Midline Cracks with Srixon Z-Star XV

[chippa13]

I've played the regular Z Star a lot this year and saw my share of "cracks" on balls. I personally haven't found the regular Z Star to be noticeably shorter off the tee.

[OhYeahPlayer]

I played Z Star and XV all year, definitely noticed the seam issue and minor cracks but never seemed to affect performance or warrant pulling a ball out of play from it. 

[TheBear95]

2 hours ago, aewon said:

Thank you for the reply. 

 

Have you compared the regular z star to the xv? Is the wearing comparable on both balls or is the softer z star holding up better due to its softness? I have not tried the regular z star yet, thinking I will loose distance of the driver. As I mentioned my ball has been the tp5 since it was first launched (and before that the tour preferred x) , and I feel it's just as long as any other ball dispite it's being a softer ball (which I like) I have stayed away from the regular z star so far because there's plenty of comments saying it's short of the tee? It's that something you have experienced? 

 

I have found no differences in the wear marks between the ZStar and the XV. Both have the issue. Also, it happens on both the white and yellow balls. No difference with the color.

 

I have not found the ZStar to be shorter. I find the XV to have more spin, so depending on your launch conditions, the ZStar might be longer. However, I don't think the difference will be big. A few yards at most. At the end of the day, the balls are pretty similar. 

 

I usually play the ZStar because I like the slightly softer feel over the XV.

[awtryau89]

I had stumbled on a couple of boxes of the 2017 version at Walmart on closeout for $15. I grabbed them and was going to use them for fall when the leaves start dropping. I had switched away from the Srixons due to the durability and cracking issue. I played 3 sleeves of the first box over the last couple of weeks switching away from ProV1. I did not notice any of the seam issues or cracks on the older ball like I did on the latest version. The durability overall was decent but I would rate it a 7/10 if the ProV1 is a 10/10. The ball just seem to get dirtier easier. The cover ships a little easier on normal play. As for distance, there is definitely a difference for my game. It cannot keep up. I gave my other box and sleeve to one of our high school cart boys. Just not a good ball for my game even at that price. The Maxfli Tour X is much better in all areas and works great as a winter ball I'm not worried about losing.

[MMB1500]

I've played them for years and have never encountered this. Maybe a bad batch? 

[HyzerFlipDG]

Ive seen it on qstar tours too, but I haven't played the zstar or zstar xv enough to notice the seam issue.

[J13]

In my ball test a few weeeks ago (in my witb on here) I had to stop playing the Srixon XV due to poor QC.  I spoke with Srixon who only offered me free balls which i turned down (why in the heck would i want more balls that have a terrible cover?).  Im a srixon fan but I'd say 50-70% of every dozen i played had a split in the cover after a few holes.  I'll never play the ball again unless they fix it.  

Edited October 3, 2020 by J13

[bryanwmilburn]

I had this issue with 4 dozen XV I ordered during their promotion this summer. After about 9 holes I’d get a seam running around the equator of the ball (I play yellow). I don’t know if it impacts performance or not but given the data I’ve seen of how mud balls, scuffs, and other marks impact performance I don’t chance it and toss it into a range bag. Definitely will never use Srixon again and I’ve used them and Snell for my golf ball since 2017. 

[jas904]

I am in the same boat with the seam/crack/wear mark issue.  I really like the performance of the XV however, once my stash is gone I am moving on to something else.

[LHGolf4]

I will say I have never had this issue, but I usually play with two balls per round (extra in the pocket if I lose one or quick switch between holes if one is dirty).  Plus I usually donate at least one per round so I am probably not holding on to them long enough to see this.  Since I only buy them when they are BOGO it will definitely not prevent me from using them in the future given how cheap they are.

[MattM97]

I like the Z-Star line mainly the XV and I generally pick up anywhere from 4 to 8 dozen in the off season when they have their BOGO deal. I mean you can't really find a much better ball for $2.10CAD a ball when you buy the BOGO deal. I've noticed the seam issue a few times but didn't really think much of it, last round I really paid attention and noticed it on 1 of the 3 I played but lost it when I thought I could clear the water off the tee 🤷‍♂️.

 

Anyways I think I'm going to keep playing them maybe switch over to the Z-Star, again they're good value for a premium ball. If I didn't have issues some rounds where I loose a ton of balls I'd probably play something else like the Tour-B X. I probably wouldn't buy them when they're not on BOGO, if I do need some I'd opt for something else like the Snell or if the Bridgestone are on sale grab a few boxes of those.

