Srixon Z-Star XV vs Titleist Pro V1x

Introduction

The Titleist Pro V1 and ProV1x are still the “gold standard” on professional tours worldwide and are always on top of the ball count charts. Titleist accounts for more than 70% of the balls in play on the PGA Tour for example.

Srixon is one of the manufacturers trying to grab market share and they have balls available across all market segments from premium (Z-Star) down to distance.

I’m going to try and help you decide which of these two balls is right for you in this Srixon Z-Star XV vs Titleist ProV1x comparison.

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	Srixon Z-Star XV	Titleist Pro V1x
MSRP (links to manufacturer)	$42.99	$50
Construction	4 Piece	4 Piece
Cover	Urethane	Urethane Elastomer
Feel	Soft	Firm
Distance	Longer	Long
Driver Spin	Low	High
Greenside Spin	High	High
Flight	Mid-High	High
Compression	102	97

If you already know which ball you prefer then you can order some right now.

The above table uses the manufacturer’s own assessments of feel etc. How the ball performs for you is more important. I have used the compression ratings obtained by MyGolfSpy in order to have a direct comparison. 

Ideally, you want to spend some time hitting balls on a TrackMan to be sure which ball would suit your swing better. It’s also important to consider how the ball feels on and around the green before picking one ball over another.

Srixon Z-Star XV

The Z-Star family is now in its seventh iteration (2021). Although there are now three models in the lineup:

• Z-Star XV
• Z-Star
• Z-Star Diamond

The XV is Srixon’s equivalent to the Pro V1x. It offers similar levels of performance to the Titleist but comes in at a lower retail price. 

Although I personally prefer the softer feeling Z-Star the XV is still a great ball for many different types of golfers. 

Special offers on the XV were a little more difficult to find than the ordinary Z-Star (at least in the UK) but I would still be confident you could pick up the XV for quite a bit below the RRP. 

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere the difference between generations of balls from manufacturers is usually quite minimal. Indeed the VP of R&D at Srixon said:

“These aren’t a major departure from where we’ve been or what these golf balls are designed to do. We want to make incremental improvements but we won’t do it at the expense of the overall performance that we already had.”

Jeff Brunski

So if you come across some older generation of Z-Star XV for the right price then I wouldn’t be afraid of picking them up unless you are an elite golfer or tour player. Even then you probably wouldn’t notice much difference.

These balls are probably aimed more toward this faster swingers although Titleist certainly encourages golfers of all levels to buy Pro V1/Pro V1x (I am sure the price has nothing to do with it!).

Srixon follows a two-year product cycle so there may be a new version of them in early 2023 since this model was updated in 2021.

Spin (Z-Star XV)

What the manufacturer says:

Every Z-STAR Series golf ball features an extra thin, thermoplastic urethane cover. For even more spin and control, we add our Spin Skin coating. This additional layer of urethane is only a few microns thick, but it uses Slide-Ring Material (SeRM) to increase friction and maximize spin on chips and pitches.

Srixon Website

While the Z-Star had slight changes to the thickness of its cover the XV retains its 0.5mm cover from the 2019 model.

The big change for the XV is in the composition of the core in an effort to improve distance.

My own dodgy swing is too inconsistent to do a fair comparison so I will stick to robot testing figures produced by other august publications.

Based on figures published in Today’s Golfer these particular balls have only 91 rpm difference with the Titleist having an average of 2391 rpm against the Srixon with 2482. The robot used swing speeds of 100 mph and 115 mph with an average calculated for each ball.

As with the Z-Star/ProV1 the “Spin Skin with SeRM” coating may not work quite as well as Srixon hoped given that the Titleist Pro V1 had an extra 61 rpm spin with wedge shots.

However, in the real world, are most players (even tour players) going to notice a difference of less than 100 rpm? I think it is unlikely.

When you are looking at most of these tour balls the performance will be fairly similar assuming you have a repeatable swing.

Feel (Z-Star XV)

Feel is so subjective to each golfer. Some will claim they can’t tell the difference between a tour ball and a distance rock! I find that hard to believe personally though.

Higher compression balls will generally feel firmer to most people. So the XV and ProV1x are likely to feel firm to you unless you have a fairly high swing speed. (100 mph+)

I tend to play the Z-Star because I find that it feels about right for me (my driver swing speed is in the (85-90 mph range). I have always found that the XV (and ProV1x) always felt a bit too firm when chipping and putting.

The PXG engineers doing the compression testing for Today’s Golfer showed significantly higher compression ratings than other sources. The Pro V1x rated 108.4 while the Z-Star XV was 107.6.

Putting (Z-Star XV)

I don’t think there is any surprise that soft insert putters came to prominence around the time solid core balls started replacing balata balls on tour.

I think how a ball feels when putting is an important part of the decision-making process when choosing a ball.

