Hi Guys,

I am in the research mode at present so I hope it is ok to
ask the group for some input.

The current 2 piece king is Srixon and they have had the two balls
in play for a while , with the Qstar replacing the AD333 in some
markets.

My testing has shown the Qstar to play a lot like the standard Zstar
except where partial wedge spin and some full shot spin is lower.

It has had TV advertising with the right type of story, dull packaging
though and being a STAR ball is a little confusing to some punters
who read that as it is a better players ball plus it is the more
expensive of the two balls.

The Soft Feel is more in line the Optima TS of the past
except the feel is better and overall performance is inline with
what it needs to be.

As such it is from my current discussions with Pro’s that
the SF is the more popular of the two especially with
the green pack that seems to remind the older players of the TS
and the lower price at times and more importantly to me the
FEEL plus the word SOFT seems to work.

The Qstar cover is softer but the core compression is higher for
a heavier feel to me,,,,,

Any thoughts would be appreciated as I have worked quite hard
over the years on looking different / different ball markings and
now finally I need to move from overall performance requirements to
fine tune the feel of the next Vision generation.

Appreciate the input,
Boz.,

Hey Boz

I’d have to agree with your comments that the word SOFT seems to indicate some better greenside control and because im still a beginner i wouldn’t consider buying Qstar or Zstar because it appears a players ball.

Soft feel seems to me like well im not an absolute hacker and can get around in about 100 maybe ill get something a smidge better.

I just played around with a bunch of Soft feel’s i found.
Personally it didn’t FEEL any softer then some of the other balls ive been playing (Warbird, e5, Diablo tour etc)

As a improving beginner and thinking of trying to stick to one ball i must say in regards to hype and well (reviews i guess) the e6 has intrigued me with its “Anti-side spin layer”

My thoughts (which are probably worthless as i have no understanding of the ball market)

• Extremely low spin ball (starters priced cheap)
• Low side spin ball (maybe around the soft feel price)
• Better greenside control ball 3pce etc
• Top balls equiv prov1 etc

Boz when I got my 2nd handicap as an adult I gamed the optima tour soft then the soft feel. loved the tour soft. Got them off a mate who played them once then handed them down.
As my game got better I moved away from the soft feels due to the heavy feel and I couldn’t stop them like say a prov1x that I went to.
Have tried the ad333 but wasn’t a keeper.
Have tried the star balls but not sold on them. As I got better I didn’t have the patience to try them for to long.
Lots here rave about them but I have a slow swing speed and feel is more important than distance, add to that I’m not very long.
The play the better ball ad is very catchy but no one does ball packaging as good as vision golf.
The t/made penta tp5 is a nice packet too.

Srixon z star SL

Designed for below 95mph swing speeds …Errr thats most of us

The Sl is softer than Q star and tour caliber spin

Golf box $29 new delivered (golf box accept paypal also)...Overnight delivery! !

sssh Dave – don’t let too many ppl know about the SL, I don’t want the price to go up ;)

I played the Soft Feel for a fair while before moving to the Q Star. I found the Soft Feel to be a good ball for me. I especially liked the feel I got off my putter. I didn’t find the Q Star to be a whole lot different in the way it putted, but, it felt harder off the irons and driver and it didn’t stop anymore on the green for me. Am about to try the Penta TP5.

sssh Dave – don’t let too many ppl know about the SL, I don’t want the price to go up ;)

Yeah terrible ball

Jokes aside this ball flies like a 2 piece off the driver…Stops like a 4 piece from irons and wedges.

The XV z star is similar but spins a tad more

Srixon z stars dont chop up like pro V1xs do

Srixon z star SL

Designed for below 95mph swing speeds …Errr thats most of us

The Sl is softer than Q star and tour caliber spin

Golf box $29 new delivered (golf box accept paypal also)...Overnight delivery! !

