Srixon Z-Star, is it as long as Pro V1?

[BobHatcher]

I've been playing Pro V1 and got two dozen Z-Star for Father's Day (they had a two for one special). I absolutely LOVE the Z-Star. It feels softer of the club than the ProV1 and even feels better on the putter. BUT, My drives seem to be 10-15 yards shorter. Can this be for real? Both balls have similar construction.

Anyone else notice this?

TIA.

Bob in New Hampshire, GHIN=8.0, swing speed with drive = around 95

[North Butte]

I suppose it is just about possible but very unlikely the difference in two balls of similar construction being 10-15 yards different with a normal clubhead speed. I have certainly tried balls that I'd swear were 15 yards different of the driver so I know what you mean. But from all the actual testings I've ever seen, the differences are more like a couple, three or four yards. Not 10+.

Every time I've ever gotten real serious about comparing two balls, like hitting them side by side off every tee for a full round and lasering the distance where each one ends up, the results have always worked out more similar than I would have thought. But once that impression gets fixed in our mind that a ball is "short" it's hard to get over it...nobody wants to give up distance!

Now these guys who swing at 120mph probably could see pretty big differences between one ball and another. I'm a 90mph swing, more in your ballpark.

[ctonr]

I had similar experience. Distance with driver and 3wood were less, 5-10 yds, with ZStar compared to 2018 ProV1. Definitely had more spin off the woods with ZStar as there was very little roll out on slightly soft fairways. Irons and wedges were very similar to ProV1 for distance, spin, and control.

[dekez]

I didn't notice a difference in distance. The Z-Star is VERY soft off the putter though. Caused me problems with Ping Sigma-G insert putter.

[arbeck]

The difference between the shortest and longest balls with the driver are barely going to reach 10-15 yards at any swing speed below 120. Trying to figure out which ball is longer off the driver on the course is really a fools errand. Between the difference in strike between shots, the environmental factors, and the randomness that occurs once the ball impacts the ground, you're never going to get a clear picture. You'd probably need to hit 50+ shots with each on the same hole to find any difference in distance with any amount of certainty.

For on course testing, I don't think most of us can really do much testing of the ball above about a 7i. Of course, that's where the biggest differences will be anyway. Two balls can easily have over 1500RPM of difference in spin of a mid iron, and that can easily be half a club or more of distance.

[elwhippy]

No. Ask Cameron Champ.

[BobHatcher]

Thanks for the input. I LOVE the soft feel off the putter. Last night in the league, playing from the same tees and hitting it flush it ended up in a bunker I'm pretty sure I would have cleared otherwise. But, I like the ball and the feel so will play out the two dozen (I don't lose a lot of balls so it'll take me the rest of the year.)

 

Bob

[cristphoto]

I've played the (regular) Z-Star from time to time. I liked the feel and you could often get them at a competitive price. I also found I lost distance with the Z-Star - not necessarily 10-15 yards but virtually always shorter than the ProV1 or ProV1X when comparing models. Its a shame because other than distance it seems to be a great ball.

[Stanks]

Hey Bob. Hope the 603 is treating you well. I miss my home-state. Z-Star for me is equal performing to the Pro-V1. It's true that every model has their little nuances and changes or else, why would all of these manufacturers be in business? The Z-Star, for me, just wasn't as durable as the Pro-V1 but that was really the only obvious line. Both flew the same, checked the same, felt very similar.

Hope that helped, brother!

[BobHatcher]

Thanks, Stanks, I was a part time resident of NH for forty years and have been here full time for fifteen. It's the best place I've ever lived. Truly four seasons with lots of golf, skiing, hiking and cycling.

I'll check on the durability. I've been playing it now for a week and they seem to be holding up well. I always felt that ProV1 had durability issues in that it discolors quickly. I'm now playing yellow balls because my eyesight is fading and it's easier to see. It's also much less likely someone else will hit my ball!

[Hougz79]

In my experience, the PV1/PV1X are more similar in distance than the Z Star/ XV Star. The XV is much closer in performance (actually better in wind in my opinion), but doesn't feel as soft off wedges and putters as the Z Star and PV1. It's a more clicky feeling. Not bad...just more clicky.

[caniac6]

I have been playing the ProV1x, and just switched to the Srixon XV. The XV feels a bit softer, but I can’t tell any difference in distance.

[BeerPerHole]

Champ plays the XV. The XV is long for me off the driver, certainly. It's really firm, though. I really like the XV. Been gaming the Snell MTB-X and it's very, very similar. The few times I've teed up a ProV I thought is was plenty long off the tee.

[moolman]

I've played both the Z Star, XV and ProVs, can't tell the difference in distance. Definitely, can in terms of spin. I play Srixons cause you can't beat the B1G1 but I can't make it check and spin back like a ProV1 and I have been playing with the Srixon for 2 years now. The minute I switch back to a ProV, ball checks on a dime or spins back on the greens. I'm cheap, so I prefer the Srixon and I'm used to letting the ball roll out a bit instead of checking, so I'm good with it and wouldn't play a ProV.