I don’t think I could use a firmer ball like the XV long-term unless I was using a putter with a soft insert.

However, this is another subjective thing. You might be quite happy with a firmer feeling ball when putting.

Driving (Z-Star XV)

The robot managed to generate an extra 0.6 yards using the ProV1x compared with the Z-Star XV. So not enough in my opinion to sway your choice one way or another.

Again my own testing showed too much inconsistency to pick a ball solely based on distance.

For me, there isn’t enough benefit in terms of distance and accuracy to justify the likely price differential between these balls. Certainly in the UK, I could be looking at as much as £20 difference. 

Color Options (Z-Star XV)

In the States these are available in three options:

• White
• Tour Yellow
• Divide (Half white and half yellow)

Unfortunately in the UK we only get them in white or yellow. As someone whose eyesight has degraded with age, I do find the yellow option useful as it helps me pick up the flight of the ball.

You can also pick up any of their range directly from their website including a special offer of 2 dozen Z-Stars balls for $65!

Final Thoughts on the Srixon Z-Star XV

The Srixon Z-Star XV is a great choice for many types of players but more particularly those with higher swing speeds that prefer a firmer ball. If you tend to have a fairly wide dispersion already then moving to a tour ball that will likely spin more may cause you to go further offline though.

Should You Use This Ball?

If you use a premium ball already then the Z-Star XV is definitely worth testing. If you like a firmer feeling ball and have a higher swing speed then it could be a good choice.

If you want to give this ball a try then click here to check availability and price. 

If you’re in the UK then CGDiscount Golf often has good deals on the Srixon Z-Star/Z-Star XV.

Titleist Pro V1x

This is one of the most popular balls on professional tours. You always have to take claims like that with a pinch of salt as most of the players using this ball will be contracted to use it. However, it is also true that Titleist is still the most popular ball among players who aren’t locked into a manufacturer.

Spin (Pro V1x)

As already stated above in the Z-Star XV review the spin rates show only minor differences which would only be detected with the use of a launch monitor.

Although my own launch monitor testing showed a much wider variation but that will be down to my own terrible swing mechanics!

Feel (Pro V1x)

Since the Pro V1x is among the highest compression balls available it does feel a bit too firm for my liking but it is all down to your own preferences. Some players prefer a softer ball, others prefer a harder one.

Looking at MyGolfSpy tests it’s actually surprising how much variation there appears to be in compression ratings. Across 3 dozen balls, the lowest compression rating was around 95 up to a high figure of 102. 

Putting (Pro V1x)

Both the ProV1x and Z-Star XV felt pretty firm off the face using a milled putter but did feel a lot better when using an insert putter. 

Driving (Pro V1x)

The robots couldn’t split these balls for distance really and I didn’t notice a massive difference on well-struck shots.

I don’t think distance should be the be-all and end-all when it comes to picking golf equipment.

Dispersion (Pro V1x)

One area where the Titleist balls seemed to excel was in dispersion from front to back when using wedges. Both ProV1 models were better than the competition. Knowing your irons and in particular, your wedges will go a specific distance is a great asset. If you have a consistent game then this might be the deciding factor for you.

Final Thoughts on Titleist Pro V1x

Titleist has been the market leader for a long time – they are “The No.1 ball in golf” after all!

I doubt you will be disappointed with the ProV1x.

Should You Use This Ball?

If you are someone that doesn’t lose stacks of balls or does but has loads of money then the ProV1x is a great ball if you prefer a firmer feel.

If you need to stock up then you could try Amazon.

Either ball should work well for players with faster swings. If you’d like to save a few bucks then I’d go for the Srixon.

Srixon Z-Star XV vs Titleist Pro V1x: Conclusion

In terms of performance, there isn’t that much to choose between the two. If you tend to lose several balls per round then the Z-Star XV might be better for your wallet!

How do you think these compare? Do you use something else entirely?

I’ve also covered the Z-Star vs Pro V1 and if you have a slower swing then you might want to take a look at my low-compression ball guide.

If you still aren’t sure then use one of the manufacturer’s ball selector tools or find a stockist that does a ball fitting.

Other Balls To Consider

You might also like to check out the Q Star or Q Star Tour. The Q Star is a 2-piece ball and the Q Star Tour is a 3-piece ball with a urethane cover that retails for quite a bit less than the Pro V1.

If you are in the market for a Pro V1 or Pro V1x then you might want to consider some other premium options.

What is the best Srixon golf ball for you? Find out more about the entire Srixon ball lineup.

How Much Might You Save?

Assume you pay $50/dozen for ProV1 and $35/dozen for Z-Star

Balls Lost per Round	1	2	3	4	5
Rounds per Week	Saving	Saving	Saving	Saving	Saving
1	$75	$135	$195	$270	$330
2	$135	$270	$390	$525	$660
3	$195	$390	$585	$780	$975
4	$270	$525	$780	$1050	$1305