Srixon Z-Star Golf Ball Review | Golf Monthly

Elliott Heath tests out the seventh-generation Srixon Z-Star golf ball over a number of rounds

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A superb premium offering from Srixon, the Z-Star produces a penetrating ball flight on long shots and excellent stopping power on the greens

Impressive long game performance

Excellent greenside spin and control

Great value at its price point

Performs well in the wind

Might not be the best fit for low-launch players

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Srixon Z-Star Golf Ball Review

The Srixon Z-Star is one of the best golf balls on the market and is now a well established brand in itself after first launching back in 2009, replacing the Z-URC and Z-URS. The 2021 version has a slightly thicker cover to help with greenside control and a FastLayer Core that is soft in the center and firmer around the edges to improve ball speed and distance while keeping spin low.

The Z-Star is Srixon's ultimate greenside spin golf ball, with the Z-Star XV, which Hideki Matsuyama used in his 2021 Masters win, offering up higher and longer shots. This doesn't mean that the Z-Star doesn't go very far, as we were very impressed with its long-game capabilities and the mid-flight it produces does help you get a penetrating ball flight.

Srixon Z-Star golf balls can also be purchased at retail for anywhere between $5-10 less than than many of their competitors, making them one of the best options in the premium golf ball market. And even at that that lower price point, we're not quite sure what you are sacrificing, as the ball performs exceptionally well in every department.

The greenside spin on offer is fantastic and even with well-used wedges we noticed plenty of grab and stop on the second bounce. The mid-flight characteristics mean the ball never balloons on you and flies very well through the wind, just as you would hope from a premium golf ball.

In terms of durability, we wouldn't say it is fantastic but certainly nothing to be worried about. There were no splits or chips in the cover. After play, the Z-Star was ever-so-slightly discolored and had a few marks after finding bunkers and wooded areas.

The three-piece urethane ball comes with a soft feel on shots played with every club in the bag but certainly the feel provided is not too soft or as soft as more budget options. The Z-Star is also available in both white and yellow color options depending on a player's preference.

In the most simplest of terms, Srixon would regard the Z-Star as a golf ball that was designed for spin and feel while the Z-Star XV was created with distance in mind. That said, both are premium golf balls that are widely played on professional tours around the world and each ball is excellent in terms of both distance and greenside control. The Z-Star is the lower compression option of the two, with a rating of 90 compared to the XV's compression rating of 102, so it will definitely have a softer feel through the bag and likely be the better option for golfers with more moderate swing speeds.

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Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV

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