When it comes to premium golf balls, the differences can be very subtle from one brand to the next. Ensuring that you have the proper ball in play can take a bit of trial and error. The Srixon Z Star XV and the Pro V1x are two popular golf balls that can be difficult to choose between. As a former Class A PGA Professional, I have played several rounds of golf with both of these golf balls. Each has its own unique characteristics and functionality. The difficult part is understanding which one is going to be a better fit for your game. Luckily we have done a complete review of both of these golf balls to help you decide which one will be better for your game.
| Srixon Z Star XV | Titleist Pro V1X | |
|---|---|---|
| Cover | Urethane | Cast Urethane Cover |
| Number of Pieces | 4 | 4 |
| Compression | 102 | 108 |
| Golf Ball Type | Premium | Premium |
| Player Profile | Mid to Low Handicap | Low Handicap Fast Swing Speed |
| Pricing | Mid | High |
| Spin | Mid | High |
| Feel | Soft | Soft around greens |
| Pros | Great distance from the tee Soft feel around the greens Impressive spin profile on tee shots Lower pricingOne of the most trusted golf balls for higher swing speed players Impressive spin around the greens Premium golf ball technology and materials More control of ball flight Built for low handicap golfers | |
| Cons | Spin on approaches and around greens is not all that high | One of the higher-priced tour-level balls on the market |
| Link | Srixon Z Star XV | Titleist Pro V1X |
Srixon Z Star XV vs Pro V1X: Construction
Both the Srixon Z Star XV and the Pro V1 X will come as a four-piece design. Four piece golf balls are made for players that have much faster swing speeds. The compression of the Srixon is right around 100, and the Pro V1 X is just a bit higher. These golf balls are made for the fastest swinging players on the market.
It’s essential to consider the fact that a four piece golf ball is supposed to offer performance on wedge shots, drivers, and everything in between. The concept is that with four layers of the ball, there are different types of performance depending on the club you have in your hand.
Many great players have a hard time finding a ball that has a low spin off the tee but better feel and spin around the greens. Both the Srixon Z Star XV and the Pro V1X will provide this.
The Pro V1 X has always had one flaw, and that is that the urethane cover tends to cut relatively easily. In an effort to make it softer, it would sometimes cut with just a single shot of the wedge and iron grooves delivered incorrectly. The new cover is stronger and does a better job of producing a softer feel without the ball cutting.
Winner: Pro V1 X
Srixon Z Star XV vs. Pro V1X : Distance
Even great players want more driver swing speed and increased distance. The name of the distance game is ball speed. If you can find a golf ball with high ball speed, you can get quite a bit more distance out of your game.
The new 338 Speed Dimple Pattern on the Srixon Z Star XV offers players tremendous distance from the tee and even on approach shots with a wedge or irons. The Z Star is a long distance golf ball, even because it is four pieces and has slightly higher compression.
If you have a faster swing speed, the Srixon Z Star will give you some of the best driver distance out of any of the tour balls on the market. In addition, the drag created when using the Srixon is very minimal. The ball can cut through wind or thick air and still produce low driver spin.
The Titleist Pro V1x, however, has never lacked when it comes to distance. When compared to the Pro V1, the Pro V1 x was always a bit longer and easier to control on short iron shots. If you take both the Pro V1 x and the Srixon Z Star and put them on a launch monitor, chances are you will hit the ball slightly further with the Z Star XV.
The difference in distance between the two balls is likely only going to be a few yards, yet that is enough to make a difference to an avid golfer.
Winner: Srixon Z Star XV
Srixon Z Star XV vs Pro V1X: Greenside Spin
When it comes to premium golf balls, the spin around the greens is incredibly important. If a golf ball cannot stop where you need it to, it’s challenging to score the way that you would like to. The Srixon Z Star XV Balls have a new 4th Generation Spin Skin.
This is essentially the technology that Srixon uses to help ensure that the interaction between the grooves and the face of the wedge is a good one. Although a soft feel is a good thing, the gripping power, and interaction of grooves and dimples is what will stop the golf ball where it needs to stop.
The ProV1x golf balls have always been a leader when it comes to spin around the green. With each new release of this ball, we see enhanced ball speed and premium spin. On the latest version of the Pro V1x, the cover is a bit softer, and it allows for an even great backspin on those shorter shots.
