Titleist Tour Soft Vs. Srixon Z Star Golf Balls Comparison Overview
It can be difficult to compare a premium-grade golf ball to a tour-grade one in some cases. In others however, categories don’t mean much. What we mean is that sometimes there is a lot of overlap between premium and tour-grade balls in terms of features and performance.
That was certainly the case when we tested the Titleist Tour Soft balls against the Srixon Z Star balls. While the Srixon Z Star balls are regarded as tour-grade, we think most players will find them very similar to the Titleist Tour Soft balls – dubbed premium grade balls.
Titleist Tour Soft Golf Balls Overview
The Titleist Tour Soft straddle the line between distance and short-game performance balls but do so admirably.
They sort of reminded us of the Callaway Chrome Soft balls in the way they kept spin down off the tee but promoted a bit more spin around the green. The Titleist Tour Soft balls feature a large 1.6” core and a 2-piece construction.
This combination makes for a very long ball off the tee. Energy from the club face is preserved beautifully as evidenced by the high ball speeds we were consistently getting on drives. Off the deck, the Titleist Tour Soft balls produce an optimal apex height – not too high, not too low.
This makes it very helpful to shape shots when you need to get under trees or avoid low-rises. Short game spin could be better but we con forgive that in light of the long-game distance.
Srixon Z Star Golf Balls Overview
On the other hand, the Srixon Z Stars produce a very high launch angle.
Off the deck, we found this to be a problem on long approaches or pretty much any shot that was more than about 120 yards out. They Srixon Z Stars have a bad habit of losing their line high up in the air.
Around the green though, it was a different story. The 3-piece construction and urethane cover allows these babies to spin like a dream. They pop high, land dead and you can spin them to your heart’s content.
The Srixon Z Stars perform like tour-grade balls around the green but no so much anywhere else on the course. While we loved the short-game performance of the Z Stars, we have to say that the Titleist Tour Soft balls are still the best overall value.
Titleist Tour Soft Quick Facts
Compression: 65
Cover Material: Ionomer
How Many Pieces: 2-Piece
Spin: Mid/Low
Core Material: Unknown
Dimple Type: Spherically Tile (342)
Srixon Z Star Quick Facts
Compression: 90
Cover Material: Urethane
How Many Pieces: 3
Core Material: Gradient Energy Type
Dimple Type: 344
Spin Level: Low long-game spin, very high short-game spin
Best Suited for: Low handicappers looking for more control around the green
Performance Off the Tee
The Titleist Tour Soft actually played quite long off the tee.
The larger core made sure that no energy was lost even on faster swings and the spin rate off the tee was much lower than around the greens too.
Performance from the Rough
This is where we struggled a bit with these balls.
The ionomer cover tends to bury itself in particularly tall rough.
Performance from the Fairway
The Titleist Tour Soft balls played pretty well from the fairway and gave pretty good bounce on long approaches, reacting well on the 2nd or 3rd bounce.
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Performance Off the Tee
The faster swing speed testers in our party were able to get an average of 270 yards with these balls while the slower swing speed testers were relegated to an average of 245.
Performance from the Rough
The Z Stars launch very high for a tour grade ball which made them good for getting out of the rough.
Performance from the Fairway
This is where things got a bit tricky. The high launch caught too much wind sometimes even though these balls play pretty long on the fairway overall.
Our faster swing speed testers were also noticing that they were producing too much side spin with their long irons.
Titleist Tour Soft Selling Points
- Large core
- Good for fast swing speeds
- Thin cover
- Plays longer
- Has a more premium feel
- Good flight
Titleist Tour Soft Cons
- More expensive
- 2-piece design
- Only available in 2 colors
- Loses its line
Srixon Z Star Selling Points
- Tour-grade balls
- Great for low handicappers
- HIgh launch angles
- Great on pitches
- Satisfying sound on putts
- Keeps its line
Srixon Z Star Cons
- Not so great for slow swing speeds
- Sometimes launch is too high
- Lots of side spin on long iron shots
- A bit expensive
Who Are The Titleist Tour Soft Balls For?
The Titleist Tour Soft balls are truly premium category balls and would work best with single digit handicaps.
More importantly, if you are swinging around 95+ MPH from the tee then you will absolutely love these balls.
Even though they have a 2-piece construction and lack a urethane cover, they yield excellent distance with fast swings.
How Are They With Short Irons?
The feedback and response of the Titleist Tour Soft balls with short irons was comparable to that of the Bridgestone E12 Soft balls.
The cover is a bit thinner than the Bridegstone balls so you get excellent feel so long as your short irons are decent.
Whether you need to work the ball on a tricky green or bite down on a fast one with some back spin, you will find that the Titleist Tour Soft can accommodate.
On The Green
You will have to get used to the Titleist Tour Soft balls a bit on the green.
They have sort of the opposite problem that the Bridgestone E12 Soft balls have in that they make you work for it if you need extended roll.
Still, the other performance factors more than make up for this shortcoming.
Overall Rating: 95/100
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Who are the Srixon Z Star Balls for?
Any player with a swing speed approaching 100 MPH and above should feel right at home with these balls.
They really shine around the green though. The spin gets picked up with the short irons and wedges and the urethane cover allows for optimal feel and control.
How are they with Short Irons?
In a word: superb. It seems that the Z Stars were built for short irons in fact. They do a really great job of checking bounce even with the exceptional launch angles.
This will make the Z Stars a dream for anyone who can consistently set themselves up for eagle.
On the Green
The Z Stars do an exceptional job of keeping true to their line on the green as well.
Overall Rating: 95/100
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