Sep 8, 2018 - The new Srixon Q-Star Tour ball is not the first to make the case that average swing speed golfers should be playing a different ball than elite. May 18, 2017 Current Ball: Titleist ProV1. How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the long game? I found the Q STAR Tour golf ball actually a couple of yards longer than my ProV1s. I played 2 rounds with them on my home course and found my drives in new spots a few yards ahead of the usual spots that I play my second shot from.
Reader Review #1
Name: Tyler Sauer
Location: Missouri
Handicap: 12
Current Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the long game? These carried just as long as my Chrome Soft. Also very straight. I didn’t have a problem with them leaking with my driver like I do sometimes with other balls.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the short game? Short game was superb. Most of my shots were very predictable and they were not hard to control. The urethane cover made it easy for these balls to hold the green, especially for someone who doesn’t produce a lot of spin. Very impressed.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare infeel? Likely due to the new urethane cover, these balls felt great. Whether that be off your irons, wedges, or putter. Couldn’t tell the difference between them and my gamer.
Other observations: The cover on the balls held up nicely! You would expect a few marks and blemishes here and there after a round, but these were easy to clean up and make look like new. The cover is phenomenal. At $30/dozen, this is a no brainer buy if you’re looking for a lower priced, yet still high quality ball. Once I run out of Chrome Softs, I will definitely be picking up some Q STAR Tours as well as trying out the Z STAR line.
Will you be switching to the Q STAR Tour? It will be a tough decision between my current Chrome Soft and the Q STAR. I do believe that I will play Q STAR a lot more often given such a nice price point.
Reader Review #2
Name: John Reedy
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Handicap: 14.6
CurrentBall: Bridgestone B330-RXS
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the long game? Distance on long clubs (driver through 4 hybrid) is just as long, if not longer, than current ball. I was using the same or higher lofted club for the second shot in the majority of situations. The ball seems to have a bit higher flight. That is either good or bad depending on the wind speed and direction in Kansas. Susceptibility to high winds was about the same as Bridgstone. There was a lot of wind in the testing period.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the short game? This was the real advantage of this ball for me. On the higher lofted irons (8 iron through lob wedge) the ball flew 4 to 7 yards farther on a well struck shot. The flight is also somewhat higher. This is a bit of a confidence booster for the higher handicap golfer as myself. Spin seemed about the same.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in feel? Felt very good on well struck shots, again especially on the shorter clubs in my experience.
Other observations: Ball is less susceptible to scuffing than current ball.
Will you be switching to the Q STAR Tour? Yes, but I have to use up my current stock of Bridgestones. I have already three of the trial packs at Dick’s.
Reader Review #3
Name: Joey Worley
Location: Fairfield, Texas
Handicap: 9.7
Current Ball: Titleist ProV1
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the long game? I found the Q STAR Tour golf ball actually a couple of yards longer than my ProV1s. I played 2 rounds with them on my home course and found my drives in new spots a few yards ahead of the usual spots that I play my second shot from.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the short game? With my wedges I found the Q STAR Tour to spin more and stop quicker on the greens than my usual ball – was very pleased with how soft it seemed to land on the greens also.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in feel? I definitely preferred the feel of the Q STAR Tour with putter in my hand – loved the feel and the way it came off the putter face.
Will you be switching to the Q STAR Tour? My next purchase of new golf balls with be the Q STAR Tour instead of Titleist ProV1s. I’m a believer.
Reader Review #4
Name: Ed Fiedler
Location: Spring Hill, FL
Handicap: 13
Current Ball: Wilson Staff DUO Spin
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the long game? I have been playing the original Q STAR and the Wilson Staff DUO Spin. The Q STAR Tour has a better trajectory with the driver and maybe a little longer.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the short game? The Q STAR Tour is more responsive on pitch shots. It checks up faster. Full wedge shots seem to fly higher and drop softly.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in feel? I think the feel and touch with the putter is better.
Will you be switching to the Q STAR Tour? Overall it seems to fit my game pretty well. I’m going to continue using it. It’s a good ball at a good price.
