Equipment
Is the Srixon Q-Star Tour the most technically sound $30 golf ball?
At $29.99 per dozen, Srixon calls the Q-Star Tour golf ball the most spin for your money. And who’s to argue?
It’s a three-piece golf ball with a urethane cover that has the same core technologies as Srixon’s tour-caliber Z-Star and Z-Star XV golf balls. The difference is that the Q-Star Tour has a lower compression and a new dimple pattern to help slower swing-speed players maximize distance. The balls also sell for $10 less than the Z-Star and Z-Star XV. Sound almost too good to be true? We put Srixon on the hot seat to get the scoop in this Q&A.
Editor’s Note: Srixon also allowed GolfWRX members to ask anything they wanted about its Q-Star golf balls in a forum thread. Read the “Live Q&A” here.
GolfWRX: What’s the significance of offering a three-piece golf ball with a urethane cover at this price point?
Michael Ross, Senior Product Manager for Golf Balls at Srixon: Real value for golfers. That’s what this is all about. Golfers can now purchase a premium golf ball that offers tremendous performance at an incredible value. We believe that, if golfers are going to spend $30 on a dozen golf balls, they deserve a ball that performs from anywhere on the golf course. Not just off the tee, not just around the greens, but total performance, from tee to green. And we deliver that performance and value with the new Q-Star Tour, which is a soft-feeling golf ball with a urethane cover that flies long and straight off the tee and off your irons and delivers tour-quality spin control around the greens. We strongly encourage anyone to play this ball against their gamer and see which ball provides the best performance for their particular game. We believe that golfers will be pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Q-Star Tour.
In comparison to the Z-Star and Z-Star XV golf balls, what kind of golfer is best suited for the Q-Star Tour?
A: The Q-Star Tour is a great option for many golfers because of its great feel, tremendous combination of driver and iron distance and its tour-caliber greenside spin. It was designed primarily for good players with moderate swing speeds. The problem we identified is that these golfers aren’t optimizing their performance by playing a high-compression tour ball because they aren’t able to compress it, so they end up sacrificing distance off the tee and with their irons. There are a ton of great golfers like this around the country. They don’t have high swing speeds but can get up and down from anywhere because they are great wedge players. These golfers don’t need to play a high-compression tour ball just so they have the excellent greenside spin performance that they’re used to. They would benefit greatly from playing a ball that offers the same great greenside performance, but is easier to compress. That’s why we developed the lower-compression Q-Star Tour. It delivers excellent greenside spin performance and, equally as important, golfers with moderate swing speeds will also see a nice increase in their driver distance and especially their iron distances. One additional benefit is that the Q-Star Tour has very low spin off the driver, so not only will their drives go farther but they should find that their drives are more accurate as well. That won’t hurt your score!
Will golfers who played the old Q-Star likely upgrade to the Q-Star Tour, or will they need to switch to another model golf ball?
A: Golfers who play the old Q-Star will quite possibly choose to play the Q-Star Tour, or they might move to the new Q-Star when it launches in August. Either way, they are going to get a golf ball that offers excellent, balanced performance from tee to green. Both of these balls deliver this. The choice will depend on factors such as what price point they are more comfortable with and also which type of cover they prefer: an ionomer cover, which is more durable and will last longer, or a urethane cover, which is softer and will generate more greenside and approach spin. It really depends on what golfers are looking for in their golf ball and how much they want to spend. Everyone has different goals on the golf course in terms of performance. Our goal is to offer great golf balls for players at every level, and I think both the Q-Star and Q-Star Tour accomplish that goal.
What’s the relationship between compression and spin? How can a lower compression golf ball produce similar greenside spin to a Tour golf ball with higher compression?
Compression doesn’t play a factor in greenside spin. Greenside spin is determined mainly by the softness and elasticity of the cover of the golf ball. At impact, the cover of a golf ball deforms and spreads out across the clubface, creating friction with the clubface, which in turn generates spin. More greenside spin is produced when the contact surface area between the ball and the clubface is greater. Urethane cover golf balls create more spin because urethane covers are softer and spread out across more of the clubface. Thus, a low-compression golf ball can produce the same amount of spin as a higher-compression ball if it has the same cover material and technology. That’s why the urethane cover Q-Star Tour is able to produce similar greenside spin to a higher-compression Tour golf ball.
