It’s release season in the golf industry, and so far, this month has been super busy for Srixon Golf. We’ve seen the new ZX MK II Drivers, metalwoods, and irons, to go along with the 13th generation of the SOFT FEEL golf ball. Now it’s time to look at what they have in store for the eighth-generation 2023 Srixon Z-STAR Series.
Srixon tends to introduce its latest core technology in the Z-STAR lineup, and this release follows that trend. We’ve seen the FastLayer core going back to the 2019 release, however, instead of trotting it out for a 3rd successive release cycle, Srixon redesigned the core to create the FastLayer DG Core, which offers a more dramatic shift from soft to firm within the center portion and a more gradual transition on the outer core.
Golf ball design is rarely the most exciting thing to discuss, and the above changes lead many to wonder how this affects golf ball performance. With the FastLayer DG Core, the answer comes in two parts. Thanks to that sudden change from soft to firm on the interior part, the Z-STAR lines will produce faster ball speeds. Meanwhile, the outer core is designed to increase spin rates, especially on irons. Each of the three new Z-STAR golf balls has its model-specific core design, which alters the performance when comparing each ball.
Z-STAR balls will also benefit from the new Spin Skin+ coating and a 338 Speed Dimple Pattern. With an improved Spin Skin+ layer, each cover will dig into your wedge or iron grooves more, causing more friction and, thus more spin. Meanwhile, the improvement in aerodynamics help achieves consistent launch and ball flight, regardless of the playing conditions.
Below is a brief synopsis of what to expect from each of the three models with the Z-STAR line.
Z-STAR: Offers a combination of the lowest flight, softest feel, and most greenside spin. It is also the only Z-STAR model with a sub 100 compression rating.
Z-STAR XV: Represents the longest golf ball within the family. It launches higher and offers more speed than is achieved with the Z-STAR. XV also features the thinnest cover in the lineup.
Z-STAR Diamond: A perfect blend of the Z-STAR and Z-STAR XV. Diamond has better greenside spin than the XV, with higher iron spin and ball flight than the Z-STAR.
“Finding the right golf ball for your game is just as important as finding the right irons or driver,” said Brian Schielke, General Manager of Srixon. “It’s the one piece of equipment you use on every single shot, which is why technological advances like the new Spin Skin+ and FastLayer DG Core give players confidence that their ball is going to react how it should and excel in every category that matters – more spin, bite, and speed.”
The 2023 Srixon Z-STAR lineup hits store shelves on February 15, 2023, with a price tag of $47.99. Z-STAR and Z-STAR XV are available in either Pure White or Tour Yellow, while Z-STAR Diamond is only available in Tour White.
There is, of course, one more thing. Z-STAR DIVIDE is back!
DIVIDE presents a unique look where 50% of the golf ball is white, and the other 50% is yellow. It adds a little flair to the golf bag and a different visual presentation on short pitch shots where golfers can easily see how the ball is spinning on the approach.
“The visual feedback on its own is one of the most beneficial features of the DIVIDE ball,” Schielke says. “The ability to track your spin in the air and around the greens will help overall consistency, and with the one-of-a-kind 360° line, you’ll be able to see your line more clearly and perfect your roll on the greens.”
DIVIDE will launch in the Spring and is available in only the Z-STAR and Z-STAR XV models at the same price of $47.99.
Which Z-STAR model will make it into your bag this season?
didn’t know there was sooo much hate on the XVs lol I like em!
[QUOTE=”Gman79, post: 11251969, member: 52297″]
didn’t know there was sooo much hate on the XVs lol I like em!
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I’ve got no hate for them. They’ve always produced good numbers for me. I just prefer the feel of the Z-Star, esp as I get closer to and on the green.
Good write up [USER=782]@ddec[/USER]. Loved the XV last year and will be giving it a go again this year.
[QUOTE=”Tenputt, post: 11251326, member: 42964″]
That is interesting. I actually have played the XV off and on through the years. I like it because for me, it is the longest ball with driver of any tour level ball that I have played. It can be incredibly long for me. If I am playing well and hitting a lot of greens, it can be a great ball. If I need to get up and down a lot, I miss the spin. Always trade offs with this game, LOL.
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This is my experience exactly. It’s long, but agree it’s just a mediocre short game ball.
[QUOTE=”ddec, post: 11251887, member: 782″]
smartest, no. Best looking. Perhaps.
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You’ve got many leather bound books. We’ve been over this before. Best looking…. Well ?. I can’t speak much of it. Only met three staff members and a few THPers.
I’m a Srixon fan who loves Srixon irons. I have played both the ZStar and XV over the years, starting with the XV and then moving the Star. I liked the divide version The diamond made a brief appearance as my go-to ball but was kicked out by another. Happy to see a new release. I am not sure whether I will give these a try this year or not. Maybe.
Cool. Interested in giving the Divide a go.
[QUOTE=”Gman79, post: 11251969, member: 52297″]
didn’t know there was sooo much hate on the XVs lol I like em!