Although the spin is impressive on both of these golf balls, the ProV1x stands out as the best overall choice. The Srixon Z Star XV tends to release a few yards further than the Pro V1x, making it slightly harder to control.
Winner: Titleist Pro V1X
Srixon Z Star XV vs Pro V1X: Performance and Feel
The most important part of choosing a ball for your golf game is the overall performance and feel. You need to feel as though you have control over the golf shots that you hit but also be able to feel what you are doing around the green. Premium golf balls almost always have a thin cover and softer feel.
When the Pro V1 and Pro V1x were new golf balls, players were quite surprised by the technology and performance that they provided. As the years have gone on, this is often considered the best golf ball in the game.
Srixon doesn’t have quite the same history and has had to work quite hard to get to where they are in the world of golf ball manufacturing. However, the impressive ball speed, softer cover, and short game control have proven that Srixon can rank among the Titleist golf balls.
Overall, feel is going to be something that is different for each player. You may find the flexible molecular bonds of the Srixon Z Star XV feel better coming off the face of your club than the Pro V1x cast urethane cover.
Our favorite way to test the performance and feel of these two balls is to take them on the putting green and hit some putts. Putting is such an essential factor when choosing a great ball. You need to decide which ball gives you the feel that you want and the MOI coming off the club face.
Overall the performance and the overall feel of the Pro V1X are a bit more favorable for playing golf than the Srixon Z Star XV. Again the differences are very subtle, but they are there.
Winner: Titleist Pro V1X
Srixon Z Star XV vs Pro V1X: Launch
The Srixon Z Star is a mid launch ball. For golfers with fast swing speeds, the mid launch can give quite a bit more control than a ball with a higher launch. Most amateur golfers want golf balls that are high launching. Whether you are hitting wedge shots or drivers, a higher ball flight is a positive.
Higher ball flight is a positive, but sometimes with lots of swing speed, it can result in too much height and decreased distance. The most important factor is that players are able to manage their own ball flight. If you want to hit a low shot, you should be able to control that. With the Srixon Z Star XV, you can.
The Pro V1 X is a bit higher flying than the Srixon Z Star XV is, and for the fastest swinging players, this can create a problem. Golfers interested in hitting the golf ball considerably higher should look at the Pro V1X. However, the overall performance and control of the Srixon Z Star XV stand out as the better choice.
Winner: Srixon Z Star
Srixon Z Star XV vs. Pro V1X: Value
Golf balls that have both short game and long game performance are very expensive. It is unfortunate that golf balls have become so high in price; however, they have also increased tremendously when it comes to technology. Years ago, you could not expect to get this same type of performance from a ball.
The Pro V1 X is considerably more expensive than the Srixon Z Star XV. Part of this is because the Pro V1X comes out with an updated version every year or two. Therefore the golf ball is continually being updated and made more impressive, and Titleist has no reason to lower the price.
The Srixon Z Star XV is not the latest release from Srixon, and therefore you can find some golf balls priced a bit lower than the Pro V1X. If you are shopping on pricing alone, then the Srixon Z Star is the way to go.
However, when it comes to overall performance and value, it is important to look at more than just the price of one golf ball compared to another.
The fact that the Srixon Z Star is as affordable as it is but also features a four piece technology and a premium ionomer cover is really the feature that you should be focusing on. Even if you take the Pro V1 X out of the equation, the Z Star XV is a really excellent premium golf ball offered at a fair price.
If you look at other balls like the Callaway Chrome Soft or TaylorMade TP5, you will notice the pricing gets to be even more expensive, and the technology is not improved by all that much. Srixon wins the better value golf ball between these two, and that remains true throughout most of the Srixon and Titleist lines.
Winner: Srixon Z Star
Conclusion: Which Is Better Srixon Z Star XV and Titleist Pro V1X?
The Srixon Z Star XV and the Titleist Pro V1X are really good match up. Each of these golf balls has some great technology to offer. Players with fast swing speeds and low handicaps will likely find that each of these golf balls has adequate performance for their golf game.
After all of our testing and comparison, we do find that the Titleist Pro V1X comes out on top. The real reason behind this becomes the spin around the greens. When you hit a good wedge shot with a Pro V1X, it stops exactly where you need it to stop. This is a technology that is worth investing in. If golfers can start to learn exactly what to expect from their wedges, the overall scores they can shoot are considerably lower.