Reader Review #5
Name: Ken Mack
Location: New Jersey
Handicap: 5
Current Ball: Bridgestone e6 Soft and B330-RXS
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the long game? It was longer than both Bridgestone balls off the driver. I think it was longer because it was actually flying straighter which produced longer distance. With my long irons and mid irons I would say the Srixon Q STAR Tour was longer than the e6 by a few yards but equal to the RXS.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the short game? In the short game the Srixon stopped better on the green. The ball was closer to its ball mark on the green compared to the Bridgestone balls. The E6 soft rolled out the most , then the RXS and then the Q Star Tour. I was surprised that it beat out the RXS because that is supposed to be a higher spinning ball.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in feel? In terms of feel it was outstanding. It felt softer than both Bridgestone models I play. The E6 soft was very comparable but I still thought the Q Star Tour felt a little softer. The Srixon even though it felt soft it felt very solid. It felt like after you hit it , it was just going to stay on the line you hit it on. Even in the breeze it stayed straight. Off the putter it also felt soft but had just enough of a solid feel to let you know how well the putt was struck. Excellent feel off the putter.
Other observations: It also seemed very durable, even though I played mainly from the fairway, I was in one green side bunker when I played with the ball during the couple of rounds I tested the ball, the ball did not scuff or wear. I actually could not tell that the ball was played for 18 holes compared to the balls I had in the bag.
Will you be switching to the Q STAR Tour? Yes, I think it gives me some advantages over the E6, it definitely stops, checks up better. The performance was very similar to the RXS but I prefer the feel better and it is less expensive than the RXS so for those reasons I will be making a switch.
Reader Review #6
Name: John Bumgarner
Location: Vero Beach, FL
Handicap: 9
Current Ball: Bridgestone B330-RXS
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the longgame? Close but my solid drives were a few yards longer with B330-RXS.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the short game? As good.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in feel? A bit softer with full shots.
Will you be switching to the Q STAR Tour? At current pricing, I’ll use it a lot for everyday play. During tournament play I suspect I’ll stick with Bridgestone, but not certain yet.
Reader Review #7
Name: Charles Bartholomew
Location: Massachusetts
Handicap: 12
Current Ball: Titleist ProV1
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the long game? The same to 3 yards longer. Holds line very well in flight.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in the short game? Pitches, chips, and putts hold their line. Did not roll out as far on putts, but I was impressed with how true it rolled.
How did the Q STAR Tour compare in feel? The feel of the Q STAR Tour is slightly firmer.
Other observations: On approach shots the ball stayed within 3-6 paces of its pitch park.
Will you be switching to the Q STAR Tour? Yes, at $18 a dozen less than the ProV1 and with comparable performance this is a no brainer. Thank you Srixon!
Buy the Srixon Q STAR Tour HERE
The following two tabs change content below.Matt Saternus
Matt is a golf instructor, club fitter, and writer living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Matt's work has been published in Mulligan Magazine, Chicagoland Golf, South Florida Golf, and other golf media outlets. He's also been a featured speaker in the Online Golf Summit and is a member of Ultimate Golf Advantage's Faculty of Experts.
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Related
Busy month for Srixon-Cleveland, wouldn’t you say?
In the past 30 days, we’ve seen the new RTX-4 Wedges from Cleveland, as well as updated Srixon metal woods and irons.
Anything left?
Oh yes, balls.
According to multiple sources, Srixon’s U.S. ball market share in units sold (i.e., number of balls) hit an all-time high in July at roughly 8% after hovering around the 4% range for the last few years. The bulk of those sales are reportedly in the value/lower-priced ball category, as opposed to the higher priced, Tour-level ball category (Not for nuthin’, the value end is where the bulk of the money is made in the ball biz). Srixon’s balls are top sellers in the UK, South Africa, Australia and elsewhere, but they’ve been just one of the crowd here.
“We’re basically huge everywhere, but under-indexing in the US,” says Srixon Marketing Director Brian Schielke. “We’re pricing slightly below the competition, and we’re aggressively trying to grow market share.”
The Q STAR TOUR – Srixon’s urethane covered, Tour-level 3-piece ball priced to move at $29.99 per dozen – was introduced nearly two years ago, serving as a bridge between low-priced value balls and higher priced Tour balls. As we head into fall, the Q STAR TOUR is getting a bit of a facelift for its next two-year cycle.
Best Value in Golf?
That’s what Srixon calls the Q STAR TOUR, with near Tour-level performance for golfers with what would be considered normal swing speeds: somewhere in the 75 to 95 MPH swing speed range. How it compares in terms of value to, oh, say the Snell MTB’s is a conversation we can have another day, but Srixon says it’s happy with Q STAR TOUR sales in its first sales cycle, and is jazzing it up a bit for the encore.