[Ger21]

On 10/3/2020 at 4:58 PM, HyzerFlipDG said:

Ive seen it on qstar tours too, but I haven't played the zstar or zstar xv enough to notice the seam issue.

My yellow QST's have the same visible seam as the pictures of the yellow ball earlier in this thread. I saw it immediately when I first took them out of the box.

Has had zero effect on performance.

[aewon]

On 10/3/2020 at 11:59 PM, J13 said:

In my ball test a few weeeks ago (in my witb on here) I had to stop playing the Srixon XV due to poor QC.  I spoke with Srixon who only offered me free balls which i turned down (why in the heck would i want more balls that have a terrible cover?).  Im a srixon fan but I'd say 50-70% of every dozen i played had a split in the cover after a few holes.  I'll never play the ball again unless they fix it.  

I must say i completely agree with this.. Why use balls that cracks or whatever happens to the cover, just because it´s free? I play because i love the game, but also to score as good as possible. And i don´t feel a cracked ball will give me the best possibility to do that. I neither want to spend a fortune buying balls, even though they are cheaper than other brands.

 

I have played four rounds of golf the last 1,5 weeks, loosing only one ball in play, but i had to replace at least 10-12 balls (and then i have played them much longer than i would have if there was competition rounds) due to this midline cracking.. The balls sometimes look hideous after just a few holes.. I hate to say it because i really love the performance and feel of the Z-star XV in all aspects of the game, but i will go back to my old trusted TP5 and TP5x when i have worn out the remaining stock of XV balls. Hopefully next generation srixon balls will be much better.

[J13]

6 hours ago, aewon said:

I must say i completely agree with this.. Why use balls that cracks or whatever happens to the cover, just because it´s free? I play because i love the game, but also to score as good as possible. And i don´t feel a cracked ball will give me the best possibility to do that. I neither want to spend a fortune buying balls, even though they are cheaper than other brands.

 

I have played four rounds of golf the last 1,5 weeks, loosing only one ball in play, but i had to replace at least 10-12 balls (and then i have played them much longer than i would have if there was competition rounds) due to this midline cracking.. The balls sometimes look hideous after just a few holes.. I hate to say it because i really love the performance and feel of the Z-star XV in all aspects of the game, but i will go back to my old trusted TP5 and TP5x when i have worn out the remaining stock of XV balls. Hopefully next generation srixon balls will be much better.

 

 

Its unfortunate because the ball performs well when not damaged.  I moved to the TP5X and it's lightyears better in the durability department.

[SwingBlues]

I've not seen any cracks with the latest XV balls. I've seen the lines and thats about it. And I got balls with 4 to 5 rounds on them and by then I retire those balls to the chipping bag.

 

As a long time XV user (since the 2nd generation), this latest one generation is probably the worst generation ever. Prior generations were LEGENDARY for durability but Srixon lost the plot this time. Disappointing.

 

I have 2 dozens left. Let's hope the 2021 ball will be better

 

 

[TheBear95]

17 minutes ago, SwingBlues said:

I've not seen any cracks with the latest XV balls. I've seen the lines and thats about it. And I got balls with 4 to 5 rounds on them and by then I retire those balls to the chipping bag.

 

As a long time XV user (since the 2nd generation), this latest one generation is probably the worst generation ever. Prior generations were LEGENDARY for durability but Srixon lost the plot this time. Disappointing.

 

I have 2 dozens left. Let's hope the 2021 ball will be better

 

 

Agree completely. The 2013 & 2015 models were significantly better when it came to durability. 

[MMB1500]

7 hours ago, SwingBlues said:

I've not seen any cracks with the latest XV balls. I've seen the lines and thats about it. And I got balls with 4 to 5 rounds on them and by then I retire those balls to the chipping bag.

 

As a long time XV user (since the 2nd generation), this latest one generation is probably the worst generation ever. Prior generations were LEGENDARY for durability but Srixon lost the plot this time. Disappointing.

 

I have 2 dozens left. Let's hope the 2021 ball will be better

 

 

 

The ball test of the Q-Star Tour on another well known golf site, implies that the QC issues could run deeper than that model alone, especially with what everyone is saying here about the XV. 

[J13]

3 hours ago, MMB1500 said:

 

The ball test of the Q-Star Tour on another well known golf site, implies that the QC issues could run deeper than that model alone, especially with what everyone is saying here about the XV. 

 

 

Saw that and it's even worse that it's not a dual core ball.  Very few companies have those issues with their standard 3 piece balls.  Srixon has some big time issues going on.  If you keep a hcp I would stay far away from any srixon ball.  

