Would you be surprised to learn that Srixon, or at least the people who own Srixon, have been making golf balls for nearly a century?
I didn’t know that, either.
I’ll spare you the history (some other time, perhaps), since our goal today is to help you figure out which of Srixon’s three Z-STAR Tour-level urethane-covered golf balls is right for you. Before we dive in, however, let’s lay some cards on the table.
First, we’re going to focus on the Z-STAR family in this piece. Yes, Srixon has the Q-STAR franchise, which includes both urethane and ionomer-covered balls, as well as the SOFT FEEL line which is known for, well, soft feel.
With apologies to the rest of the line, we’re going to focus solely on Srixon’s premium golf balls.
Second, Srixon (like Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade and Bridgestone) is very good at separating performance in its Z-STAR line. There’s enough of a difference between Srixon’s three Z-STARs to matter, as MyGolfSpy’s 2025 Ball Test clearly showed.
Third, we’re not going to get into a “brand versus brand” discussion. Each major golf ball brand has two, three or even four tour-level golf balls from which to choose and they all fall into the same performance buckets. Some stand out, some are consistently good. Today, however, we’re focusing on Srixon.
Also, we’re not talking price or relative value. Strictly performance.
Finally, we’ll do our best to share performance differences within the line. Our goal is to help you focus on a specific model for your game, gear and performance needs. If we suggest one ball but your personal preference is for the firmer or softer version, well, that’s up to you.
It’s your money, after all.
The Srixon Z-STAR lineup: Comfortably reliable
Srixon introduced its Z-STAR golf balls in 2009. Since Day One, the Z-STARs have been comfortably reliable in their design, performance and overall quality. The current models, introduced last year, follow Srixon’s philosophy of Kaizen (continuous, incremental improvement). Big performance breakthroughs aren’t Srixon’s goal. Rather, the company focuses on hundreds, if not thousands, of small improvements. Over time, those small improvements accumulate into major long-term gains.
The mainstays of the line are the Z-STAR and the Z-STAR XV. The Z-STAR is a three-piece design with a soft urethane cover backed by a firm ionomer mantle. The core is on the softer side and Srixon measures the Z-STAR’s overall compression at 88. It’s the softest ball in the Z-STAR family. As such, it’s also the lowest spinning off the driver.
The Z-STAR XV is Srixon’s firmest ball with a reported compression of 102. It uses the same soft urethane cover and firm mantle layer as the standard Z-STAR. Its FastLayer DG 2.0 Core is different, however, as it’s soft in the middle but gets firmer than the Z-STAR’s toward the outer portion. As a result, it feels firmer, delivers more ball speed off the driver and spins more with irons.
The relative newbie to the lineup is the Srixon Z-STAR Diamond. In our 2025 Ball Test, the Z-STAR Diamond was the jewel in Srixon’s lineup. It sits between the Z-STAR and Z-STAR XV in terms of firmness and spin but its overall performance might be the most consistent of the three.
Which one’s for you?
While the Srixon Z-STAR golf balls didn’t stand out in any one area of our 2025 Ball Test, they didn’t fall short in any, either. They were among the most balanced-performing balls in the test. As mentioned, Srixon has done a good job of giving each of its three Z-STARs its own identity.
MyGolfSpy’s 2025 Ball Test gathered data from swing speeds we classified as High (116 mph driver, 90 mph irons), Medium (102 mph driver, 80 mph irons) and Low (86 mph driver, 65 mph irons). The test results, if you really drill down, can lead you down a ton of rabbit holes and you can always find the “why” behind results that, on the surface, can be head scratchers. Let’s break down the results by swing speed and give you some clues as to which Srixon Z-STAR model might work best for you.
Fast swing speed
As you’d expect, Srixon’s firmest Z-STAR models were top performers for you freaks of nature who can swing it like a Tour pro. Both the XV (102 compression) and the Diamond (100 compression) finished in the top 10 for overall driver distance. The firmer XV was just a skosh longer.
