If I asked you to name the most reliable golf OEM (Untitled Division), how many of you would say Srixon?
Other OEMs throw around words like “revolutionary” or “game changer” like beach balls in July. Srixon throws those words out like January manhole covers (although we’ll test that conclusion next Monday). Nowhere is Srixon more predictably reliable than with its lineup of Z-STAR golf balls.
Srixon is announcing its ninth-generation Z-STAR lineup today, perfectly timed after Hideki’s Sentry win yesterday, and the company is sticking to the script. Improvements are on the rise. There are no wholesale formula changes, no radically different cover technologies or faded patterns, and no sexy customization options. It’s simply, in Srixon’s words, a better Z-STAR.
of Srixon Kaizen The continuous improvement philosophy rewards consistent and reliable incremental improvements. That’s not to say there aren’t new things to talk about with the Srixon Z-STAR 2025 lineup.
there is.
These upgrades aren’t life-changing, but if you liked the last generation Srixon Z-STAR Golf Ballsmaybe you’ll like these new ones a little better.
Here are five things you need to know about the Srixon Z-STAR 2025 golf ball lineup.
#1: Biomass is one thing
“Tournament-level” golf ball spin is a very simple recipe: a soft, thin urethane cover supported by a hard, aggressively hit mantle. Srixon, for its part, makes some of the softest and thinnest covers in golf. For 2025, Srixon is introducing a new tire formulation that won’t be any softer or more durable than the previous version, nor will it spin more.
So why is it significant?
Biomass.
Golf ball manufacturers use a lot of petrochemicals. Srixonas part of its company-wide sustainability efforts, is adding biomass to its urethane coating formula. Biomass is a plant-based material made from corn instead of petroleum. It’s a relatively small percentage of the urethane formula, but Srixon says the biomass will reduce carbon dioxide emissions during production without affecting the ball’s performance.
Srixon says the new Z-STAR lineup will have the same look, feel and durability as previous generations.
#2: More separation between the three Z-STARS
2025 is the performance breakout year for the Z-STAR line. Srixon felt it needed the three Z-STARs to be a little different, so it’s making changes to the FastLayer DG Core of each cannon, which gives us FastLayer DG Core 2.0.
Golf ball cores are usually soft in the middle and get progressively harder towards the surface. It’s how OEMs balance relatively low driver spin with ball speed. OEMs can adjust the soft to hard gradient by hardening the cores at different temperatures and for different durations.
The standard Z-STAR has always been the softest of the family, which logically makes it the slowest from the driver. Not so logically, it also has the highest spin on the green side. For the 2025, Srixon is making the core a little softer in the center, which should make it roll even less from the driver. The net result is lower compression, which Srixon measures at 88. That’s four points softer than the Z-STAR 2023.
The Z-STAR XV has always been Srixon’s strongest ball and the 2025 model sits at a compression of 102. The new XV’s core is still soft in the center but getting firmer towards the outside. Srixon says this will result in more ball speed from the driver and better iron spin.
The Z-STAR Diamond is the rising star of the Z-STAR family. It was Srixon’s the best and most consistent performer in MyGolfSpy’s 2023 ball test, but Srixon felt there wasn’t enough performance separation between the Diamond and the XV. Srixon is softening the Diamond ever so slightly, dropping the compression a few points to 100. This will give it a slightly softer feel than the XV and also reduce driver spin a bit.
#3: Many things are staying the same
A small amount of corn-fed urethane on the cover and new soft to firm gradients on the cores could be the very definition of Kaizen. Not sexy or revolutionary, but consistent and predictable reliability.
Srixon is still using its proprietary Spin Skin+ coating. Spin Skin dates back to 2015. It is a special urethane coating on the ball to increase friction. Srixon says the result is more approach and spin on the green side.
Srixon also says the new Z-STARS is getting a tougher, more durable paint job that should be more resistant to dirt and smudges.
Furthermore, Srixon has always been proud of how the Z-STAR performs in the wind. Then again, we’ve never heard an OEM tell us that their ball actually fights wind. Anecdotally, Srixon has told us that its Tour pros seem to perform well compared to the field in windy conditions.
For this reason, Srixon is leaving only the dimmed Z-STAR models for another generation. Each ball has a 338 hole arrangement with deep grooves for more lift, low drag and a penetrating release.
#4: Z-STAR DIVIDE travels again
You may or may not care, but I’ve decided to get over my damn self and fully embrace this whole SEPARATION thing. I can’t fight it anymore – just give me a half yellow and half white ball and let me put on a striped show for you next time we play.
Srixon presented Q-STAR Multi-color separation in 2021 and added more limited yellow-white Z-STAR FOR a year later. You can love them, hate them, or be completely indifferent to them, but what the hell, what PING started in the 80s is back and it’s not going anywhere.
once again, Srixon is offering the Z-STAR and Z-STAR XV in the DIVIDE sub-family. The balls are exactly the same as the undivided patterns; they just look a bit like fishermen.
It is important to note that coloring is not just a painted layer. The actual urethane cover is painted all the way through, so you can’t scratch the yellow side and turn it white.
What is the benefit of DIVIDE, other than entertainment? Well, when you’re 64 and didn’t listen to your mother as a child, you just don’t see as well as you used to. The strobe effect when the DIVIDE is in flight makes it easier to track and you also get a good look at the spin on the green side. Lining up a putt is also a breeze – much easier than drawing a big old line on the ball.
(Sitting too close to the TV. That’s what I was talking about.)
#5 Srixon made golf balls how long?
Did you know that Srixon’s golf ball roots go back nearly 100 years? I didn’t know that either.
In 1909, Srixon’s parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries of Japan (SRI in Srixon), partnered with the British Dunlop Rubber Company. In the early 1920s, Dunlop released the original Maxfli golf ball, which Sumitomo would eventually manufacture in Japan.
In 1985, Sumitomo bought Dunlop’s tire business everywhere except the US and Australia. Eventually, Sumitomo bought most of the Dunlop sports brands worldwide. Its US golf and tennis operation is operated under the name Dunlop Sports, Americas.
I’m not sure, but this might do Srixon longest running golf ball manufacturer in history.
Srixon Z-STAR 2025 Golf Balls: Final Thoughts, Price, Availability
As we said at the top, Srixon is predictably the most reliable OEM in golf (Non-Titleist Division, of course). While you’ll see some fireworks from Srixon next week (and Cleveland later this week), the company is as invested in the Z-STAR line as Titleist is in the Pro V1 line.
How this commitment translates into the market, however, is an open question. The Z-STARS, especially the Diamond, are excellent golf balls and a compelling case can be made that they are on par with, or perhaps even a better golf ball than the TP5 and Chrome Tour.
The problem is that “good” and “predictably consistent” don’t take bites out of TaylorMade or Callaway’s market share, let alone Titleist’s. Srixon continues to battle Bridgestone for fourth place in a five-horse race for retail sales. A race, by the way, is about to get another competitor as Vice is making a concerted effort to join the retail ranks.
It will be interesting to watch.
The Srixon Z-STAR, Z-STAR XV and Z-STAR Diamond 2025 will be available in both Pure White and Tour Yellow. This will be the first time the Z-STAR Diamond gets the yellow treatment.
All five members of the Srixon Z-STAR family will retail for $49.99 per dozen. They hit stores and online on January 24th.
For more information, visit Srixon website.
Post Five things to know about the Srixon Z-Star 2025 golf ball lineup appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