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It’s been my understanding that most Srixon Tour Players play the XV except BK who plays the Diamond and Keegan who plays the Z-Star.
If I’m right then the firmness and greenside spin can’t be that bad.
[QUOTE=”ddec, post: 11251982, member: 782″]
I’ve got no hate for them. They’ve always produced good numbers for me. I just prefer the feel of the Z-Star, esp as I get closer to and on the green.
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things to ponder when I try this year!
[QUOTE=”Iceman!, post: 11252079, member: 32688″]
It’s all been my understanding that most Srixon Tour Players play the XV except BK who plays the Diamond and Keegan who plays the Z-Star.
If I’m right then the firmness and greenside spin can’t be that bad.
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I’ve enjoyed the feel off putter and click on short wedges. I think the stopping pwr is perfect.
Srixon star XV are awesome. I was bummed with the secret about how good they are got out and the price shot up lol.
I may pick up the Z Star in the Divide to play around with.
Embarrassed to say I haven’t tried the Diamond or a Divide model; just didn’t buy many balls last year. Still have a decent stock of other brands since not playing that often (and honestly not losing too many 😳 ), but will be looking to give these a try in 2023. Have always enjoyed Srixon balls, with all lines performing nicely although differentiated for sure. The Diamond in particular seems like a good fit
Glad to see the divide continue
[USER=782]@ddec[/USER] is there plans for additional colors for the zstar divide?
[QUOTE=”Iceman!, post: 11252079, member: 32688″]
It’s all been my understanding that most Srixon Tour Players play the XV except BK who plays the Diamond and Keegan who plays the Z-Star.
If I’m right then the firmness and greenside spin can’t be that bad.
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I think that the XV is just too firm for my slower swing speed, and it’s really more of a feel preference thing, not a big performance difference. It’s not a bad ball, I never meant to imply that at all, just that the other two are much better fits for me, especially when it comes to feel on and around the greens.
[QUOTE=”Iceman!, post: 11252079, member: 32688″]
It’s all been my understanding that most Srixon Tour Players play the XV except BK who plays the Diamond and Keegan who plays the Z-Star.
If I’m right then the firmness and greenside spin can’t be that bad.
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When I mention that the XV is a little low spin around the greens, keep in mind that I live at altitude (almost 5000 feet). All balls spin a bit less there. At sea level, I would have no problem playing the XV.
[QUOTE=”sposey013168, post: 11252214, member: 14224″]
[USER=782]@ddec[/USER] is there plans for additional colors for the zstar divide?
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I have not heard of any plans to expand on colors of the Z-Star divide anytime soon.
Might have to try the Diamond this year. Also cool to see Divide continue; it’s fun.
Sri on Z Star line always preform as good as anything. I have played Z Star and XV aim the past. Definitely going to give the Diamond a shot to earn my gamer ball this year.
[QUOTE=”Iceman!, post: 11252079, member: 32688″]
It’s been my understanding that most Srixon Tour Players play the XV
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I was told quite recently that’s not the case. That the diamond is getting a lot of play.
I’m excited these are finally out. The Diamond suits me really well in some ways and with everyone kind of stealing Srixon’s gradient core stuff lately it’s nice to see them continuing to improve on that.
I plan on this being my golf ball this season ahead. I will be able to find them locally and the covers last. Not sure I’ll play Divide again.
Great write up. I hate to admit I’ve never really looked too much into the Srixon balls and hadn’t really understood the differences between the models before now. Seems like a solid lineup.
Z-Star is worked really well for me last year. No bad things to say about it. Played the regular and the divide last year and will this year again. If you are considering giving the divides a try do it! Personal preference of course but some may never play anything but a white ball and nothing you can say will change their mind. The alignment aide for putting is obvious but if you have any trouble at all tracking the ball it does help with those optics. I didn’t stay at a holiday inn express last night but my better half is an optometrist and approved that statement.
Z-Star was one of the top-3 balls in my testing, but couldn’t get a hold of Diamond at that time. From the descriptions, it could be the one for me. Have to test it at some point!
[QUOTE=”Iceman!, post: 11252079, member: 32688″]
It’s been my understanding that most Srixon Tour Players play the XV except BK who plays the Diamond and Keegan who plays the Z-Star.
If I’m right then the firmness and greenside spin can’t be that bad.
[/QUOTE]
I think the XV is a fantastic ball and I’m a slow swing speed player. I am also coming off a season of playing GI clubs where I saw a lot of ball’s not stop on the green. Doing some testing this winter with tour CB’s and seeing a lot more of what I want on approach. So club and ball combo is important obviously. XV’s are good around the green for a urethane covered ball. They’re below a ProV1X (everything else is too) but better than most of the urethane market.
Great write up! I love the last iteration of the Z-Star. I have a ton of them in my stock pile, but will want to give the new one a try. Love the price point too!
Diamond seems to be the most tour popular.
[MEDIA=instagram]Cnz8drEA2qX[/MEDIA]
[QUOTE=”templeton80, post: 11256653, member: 53139″]
Diamond seems to be the most tour popular.
