Throwdown! Q-Star, Z-Star SL, NXT Tour S & Hex Chrome

[deep]

I just tried the NXT Tour S today, and earlier this year had tried the Chrome (still have a couple) after playing the B330RXS most of last year. For me the spin around the greens on partial shots is much better with the Tour S than with the Chrome or Bridgestone ball. And it's long, straight, and with great feel too. I'm going to give them a couple more rounds but the NXT TourS is looking like my go-to ball.

BTW 95-100mph driver, 160 yard 7-iron for me.

[SDL]

[quote name='deep' timestamp='1340153850' post='5132094']
I just tried the NXT Tour S today, and earlier this year had tried the Chrome (still have a couple) after playing the B330RXS most of last year. For me the spin around the greens on partial shots is much better with the Tour S than with the Chrome or Bridgestone ball. And it's long, straight, and with great feel too. I'm going to give them a couple more rounds but the NXT TourS is looking like my go-to ball.
[/quote]

Your comments are surprising to me. I find the NXT Tour S to spin less than either the Hex Chrome or B330-RXS on partial shots around the green. The robot testing with half-wedge shots in the May issue of Golf Digest is consistent with my experience on the course.

I like your idea of giving these balls a couple more rounds to see if your initial impressions hold up.

SDL

[StarFleetGolfer]

+1. Chrome spins more for me too.



[quote name='SDL' timestamp='1340161984' post='5132998']
[quote name='deep' timestamp='1340153850' post='5132094']
I just tried the NXT Tour S today, and earlier this year had tried the Chrome (still have a couple) after playing the B330RXS most of last year. For me the spin around the greens on partial shots is much better with the Tour S than with the Chrome or Bridgestone ball. And it's long, straight, and with great feel too. I'm going to give them a couple more rounds but the NXT TourS is looking like my go-to ball.
[/quote]

Your comments are surprising to me. I find the NXT Tour S to spin less than either the Hex Chrome or B330-RXS on partial shots around the green. The robot testing with half-wedge shots in the May issue of Golf Digest is consistent with my experience on the course.

I like your idea of giving these balls a couple more rounds to see if your initial impressions hold up.

SDL
[/quote]

[highdraw69]

considering it just recently became available, i'm seeing the Hex Chrome yellow being played by a startling large number of low single digits already up here in the north woods...word of mouth on this ball is extremely favorable; i have been playing prov1 and prov1x (v1 if wet, v1x when dry) and although i have a large stash of prov's left, the chrome is starting to unseat them after only a few test rounds (it's certainly just as long--perhaps slightly longer, appears consistent off the irons, short game spin is acceptable, putter feel is nice, and oh yeah, it's easy to see the darn thing--the color is much better than srixon's trippy yellow); i have only one lowly sleeve of hex black and have not yet them yet, but i'm thinking the chrome fits my desires more anyhow; fwiw -- SS 95; index 7

[HawkeyeDan]

Saw a couple of you have mentioned the Gamer V2, which has been my ball of choice but I am down to my last dozen and looking to upgrade. Have you compared it to the throwdown balls? I want to play an "all-around" ball and want to keep it between $20-$40.

Would you say any of these are a better option? Might have to give the Chromes a try...are the Chromes much different than a Diablo Tour?

Thanks guys - one reason I love this site!

[tbowles411]

The Chromes are a different animal than the Diablo Tour's. They'll spin a little more, but fly farther because the core is softer. Wonderful ball. I'm definately not changing now. Plus, I'm glad they are in yellow because I'm blind!

[Lamo70]

I tested the HEX Chromes in two rounds and really liked them, good distance and spin.

I tested the NXT Tour S and I found them to be too soft around the greens, what I mean by that is that I couldn't feel the click of the clubface when I hit it, which lead me to overhit some greens at very short distances. I also found that the alignment line on the ball was not printed properly on two of the sleeves I had. The two other sleeves will end up in my wife's golf bag.

[tx-ping]

I'll be trying out the Z star SL this weekend.. I like the Q star, but wanted to get a little more spin out of it, so the SL is next up.. Like the yellow line of Srixon balls more than the Callaway and BStone balls...

[cws]

I've been trying several of the yellow balls (and one white one) for the past couple of months, and the Hex Chrome is the higher spinning one of the ones in the "throwdown", but it is shorter off the tee on all my clubs. My driver ss is 96. It's the latest one I've tested, and now I'm going back to try the Qstar and TourS again. I started with the DT Solo (long, low spin), then Q Star (long, low spin), then MaxFli U/2 (long, low spin), then Tour S (long, low spin), then Z Star (couldn't compress it - short, good spin), and lastly the Chrome (shorter, great spin).

