view, I noticed a bit of scuffing after 9 holes. But this ball lasted me from the third (lost my tee shot on the 2nd) to the 18th.
I’m not sure a top-price premium ball would have suffered quite as much.
Srixon AD333 Tour review – NCG verdict
This ball offered exactly what I expected – a solid all-round performance with a bit more spin than I’d expect from the regular AD333.
I think it’s a very competitive product at the £30 price point. The extra £10 is definitely noticeable when it comes to spin and feel with iron shots and around the greens.
The one area where I didn’t think it performed quite as well at the £45-£50 balls was on durability. The cover did seem to suffer a bit of damage.
But I’m really struggling to find any areas where actual performance is suffering for not spending the extra £20.
Maybe on feel around the greens if I’m being really picky.
If you’re an AD333 user, looking to improve, and feel like you could benefit from a bit more control with iron and wedge shots then it could be well worth moving up to the AD333 Tour.
Srixon AD333 Tour details
SRP: £29.99
On sale: February 1, 2018.
More information can be found on the Srixon website.
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James Savage
Former equipment editor of NCG. Inconsistent ball-striker and tea-maker.