Where a low-compression ball differentiates itself from higher-compression balls is with driver spin. As a general rule, lower-compression golf balls have less driver spin than higher-compression balls because they compress more at impact, resulting in a smaller moment of inertia arm and less torque than a high-compression ball, and therefore less spin.
It seems the Q-Star Tour golf balls are very similar to the Z-Star golf balls in terms of premium materials and construction. What is different about the Q-Star Tour that allows it to sell for $10 less?
The only real difference with the Q-Star Tour is that it has a lower compression. It’s very similar to the Z-Star golf balls in terms of premium materials and construction. When we analyzed the market and the size of the demographic that would benefit from playing the Q-Star Tour, we realized that we were tapping into one of the largest demographics out there. There are so many golfers who stand to improve their performance by playing this golf ball. Therefore, in determining pricing, our primary objective was to provide excellent value to golfers by offering the Q-Star Tour at a very competitive, aggressive price.
Golfers have different pain points when it comes to how much they’ll spend on a dozen golf balls, so we wanted to ensure that we priced the Q-Star Tour in a comfort zone for a very large segment of golfers. Is the price a market disruption? I suppose it could be looked at that way, especially given the exceptional performance of the Q-Star Tour compared to similarly priced and more expensive golf balls. But for us, what’s most important for our growth is to provide golfers with excellent performance and excellent value at the same time with all our golf balls. We want golfers to play the best ball for their game because that will help them improve, which in turn creates greater enjoyment and more interest in the game. Now, if golfers want to spend $10 more or close to $20 more per dozen on a golf ball because they believe it’s the best option for them, they still can. However, with the Q-Star Tour, now they can spend less and potentially gain better performance for their game than they might from a more expensive, higher-compression ball that wasn’t designed for their swing speed. That’s the objective with the Q-Star Tour – to help golfers with average swing speeds optimize their “full game” performance.
Related
Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game.
The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag.
At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.
The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.
“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley
In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.
To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.
“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod
An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.
Pricing & Availability
The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026.
In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:
“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.
My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
- MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
- dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”
Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.
From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo. 4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades. 5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft. Standard Length, Lie and Lofts. These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me. Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Primo
May 26, 2017 at 11:57 am
Callaway Hex Soft, 4 dozen, $59 @ Costco, nice ball…Callaway Chrome logo overruns @ Golfsmith, or any ball really, sometimes very cheap…bought Chromes, could be first gen, with various logos for $6 a dozen, worth the effort if you can find a Golfsmith. I get ProV corporate balls free, trade them with others though, great ball, just not great for me…
Algorithm22
May 3, 2017 at 9:20 pm
Played this ball today and love it. I am a senior golfer with a 11 hcp and SS around 95. Drives are usually around 230. Had drives today of 240, 245 and 250. Great feel on both driver and irons. The ball I will now be playing.
retired04
May 1, 2017 at 8:16 pm
I’m 70, index 7.2 on white tees-driver swing speed 76-80 depending on how many parts hurt that day. Q star tour? Love the feel, gained 10 yds with driver-BUT this thing stays in the air forever with the wind. No appreciable gain with irons, but Spin it same as Pro V1 around the greens. Have committed to this ball for the year and love it. If you fit the profile, try it-really try it.
Steve S
May 1, 2017 at 4:19 pm
I bought 2 dozen 2015 Q stars last year. I gave them all the “balance” test of spinning them in salt water(allows the balls to float in water). 18 out of 24 were out of balance. I did the same test with a dozen titleist and bridgestones and didn’t have one failure. Sent an email to Srixon with my results and they sent a very polite email thanking me for my input. Said that they would notify their quality department and get back to me. Dead silence ever since. Haven’t tried the Kirklands yet, but at $15 a dozen I’m not expecting Titleist results but i’ll bet they’re better than Srixon….
Bert
May 3, 2017 at 5:26 pm
Srixon, Any response?
Charles Bartholomew
May 1, 2017 at 2:39 pm
I really like this ball. I was lucky to be selected to test it. I received a dozen of these. My initial observations: Has a little firmer feel than what I normally play; Holds line well in flight; While I did not get exceptionally more distance out of it, maybe three yards, I did get an increase. Rolls true when putting; Does not appear to roll as far as my current ball, but I can adjust for this given how true it tracks. This ball is finding its way into bag. Oh yes, and I made two birdies in nine holes using it. I look forward to many good holes of golf with this ball.
Brian
Apr 30, 2017 at 8:04 pm
Does GolfWRX actually test anything, or are they just defacto advertisement?