I kept looking for more spin at a reasonable price, but have decided I don't want it at the expense of distance. I thought I had lost a full club length as I'm getting older, but found that I got it back by using a softer ball I can compress properly (like Solo, TourS, and QStar.). That was a good feeling, so no more "premium" balls for me.

Edit: After studying the GD spin chart, (again), I've decided to try the Z Star SL. The compression is similar to Tour S, but spin is higher off wedges, so I figure I'll get the tee-distance, and spin I'm looking for...and, most importantly, it comes in YELLOW. The only drawback I see, is the cost.

[Wisconsin Terrapin]

Just the review I needed. I'm in the 85-89 range and am now running out of Tri-speeds (and don't want to scavage the internet any more for old stock). I solved some sidespin issues late last year (....finally). Recently was gifted some new Pro-V 1x's and had some sample Hex Chromes (yellow). Both were exceptionally long - across 2 days I was getting 10-20 more yards than with the Tri-speeds. Not being great short game spinner, both were about the same in close. While I did have fun with the Pro-V, it comes down to $1 a ball and an optic yellow that I can really see better (if you watched the Mousekateers with Annette - you are using reading glasses to read this...).

I could try some NXT Tours, but you have to buy the -S to get yellow, and I can't fathom buying a 2 piece ball for almost $3 each. Itwould be nice if Titleist would realize that you don't have to be over 75 or over a 25 handicap to benefit from an optic ball.

Funny thing about the v.1 Q-Star (haven't touched v.2) - if I was fighting side spin that day, it would not listen as well as the Tri-speeds or old NXTs. Probably won't bother trying v.2 with the Chrome on a 4 for 3 sale right now - almost the same price.

[portaltib]

On the occasion of this being exactly my 8,000th post in almost 7 years, I wanted to make it a productive one. No, it has nothing to do with Bubba winning the Masters (though it was pretty cool) or Tiger, Rory or Phil (thankfully!)

 

While traveling to visit family, I got to play golf with my brother-in-law (who incidentally I've only beaten once in 7 years…but it WAS glorious!). Since it was Masters weekend, I decided to take some new golf balls out to test (and one kind of new one that people are asking about here).

 

I grabbed a couple sleeves of the following balls:

 

Titelist NXT Tour S (Yellow)

Srixon Z Star SL (Yellow)

Srixon Q Star (Yellow)

Callaway Hex Chrome (Not Yellow…yet! )

 

About me: I'm 41 (for a few more days anyway) and I'm a 24 capper, and will freely admit it, but it's my short game that holds me back. I get out and play a 2-3 times a month, spousal and son permitting! I have a swing speed of about 85-95 MPH. If I'm on tempo, I'm swinging under 90. If I need to step on the gas a bit, I can get up to 95, but no more. I prefer yellow because, simply, it's easier to see. I'm a big believer in the Nicklaus Method: If you need to hit a distance, try to use the right club instead of changing your swing.

 

The test: I knew I was going to play 27 holes that day on two separate courses. So I tried to put each ball into play at least 5 of those holes. I knew I would lean towards a ball near the end that I liked more, but I went into it with an open mind. I tried to also put myself into situations where I knew I people would be interested. While I didn't want to hit into the rough, I knew I would with each ball (just keeping it real). Par 3's, Par 5's, etc, and of course, tee shots. I won't bore you with ALL the details, but I'll give you my impressions and the highlights, mixed in with a couple low-lights!

 

I used a Garmin G6 GPS to measure distances so I could give a pretty accurate accounting that I hit, with roll. Remember, these are MY distances. Your mileage may vary! I'll review by order of price.

 

Srixon Q-Star

 

Performance: This is my normal ball. It's a 2-piece and I like it because of the limited sidespin I get off the driver face, but still get some spin off my irons and wedges to make the ball stop on high shots, and check up before it rolls out off my wedges on more delicate chips and pitches. So Peter Jacobson was right on all those commercials. The ball is easier to keep in play because as long as you put a half decent swing on it, it's going to stay in play. The ball wants to go straight. I tried to draw it and fade it. It just wants to go in a straight line. Face it: If you're above a 20, and in some cases a 15 and up, you're probably not trying to do anything other than to make the ball go where you're aiming. I usually get decent results. My longest drive with this ball was 262 yards, but I averaged 253 yards. It feels relatively soft off the driver face, irons and putter, but harder than the rest of the balls I've used that day.

 

Durability: The ball cover is one tough mother. It's not going to scuff easily and is a touch heavier than the other balls I've tried. Maybe it's just me, but I'm sure this has an affect on spin and distance.