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill

Agree Dave…I moved from ProV1 to ZStar SL and immediately found 10-15 metres off the tee and my H/C went from 8 – 3 in 7 months.A couple of other things assisted the drop in H/C but the ball was a major factor. I lost no perceived feel off the tee or around the green and am thus a fan…

yup

29 bucks a doz for new

delivered free! I have been stocking up

Haha…I bought three new Cleveland wedges back mid 2012 and got a doz with each wedge. Have won balls since and swap them for the SL’s – Hopefully I’m set until end 2013

nice work

what wedges you using

I used to use the CG 12’s which I loved – I’m not a fan of the cg15’s at all

I have swapped to mizuno mp wedges but miss the grind on the cleveland wedges

spin wise same same though

nice work

what wedges you using

I used to use the CG 12’s which I loved – I’m not a fan of the cg15’s at all

I have swapped to mizuno mp wedges but miss the grind on the cleveland wedges

spin wise same same though

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill

I bought three x 588 Chrome’s on sale from Drummonds + the Srixon ZStar SLs as part of the deal….Sweet….. Now have a 60 deg in the bag which has really helped my game around the thick buffalo grass here in Darwin. I’m not a spin freak but I love being inside 100m with these clubs

yeah the 588 forged look sweet I must say

I played the QStar at Lake lands and North Lakes. Found they were good distance wise and stopped well on the greens off full shots. My 5 iron stopped quick which is a pretty good sign.

I am not much of one for feel so can’t say that I liked the feel significantly more or less than BOB for example, although BOB is more click.

Certainly the Q feels similar to my version one of TP5 that I used to play a fair bit. I like the tour yellow, although vision yellow is still a step up.

Good ball.

Hi Boz.
Because I play a Course with Lots of water. I tend to lose a fair few balls . thus I am often looking in the SH bin for decent used balls.
I have found that the Soft feel seems to turn up in the Bins quite often & I like the way that they feel in play. Not sure about the Q-Star. tried one a couple of times but cannot seem to quite figure what it is about the ball that I am not keen on.
Like Muzza I used the TS for many years before moving on to newer products.Wish I could pick up Vision balls Second hand.:-)

Q Star won`t go any straighter.Suckered a few guys to buy with misleading ads.Jacobson a con-man extraodinaire.Always a percentage of suckers that will buy them.

bit harsh that as I found the Q star to be very low spin off the driver

irons not too bad but didn’t spin much around the green

the Z star SL is softer 3 or 4 pice (not sure) version of the Q star

not a bad ball at all

maybe its because of the ad and the way its shot but its by no means bad ball at all

Bos
The Q star has a very heavy feel with me. Not a nice feel at all. The Z star yellow has a nice feel right through the bag. A hotdot is a better ball than the Qstar IMO.

Hi Guys, thanks for all the points of view,,,very interesting read.

Hi Raz,,,the Qstar is say a 90 compression core and the Zstar SL
is an 80 and should feel better or atleast softer but would you say
the standard Zstar which is also around 90 also feels softer or
similar?

Bos
I can’t distinguish between the ZStars. I also can’t distinguish between the ProV 1 and the ProV 1 X. My clubhead speed ( driver is in the mid 90’s) and most shots are solid. Even around the green they perform similar for me. If I had to choose I would opt for the Pro Vs over the ZStars, they are easier to spin and control. Even the slightest miss with a ZStar at my swing speed has the ball running on. I’m guessing it is the thicker cover.

Hi Raz, thanks,,,,,the Zstar urethane is different and lets
say less rubber llike and more plastic like,,,,,enough to
be different and certainly to play different.

I find the fact you dont see a real difference in core feel
interesting as well,,,,,,,,,

Cheers,
Boz

Hey Box, given the Z is for low handicappers why is it lower compression than the Q?

Hi Raz, thanks,,,,,the Zstar urethane is different and lets
say less rubber llike and more plastic like,,,,,enough to
be different and certainly to play different.

I find the fact you dont see a real difference in core feel
interesting as well,,,,,,,,,

Cheers,
Boz

.Please Read this Disclaimer which is an integral part of my Post
.My posts are just my written opinions,fiction or satire.
.No one was intended to be harmed by this post.

Boz
It may be in the way I try to keep the clubface on the ball for as long as possible. My concentration is more on what the clubhead needs to do post impact that the sensitivity of impact itself probably doesn’t register. What does COG to COG contact feel like?

Raz, good question ,,,,if the COVER MATERIAL for the balls
compared is similar then my research over the years has seen
players talk more about a variation in weight terms rather than
hardness especially if they do compress the ball well with their
shots.

This has shown up a lot on the Vision thread, so a higher
compression core setup than a players normal balls will be
described as being HEAVIER and the lower compression version
LIGHTER even though the overall weight will be exactly the same
or close enough that it does not make any real or perceived difference. Boz