The XV was in the top 10 for driver ball speed, just 6/10ths of an mph behind the fastest ball in the test, the Maxfli Tour X. Both the XV and Diamond were among the highest spinning balls in the driver test while the Diamond was also the highest spinning ball in the high-speed iron test. The standard Z-STAR, as it’s a lower-compression ball, didn’t show in the ball speed, distance or spin categories.
If you use a low-spin driver, both the Z-STAR XV and Z-STAR Diamond would be good choices. That additional spin will help you keep the ball in the air a little longer to enhance carry. Additionally, if you also play low-spinning irons such as a player’s distance iron, the additional spin will help you hold greens (provided the ball doesn’t balloon on you). The more skilled ball striker who can control trajectory will also appreciate the higher spin.
The choice here depends on your needs but for balanced performance, the Z-STAR Diamond is definitely worth a look.
If a softer feel matters most to you and you produce more than enough speed, distance and spin on your own, the standard Z-STAR might make sense.
Mid swing speed
If you swing your driver right around 100 mph, both the XV and the Diamond are your friends. The XV finished second in overall driver distance while the Diamond finished fourth even though it was one of the highest-spinning balls in the test.
How can that be, you may ask? It’s all about trajectory as the Diamond has a lower peak height and a shallower descent angle than the XV. That’s a good roll recipe.
Both models finished high in the top six for iron ball speed with the Diamond finishing a close second for iron spin. While neither placed in the top 10 for iron distance, neither qualifies as distance challenged.
The choice here is similar to that for high-swing-speed players. If you need spin off your driver and especially your irons, the Z-STAR Diamond is the easy choice. If you’re looking for a little extra juice off the driver but can get by without extra spin, it’s the Z-STAR XV.
Is a softer feel most important? If so, look at the standard Z-STAR.
Slow swing speed
This is where things get interesting.
The standard Srixon Z-STAR makes its presence felt here, finishing tied for second in iron ball speed (the two-toned Z-STAR DIVIDE finished tied for third). However, slower swingers often benefit from more spin. All three Srixon balls performed well in spin with the Diamond finishing second overall in iron spin and fourth overall in driver spin.
Driver distance at low swing speeds tends to get wonky. Usually, softer, lower-spinning balls tend to do well here despite their ball speed disadvantage. In driver carry, both the Z-STAR XV and Z-STAR Diamond were identical. However, the higher-spinning Diamond was nearly 1.5 yards longer in total distance.
On the face of it, that should not compute but, again, the story is trajectory. The Diamond had the lowest peak height of all Srixon balls tested at low swing speeds as well as the shallowest descent angle. As the carry distance was the same as the XV, that lower trajectory and shallower descent angle gave the Diamond considerably more roll.
As with the other swing speed categories, the choice here depends on what’s important to you. If you want a soft feel, the standard Z-STAR remains the choice. If you want distance and spin, you’re once again looking at the Z-STAR Diamond.
Short game
Regardless of swing speed, the short game is all about spin. Of the three Z-STARs, the Diamond will give you the most spin. The standard Z-STAR and the Z-STAR XV are right behind it. The differences aren’t great, with only 68 rpm separating the Diamond and the XV.
You won’t find much difference in terms of launch angle, peak height, descent angle or carry between the three balls, either.
With wedge and greenside performance as close as they are, the selection criteria in the above sections remain the same.
Which Srixon Z-STAR golf ball is right for you?
As always, it depends on what you’re looking for. I’ve played all three Srixon Z-STAR golf balls and my best results have come with the Z-STAR Diamond, followed by the XV. I’m by no means a high swing speed player but the Diamond fits my iron play very well as I use high-launching, low-spinning player’s distance irons. The Diamond’s relatively low launch and high spin work very nicely with that style of iron. With a mid-90s swing speed, the Diamond’s higher compression is also a benefit.
Understanding your own tendencies and how your equipment influences those tendencies is key. Once you’ve done that, you can then choose the best type of ball performance for your needs. And once you’ve done that, you can focus on price, brand, availability and other factors and preferences.
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