[Kentendo]

I also lost driver distance with the Z star. I didn't lose 15 yards, but it was more like 5 to 7. I compared it to TP5, ProV1, Chrome soft, and Tour BS and it was consistently shorter than all 4. The Z Star shines on the short game and iron spin to work the ball, but I quit using it do the relative lack of distance. If you want distance in the Srixon line, you have to go with the XV. It feels like a rock, but it flies!

[Nessism]

Z Stars are my favorite, although I've got lots of others in the cabinet that I play interchangeably, and I frankly can't notice much of any difference in the way any of them play. Feel is easy to differentiate, but not distance. And even spin isn't easy to tell because strike quality varies more than ball spin between different models.

[cabinetboy]

like others, I find the z star is shorter than the pro v1

[slolane]

I am a Z star guy but if I want to hit a long straight one I will tee up a Sirxon Soft feel. I hit some real bombs with the soft feel and dead straight!!

[North Butte]

I play Pro V1x but recently, for no particular reason, played an entire round with Zstar XV. I can't say based on one round that the Srixon was shorter than the Titleist, it was certainly no longer. But really it seemed pretty comparable to me in distance, although not in height of trajectory.

I know that's the X/XV versions and not the original question. Haven't played a non-XV Zstar in donkey's.

[Fairways_and_Greens]

Saw that Cam Champ and Scotty Scheffler were playing the Z Star XV during the PGA.

[grm24]

It might come as a surprise to Titleist that Scheffler was playing the Z-Star XV as he is a Pro-V1 player. Champ has played to Z Star XV for some time.

[Fairways_and_Greens]

It looked like a Srixon when he was putting on Sunday.

[awtryau89]

XV is a good ball. Regular Z Star is definitely the shortest premium ball I have tried off woods. Its not massive but noticeable and definitely shorter for me than Prov1.

[golfinrig24]

I went from V1 to z-star. Over the years and generations I have noticed V1 has gotten longer with words fractionally over z-star when I do my quick testing every other year when new gens are released. 

Best part is that they are in the same release cycle.

I still favour the z-star as the loss of 5-10 with woods doesn't out weight the around the green confidence and feel of z-star

[cwilk]

No clue on the Z-star, but the XV produces some of the longest drives for me.

[bigeasy]

I have played both Zstar and Xv and both are good balls with the XV being the longest by far for me. I just recently bought some Zstar and they were noticeably shorter, who wants to be shorter? Anyway, checked the box and they were made in Indonesia, not Japan, I read that on another website, the manufacturing tolerances in Indonesia were not as good as the ones made in Japan. Makes since to me. Long story short, no more Srixons for me.

[storm319]

12 hours ago, bigeasy said:

I have played both Zstar and Xv and both are good balls with the XV being the longest by far for me. I just recently bought some Zstar and they were noticeably shorter, who wants to be shorter? Anyway, checked the box and they were made in Indonesia, not Japan, I read that on another website, the manufacturing tolerances in Indonesia were not as good as the ones made in Japan. Makes since to me. Long story short, no more Srixons for me.

The MyGolf$py ball lab test found greater inconsistencies with the QStar Tour which has a lower price point than the ZStar line. QST samples were made in Indonesia while the ZStar samples were made in Japan but this was really just a coincidence given that the target specs and manufacturing processes are identical between the two factories. The perceived consistency issues are more a product of the model/lower price point than it is of the manufacturing location.

Edited February 13, 2021 by storm319

[Hstead]

I switched recently from the V1 to the Z star.  My on course SS is around 110-ish and I haven't seen any difference in distance at all.  Very similar for me.  I like the Z quite a bit although the seam starts showing after several holes.

[bigeasy]

12 minutes ago, storm319 said:

The MyGolf$py ball lab test found greater inconsistencies with the QStar Tour which has a lower price point than the ZStar line. QST samples were made in Indonesia while the ZStar samples were made in Japan but this was really just a coincidence given that the target specs and manufacturing processes are identical between the two factories. The perceived consistency issues are more a product of the model/lower price point than it is of the manufacturing location.

So the company doesnt care about consistency of the model/lower price point ball? OK

[storm319]

On 2/12/2021 at 7:28 PM, bigeasy said:

So the company doesnt care about consistency of the model/lower price point ball? OK

Not as much as they do for the higher price point offerings. Tony Covey mentioned in their podcast that he noticed a correlation between consistency and price point across most of the industry (basically the lower priced 2-piece ionomer balls are less consistent ball to ball than the higher priced multilayer urethane balls).
 

Ultimately the OEMs will only bother with producing a product as consistently as the market demands and the demographics that the lower price point offerings are targeting tend to be less discerning when it comes to quality in general.