The most obvious upgrade – if you can call it that – is the Q STAR TOUR will now be available in Tour Yellow as well as the traditional Pure White color. While it’s not the Day-Glo Lucy-in-the-sky-with-diamonds color trip of Wilson or Volvik, a little color never hurt anyone.
There’s also a new dimple pattern – 338 dimples versus 324 in the old version. You wouldn’t think 14 dimples would matter that much, but the Q STAR TOUR’s new dimple pattern is the same as the Z STAR’s and is designed for better aerodynamics and wind performance.
Srixon has also made the ball a bit softer, with a 72 compression compared to 75. Industry-wide, balls are getting softer, which can result in a slight loss in ball speed. However, that’s usually mitigated by lower spin, which can result in more carry, making it a wash mathematically but a plus in terms of feel.
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SpinSkin & EGGs
The new Q STAR TOUR also features Srixon’s 3rd generation of SpinSkin, the same coating that’s found on the Z STAR (the original Q STAR TOUR features an older SpinSkin version). SpinSkin is an elastic coating Srixon says enhances friction between the cover and clubface for better greenside and approach spin.
Srixon, of course, is a division of the Sumitomo Rubber Company, one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers. Like Bridgestone, Srixon leverages its parent company’s rubber technologies for golf ball R&D, and the result is what Srixon calls its Energetic Gradient Growth Core.
It’s a single rubber core that’s softer on the inside and firmer on the outside, kind of like a Tootsie-Pop. Bridgestone’s Gradational Core is basically the same idea and purportedly allows the moderate swing speed golfer to more fully compress the ball.
“It helps maintain ball speed while maintaining higher launch and lower spin off the tee,” says Schielke. “It’s the same concept as what other people doe with multi-piece balls. A 4-piece ball has a softer center, then a firm mid-core, then a firmer mantle layer.”
What that means is what other companies do with layers, Srixon (and Bridgestone) can do with a core with varying firmness – basically a different route to the same destination.
Tour Level Performance?
Srixon’s unique selling proposition for the Q STAR TOUR is Tour-level performance with a softer feel and a lower price. To back it up, Srixon commissioned its own independent study comparing the Q STAR TOUR head-t0-head with both ProV1 and Chrome Soft.
OEMs aren’t in the habit of sharing studies that don’t show their products are better than their competition, and this one’s no different. From a strategic standpoint, Srixon is clearly trying to position the Q STAR TOUR is a viable alternative to ProV1 and Chrome Soft for us normal golfers in terms of distance, spin and accuracy.
The Value Proposition
While not an official combatant in #BallWar, Srixon’s unit share is growing. There’s momentum there, even if it is primarily fueled with lower-priced balls. Smart Business 101 says momentum is a hungry beast and needs constant feeding. To that end, you’ll see Srixon’s Field Service Reps in stores and at courses this fall with ball fitting events. These won’t be launch-monitor, Bridgestone-style fittings, but instead discussion-based, educational, interview-style sessions to help fit golfers into the best ball for their game.
It’s no accident Srixon, in its internal testing and promotional material, is comparing Q STAR TOUR head-to-head with ProV1 and Chrome Soft, and is targeting those comparisons for what’s best categorized as the average golfer – the 75- to 95-MPH swinger who’s gaming a ProV1/Chrome Soft and likes urethane-covered, Tour-level performance. Even though Srixon’s data shows the Q STAR TOUR outperforms both balls, it’s fair to say we average golfers will probably find performance to be fairly similar. With that, Srixon is banking on its lower price – roughly $18 lower – will be a compelling reason for golfers to at least give the Q STAR TOUR a whack or two.
Another business truism, however, is that in the minds of consumers, a higher price equals higher performance – or at least, it should. That truism, however, has been broadsided over the last three years by the direct-to-consumer barrage and the Kirkland phenomenon, and everyone from the scratch player to the weekend warrior has more options at more price points than at any time in recent memory.
Depending on how you buy your golf balls, you can find Tour-level performance, or at least close enough to it, for under $30 a dozen. If you don’t mind volume buys online, it’s hard to beat the value of Snell or Vice. At $29.99 a dozen, the Q STAR TOUR is a solid value for golfers who prefer to buy by the dozen.
The Q STAR TOUR is available online and at retailers now.