[OhYeahPlayer]

1 minute ago, J13 said:

 

 

Saw that and it's even worse that it's not a dual core ball.  Very few companies have those issues with their standard 3 piece balls.  Srixon has some big time issues going on.  If you keep a hcp I would stay far away from any srixon ball.  

Good callout and reason to be concerned as a Srixon player. Unless they fix whatever is going on by next spring and in their new product cycle I'll be staying away. However... their big ball test last year showed the normal Z Star as one of their highest performing/most consistent balls, alongside only Bridgestone BX and ProV1 and V1x. Z Star XV was in the tier below. Perhaps it's possible their quality issues started sometime after the 2019 model release? 

[chippa13]

And the danger of what one internet article without providing specific data can do rears its ugly head.

[MMB1500]

3 hours ago, chippa13 said:

And the danger of what one internet article without providing specific data can do rears its ugly head.

 

On the one hand, I see what you're saying. They could be more transparent about their testing data. On that other hand, I suspect that site could release everything they have and it still wouldn't be enough for many. 

 

Some of the reactions from people when their preferred brand's products perform badly in testing, are simply beyond parody. 

[J13]

6 hours ago, chippa13 said:

And the danger of what one internet article without providing specific data can do rears its ugly head.

 

I've posted multiple pics of how bad the XV's with regards to the cover as have many others.  This is large problem and Srixon is aware of it.

[chippa13]

I guess you haven't noticed that the conversation has moved on to the supposed QST issues.

[BradonM5]

I've never seen this an played a lot of Z star and XV over the past 2 years. I definitely notice the seam... But it's because the paint comes off that area easier. But not much for cracking... Even if they do crack, if you are getting them for $20 or $25 a dozen on sale that is significantly cheaper than Bridgestone and Titleist. 

[SwingBlues]

On 10/30/2020 at 7:33 PM, BradonM5 said:

I've never seen this an played a lot of Z star and XV over the past 2 years. I definitely notice the seam... But it's because the paint comes off that area easier. But not much for cracking... Even if they do crack, if you are getting them for $20 or $25 a dozen on sale that is significantly cheaper than Bridgestone and Titleist. 

 

Srixon just opened up the sale today.

 

However, even at $30 a box, I am NOT biting. Not with this POS cover. Going Snell instead for about the same price and way, way, way better & durable cover. Sad to say for a long time XV user 😒

Edited November 9, 2020 by SwingBlues

[awtryau89]

2 hours ago, SwingBlues said:

 

Srixon just opened up the sale today.

 

However, even at $30 a box, I am NOT biting. Not with this POS cover. Going Snell instead for about the same price and way, way, way better & durable cover. Sad to say for a long time XV user 😒

Agreed. I loved the XV prior to the 2019 version but I'll play the Maxfli Tour before this ball for sure.

[J13]

On 11/9/2020 at 3:19 PM, SwingBlues said:

 

Srixon just opened up the sale today.

 

However, even at $30 a box, I am NOT biting. Not with this POS cover. Going Snell instead for about the same price and way, way, way better & durable cover. Sad to say for a long time XV user 😒

 

 

I can get them for $20 a dozen and refuse to play them anymore.  That should tell you something.

[Truok]

On 11/11/2020 at 9:59 AM, J13 said:

 

 

I can get them for $20 a dozen and refuse to play them anymore.  That should tell you something.

Oh man same for me. Been playing pro v1x for years and bought some xv's last month because of a partner discount I have.  I was doing some club testing on trackman and so I probably hit 70 shots with one of the brand new balls and no joke it cracked almost in half. Not just a seam. I had an xv ball crack on me in a tournament like 6 years ago and didn't realize it was cracked until I'd hit 4 shots with it.  The ball flew weird into the thick rough off the tee and I'd never had a ball crack so just assumed I'd hit it bad. Hit 3 more solid shots out of the rough and only advanced the ball 200 yards with 3 shots when it finally got onto the green and noticed the huge crack it all made sense. I just shrugged it off as maybe it was a ball I found in the water or something but I usually played titleist but then tried them again this month and had that one crack first time testing.  I think I'll use these for practice balls now and stick to titleist unfortunately.  $20 a dozen seemed too good to be true.  Guess it is. 

[golfinrig24]

Happened to me too 6 years ball split. I do see hairline crack on the balls in my shag bag now and again, I typically don't play one ball more than 18 holes.

Have played z-star since 2011
 

[brew4eagle]

White QST 3 is hard to even find the seam.  Great ball for my game.