Gear: Srixon Z-Star XV and Z-Star Diamond golf balls. Price: $47.95 per dozen
Specifications: Three-piece construction, with a large core and casing layer. Pure white, yellow or mixed for Z-Star XV and Z-Star Diamond. Pure white for Z-Star Diamond only.
Available February 15th for Z-Star, April 14th for Z-Star Divide, and Z-Star XV
Who they’re for: For golfers who desire a tour-level spin around greens and distance, with a choice in firmness off the fairway.
The Skinny: Srixon has upgraded its premium golf balls for 2023 by adding new cores and improving friction- and spin-generating coatings that are allied with the urethane covers. The Z-Star feels softest, while the Z-Star XV feels firmer. The Z-Star Diamond is between them.
Deep Dive: Srixon released its eighth generation of premium golf balls, the Z-Star range. Instead of making major changes, the Japanese company decided to refine the three-ball lineup.
Each core of the FastLayer DG FastStar Z-Star, Star Diamond, and Z-Star XV is slightly different. (Srixon)
Each ball has a FastLayer DG Core, which is unique to each ball. It’s soft in the middle but becomes more firm towards the perimeter. Srixon stated that the Z-Star standard has the lowest compression and mid-layer, giving it the most comfortable feel at impact. The Z-Star XV ball, on the other hand, has a much firmer core around its outer areas for greater distance and longer-iron spin. The Z-Star Diamond was designed to be between the Z-Star and XV balls. It has a firmer feel than the Z-Star, but it will feel softer.
To increase wind stability and aerodynamics, all three Z-Star balls feature a 338-dimple pattern in their cast urethane covers.
Srixon has updated the Spin Skin coating on the cover for 2023. We now refer to it as Spin Skin+. This coating improves the friction caused by an iron or wedge hitting the ball on greenside shots, thereby increasing spin and improving control over chips, pitches, and bunker shots.
Srixon Z Star Divide for 2023 (Srixon
Srixon will bring a Divide Z-Star XV and Z-Star XV versions to retailers in mid-April. The Divide editions are divided into two halves, a white and a yellow. They make it easier for players to follow the ball while in flight and provide visual aids on the greens. Players can see when a player is putting by aligning the seam between the two colors. A wobbly roll may also indicate when a golfer has hit the ball squarely instead of cutting across it. This can help improve their putting skills.
The Z-Star Divide and Z-Star XV Divide, like the other Divide-edition Srixon balls are legal for play.