Travis
May 1, 2017 at 12:40 am
You can find enough reviews online to attest to srixon making good golf balls, from your recreational golf peers. Everyone advertises, they basically made a lower compression Z star and are selling it for cheaper. If Toyota came out with a Prius that couldn’t reach the same max speed as a Prius but had all of the same benefits and Had a cost of %75 of the price they would advertise it too. Not to mention everyone buys a Prius for the mpg/price rather than how fast it can go.
Tourgrinder
Apr 30, 2017 at 11:28 am
So I read this article. Then I decided to check with PGA Superstore online. Price was $33.99 per dozen. So much for the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. I can only hope the local retail is either $29.99 as promoted, or perhaps lower. You know some kind of funny business is afoot when a retailer is asking for a higher price than manufacturer’s suggested.
Golfgirlrobin
Apr 30, 2017 at 11:01 pm
It’s $29.99 currently.
Crash Test Dummy
Apr 30, 2017 at 3:39 am
The Srixon Z-Star XV is one of my favorite balls. However, the Q-Star wasn’t a great fit for me. I am sure it is a good ball for some. However, I don’t hit it very far and the ball doesn’t launch off the face like the Z-Star XV does. I think the compression is too low for my hit.
#1 Ball for a reason... EVERY SEASON.
Apr 29, 2017 at 8:57 pm
I’ve been chipping with it lately and it seems nice but our greens are unusually firm so its bit tough to compare at this time. The cover is definitely soft as advertised (fingernail test) and the compression feels and sounds soft on chips and putts too. So far, I’m impressed.
Sam
Apr 29, 2017 at 3:13 pm
There’s only one company that makes golf balls, Titleist
Simms
Apr 30, 2017 at 12:23 am
Seems D J, among others will disagree with that statement….
NoDoubt Stout
Apr 30, 2017 at 1:59 pm
+1
Harry
May 1, 2017 at 5:01 pm
One wonders how many tour players would stop playing Pro V1/V1X if they were not paid to play them. Paid by consumers who pay $5/ball to be like the pros. Yet we know it’s not the ball that makes the shot but the one holding the club.
Player
May 6, 2017 at 8:20 pm
The real statement is made by players at the US Amateur, Girls Junior, NCAA Championships Mid Am, etc…. TITLEIST DOMINATES those events and no one is getting paid. Probably MORE PGA Tour Pros would play the ProV1 or V1x if there wasn’t money floating around to play Bridgestone, Callaway, Srixon and others.
Rich Douglas
Apr 29, 2017 at 12:03 pm
So, it’s the same ball as their tour ball, but with a lower compression. Because of the market for that kind of ball, they sell for $10 less. That means the purchasers of the tour ball are being gouged. Nice.
christian
Apr 30, 2017 at 12:27 am
I think the Z-series are 4-piece?
Pete
Apr 29, 2017 at 11:23 am
Bought an interesting ball (2 dozen for $35 on line) called Callaway HEX PRO. my driver speed is in the middle 90’s and this ball seems to fly as far any. It is a 4 piece ball with a urethane cover that stops and even spins back some with my slower swing speed. I tried the new Tour Q-Star and for me it performs the same as the HEX PRO.
Ric
Apr 29, 2017 at 10:51 pm
Those may be the tour hex ball from 10 years ago ? RE-labeled ? I can’t believe they would design a totally new ball for that price.
Simms
Apr 30, 2017 at 12:26 am
Ric, you maybe right it maybe an older ball, but I have some of them and they are a very good ball…you know the Kirkland, Costco ball is an older ball also, as is the MC C-4…but the difference is far less then the savings…
H
Apr 29, 2017 at 11:18 am
Amazing ball. Great feel too
acemandrake
Apr 29, 2017 at 10:17 am
It’s a good ball that is selling at a promotional price of 6 for $10 (limit of 5 6-packs).
Just like they say: Lower compression ball with a urethane cover for more spin.
I have a lower swing speed so I guess that the lower compression helps me with launch & distance?
gwillis7
Apr 29, 2017 at 10:16 am
Selling these in a 6-ball pack for $10 at Golf Galaxy right now in OH, bought a couple packs (no brainer, 20 bucks for a dozen urethane covered balls). Can’t wait to try them as I really liked the ’16 Q-Stars, but the cover would get beat up pretty easy. Hopefully will stop raining this weekend so I can give them a go!
Desmond
Apr 29, 2017 at 10:00 am
Want to try it …