 

Overall: You have to decide what's right for you: Performance or price? While we all want both, this is not going to be a Z-Star, or they wouldn't have made it and it would be $45 a box. Overall, this is a good ball. Better than a Top Flite in my opinion, but to many, that's not saying much. Worth a good look or a sleeve to try. It's a nice ball for the money ($25 a box)

 

Titelist NXT Tour S

 

Performance: As a rule, I've never played anything from Titelist for long, even a Scotty Cameron. It's a personal bias. I had a bad rep who ticked me off, so I banned them from my bag, back and feet. So what gives now? Simply, Jim Nantz told me to! I'm a sucker for marketing and that syrupy Masters announcer voice got me.

 

What impressed me most about this ball was the spin, or lack of it off the driver face and the approach spin I got off my irons and wedges. One shot in particular was impressive. I was standing on a Par 3, 168 over water on a slightly elevated green. I took an extra club and played a 5 iron. It took off like a missile and dropped in nice and soft to about 15 feet…then it backed up almost 5 feet. Spin on the ball! ME! Of course, I three-jacked it. My longest drive was little better at 265 yards, but I averaged 255. Still very respectable. Sidespin control was still good (just a touch more), as with the Q-Star but the ball was a little softer.

 

Durability: Light scuff marks, but nothing that affected play.

 

Overall: A nice ball…even for a Titelist! LOL Honestly, it's a good offering. It's not going to perform like a premium ball, even though it's a little more expensive. ($32) Is it better than the Q-Star? Overall, no, not for an extra $7 a box, but it is a very good ball.

 

Callaway Hex Chrome

 

Performance: I used Callaway products for years…and then went away from them after the X-20s. They went off the reservation. So I really didn't expect much from them. I'm not Phil Mickelson and never will be confused for him (being a balding black guy with a gut!) But I figured, "A soft 3 piece? Why not!" Honestly, I'll tell you now, this was for me, the best ball of the bunch distance wise. This ball FLEW. Like it's older brother the Hex Black, it's supposed to hold the wind. It did. Very well. My longest drive of the day came from this ball (271 yards)...without stepping on the gas! But my distance was up overall with an average of 262 yards. But the eye test won me over because when this ball took flight it kept going…and going…and going, then it rolled for a LONG time. Even my B-I-L took notice and asked for one. He played this ball for the rest of the day. Literally, the REST of the day (bastxxx didn't lose a ball all day!). He was murdering this thing. When I played it, I could swear I felt the ball compress. It felt like a marshmallow and just took off. When it came to greens, it performed as well. It held them quite well and stopped dead on the greens. Now I was watching my B-I-L play as well and he's a bomber. He was making his ball dance. Straight, high flight, slightly more spin than the Tour S, but almost no driver spin to speak of. I made this ball back up as well with wedges. Soft off the driver, irons and putter. I was very happy with it.

 

Durability: This is where Callaway balls used to really lack. You could rip the cover off pretty easily. Not so with this one. It took a beating. One even hit a tree and there was a small nick on it and it just kept going. One met an untimely demise when I began to get a little tired and hooked one into a creek. My B-I-L's ball was worn because he used it for almost 14 holes, but still very usable.

 

Overall: I ended up playing this ball for actually most of the day. That's how much I liked it. I just want it in yellow. But for a ball like this, I'd expect to pay a bit more than I did ($36).

 

Srixon Z Star SL

 

Performance: Being a Srixon guy, I had high expectations for this ball. This is also a softer 3-piece ball that performed as well as the Callaway. I didn't have my longest drives with it, but my longest was 267 yards with my average at 259. It too was pretty soft, but not as soft as the Callaway, but still felt good off all the clubs. Sidespin was very nice as well, and I was rewarded with high, straight flight. It held the wind fairly well, but on the highest of shots, we saw it moving a bit from my intended target. But definitely not bad. Short game and approach spin was very good. In fact, better than the Callaway for me.

 

Durability: As expected, very durable. Not a mark on it.

 

Overall: I'd use this ball without hesitation. It's kind of a mix of a Q-Star and a Z-Star XV, but it's for mere mortals like me with less driver spin. It's the most expensive of all the balls at $46 a box, but you are getting a lot for it. IMO, this should sell better than the Q Star for most folks here on the Wrx that fancies themselves as a PLAYAH, but wants a more forgiving ball.

 

So, my overall impressions? I'd be quite happy with any of these in my bag, but I have to give the nod to the Callaway. As soon as they make it in yellow it will become my go-to ball, and for me, that's saying a lot. But for durability, Srixon just has something strange where I can't scuff them unless I start abusing it. All of these are very good. For higher handicappers, the Q-Star should be a honest choice. You're not giving anything up by choosing it for sure. Titelist is just Titelist. Period. You know it's going to be good, but somehow I think the name is driving up the expense of the ball.

 

I hope this helps someone out there. As a more seasoned GolfWrx member, I like giving back to the site when I can. I'd be happy to answer any questions about them.

thanks for the nice review. Just ordered me a box of the yellows! Can't wait to give them a go.