[MEDIA=instagram]Cnz8drEA2qX[/MEDIA]
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I’ve been watching these videos on IG. Pretty cool!
We are giving some away right now on Twitter.
[MEDIA=twitter]1619063490639179777[/MEDIA]
Do they plan on putting the Diamond in a Divide? I think the diamond is the best for me but would definitely be interested in the divide.
[USER=61009]@Deebo76[/USER] you don’t like the divide? Or did I miss it in the article? I’m team [USER=50607]@J.B. Cobb III[/USER]
[QUOTE=”MarMill, post: 11262208, member: 51186″]
[USER=61009]@Deebo76[/USER] you don’t like the divide? Or did I miss it in the article? I’m team [USER=50607]@J.B. Cobb III[/USER]
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Don’t ruin my favorite ball with that divide talk. Lol
I was able to get in nine holes today with the Z-Star lineup. Unfortunately, everything I thought I had fixed in my last few range sessions came back, so I’m not going to try to judge how straight each ball was. I started off with the XVs. They were probably the hardest for me to control. They spun less than my initial test and seemed to match Srixon’s description better than my first impression. Still not a fan of the sound of them. Next I moved on to the Z-Stars. They were the lowest launching. They had good green side spin. I liked the feel of them the best of the three. I finished up with the Diamonds. They were definitely the highest launching. They seemed to have the most spin on long shots. I hit my 3h on a par three and it stopped on a dime. I liked the feel of them almost as much as the Z-Stars. If I had to pick one of them to play based on performance today, I would pick the Diamonds.
[QUOTE=”Deebo76, post: 11262212, member: 61009″]
Don’t ruin my favorite ball with that divide talk. Lol
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I’ll stick with the blue/yellow Q Star Tour when I play those!
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 11261443, member: 3″]
We are giving some away right now on Twitter.
[MEDIA=twitter]1619063490639179777[/MEDIA]
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don’t want to miss this one THPers! some of the best balls available!
I played another round with the White Box balls, played the Diamond the whole round this time, and I think this would be my first choice of the three. I’ll continue to play them all for a while, but although the Z-Star and the Diamond are really close for me, the Diamond is just a little bit longer, and goes a little bit higher, which for me is a good thing. Spin around the greens is pretty equal, for my game, and feel is similar enough that I don’t notice the difference unless I’m hitting or putting them side-by-side.
[QUOTE=”Deebo76, post: 11262212, member: 61009″]
Don’t ruin my favorite ball with that divide talk. Lol
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This man doesn’t like nice things, hence green text boxes!:ROFLMAO:
What’s a comparable ball to the Diamond? Seems kind of unique to me. From all I’m reading here it is probably the one ball in the line I’m most interested in trying.
I have played the XV in the past and currently have the Z-Star in the bag. Thinking it might be time to try the Diamond. Maybe it will be my Goldilocks ball.
[QUOTE=”Hawk, post: 11262999, member: 1193″]
What’s a comparable ball to the Diamond? Seems kind of unique to me. From all I’m reading here it is probably the one ball in the line I’m most interested in trying.
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Last years model I didn’t really find an equal. I’m a really high spin player with my irons and came up short with it several times. It felt great. Wasn’t short off tee. I didn’t see much difference in wedges around the green. Just full iron shots. I’m a XV guy for that reason.
Worth a try. [ATTACH type=”full”]9155049[/ATTACH]
[QUOTE=”hedley_lamarr08, post: 11279290, member: 37622″]
Worth a try. [ATTACH type=”full” alt=”79BBB007-A8F7-423C-B21C-5901F1F2F7FB.jpeg”]9155049[/ATTACH]
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Same
[ATTACH type=”full”]9155054[/ATTACH]
I really liked last year diamond. See what the new ones are.
[QUOTE=”MarMill, post: 11279360, member: 51186″]
I really liked last year diamond. See what the new ones are.
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They felt incredible off the irons but they felt like they lacked just a bit off the tee. Is this what you experienced?
[QUOTE=”MarMill, post: 11279360, member: 51186″]
I really liked last year diamond. See what the new ones are.
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Yeah I’m excited for the 2023 version as well. Next week is the drop.
[QUOTE=”MarMill, post: 11279360, member: 51186″]
I really liked last year diamond. See what the new ones are.
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I want to try some of the new ones, but I still have like 5 dozen of last model ?
[QUOTE=”Deebo76, post: 11279365, member: 61009″]
Yeah I’m excited for the 2023 version as well. Next week is the drop.
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I ordered off their site and got them in today.
[QUOTE=”Golfers Anonymous, post: 11279371, member: 59233″]
I ordered off their site and got them in today.
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Thanks. I guess I know what I’ll be headed there shortly
[QUOTE=”Golfers Anonymous, post: 11279363, member: 59233″]
They felt incredible off the irons but they felt like they lacked just a bit off the tee. Is this what you experienced?
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I didn’t feel like I lost distance using the ball.